‘Can you hear yourself right now, Harp? You sound like a child.’
I stick my tongue out at him just to prove his point, before slumping back into the small booth.
‘Can we talk about something else? I’m bored of talking about Kian bloody Walker. Let’s just enjoy the evening and toast these boring old glasses of water to our first Championship race together?’
He clinks his glass against mine and the world settles back into place. This is what I thought it would be like when Jo and I were karting babies and top-class racing was just one big dream. Now look at us. We’ve made it.
Johannes walks me back to my room and just like that our blissful bubble pops at the sight of a very furious Kian skulking outside my room.
He eyes Johannes wearily. ‘Johannes.’ He nods.
‘Kian,’ Johannes claps me on the shoulder, pushing me towards my new teammate. ‘He’s all yours.’
‘Traitor,’ I mutter under my breath as Johannes returns to the lift, heading to his own floor.
‘What the fuck, Harper?’
‘What the fuck Harper what?’
I know why he’s here, but I’m relaxed now and I can’t resist.
‘Do you not take anything seriously?’ It’s a wonder he has any teeth left at the rate he grinds them to try and keep his temper in check. Kian spots the smirk on my face and I know that’s what sets him off.
‘I can’t tell whether you think you’re too good for them to fire you, or if you’re actually just completely stupid.’
‘It’s media training, Kian. Chill out.’
He snorts and shakes his head.
‘I don’t know why I’m bothering. I hope youdokeep fucking up, James, because then Anders’ll drop you and I’ll get a decent teammate who’s actually in with a chance of winning.’
And with that he walks off, head held high. What a prick. Where does he get off underestimating me?’
I almost wish Johannes had stayed so he could have seen what I was working with.
* * *
My first qualifier comes around quicker than I could ever expect and even though I’m the new kid on the track, the crowds are howling for me as we make our way into the Hendersohm garage. Fans throw T-shirts at us and I’m surprised when Kian stops to sign every single one of them and shake hands with each kid looking for anything they can get from their idol. He’s always so focused on the work. No time for anyone or anything. Or maybe it’s just no time for me.
The atmosphere inside the garage is something else, though, abuzz with technicians, analysts, designers, agents, and the big boss himself, Anders. Everyone’s gearing up for the start of the season. I’m just glad to be coming in on a season where the cars only had to have tweaks from last year because it was so bloody good, so I don’t have to work out the kinks in a completely new, rebuilt car that’s still being reworked by the technicians.
Anders talked a big game during pre-season about there being no number one at Hendersohm because it’s not how his team rolls, but everyone knows the top seat belongs to Kian. Does he even realise that the whole team revolves around him and what he wants? He’s the bright flame to their busy, fluttering moths. I guess we’ll see what happens this weekend.
Will they hold me back if I’m closing in on Kian? How many technicians will be onmycar making suremytyre changes are just as quick as Kian’s?
It’s going to be interesting, to say the least.
And it turns out to be even more interesting than I could ever have anticipated.
The guy I’ve watched and worshipped for years crumbles.
He struggles to get going, and can’t keep up the pace on some of the more brutal corners of the Bahrain track, and overall, it’s a less-than-stellar performance.
I actually finish ahead of him, setting a lap time that delights both me and the wider Hendersohm team. Ash, my race engineer and the guy who will live in my ear for the season, is screaming about how good it is for a rookie.
Kian’s still out there trying until the last minute, but it’s not enough. I hear Cole tell Ash that Kian’s only made P8, whilst I’m in P4. It’s a switch-up in positions that I don’t think anyone was expecting, least of all Kian. I can only imagine what’s going through Kian’s mind when he hears that he’s eighth to my fourth.
Who’s the number one driver now, Kian? Who’s the one at risk of getting dropped? Media training, my ass. There’s been no fallout from me missing the session yet, and if they had any concerns about me being worth it, well, looks like I am…
