A/N - Hello. This is the ninth chapter of this story, and the focus of this chapter is going to be primarily on the racing year. Any relationships formed will be mentioned but there will not be any extensive sex scenes, which is why I've placed the chapter here.
Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.
Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.
Comments are appreciated as always.
Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.
*****
Is it finally his year?
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It was my sixth year in Formula One. I had achieved numerous podiums. I'd won a few races. And I'd come ever so close to winning the World Championship. But a tyre failure had caused my retirement at the final race which handed the title to Andrea de Cesaris, the likeable but sometimes erratic Italian. Most of Italy rejoiced that an Italian driver had won the championship in an Italian car. It might not have been a Ferrari, but there was still much to celebrate.
Everyone had been hard at work during the winter break. Anja worked me harder than ever. I wanted to be the fittest driver on the grid by the time we assembled in Kyalami for the opening round of the championship. Every single day was spent putting my body through torture. But I endured simply because the pain would be worth it.
I was at Imola by late January testing the new car. They only had one built, and Fabrizio almost begged me not to crash it, but after only an hour on the track that first day, I returned to the pits with a big, stupid grin on my face.
"The car is good?" Fabrizio asked.
"Time me when I head out on the next run," I replied.
After another hour on track, I was only a tenth away from the lap record. And this was with a car straight out of the box without any real development so far. It was just so beautiful to drive. The aerodynamics were perfect. The Lamborghini engine was powerful but responsive. The tyres were incredible regarding their grip.
We agreed that we would test alone until late February when we would join all the other teams at Estoril for the final test session before the cars would be shipped to South Africa and we'd join them soon afterwards. As soon as the second car was built, Luca joined me as we put in hundreds of laps, hundreds of miles, doing far more than race distances every day we were at the track. I knew Luca was hoping to gain his first victory of the season. I wanted to win the title, and Giancarlo had already assured me that I was the explicit number one and that Luca would be supporting me. But if the chance did come, I would also help Luca to his first victory.
Anja had been working me hard every day. Even when testing at Imola, she would have me up and about as easily as possible, working every muscle group in my body. I could feel the difference as we'd been hard at work getting me fit since arriving back in Italy after the Australian Grand Prix last year.
But she wasn't currently living with me. My sister, Candice, packed up her things and moved to Italy before Christmas, moving in with me temporarily as she preferred the idea of living in Italy rather than the United Kingdom near our mother. She absolutely loved Bologna, and she was picking up the language rather quickly.
There was also the aspect of our relationship. Within a week, I was feeling long-dormant feelings for her that I thought had passed and wouldn't resurface. And the way she would look at me during breakfast, dinner, or in those quiet moments when were together in the living room, I just knew that any feelings she had for me had either returned or never diminished.
But nothing should or could happen. Not while I was in Formula One. And although Anja, Sophia and Aiko accepted each other, the fact Candice was my sister would likely lead to the collapse of everything, and heaven only knows what else would go wrong after that. If that secret came out...
And my three lovers also knew that this year was going to be dedicated to winning the championship. Nothing would be left to chance. During a race weekend, I would not be distracted. Anja would be with me as my assistant, but Sophia and Candice would only come to select events. Aiko would be at the occasional weekend fulfilling her obligations to Panasonic.
"What are your chances this year?" Sophia asked over dinner two nights before I was due to fly out to Estoril. It would be the only official test session that we would be attending. Minardi was spending most of the off-season testing privately at Imola and we'd also been to Misano.
"The car is bloody fast," I replied, "The team hasn't released any news about our testing times thus far. What I can tell you is that the rest of the grid might be in for a shock after we've done a few laps. We're aware of what they've all been up to."
"You're fitter than you've ever been," Anja added, "And you've been doing plenty of race simulations while you've been testing."
"Giancarlo told me that the team has never done so much testing in a pre-season. To be honest, it is thanks to the Panasonic money. They're paying us enough that we could have a dedicated testing team if we really wanted, but I told Giancarlo that I'd rather do it. They get my feedback on how exactly I want my car."
"And Luca?" Sophia wondered.
