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Chapter Twenty-Two
Afew weeks later Ientered the same conference room where just a few months earlier I had been tasked with being chaperon to the drivers. It was hard to believe all that had happened in a relatively short time. I thought I was used to the intensity of life as a part of an F1 team, but catching feelings had given it an entirely new dimension. And now I was here to end it all.
I took my seat between George and Melissa on one side of the table. Alejandro and Jason sat on the other side and Mr. Hansen sat towards the end on their side. My team already knew the news I had to share, but I had asked to be the one to tell the drivers personally.
“Ok, Kat,” said Mr. Hansen, “I hear you have something you need to share with the room, so why don’t we start our meeting off with that.”
Both drivers looked at me as I took a deep breath. George squeezed my hand under the table and I was grateful for his support. We had not talked about my romantic situation since the day the tabloids got wind of it, but his confidence spoke volumes. “I will be leaving Smith Racing following the conclusion of this season,” I said.
Alejandro’s face went stony while Jason’s became soft and plaintive. “What?” he asked.
“I hope this is not because of the unpleasantness around the British Grand Prix,” Mr Hansen said. “It was an unfortunate incident but we have nothing but the utmost confidence in your work.”
“No,” I replied. “It’s not. Or not entirely.” I took a steading breath and turned to him with a smile. “I was approached by the communications team at F1 Academy. They were impressed with my work creating a positive image for our drivers and would like me to come head up their brand image.”
“Congratulations!” said Mr. Hansen.
“I know we’re all going to miss you, Kat,” said Melissa. “But this is the opportunity of a lifetime and you can do great things for the advancement of women’s motorsport over there. I’ll be sad to see you go but look forward to watching you continue to shine.”
“Thank you,” I said, blinking back sudden tears. I had always known I had my team’s confidence, but hearing it articulated so strongly caused a surge of emotion.
“Well,” said Mr. Hansen, “This is fantastic news. I’m sure F1 Academy has their own schedule to keep, but if it is possible to wait on the announcement until the summer break, I would appreciate it.
“Thank you, sir,” I said. “I already spoke with the team there and they are fine holding off on an official announcement until the end of the season. I’m happy to help interview candidates for my job next season as needed, but I understand if that’s not something you would like.”
“Never mind all of that,” said Mr. Hansen. “There will be plenty of time to work out the details later. For now, congratulations and let’s focus on preparing for Hungary next week.”
“Yes, Kat,” murmured Alejandro, “Congratulations. They will be lucky to have you.”
Mr. Hansen had already started talking, so I mouthedthank youto Alejandro andI’m sorryto Jason, who looked crestfallen. I really would have to make a note in his file to work on hiding his emotions better.
***
THE HUNGARIAN GRANDPrix was fast approaching and we really did have a lot of prep to do. Especially because both drivers continued to flounder. The week before, in Germany, was another disaster. We stopped room sharing due to image concerns, so I was not privy to the drivers’ mental state in the way I usually was. Jason was a hot head and squeezed another car on track, resulting in a DNF for him, and Alejandro had berated his crew on the radio for a bad pit stop, which was both out of character and terrible for his image. All of this needed to be overcome before we could continue on to our next race.
I sat in the cafeteria waiting for both men to arrive. I’d sent them each a message asking them to please meet with me so we could go over the game plan before we flew to Hungary. Once we arrived it would be a flurry of prep before the race and there would be no time to strategize. If we were going to turn things around we needed to do it now.
Alejandro arrived first and took a seat. He was clearly in a brooding mood, which did not bode well for the conversation.
“So how is your day going?” I asked him. He merely grunted in reply. “Look,” I said, leaning forward. “You and I both know how fast the narrative around a team can change. We were on our way to some really good press until the fiasco at the British Grand Prix. We can turn it back around.”
“What do you want from me, Kat?” he grouched back. “I have already apologized publicly to the crew for my behavior last race. I am focusing on getting ready for Hungary and you have made it clear to the media where our relationship stands. I do not think there is anything else to say.”
I blinked at him “But . . .”
“Hi guys.” Jason sat down across from me next to Alejandro. “What are we talking about?” He had a look of hopeful resignation on his face.
“I was just checking to see how Alejandro was doing after the last race,” I replied. “Now that you are here we can get back to the matter at hand. We need to figure out how to salvage your friendship for the public. Do you have any ideas?”
“I don’t understand why we can’t just go back to the way things were,” said Jason. “It’s pretty clear the team knows and doesn’t care, so why not just see how things go?”
“No,” said Alejandro, his eyes darkening. “I will not put us in that kind of situation again. We barely made it through the last time.” His voice got quieter “And it hurts too much. None of us deserve to face that kind of heartbreak a second time.”
My mind started racing. Heartbreak? I wanted to dig in deeper on that but now was not the time.
