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"How many changes have we made on the car?"

"So we changed the front wing angle, two clips down. Then we made the rear wing a bit bigger for more downforce. Stiffer rear suspension and softer fronts."

"Right, sounds good," I nodded, following the checklist as Ivan spoke.

"Ermm, do we have a tire strategy?"

"Yes, this track is hard on the tires so we're thinking a two stop strategy. What do you think, should we start on medium tires or hard tires?"

I frowned, biting down on the end of my pen.

"Let's try and start on mediums."

"Alright, it's set then. Get going boys!" Ivan called as the mechanics dispersed.

I sighed, typing my hair up into a ponytail.

It was hot in the paddock as theTexas heat beat down on us. I felt bad for the Mercedes mechanics who were dressed in all black. At least our team had a lighter shade of orange.

Alessandro came out of his drivers room, balaclava and helmet in hand. He spotted me from the corner of the garage and gave me a grin. His dimples made a rare appearance which made me smile like a clown.

I looked away, clearing my throat and starting up the data screens.

"We're starting on mediums?" Alessandro frowned, spotting the tires on his car.

"Yeah, we decided on a two stop strategy."

"Why aren't we starting on hards?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"Well, if we want to get ahead of the Ferrari's at the start, mediums is the best way to go."

Alessandro didn't reply, but nodded anyways and put on his helmet.

I could tell he was unsure about the strategy, but I was confident it would pay off.

"Kotaaaa!" Lando called, coming over to Alessandro's side of the garage.

"Landoooo!" I laughed, giving his helmet a tap.

"Get it, Kota because we're in COTA?" he joked, making me roll my eyes playfully.

The Austin track was named Circuit of the America's which was also known as COTA. Lando thought he was incredibly clever for noting the similarities between my nickname and the track.

A> "Wish me luck?

D> "Hm, do you really need it?"

A> "Good point. Time to burn some fuel."

D> "We're going with Plan 2."

A>"Copy."

Plan 2 meant dropping the clutch into second gear to get better traction off the start line.

My foot tapped nervously as the final cars lined up after the formation lap.

Alessandro had qualified P7, ahead of Lando in P8. It was the first time in a long time that he had finished higher than Lando and it was safe to say he was in a good mood for this weekend. The Mercedes had a 5 place grid penalty meaning everyone moved a place up.

Alessandro was starting P6 and Lando P7.

The only problem? Two Ferrari's were in front of them in P4 and P5.

The Ferrari-McLaren rivalry was going strong, both teams competing for third in the team championship. It was critical for Alessandro to get ahead of the two Ferrari's before getting stuck in a DRS train, which would make overtaking difficult.

D>"Final two car's slotting in."

D>"5 seconds till lights out."

The roar of the engines echoed through the paddock as the cars took off towards turn one.

"Fuck," I muttered as the Ferrari's had a dream start off the line.

They were already ahead before they even got to turn 1. As the cars came out of the first turn, Alessandro managed to get past one of them

It had become a red, orange, red, orange pattern as they entered the chicane.

"Come on Alé, you can pass him," I muttered, tapping my fingers on the table.

I drew in a sharp breath as the number 55 Ferrari came up right beside Alessandro's car. The two were side by side into the chicane.

C>"Carlos Sainz and Alessandro Moreno tangle, the Ferrari and the McLaren almost touching wheels with Lando Norris just behind."

Alessandro couldn't hold him off and the Ferrari passed him into turn 4.

A>"Fucked up the start."

D>"No worries, it's only lap one. Keep close so you can overtake at the next available opportunity."

Sure enough, moments Alessandro was right on the Ferrari's tail.

C>"Here we go, Carlos Sainz is under pressure from Alessandro Moreno trying to get into the slip stream! He touches the back of the Ferrari and has to drop back a bit!"

"Patience," Ivan muttered, biting on his nail anxiously.

The camera panned to an arial view, showing Alessandro move on the outside of the Ferrari in an attempt to over take.

C>"There goes Moreno! Here comes Lando Norris down the inside! They're three wide going into the turn! It's Ferrari and McLaren, what a battle! Norris on the inside, thought he got the place and Carlos Sainz is pushed wide! He still manages to stay ahead of his former teammate, Lando Norris."

D>"Patience, Alé. Don't rush it."

A>"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

I let go of the radio button, letting him do his thing.

C>"Moreno nips on the inside of Norris to get that place back and it's all happening on lap 1 here in Austin."

My heart rate was skyrocketing at the way Alessandro was battling with Carlos. The Ferrari wasn't going to give up the place and Alessandro wasn't going to give up the overtake. They nearly bumped wheels several times and it was only the first lap.

C>"It's a bitter battle between the red and the orange and look at that! What a lovely overtake by Moreno through turns 16, 17, and 18."

I grinned, watching him speed out ahead of Carlos.

A>"Told you I got it."

D>"Currently P5, great job."

The rest of the race was focused on the Championship battle between Max and Lewis. The commentators focused on the RedBull and Mercedes pit stops, almost forgetting that there were another 18 cars out on track.

The radio chatter was kept to a minimum because Alessandro knew what he was doing. I knew better than to bother him constantly with updates when they were unnecessary. This track didn't call for many mode switches, so there wasn't much work to be done on the steering wheel either.

In fact, I was so busy watching the data screens that I flinched when Alessandro's voice filtered through my headset.

A>"When do we box?"

D>"How are they tires looking?"

A>"Starting to grain on the rears and I'm getting some vibrations in the high speed corners.

D>"Okay, stay off the kerbs. Plan A plus 8."

Plan A was to pit at lap 45, but it didn't look like we would need to. Plus 8 would add 8 more laps before we had to change tires.

D>"You're 24 seconds behind Leclerc. Sainz 1.9 behind you. I will let you know when he is in DRS range."

DRS range was when the following car got within 1 second of you and would gain a speed advantage.

A>"Copy, should I push?"

D>"No need, we can preserve tires."

Ivan and the strategy team had originally planned for a two stopper, but it didn't seem necessary anymore.

A few more laps passed and Carlos inched closer and closer to Alessandro.

D>"Gap to Sainz .5, he is gaining."

A>"Yeah, I see him."

C>"Carlos Sainz is trying to go the long way round the outside of Moreno. And they touch wheels as Sainz goes off track."

I frowned as the Ferrari radio was broadcast over the livestream.

S>"That got a bit dirty, he did that on purpose."

"Dude, he's racing you," I huffed, crossing my arms.

D>"Box now to avoid the undercut, box now."

We wanted to box first before Ferrari did in order to get ahead of them. Once they eventually pitted, they would come out behind us.

After Alessandro's pit stop, the grid was basically set and most of the excitement was between the two front runners.

Lewis looked like he was going to catch up to Max on the last lap, but the RedBull had a speed advantage from DRS.

The chequered flag was waved.

D>"Amazing drive Alé, that's P5."

A>"Whoohoo! Let's go! Thank you guys, the car was incredible today."

D>"20 down, 2 more to go."

A>"Mexico City, here we come."

I froze at his words.

Mexico City.

We would be going to Mexico for our next race.

And I would be stepping back in my home country for the first time in 15 years.