Chapter 20
It was the busiest the paddock had been since Vegas. All the commentators were saying that Wentworth had it in the bag, but neither Erik nor Ingrid believed in such certainty.
“I wish they would stop saying all this crap,” Ingrid turned off the video she was watching. “They can’t predict anything.”
“I just shut it out,” Erik said from his sim. “How’s Antoine doing?”
“You haven’t spoken to him about all of this?” Ingrid said, frustrated.
“No, should I?”
“Yes, please!” She chucked one of the hotel bed cushions at him.
“I’m not Oli, that doesn’t work on me.”
She could see he was grinning as he continued racing.
“Good thing I do know what works on you,” Ingrid started unbuttoning the team shirt she’d been wearing that day. Erik looked at her briefly, then back at the sim.
“That isn’t fair, V?lva! I have eight more laps to go.”
Ingrid grabbed her phone and took a photo of him on his sim to add to their collection of moments on the road. “You’d better make those fastest laps, or I’m going to sleep!”
Ingrid did want some sleep. She was feeling exhausted, and the heat excuse wasn’t going to work much longer. Ingrid undressed and waited for Erik on the bed. He found her sleeping.
“My love?” He asked softly as he stroked her arm. Erik then heard the soft snore that he found comforting. He put her under the covers and went back to the sim.
When the alarm went off in the morning, Erik quickly turned it off.
Ingrid was still fast asleep. She had been sleeping like this a lot lately.
Erik just thought it was a combination of the heat and the Mark stress.
He kissed her cheek and then went to shower.
When he came out, he found her sitting up in bed – another perfect moment to capture.
“You let me sleep?”
“I haven’t exactly been letting you sleep the past few nights. Actually, I’m going to correct that. You haven’t been letting me sleep the past few nights.” He chuckled.
“This is true.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “But a woman has needs.”
Ingrid’s sexual appetite had increased with the hormones. She knew she needed to see her gynae, but it wasn’t exactly easy being on the road. She was researching everything online and would have to wait until they were back in Monaco.
“Clearly,” he said. “And last night, you needed sleep. Why don’t you go shower, and I’ll make some tea and coffee?”
It was good that Erik insisted on getting to the track so early because Jonathan was always there early, too.
They had started having morning briefings together over scones.
One of the daily topics was how they would approach the Mark Blake issue.
Ingrid was in regular contact with the survivors and Wentworth’s legal counsel, Simon.
She never imagined that this would be her first big issue to deal with.
While Ingrid was talking to Jonathan, Erik went to find Antoine. He had followed Erik’s lead and started getting to the circuit earlier.
“Mate, how are you doing?”
“I’m nervous. How have you done this before? Everyone is talking as if we have already won it! What if Nico does what he did last weekend?”
“You have to shut it out. Remember, it is just another race. Many of these people don’t know what they’re talking about.
They’ve never won a championship or driven an F1 car or even raced.
We have,” Erik said. “I’ve always said that you have a championship in you, so let’s go out and get it. ” He smiled at his best friend.
“But what about Nico?”
“You’re thinking too much about Nico. God, has my wife not taught you anything?”
“What? Did you get married already?” Antoine said, stunned.
“Sorry, slip of the tongue. It feels like she’s my wife already. You get the point, though.”
“You are starting to sound like her more and more each day,” Antoine laughed.
They went to their daily briefing, and Antoine felt calmer about the day ahead.
???
Wentworth couldn’t have asked for a better qualifying session, especially with Nico’s five-place grid penalty. Erik got pole and Antoine P2 due to Nico’s drop down the grid.
“Have you spoken to Nico this week about his Carla situation?” Ingrid asked over dinner in their room.
“You’re always thinking about others,” Erik said. “He told everyone at the drivers’ dinner. I haven’t had a chance this week to speak to him properly. The teams have been doing their best to separate us. Why do you never check on me?”
“I don’t have to ask if you’re feeling ready. I know you are,” Ingrid said matter-of-factly, then took another bite of her burger.
