ALICE Ch 289

Erica watches the race from the Ferrari pit. Legs crossed with one foot kicking idly, she happily sips her iced coffee.

Val was comfortably out in front, but she couldn’t extend her lead with the flag that brought everything to a halt.

There’s a lot of debris. No major injuries, miraculously.

The cars are lined up again. Max, Lando, and Charles are out.

The commentators are having a laugh at FUTA’s comms. Alice probably isn’t doing it on purpose, but if she can’t drive fast, then getting people to talk about her is the next best thing.

Erica’s foot starts to bounce faster.

FF1

“OK, Val. You’re dealing with Bottas. Get ready.”

“I’m OK,” Val says, her eyes on the lights. Her reflexes are instant, and her liftoff is perfect. She shoots away as the race resumes.

“Very good. Very good. Keep this pace.”

“No. We either step it up or play defense. I can do better on two and three.”

“He won’t catch you, Val.”

“This man was right behind Lewis Hamilton every single weekend for like five years. He’d have been world champion if not for Lewis. Don’t sleep on him.”

“Just keep this pace. You’ve already gained a quarter of a second.”

Val is firm. “No, what you mean to say is that I have failed to shake him. We move at eight. Then I’ll piss him off again at fourteen. He’s pretty levelheaded, but it’s worth a shot if we can’t outrun him. Since when are the Astons this quick, anyway?”

“This week. They made some changes. We’re looking at it.”

“Here we go.” Val squeezes through turns five through seven, keeping it tight.

The car jolts, and she swerves but gets control, guiding it over the bumper and back onto the track as Bottas capitalizes on her sudden deceleration and shoots past.

“Val! Val, what’s happened?”

“It’s the tire,” Val replies tightly.

FF1

Erica sags in her chair.

“Yes, that’s a nasty puncture for Valeria Flores. And there goes her race. Tragedy for Freedom Racing. As she brings the car back, that’s Bottas out in front and Woodcock and Hamilton hot on his tail. Fernando Alonso has finally won his fight with Carlos Sainz, and the number of racers in this Grand Prix continues to dwindle!”

Like they always say on Netflix, Formula One is all high highs and low lows. Every weekend can’t be a win. Erica toys with her bracelets restlessly. Still, this is a good race with some A-listers knocked out. Erica cheers up and chews her straw. It would be nice to see Bottas on the podium again after a while, and this is a chance for at least one Woodcock sister to shine.

It’s a rough race, but it’s still a beautiful day in Belgium. Poor Val, though. Good thing she has a devoted girlfriend who literally travels around the world with her, aching for even the slightest opportunity for a little emotional intimacy.

“Oh, dear! Valeria Flores is not retiring! Several seconds behind the pack and rather firmly in last place, she is back on it!”