ALICE Ch 80

“You are in DRS range. DRS is available,” Lora says in Alice’s ear as she screams after Sissy Woodcock at a blistering pace. “Turn seven is an option.”

It’s not an option. It’s happening. Alice shifts and commits, howling past.

“Alice, we need another five laps from these tires,” Lora cautions her.

“Who’s that up there?” Alice asks, laser-focused.

“That’s Faye, Alice.”

Oh.

Alice hadn’t been thinking about that.

“OK,” she says, concentrating on her breathing.

“Give me one moment, Alice. Stay on pace.”

“I am.”

“All right, Alice. Faye is going to let you pass,” Lora says in her soothing voice. “Get ready.”

“What? No. If I’m quicker, I’ll pass her. Don’t ask her to do that,” Alice protests.

“Alice, you need to pass Faye.”

It’s happening, and it’s happening at F1 speed. There’s no time to argue. Faye makes it easy and Alice races past.

“OK, Alice. That is P8. It’s time to catch up to Checo.”

“I can’t believe you did that,” Alice says.

“What?”

Alice is bad at business, but she understands feelings. She hardly knows Faye, but she has a good enough idea what it must feel like to be her at the moment. That’s before even factoring in anything about her mother being Team Principal.

“Alice, your tires,” Lora cautions her as she hammers through the turn with a nasty bump.

“You just put Faye in a blender,” Alice bites out, gripping the wheel tightly. “It shouldn’t be for nothing. I’ll get some points out of it.”

“Alice, you and Faye are both in the points. It’s time to drive sensibly.”

“I’m always sensible,” Alice replies, indignant.

But she’s not sensible. Not at all, and she knows it. She’s pissed off because she’s shaken. The team didn’t think twice to do that shuffle. If it can happen to Faye, it can happen to Alice. It’s a problem that she wasn’t planning on dealing with, and it’s not a good feeling.

“What’s Checo’s pace?”

“Still quicker than you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alice mutters.

FF1

The new pit crew is moving around. They know it’ll be their time soon enough. They seem more calm and assured than the last bunch, at least to Kylie. She leans forward, clutching her empty boba cup. She needs to pee, but the race just won’t settle down. The commentators are exuberant.

“Verstappen looking very confident as he goes to change tires, and look at that! Flores is following! I wonder if that was planned. What I wouldn’t give to be on Freedom comms right now. Sainz carrying on as Hamilton comes out of the pit and that’s contact! Hamilton and Sainz have touched! There’s debris on the track and Bottas hasn’t seen it! Oh dear! Sainz is correcting, Hamilton’s still moving! Bottas is all right! And here comes Norris! This changes everything!”