Pre-season testing have ended. Now...round one was on its way.
Well of course, teams would be searching for...maybe say, any sort of faults in the cars, any sort of problems they'd either have to come to terms with because they can't fix it or just fix it. But who knows what may happen? Maybe the first race weekend won't turn out so bad after all. Will it?
The days that followed meant hard sim-practice and a bit more intense physical training. In terms of Sim-practice, even if Ganyu is already skilled in driving the car, one's race pace will not be determined by normal skills or good practice laps alone. She's been in that sim-rig for a while now, and honestly...she's coming out of it pretty good. Yea. Damn well good. She'd also improved on a few things she had to learn about what each downforce set-up would do to her car, under the guidance of Sucrose. But ay, Williams probably have a chance here, even if the car...hhuu...lets just say, 'Beautiful Looks Deceive'.
As for Keqing Pérez and Shenhe Stroll, Racing Point have been testing a lot more downforce set-ups in their rig too. Race weekend isn't that far anyway. In fact, it's literally a day away because tomorrow is Friday. So yeah. But let's be real, they could've done this for Pre-Season practice. They did. Their just doing some more.
As for other teams, lets say, Alfa Romeo...forgot to mention, Klee Giovinazzi and Amber Raikkonen are surely being themselves. Klee is somewhere in Italy doing Celestia knows what with a few bombs, and Amber is just at home, because why not. Sometimes, you need to take a rest before race weekend. You never know if you'll need it. Or at least, that's what our champions been doing for these 20 years.
Honestly, people, fans, former drivers and more are hoping this season as what might possibly the best season to watch. People are hyping this season so much, it's kinda crazy. And I'm sure this definition will be a season to remember...will it? WILL IT!! Maybe. We never know. And we surely do hope so...maybe.
Then, the next day, and it came...there was no longer any calm in this storm. This is...Australia. Melbourne. Elbert Park circuit. Let's go wild. Let's go crazy. Let's go FPS. Friday Practice Sessions/Free Practice Sessions.
Ningguang Bottas goes onto the track first, honestly feeling the car. Her engineer: "No possibility for rain estimated, you may stay on as long as you need."
Ningguang just responded back through the radio, flat, but respectful: "Thanks. I'll see what can be made of this car for today."
Friday Practice is on the way. But while Ningguang was out on track having a the car pushed to the limits even when she didnt warm her tires yet, comes well...you know the shit that can sometimes happen in these kind of stories. As for our young looking but incredibly experienced Barbara Magnusson, walking through the Paddock on her way to the Haas cafeteria to turn left and...almost a boof. She stood frozen, in front of the icy gaze of one Rosaria Norris. The silence was tense, and ever so slightly awkward before Rosaria pulled that lollipop out of her mouth and just. "...you're that lady from Haas, huh?" Barbara blinked once, and just nod. But Rosaria detailed what she means: "Kind, cute, but incredibly aggressive on track and sometimes short tempered."
Barbara just blinked twice before popping into an awkward laugh, scratching the back of her head like: "Me? Come on, hehe~...I'm not short tempered-" But by the time she opened her eyes to look at Rosaria...Rosaria just gave her that one look that spoke clearly that she does not give a damn. In all essences, Barbara is still that one person that's easy to anger. "Yea. Sure, sweetheart." The Mondt-Brit finished off with that, before walking past Barbara today. First odd interaction between drivers. Nice.
Mona Ocon goes into the track to see what happens and almost gets rear-ended by Lisa Vettel, who signalled a: 'What The Hell!?' hand up. By the time Mona Ocon came out of her pit box, Lisa was already out her her own. So...yea, that kinda got tense. No penalties handed out though. Things are going smoothly. We are cruising nicely. Or at least we thought we were when a Red Bull touched some grass and saved a very heavy snap to the right on a turn 11 moment almost gone wrong. Raiden Albon had been trying to push the car to its absolute limit. And she was doing it. Getting those Laps in. Making it stick.
The few hours blur by in FP1, FP2 and FP3 till it was finally over. It was all over. Practice. Everyone committing this track layout to memory for tomorrow. The next day would be Saturday Practice for one hour before Quali. This should be fun.
As everyone was leaving the Paddock, this is where the tension kinda felt half intimate. Lisa...Jean. Just after getting out of their cars, walked nearly into each other's paths. Avoided each other, but eyes locked...and they were VERY close. Close enough for each other's breathes to mingle for that split second before they walked away, headed where they were planning to. But the first one to look back was...Jean. When one looks back, you know something's gonna bloom soon. Or erupt like a volcano. Either one of the two.
As for Noelle Gasly, she was the one to set the fastest lap this entire session. Honestly, who knew that the AlphaTauri could fly. It flew. And it flew with style, no less. But tomorrow will prove chaos.
Just hours later, they'd gotten to their hotel. A lot of hotels nearest to choose from, but sure. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Mclaren's team had decided to take the same hotel, Holiday Inn Express. As for a few other teams, they scatterer. But tell me, what could happen in this one hotel?
Rosaria Norris has been gaming, Yanfei Sainz is out cold as an ice bag untouched on the bed, Lisa Vettel is just chilling in her room with a glass of champagne in front of the fireplace and as for everyone else, just doing their thing...Eula Leclerc is currently on a Balcony somewhere in the main hall. Just catching air. Why not though? "Oi." Only for a voice to break the silence. Eula spun round to see Amber Raikkonen, dressed as casually as ever, walking over with her hands behind her back. "So...how's it going with Ferrari? I mean the teammates, of course."
If you don't know how these two are familiar, these two have met in 2018. Eula Leclerc had debuted in Alfa Romeo that year, but Amber Raikkonen was still in Ferrari. Skip the following year, Kirari Ericson had been let go by Alfa Romeo, and back the F1 came Klee. Amber Raikkonen was moved to Alfa Romeo in order to take in Eula Leclerc for that Ferrari seat alongside Lisa Vettel. That happened.
Right now, on this Balcony. "Yea...it's going great. At least we're trying."
"Mhm." Amber hummed. They were once more quiet for a moment, before Amber spoke again: "You...don't really know what might happen this season because of how last season went."
"...no."
"Shit happens."
"So does it."
Amber sighed and pat Eula on the back. "Calm down. You'll be fine." And before walking away. "Loosen up a little. You look stiffer than my brakes." Eula just sidelong glanced at Amber's retreating form before turning forward, and just sighing. "...maybe...maybe this season will be hours."
Yea...maybe.