“So sexy.” They both laughed. “You know what I am ready for,” Erik said, reaching over and putting her burger down.
“I was eating that!”
He pulled her onto his lap. She always looked amazing in one of his T-shirts and her wavy hair. He kissed the burger sauce off her lips.
“Oh, I can feel you’re ready for that…” she said.
Ingrid undid his shorts as he moved her underwear to the side. A good pole lap always did this to him.
“You can finish eating that as seductively as you were in a bit,” he said, as he slid inside her.
“This chair seemed like a sexy idea, darling, but it isn’t working.”
He lifted her up and onto the bed, more clothes coming off. They stared into each other’s eyes as their bodies moved in sync. Neither one controlling the other. It was pure teamwork as Erik held her close; they felt like one and came as one.
“How does it keep just getting better?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, kissing him.
“You know, I accidentally called you my wife today.”
Ingrid burst out laughing. “Well, I suppose I will be in a few weeks.” She sat up at that. “Erik, we haven’t planned anything!”
“You’re the one who keeps talking about championships!”
“Ok, after tomorrow, I promise we’ll speak to the families,” she said and got up to finish her burger.
Erik just looked at her in amazement. “You’re seriously just going back to your burger after that?”
“Yes, I’m hungry.”
“V?lva!” He cried from the bed.
“I’m eating for two now, so no complaining.” She carried on eating her burger with her back to him so she couldn’t see his reaction.
“What?” He exclaimed.
“Yes, I found out in Doha. I was going to tell you after the race, but you might as well know now.”
Erik jumped off the bed, came around to her and kissed her. He had so many questions, but, in usual Ingrid fashion, the race was the focus.
???
There was a pack of media and fans as they entered the paddock. The previous night’s news made Erik even more protective of Ingrid than usual.
“Oh, stop fussing about me. This is why I didn’t want to tell you!” She said. “Go take your photos and sign autographs.” She kissed him and went off.
Ingrid sat with Antoine to do their scenario exercise. He still liked doing this with her; it helped him focus and stay calm. Hannah had also started doing it with her.
“Ingie, you’re looking different these days. I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s different,” Hannah said.
“Oh, it’s probably because I haven’t had a haircut in a while,” Ingrid responded, but she’d noticed the difference too.
Her body was already changing. Oliver had guessed long before she told Erik.
He had sent her a message earlier in the week, telling her that it was a good thing she hadn’t picked out a wedding dress yet, because it would need to be adjusted for a bump.
Ingrid was far from bump stage, but her jeans were getting tighter from the bloating.
It was grid time. Ingrid had preached calm and that this was just another race, but she couldn’t help the nerves and adrenaline rush ahead of the championship battle. She went to Antoine and Bonnie to ground herself.
“How are you feeling?”
“Nervous but a good nervous?” Antoine said.
“Don’t worry, me too.” She smiled, reassuringly. “We’ve got this. A nice, clean race.”
She gave them a grid hug for the final time of the season and wondered where Erik was. Just as she was doing this, he approached them. It was time for the final grid ritual of the season. He gave Antoine a tight hug and whispered “Good luck, mate” in his ear.
“Time for our ritual,” he said.
Ingrid put her hand on his chest, kissed him, and whispered, “Don’t crash.”
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
Erik went to the garage for his quiet moment, and Ingrid went to hug Hannah.
“You’ve got this.”
Claire came up to her. Ingrid had been so busy that she hadn’t seen her on the grid.
“Oh, my darling, you’re positively glowing!” She said, “I know you’re going to have to rush off soon, so I just wanted to wish you luck for today.”
“Thanks, my darling!”
“Oh, and I will see you in Monaco next week?”
“Yes! That’s exciting! We’ll find each other after the race.”
Ingrid went back to the garage and stood by Jonathan.
It was a great start by both Wentworths.
They managed to pull away from Callipel by the 3rd lap.
Nico was fighting his way back, and he soon caught up by lap 12.
His teammate let him pass because his pace was better.
