Chapter 6 #2
I just want this to cheer him up. At the last minute, I spot a fudgy-looking cake on a display stand and ask for a piece of that, too.
He won’t be able to consume it before the qualifying race today, but it can be something to look forward to afterwards.
I saw how he was eying up the brownies and my pain au chocolat in the coffee shop and I may have heard him say in an interview how much of a sweet tooth he has. Hopefully this will satisfy that.
I’m in and out in less than five minutes, to the taxi driver’s delight, and I make it back to the garage within forty.
When I get back, Johannes and Nils are nowhere to be seen, but the garage is filling up with engineers, strategists and analysts.
Nathan’s also roaming about, so I need to be swift like a ninja to get in and out of Johannes’s room without them asking what I’m doing.
I don’t know what I’d tell them if I was caught, because a sweet coffee right before qualifying is not in his race plan or dietician’s schedule, but I don’t care.
Keeping my head down, I weave through the garage to his room. I knock lightly in case he happens to be in and count a couple of seconds before I open the door and slip inside.
I put the takeaway cup and sweet treat on the table beside his bag.
I contemplate leaving a note, but I’m not doing this for recognition.
I tell myself it’s for the team, for his performance, for my job, but I know it’s also because I can’t bear to see Johannes hurting like this.
I’m in and out of his room in the blink of an eye, but as I close the door behind me and walk away trying not to look suspicious, mentally I’m back in his room, waiting to see his face when he takes a sip.
* * *
I can’t help how aware I am of where Johannes is and whether he’s been back to his room yet.
I linger, trying to get a glimpse of him, but I’m due in the pit and have to leave before I see him.
I feel wired – like I’m the one that’s had too much coffee – bouncing from foot to foot, unable to sit still.
Ian gives me a look and I force myself to calm down.
Then, just as I’m beginning to lose my mind, the teams start their grid walks and I see Johannes with his arm around Nils taking a selfie on the track.
They’re both smiling but I’m focused only on Johannes.
I see crinkles in the corners of his eyes, his mouth stretched wide, and his shoulders relaxed. In one hand is the takeaway coffee cup.
He takes his last sip and bins the empty cup as he comes off the track, and I feel myself holding my breath.
‘Looks like we’re in for a good time this weekend,’ Ian comments from beside me. Nils has only been getting better and better this season, which is only giving Ian more confidence. ‘Nils should score points, maybe even decent points if the practice today is anything to go by.’
But all I can think about is Johannes.
While we’re probably too far down the rankings now for the constructor’s championship this year, Nils has another year on his contract and with Nils showing so much promise, we could be real contenders next year.
‘Johannes looks slightly more alive this afternoon.’
‘For sure. He’s just got to put the last two weekends behind him and focus on what’s in front of him. He can do it. He’ll show us all what he’s made of, just you wait.’
I sound more confident than I feel, but I know he has it in him to pull it back. I’m just waiting for him to know it, too.
Less than an hour later, it’s like magic on the track again.
The garage is alive with excitement as Johannes and Nils both make it into Q3 to compete for pole position on the grid tomorrow.
Nils is performing above his expected standard, upping his game again here in Hungary, but Johannes is on fire.
Not literally, thank God.
He’s focused and driven, making fearless choices and finding the smallest opportunities to exploit.
He’s working the car to its limits and feeding back to us any issues he’s picking up on along the way, which makes our life easier to get the car ready for tomorrow.
He’s back in tune with the vehicle, and it’s so beautiful to watch him come back to life out there.
‘Fastest lap out there right now,’ I tell him, with seven minutes to go of this final round of qualifying.
Of course, so much can change in that time and I’m watching on the second screen the way Harper completes a purple first sector, but the boost is good for Johannes after his last two races. He needs to hear he’s doing well.
Two minutes later, Harper’s back in P1, pushing Johannes down to P2, but it’s better to be P2 than to be out in Q1 or Q2.
Elijah’s fighting to challenge Harper and Johannes’s times, but he’s not even putting in personal bests right now, his sectors turning yellow, so I’m more than confident that Johannes will take up the second slot of the front row of the grid.
Nils is still in P6 when the timer runs out and everyone finishes the lap they are currently doing. I watch intently for any change, but thankfully, there is none.
‘You’ll start front row tomorrow, Johannes. P-Two, man!’
He whoops down the mic and the whole garage cheers, clearly happy to see their main man back in action.
I can finally take a deep breath, and it feels so, so good.