Apex

A/N - Hello. This is (obviously) the seventh chapter in this series. The first and only for this category. If you're wondering why this chapter is being posted here, it's somewhat explained in a previous chapter. In addition to a little group sex, there will also be quite a bit of anal. Again, this goes back to the events of the previous chapter.

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.

*****

Can he lead the team to further glory?

*****

I knew within five laps of the start of testing that Aldo had designed one hell of a car. Even better than the previous year. The Lamborghini engine was slightly more powerful, again the company focused on reliability to hopefully prevent fewer blow-ups. The first three days at Jerez saw Mark Jones and Minardi hovering in and around the top six the entire time.

There had been plenty of changes up and down the pitlane though. McLaren switched engine suppliers from Honda to Porsche. The German manufacturer turned up with a V6 turbo. Honda wanted to switch from turbo to normally aspirated, a throaty V12 engine that had apparently proven to be as powerful as any other V12 on the grid. McLaren wanted to remain with a turbo, so Honda switched to Williams, who ditched their Ford Cosworth V8.

With the Honda to Williams went Ayrton Senna, who remained loyal to the Japanese manufacturer. His move set off a game of musical chairs up and down the grid. In the end, Rosberg remained with Williams alongside Senna. Nigel Mansell moved from Wiliams to Ferrari to drive alongside Gilles Villeneuve. The spare seat at McLaren was taken by Jean Alesi, who moved over from the Eagle team still led by Dan Gurney. His seat at Eagle was taken by Clay Regazzoni, moving up from his role as Ferrari test driver and two-time Formula Two champion. Lorenzo Bandini also chose to retire, still feeling the effects of his accident in Monaco. He remained as a Ferrari ambassador and advisor.

Alfa Romeo showed up at pre-season testing with their new car, entering the sport for the first time as a manufacturer since the 1950s. They hired Patrick Depailler from the Ligier team to lead their assault, replaced at Ligier by Didier Pironi. Alfa Romeo chose to go the naturally aspirated route with a roaring V12 engine that many up and down the pitlane stated sounded absolutely glorious. His teammate would be Andrea de Cesaris, moving over from the Arrows team. Riccardo Patrese remained at Arrows, joined by young Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen.

As for me and Minardi, I had a new teammate. Pierluigi wasn't completely done with Formula One as he was also an ambassador for the team, Giancarlo agreeing to call him in for select European races to meet and greet the sponsors. My new teammate was young Italian Luca Badoer who had been our test driver for the past couple of years. He arrived having also won the European Formula Three and then European Formula Two in successive seasons. There was hope that he could be the first Italian World Champion since the days of Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Farina.

The second test session before the start of the new season was at Estoril. I always enjoyed testing on the Iberian Peninsula. The weather was usually dry though cool, and the conditions were generally perfect for testing. The four days in Portugal were even better than Jerez. For two of the four days, I ended up in the top three. The usual suspects were in the top ten. Honda hit the ground running with Williams, their new chassis rather gorgeous. McLaren were having the expected teething issues with their Porsche though the engine was definitely powerful. As for Alfa Romeo, they blew up at least once a day though they still sounded glorious at full acceleration down the main straight.

Sophia was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to come to the first four races of the season given they were all outside Europe, but she was just starting her career and she needed to focus on that. She promised that she'd watch each race on television, wearing all her Minardi gear. Anja remained by my side as always, now a fixture in the team garage and well-known around the pitlane.

I'd spent much of the off-season in the company of my fellow drivers. Gilles Villeneuve invited everyone to Canada in January as always for a lot of fun in the snow. Wives and children were all invited to join in. I kept in touch with Pierluigi, catching up at least once a week as he still lived locally.

"Chances?" Anja asked during the flight to South Africa as we would be arriving on Wednesday before the race.

"I'd love to say we're favourites. I reckon we could get a podium. But the turbos always dominate at Kyalami."

"Do you think you can win this season?"

"Absolutely. I've never been so confident entering a season."

"You sound confident but not arrogant. That's a good thing, Mark."

