I rub my eyes, suddenly bone tired. ‘I don’t think things can get any worse, man.’
‘Oh they can. Good news: you know Matteo D’Ambrosio’s track limits issue? The data’s been reviewed and he’s been given a five-second grid penalty, which means?—’
‘I’m P14,’ I say, marginally brighter. It’s my best result so far this year. ‘I mean, it’s still point-less, but I guess it’s something. What’s the bad news?’
He sucks in a breath. ‘It pushed DFK into the top ten.’
My stomach bottoms out. ‘You’re kidding.’
‘Wish I was.’
I can’t believe this. ‘DFK havepoints? For the first time inthree years?!’
‘Four years,’ JC corrects.
I utter it quietly so the mechanics don’t feel any worse: ‘We’re officially at the bottom of the grid.’
‘Correct.’
‘Not joint bottom. Not probably not the worst. The actual worst.’
‘Correct.’
I rub my face roughly. ‘What the fuck?’
‘Their new team principal looks like she’s starting to yield results.’
‘Greeeeat.’
‘C’mon.’ He nods toward the door. ‘Let’s head out. The jet’s on standby.’
‘What do I do?’ I ask as we head to our waiting car. ‘This team’s a sinking ship and everybody knows it. Morale isn’t going to change anytime soon, especially not after that bombshell.’
‘You don’t have much of a choice. You ride it out, do what you can do, and if things don’t improve, hell, there’s always IndyCar next year.’
‘IndyCar?JC, if I leave now, I give up any chance I have at being a World Champion. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. I’m not ready to give it up. I’m good enough to drive for a team like Volare. You saw how I defended today. I whipped that Alpha Prime’s ass.’
‘And then he overtook you,’ JC says through a yawn. Wow, his enthusiasm’s overwhelming.
‘Yeah, well, I had no choice.’
‘What about being a reserve driver in F1?’ he suggests. ‘The pay’s pretty good.’
Iharrumph. My face is on that garage (so big you can see my pores, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that) and even though it’s for a backmarker team, I’m still one of twenty drivers in the world’s most prestigious motorsport. Transitioning to a reserve driver voluntarily is peak humiliation.
JC doesn’t get it. He understands numbers and deals, but not what it’s like to feel your dream rapidly slip from your grasp. To know you could prove everyone wrong if only you had the resources.
I climb into the car and flick onto Instagram. The first face that pops up is Premier League soccer player Brennan Okorafor on a Coke ad. That dude was benched when he started dating Jules, and now look at him.
I’m beyond desperate, and my fortunes need to change fast. As much as it pains me to say it… there’s only one thing that can help. And I’m going to have to fall on my sword to get it.
Chapter 11
TIAGO
JEDDAH
‘You havegotto be joking.’
