ALICE Ch 340

David Croft speaks excitedly: “It’s race day in Italy, and now the teams have finished looking into their crystal balls. We have the list of tire decisions before us now, and it’s no surprise to everyone defaulting to medium with these clouds in the sky. Valeria Flores, Alice Wilde, Mio Mido, and Lando Norris have all elected soft. What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall in some of these strategy meetings, but the short version is that some of these drivers, particularly those on soft tires, are hoping for weather and that chaos will be their ally. With storms threatening, this seems destined to be a race ruled by fortune. Max Verstappen occupies his customary place, followed by Carlos Sainz and Sissy Woodcock of Williams. This will be Sissy Woodcock’s best start of her career. We also see Patty Dunham of Freedom Racing in her career best start, and Akiko Tanaka in the Mercedes. The grid is clearing. It won’t be long now.”

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“Are you all right?” Lora asks Glynda as she dons her headset.

They stiffen at a distant rumble of thunder. “Course,” Glynda replies. She isn’t; something’s not right. She doesn’t feel like herself. If it’s Covid again, she’s going to quit all of this and go live in the woods.

“You just seem off,” Lora says as she pulls on her rain jacket and fixes her ponytail.

“I’m not off.” Lora’s the one who’s off, and it’s taken Glynda some time to understand what the change is: she’s less miserable than usual. That can’t be called a bad thing, but it’s one more place for Glynda’s mind to wander when she needs to focus. She takes a deep breath.

“All right, Mio,” Lora is saying. “Let’s go over this one more time.”

“Alice, how do we feel?” Glynda asks.

“Like a tall person crammed into a very small car. I should’ve played basketball.”

“I don’t want a fight with Mio. If the pace is there, she will move.”

The radio picks up Alice’s snort. “You sure about that?”

“If she doesn’t, she’ll be back to rallying,” Glynda promises.

“OK. I trust you.”

Alice is a good driver, and a terrible liar. She’s up to something.

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The energy in the Williams pit is interesting; Erica Bruhl has covered this sport for years, and this is the first time there’s been anything like excitement for Williams. The combination of a pair of photogenic twins who also drive competently, and the unbridled idiocy of Clarkson, May, and Hammond has made for something properly novel. Points and races are important, but there’s another part of Formula One that isn’t talked about as much: the team footprint. Merch sales can be a better indicator of which teams wield the most power, and while it used to be driven by performance, that is beginning to change. The Woodcock sisters aren’t bringing home many points, but they are selling three times as many T-shirts as Max Verstappen. This will have implications for the sport that Erica finds a little uncomfortable, although not as uncomfortable as the folding chairs or Val’s performance lately. Something isn’t right.