Giancarlo, Fabrizio and Gabriele were equally as confident when sitting down for dinner on Thursday night. We discussed our hopes and dreams for the season. Luca was with us, sitting rather quietly as I knew he was a little nervous heading into Friday.

I called Sophia in the evening. We'd been intimate numerous times since that first time in a hotel in Bologna. She would spend time at my apartment, Anja sometimes joining us though we'd never had a threesome. She just liked having Anja nearby for support. If I was with Sophia at her apartment, it was only the two of us though she did live with a roommate. Another young Italian woman who had taken an immediate shine to me. Sophia laughingly warned her off me.

Confidence was high as I headed out onto the track for first practice. I knew the turbo engine cars would still dominate as always, but improvements in ground effect technology and aerodynamics, plus the governing body ensured there was a balance of performance between the turbo and naturally aspirated engine cars. All in all, they generally got things right.

Luca was still finding his feet while I put in plenty of laps, trying to find the perfect set-up. Qualifying was the usual intense affair though by the time I headed out for my final run, I'd been in the top six since my first run and ended the day fourth. Only one of the Renaults, the Williams-Honda of Senna, and Piquet's Brabham-BMW ahead of me.

The debrief was interesting as we pored over the data and knew there was more to come. The field was incredibly close, the top fifteen cars covered by a second. Even the Ford Cosworth V8s were competitive, with just enough corners on the circuit to give them time to catch up in the corners what they lost on the straights.

"I expect the likes of Renault to decrease their boost for the race," Gabriele explained, "They simply can't complete three hundred kilometres otherwise. The BMW was ever so powerful but unreliable all through testing. Even the year-old engine Benetton is using is still detonating regularly."

"What about the other V12 runners?" I asked.

"Ferrari will be there or thereabouts. Laffite and the Ligier-Matra are looking very good already. Given they topped testing a couple of days, I'd expect them to challenge this year. The Alfa Romeo is fast but fragile, and the chassis isn't particularly good yet. I wouldn't worry about the likes of the BRM or Cooper. Maserati appear to be losing interest, and BRM have been struggling for a while now.

The second qualifying was an intense affair. The field was slowly getting closer and closer, the massive gaps of just a couple of years ago fading away as the big teams were being caught up by some of the midfield runners, Minardi included. To the surprise of nearly no one, Laffite took pole in the V12 Ligier-Matra, perhaps to the surprise of the turbo runners only. I put my Minardi fourth on the grid with the hopes I'll move up at least one position.

No one caught the Frenchman all race. When I watched the replay of the race during the week, even the commentators were startled by the form of the French team. I finished in fifth place as conditions changed for Sunday and my car just wasn't handling as expected. I persevered and scored points for the championship. Luca finished his first Formula One race in ninth.

The American swing wasn't particularly successful. To be honest, we always seemed to start slowly but started to make strides when we returned to Europe. I finished seventh in Argentina, disappointed to just miss out on the points. The Brazilian Grand Prix was again at Jacarepaguá. It wasn't as bumpy as the fearsome Interlagos circuit, and we'd always done better in Rio than in Sao Paolo. Another points finish in fifth wasn't too bad, the turbos dominating most of the event until they nearly all blew up like usual. Finally, the Mexican Grand Prix was another event that everyone expected the turbos to dominate. And they did this time, Senna winning in the Williams-Honda while I finished in sixth for a solitary point. The combination of the Williams-Honda had already proven competitive, and the Brazilian was expected to seriously challenge the likes of Clark and Villeneuve. Laffite still led the championship after two wins in the first four races.

Between Mexico and the Spanish Grand Prix, the team headed to Mugello for testing. We had no official test driver due to Luca's promotion, but I had no problem putting in the laps. Being the team leader, I knew the focus would be on producing a car slightly favouring me. And to be honest, I was someone who liked a somewhat loose back end. Not so I ended up taking corners like a rally driver, but very few drivers liked understeer. You wanted the front end to stick to the track and rely on the ground effects and aerodynamics to keep the rear planted.

