ALICE Ch 12

Erica Bruhl is passionate about F1.

Not just the drivers. The sport. She rarely misses a race, but it’s when she’s on special assignment and able to be with the pit crew that she’s happiest. She stands out among the pink uniforms as she sits in a folding chair with her legs crossed, an iced coffee in one hand. Her eyes are fixed on the TV screens. She wears a headset like everyone else, although she’s not tuned to any of the team’s radio frequencies. She’s listening to the public broadcast, along with all the other fans around the world.

Her heartbeat speeds up as the start approaches. It’s a feeling that brings back memories of childhood and the way that she always felt on Christmas Eve. Intense anticipation. The commentary in her ears is like a soothing lullaby.

“We are racing in Bahrain!”

“Good start for Verstappen, Bottas right behind him! Looking tight into the first corner and that’s contact!”

Erica's eyes widen. They are only seconds into the race.

“They touched!”

“Oh! Lando’s off! And that is also a crash for Freedom! McLaren! Mercedes! Oh dear!”

“That is a massive crash in the midfield!”

Erica claps her hands over her mouth at the sudden chaos and **** on the screen.

“Ocon is through! That is several cars out! That’s Ricciardo! Dear God! What devastation!”

“Both Williams drivers are through! Magnussen is through! One of the FUTA cars has damage!”

That’s Faye Darcy with a damaged front wing, and Alice is right behind her.

A tire bounces into the road and Erica sees Alice’s car swerve and go off.

“And that’s Wilde! She’s spun out!”

“And come back round again! She’s still in!”

“And that’s everyone past. Dear God, what devastation. Reckon that’ll be a safety car?”

“You said it!”

Erica sags in her chair, heart thudding as the safety car deploys. Faye’s going to come in to have her wing fixed, but that’ll mean trouble for her tires later. The racer order is being hastily shuffled on the screen. Barely seconds into the race, a massive crash in the midfield has changed everything.

1. Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Bottas (Aston Martin)

3. Flores (Freedom)

4. Hamilton (Mercedes)

5. Sainz (Ferrari)

6. Ocon (AlphaTauri)

7. Woodcock (Williams)

8. Wilde (FUTA)

9. Leclerc (Ferrari)

10. Magnussen (Haas)

11. Woodcock (Williams)

12. Darcy (FUTA)

A mere twelve drivers are still racing in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Eight have retired in the first lap. It’s one of the things that makes Erica love the sport so much: that anything can happen, but this is not what anyone wants.

“And that is Sergio Perez, out of his car. A lot of smoke there, but that makes all the retired drivers on their feet. That might’ve been very nasty.”

Erica is relieved; everyone’s all right. F1 is dangerous. She takes a deep breath and focuses on the screen.

“And this is shaping up to be quite an opportunity for Alexander Ocon.”

It takes several minutes for the debris to be cleared. In moments, the safety car will be off and the race will be back on.