THREE
MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF Rask Racing HQ is … underwhelming. Compared to the sleek and modern facade of Quezada, it looks a lot like an industrial unit.
‘I really appreciate you driving me,’ I say to Dan, as he pulls up outside reception. In an effort to prepare, I’ve spent the journey brainstorming answers to hypothetical interview questions and coming up with my own. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind waiting around?’
‘Nope. Just text when you’re ready to be picked up.’
‘OK.’ I unclip my belt and take a deep breath. ‘Wish me luck.’
‘You don’t need it. Whatever the job is, you’re the best person for it. Who else could prep for an interview within an hour of a phone call?’ He leans over, calling after me as I climb out, ‘But good luck anyway!’
‘Thanks!’ I give him a wave, adjust the skirt of my olive-green maxi dress, toss my leather baguette bag on to my shoulder and head inside.
Fortunately, the reception area is much more impressive than the exterior, with half a dozen floor-to-ceiling display cases containing team memorabilia.
There’s a set of Rask overalls, as well as the specially painted helmets from this year’s Australian and Miami GPs, and – urgh – my gaze lands on a life-size photo of Leif Olsen.
Somehow, in my excitement about this job, I managed to repress the fact that working here would also mean working with him.
I give my name at reception and sit down on a red leather sofa to wait.
There’s a selection of autosport magazines on a coffee table, but I ignore them in favour of glaring at Leif’s photo, tapping my foot and fantasizing about what I might do to it with a Sharpie.
I’m still mentally graffitiing when a woman with a shoulder-length black bob and the biggest platform boots I’ve ever seen comes bursting through a set of double doors beside the main desk.
She’s dressed in various shades of grey and moves so fast it’s like being confronted by a human tornado.
‘Ava?’ I recognize her clipped tone instantly. ‘I’m Vienna.’
‘Hi.’ I stand up and hold a hand out. ‘Thanks so much for seeing me.’
‘No problem. I’m glad you could make it at short notice.’ Her fingers have barely connected with mine before she’s spinning around again. ‘Come on in.’
I slip on the security lanyard she hands me, then follow her through the doors and up a staircase.
Everything about her is efficient, from her rapid-fire way of talking to her brisk, ground-eating stride.
I don’t know whether to be intimidated or make her my role model, but I’m regretting my spiky heels because I practically have to jog to keep up.
‘Wow!’ I stop as we pass a window overlooking the factory floor. There are two bays below, divided by work stations, each containing a Formula 1 car and a group of mechanics. Everything looks so well organized I’m filled with an immediate sense of belonging. This is definitely my kind of place.
‘Not a bad view, is it?’ Vienna is calling over her shoulder from several metres ahead so I really do have to jog after her into a large, open-plan office.
It looks welcoming enough, painted in shades of blue, red and yellow – the Rask colours – but it’s weirdly empty.
There’s a scattering of people, but I can see at least half a dozen monitors without anyone in front of them.
‘Take a seat,’ Vienna says, leading me into a smaller side office.
‘So, Ava, I’ll get right to the point. I’ve listened to your podcast and you clearly know your Formula 1, which means you’ll also be aware of all the jokes and comments about us.
Right now, most people seem to think we’ll be either bankrupt or under new management by the end of the season. ’
‘I’ve heard some rumours,’ I answer tactfully, because I can’t reasonably pretend otherwise. Rask’s performance so far this season has provoked a lot of speculation.
‘The problem is, they’re not wrong. We’re in the middle of a total shitstorm.
But storms have to pass sometime, right?
’ She kicks her boots up on to the desk.
‘Ordinarily I’d tell you this was all off the record, but since our situation is pretty much common knowledge I might as well be blunt.
Presumably you know the team’s background? ’
‘Yes.’ I nod. ‘Mika and Nova Jokkinen bought out Rask Racing at the end of last season.’
‘That’s right. The deal was fairly amicable at first. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.
Our former owner, Philip Sawyer, wanted the money and to keep running the team behind the scenes.
Long story short, he threw a hissy fit and left, and we ended up losing about 30 per cent of our workforce with him.
We’re doing our best to rebuild, but right now it feels like an uphill struggle.
And Philip’s still hovering in the wings, thinking that if he can cause enough trouble he’ll be able to buy the team back at a cheaper price. ’
‘No!’ I’m genuinely shocked. ‘That’s so sneaky.’