"Good work, Marco," Fabrizio stated at the end of the third day of testing. If I made the team manager smile, I was on a good thing. He didn't smile too often. "You beat our personal lap record today. Beat it repeatedly."

"How's the car?" Gabriele asked once we were sitting down for debrief.

"Despite the record, still feels a little too loose at the rear. But more downforce would be a killer."

"Can you handle it through the fast corners?"

"I won't lift, if that's what you mean. I can correct a slide if it goes loose. The good thing is that it doesn't appear to snap. When it goes, I have enough time to correct."

"How's the engine?" Giancarlo asked, "Powerful enough? Do we need more?"

I shook my head. "I think the first four races have proven that in the race we can match the turbos just about. Qualifying will always be difficult as they just turn up the boost. But we're matching Ferrari. They're not looking as competitive. And between you and me, I reckon Lotus are going to be looking for an engine supplier to at least give them a V10."

"I don't think Ligier can keep it up," Fabrizio stated, leaning back in his chair, "They've made a great start, but they're French. They'll eventually go on strike or something."

"I think Senna winning in Mexico sent a message," I suggested, "Honda were competitive with McLaren, but that new Williams chassis looks fantastic. Rosberg might be quick over one lap, but Senna is something else in a race. He's just relentless."

"Okay, Marco. Honesty. Now that we're back in Europe, can we win?" Giancarlo asked.

I tried to keep the smile from forming too quickly though the three men in the room with me were soon chuckling. "Giancarlo, I think we can win more than one race this season. Haven't had a podium yet, but it's coming. And I reckon we're going to be even better on the twisty stuff this year."

The Spanish Grand Prix returned to the slow and twisty Jarama circuit for the first time in over five years. It was the sort of track expected to favour the normally aspirated cars as even the front straight was barely long enough for the turbos to use any sort of advantage they might have. It was no surprise to see the Ford Cosworths well up. Mixing it with them was Laffite in the Ligier... and a certain Jones in the Minardi. By the end of Saturday qualifying, Clark had taken pole for Lotus, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Next to him... Mark Jones for Minardi.

I swear the V8s felt like fleas all over me the entire race. Clark simply took off and won at a canter. Nearly the entire race I had his teammate Peterson, the Tyrrell pair of Stewart and Cevert, and the Arrows of Patrese all over me for lap after lap. Stewart eventually got by during the single pitstop sequence to take second, but I managed to slowly build a gap in the second half of the race to finally take a comfortable third. It was my first podium of the season and Minardi celebrated wildly as usual. Podiums were still rare enough that they felt incredibly special.

Next was Imola, what felt like a home race for the little team from Faenza. Lamborghini continued their development and had an upgraded engine that I used in first practice. When I stepped out of the car at the finish and had a big grin on my face, the mechanics knew that I was very happy. I was even happier at the end of the first qualifying session a couple of hours later.

I was on provisional pole position.

"Think you can hold onto it?" Sophia asked me as we laid back in our hotel room later. This was the first race of the year she was able to attend.

"I hope so. The car and engine just feel really good. Then again, I've spent a lot of time testing since returning from Mexico. Everyone is motivated to keep improving."

"Helps when their lead driver is finishing in the points more often than not," she stated before kissing my cheek and snuggling me tighter, "Think you can win this weekend?"

"I'm confident enough to say it's possible, but we still lack that little something compared to some of the bigger teams."

Saturday practice was all about focusing on race set-up and I was content enough with what I had by the end of it. Heading into second qualifying, I spent the first twenty minutes sitting in the back of the garage with Sophia and Anja as one driver after another headed out on their first couple of runs. The track was in perfect condition and the grip would only continue to get better.

By the time I stepped back into my car, I'd dropped down to fifth place. I wasn't too worried as I could get in four runs within forty minutes. The only slight concern would be getting the free track and no traffic. My first two runs were consistent, and I worked my way up to third place on the provisional grid. Ferrari were back on form though it was Nigel Mansell at the top of the sheets for the moment. He'd already scored his first podium for the Scuderia and was hoping for more success.