There wasn’t an ideal pit stop window. Antoine went first, and he came out behind Callipel.
Erik was growing the gap between himself and Nico, though.
Ingrid kept checking to see if they just needed to finish in the points to win the championship.
“Yes, Ingie, you’ve asked me that about a hundred times,” Jonathan said.
Erik came in for his first pit stop before Nico, which left the Cavallos leading the race. Ingrid kept looking up at the changing graphic on the Constructors’ Championship points. No matter what, Wentworth had it. Erik came on the radio to Hannah.
“Is Nico making his own calls? Those tyres aren’t going to last.”
“Positive. Wants to stay out.”
“He’s mad. I can see from here they’re degrading fast.”
“Just focus on you.”
Callipel had already boxed by this point, and so Erik was behind Nico and catching up.
“Get Antoine close to me to protect us. We’re staying far away from Nico until those tyres are changed.”
“Ok, understood.”
Erik was right. Two laps later, one of Nico’s tyres unravelled, and his car went spinning off track. The tyre and debris narrowly missed the Wentworths.
“Is he ok?”
“Confirmed ok.”
“Red flag.” Hannah signed off.
Antoine and Erik came back to the pits safe and sound.
New tyres went on while they waited. Only 23 more laps to go to win the championship.
When they went back out, Ingrid could see the cameras cut to Daniela in the other garage, her hands in a prayer position.
They cut to her, too, but she was focused on the screens in front of her.
She was just counting down the laps and hoping for no more incidents.
5…4…3…2…Erik on his last lap. He did it.
Everyone from the garages ran to the pit wall.
Wentworth was the Constructors’ Champion again.
Ingrid hugged Jonathan and Julia, then went to hug Freja and Jacques.
Julia and her team were trying to hand out T-shirts as people ran past her, but there was too much of a rush.
Ingrid found Daniela amid the chaos, and they clung to each other tightly.
“We did it.” Ingrid smiled.
“I knew you’d get him a championship, one way or another.” She laughed.
The families joined the rest of the team as they welcomed Antoine and Erik back into parc fermé for the interviews and podium celebrations. Antoine and Eric hugged each other.
“We fucking did it, mate!” Erik shouted into Antoine’s helmet. “Thank you for being by my side!”
“Always, mon pote!” Antoine responded.
They went to congratulate Callipel ahead of the interviews. The guy looked miserable. He knew that he had carried the team for the last few races. He went first for the interview and just congratulated Wentworth on a good season.
“Antoine, Erik, what an amazing performance the two of you have put in over the last part of the season. I just want to say a huge congratulations.”
“It really has been the whole team coming together around us, so I have to say thank you to them,” Antoine said.
“Erik, we heard you on the team radio about Nico’s tyres, do you have anything to add to that?”
“I also just want to say thank you to the team, and my mate here, he stepped up when I needed someone to come win this championship with me. If you heard the radio, then I don’t have much to add.
The tyres were degrading fast, and I didn’t want us to get taken out by any mess.
We were focused on staying on track and winning the race. ”
“I’m sure you’re dying to go celebrate with your team. That’s four championships in a row. Congratulations!”
Erik ran up to give Ingrid another kiss, and then they were off to the cool-down room.
Ingrid felt like she had also won her first championship.
It was a thrill. She was completely addicted.
Jonathan sent their head of race strategy, Enrique, up to the podium.
The anthems were playing, but the team was already on a high, singing "We Are the Champions" so no one could really hear.
As there was no rush to move on to the next race this time, the celebrations felt like they went on for ages.
“Enjoying yourself, Rookie?” Erik asked, his arm around her.
“I love this too much ever to quit it,” she replied, smiling up at him.
“Good, I think we add endurance racing next, once that baby is out,” he said.
“Do you ever quit?” She laughed.
“I’m being dead serious. I’m getting you in a car. There’s the licence to think about, but we’ll figure that out.”
Ingrid just laughed at him, but she could see he was being serious about this. The more immediate issue was a wedding to plan.