‘Yeah, well, you know billionaires …’ She drops her feet back on to the floor, like she can’t keep still for longer than a few seconds.
‘Turning a team’s fortunes around isn’t easy, especially mid-season, but we have some major upgrades coming.
We’ve brought in some new engineers, and Bastian, our team principal, is confident. ’
‘That’s great!’ I say enthusiastically. ‘What happened in Monaco was such a shame.’
‘It was, but our number-one priority is to get some positive coverage. I want Rask to be seen as the plucky upstarts of F1 and we need to get the fans’ support back.
Basically, I need new staff in post as quickly as possible, which is where you come in.
Like I said, I’ve listened to your podcast and I’m impressed.
Your socials are engaging too. You have a talent for storytelling, you’re obviously self-motivated and most importantly you haven’t dug the boot into us the way some other pundits have.
’ Vienna regards me in silence for a long moment. ‘So, are you interested in joining us?’
I open my mouth to give a resounding yes and then close it again. The job might sound exactly what I need right now – a challenge to really get my teeth into, maybe even prove myself to Quezada come December – but I can’t let myself get carried away. I need to keep this professional.
‘I’m definitely interested. I just have a few questions.’ I mentally scan through the list I made on the way here. ‘First, what exactly would the job entail?’
‘Everything and anything.’ Vienna flings her hands out.
‘Officially, your title would be communications officer, but unofficially you’d be my assistant, helping me implement a new media strategy and figuring out ways to revitalize the brand.
I won’t lie to you, I’ll need you to hit the ground running and start coming up with ideas yesterday.
’ She glances at her phone as it beeps. ‘It’ll be full time, and an insane amount of stress, but with any luck by the end of the season it’ll be worth it. ’
I nod along because I hope it will be too. I’m already invested in her plucky underdog story, only I have one more important question and it’s kind of a deal breaker.
‘Would it be a fixed-term position, or permanent?’
‘Mmm?’ She pulls her gaze away from her phone. ‘Oh, we’d hire you on a trial basis at first, but if things go well I can’t see any reason why it couldn’t become permanent.’
‘I see …’ I chew my lip. The problem is that I don’t want a permanent position, not when I have another interview lined up with Jasper in December.
A temporary contract with Rask, on the other hand, one without any non-compete clause, would be perfect; I’m prepared to throw myself heart and soul into this job, for six months anyway.
But a trial period could easily last that long and, if not, I could stall …
‘Is something the matter?’ Vienna’s fringe twitches like she’s lifting an eyebrow, although I can’t actually see one.
‘No.’ I smile, deciding quickly. If I turn down Vienna’s offer, it’ll be my second missed opportunity to work in F1. ‘It sounds amazing.’
‘Good. In that case, there’s just one more thing.’ She leans forward. ‘It’s about your podcast. I hate to ask, but if you take the job here, you’ll need to put it on hiatus.’
‘Oh.’ I feel my body go rigid. I love Single Seat News .
I’ve put so much work into it, invested so much time and research.
I have twelve thousand subscribers, more than I ever expected when I launched it four years ago.
I don’t want to stop, but I guess it would be a conflict of interest to keep recording it while working for an actual F1 team.
‘Would you object to me doing one last episode?’ I ask. ‘So I can tell my subscribers what’s happening.’
‘Not at all, provided you can do it tonight?’
I pause because today’s been crazy enough, but this is a chance to show my proactive attitude. ‘Yes, of course.’
‘And give us a mention? It would be good PR.’
‘I’d be happy to.’
‘Then go ahead. I’ll make sure to listen.’
‘Great.’ I discreetly let out a long breath. I guess this means I have a job in F1! It’s so incredible it’s going to take a while to sink in. ‘So, when do I start?’
Vienna fixes me with a hard stare. ‘How does right now sound?’
‘I’LL HAVE A CONTRACT ready by the end of the day,’ Vienna says, marching me out of her office and into the larger, open-plan one we passed through earlier.
‘In the meantime, let me introduce you to a few of your new colleagues. Emika – chief press officer. Charlotte, who coordinates digital and print media. Yuto’s in charge of marketing.
Emika and Yuto also work as minders for Leif and Corey on race weekends.
Like I said, at the moment we all do everything. ’
‘Hi,’ I say, though nobody gets a chance to answer before Vienna hustles me on again.