That's where I finished. Third place was good. Mansell was on pole with Senna alongside him, while Villeneuve was next to me on the second row. The

tifosi

were very happy though it was amusing to see some of the Ferrari supporters also carrying Minardi flags, and there were plenty of white Martini & Rosso Minardi shirts in the grandstands.

The commentators were already salivating at the prospect of a race-long battle between Mansell and Senna. For all their power, the likes of Renault were struggling. Their engine was still the most powerful on the grid alongside the BMW, but their chassis for the new season didn't appear as good. Neither car had won a race so far. Brabham was faring even worse, Piquet and Lauda barely got into the top ten at any event so far this season.

"You know what? I hope they take each other out at Tosa," I stated over dinner that night with Sophia, Anja and my mother. She'd flown in from London for the few races she did come to watch.

"It'll be that or a great battle most of the race," Sophia said, "Though you still have to hold off Gilles."

"And Jacques (Laffite)," Mum added, giving me a look, "He's still leading the championship and will want to win on Italian soil."

What no one expected waking up on Sunday was the torrential downpour that greeted everyone when we arrived at the circuit in time for the usual morning warm-up. The plumes of spray hung heavy in the air as only a few drivers were brave enough to venture out onto a track that was already a skating rink. I headed out for only a couple of laps to make sure everything was in working order. No driver wanted to crash heavily in warm-up and potentially miss the race.

Everyone was soaking wet when we sat on the grid before the formation lap. The grandstands were still full of fans as they would turn up rain, hail or shine. I had no real concerns heading into the race as Pirelli had been working for months on developing a wet weather tyre the equal of the Goodyear and Michelin runners.

Two cars actually spun off on the formation lap due to the wet conditions. Andrea de Cesaris spun off the track on the way down the hill towards Rivazza and couldn't get back onto the track due to the wet grass and mud. And Vittorio Brambilla in the March-Ford twitched madly entering the Variante Bassa before snapping right and burying his car in the tyre wall.

The race started despite the conditions, Mansell making a great start to lead into the Tamburello. I made a decent start and was next to Senna on the run down to Tosa, the Brazilian leaving me enough space on the inside though he powered up the hill towards the Piratella, making enough of a gap that he could turn in and resume second place.

In such conditions, the likes of Clark and Villeneuve starred as they were brilliant in tricky wet weather conditions. It also gave drivers in less powerful cars the chance to shine. Chris Amon in the other March-Ford had qualified well down but was on the outskirts of the top ten within twenty laps. Pedro Rodriguez for Cooper-Maserati had qualified twenty-sixth and last, working his way up into the top ten by the halfway point of the race.

Cars were constantly spinning off due to aquaplaning. Piquet hit the wall on the approach to Tosa, his Brabham snapping to the left and slamming into the concrete wall. Gerhard Berger's Benetton aquaplaned at Acque Minerale, driving past the stricken car buried in the tyre wall. I managed to retain third place until I was passed by Clark. I was man enough to admit he was simply better in the conditions. Villeneuve was all over my tail and I held him off until fifteen laps to go, finally getting past with a daring overtake around the outside of me at Tosa. My car snapped left sharply for a brief moment and he had the drive and acceleration to nip past up the hill to Piratella.

Finishing fifth was disappointing. Yes, it was more points, but having qualified third, I just had no answer to those in front and those who overtook me. Senna proved his championship credentials with another victory for Williams-Honda, but Mansell finished right on his tail. The Englishman hadn't been spoken of as a possibility for the championship, but a second podium in three races had vaulted him up the table.

"The Pirelli's are better but still not as good," Gabriele stated during the post-race debrief, "I'll put it this way, Marco. You finished in fifth place. The next best Pirelli runner was outside the top ten."

"If it had been dry, there was enough evidence in our data to suggest you would have finished second," Fabrizio added, "Your consistency in practice during the race simulation was only bettered by Mansell. If it had been dry, everyone believed the Ferrari was better. Senna is better in wet. Clark missed out on finishing higher simply due to qualifying lower than usual."