"He'll be supporting me this season. Giancarlo said that for this year, all resources will be dedicated to me winning the championship. If I do, then next season will be a free-for-all. Luca is good enough to challenge me, but Giancarlo also knows that backing me for this season will certainly be a benefit."
Arriving at the Estoril circuit a couple of days later, the paddock was busy even if it was rather early in the morning. I hadn't seen any of my fellow drivers since the end of last season. It was good to see them all. Andrea de Cesaris looked like he hadn't stopped smiling since the Australian Grand Prix, and I'd read a few media reports about him celebrating. No one could blame him.
Luca was in the garage when I walked in dressed in my fireproof racing suit. We shook hands and had a quick chat about what we would be doing over the next three days. Luca had put in just as many kilometres as I had during our previous tests.
We were out on the track as soon as the green flag was waved to do a couple of installation laps, and make sure all the systems were working. The other teams had their drivers out rather quickly, putting in decent lap times, no doubt testing upgrades and ensuring their car was as fast as possible for the first race in South Africa.
Minardi were sandbagging for the first couple of hours, generally going out with full fuel tanks yet we were matching nearly everyone on pace. Full tanks but soft tyres. No doubt we left the opposition guessing. We kept at it until the usual ninety-minute break for lunch before the drivers would head out again for the afternoon session.
"Think they have any idea what's about to hit them?" I asked Fabrizio while we sat around for lunch.
Fabrizio gave me a knowing grin. "They could probably tell that we were holding back. We'll send you out after lunch on a couple of slow laps, bring you in, put around five laps of fuel in the car, some soft and sticky tyres, and then go out and do the best lap you can. See where that puts us."
"How are you finding it, Luca?" I had to ask.
He gave me that sort of grin that suggested he was happy. "I think we're going to have a fantastic season, Marco."
Back in the cockpit after lunch, we waited around half an hour to let other teams start setting some competitive lap times before there was enough of a lull for me to head out. It would be similar to qualifying at a grand prix. Lap to warm everything up. A banzai, balls to the wall lap. Then a slow lap in.
By the time I finished my fast lap, Gabriele was almost laughing away over the radio. "What's so funny?" I had to ask.
"Marco... Marco... Your lap was immediately seven-tenths quicker than anything any other team has managed during any other official testing session!"
"You're shitting me?"
"Marco, I can see the reaction up and down the pitlane. They're now wondering what else we might have up our sleeve. Come in, we'll see if anyone tries to match it over the next hour, then you'll head out and see if you can beat it. Sound good?
"
"I want the title wrapped up by the summer." I heard him and a couple of others laughing away. I was smiling despite driving the car as the atmosphere in the team was as good as I could remember. "If not the summer... Maybe Monza?"
"A dream, Marco. A dream,"
Giancarlo stated.
We were at Estoril for three days. Mark Jones for Minardi topped the time sheets on each of the three days. His teammate, Luca Badoer, was fourth at the end of day one, second at the end of day two, and third at the end of day three. Each day ended with me at least half a second ahead of the second-placed car. Luca would have been closer on day two as he was on a stonking lap when he made the smallest mistake that cost him three-tenths. He was gutted...
I avoided talking to any media until the end of the third day. It was difficult not to sound too confident when talking about testing, but as long as I didn't veer into arrogance and think that winning the title was my God-given right, then I allowed myself to feel confident heading home to Italy.
There was one more issue I knew that would need to be sorted between Estoril and the first race in three weeks' time. I waited until I was home alone in the apartment when I called my mother, asking if it would be possible for her to come over to Italy within the fortnight as it was three weeks until the first race in South Africa, and I was due to fly out on Tuesday. Mum didn't ask why, it was almost like she had a sixth sense as to why I'd asked her to come and visit.
Life wasn't too awkward with Candice living with me though there was an undercurrent of sexual tension. She knew it. I knew it. We'd spent more of our lives living apart than living together. It was no real surprise when we had admitted to an attraction. The only reason everything ended was for the same reason that my relationship with my mother ended. I couldn't be a Formula One driver and be in a relationship with a family member at the same time. It was simply impossible, or so I thought.
