Rocco: Something’s not right. It’s not handling right.
Race Engineer: Okay, Rocco. We’ll look into it after the race. Just hold steady; you’re coming up to the last lap.
Rocco: Where are Clarke and Anker? They’re not going to lap me, are they?
Radio silence.
Anker had started the race in pole position, first place; Clarke in second.
Rocco: Hey! Did you hear me?
Race Engineer: They’re setting a blistering pace, but we don’t think so, no. Not if you can just hold steady.
Hold steady at #13. Fucking #13! He’d never started this far back in the grid. At this point, the way the car was handling, he’d given up hopeof making a move to pass anyone. The most he could hope for was that he’d hold position and finish the race without being lapped.
He’d never been lapped. Not once. Not even as a kid racing karts.
Never. Never. Never.
Never.
All he wanted now was for this race to be over. And for the engineers to fix whatever the hell was wrong with this car before the next race.
Race Engineer: You’re doing brilliant, Rocco.
Rocco: Thirteenth is hardly brilliant.
Race Engineer: Given the bad luck during qualifying and the trouble with the car, a lesser driver would have—
Rocco: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Maybe there was some significance to the fact he would finish at lucky number thirteen. Maybe this would be rock bottom. He certainly hoped so. It had to be. Things could only get better from here on out. How could they possibly get any worse?
She was gaining on him.
Race Engineer: Nico, back off some. Just hold position.
Nico: Why?
She could hear Casey yelling in the background.
Race Engineer: Just hold position. You gained two positions. Remember, it’s your first F1 race.
Nico: But I can do it. There’s room on the inside. I can see it.
Casey: Tell her to hold position!
Why? So, the annoying, arrogant, asshole, prick isn’t beaten by a woman? Driving the same car he is?
I came here to race, and that’s what I’m going to do.
She approached from the inside, but as she started to inch forward, he drifted over.Fine, she thought, slipping to the outside. She was so intent on passing him that at first she didn’t see the car behind her pick up the pace and move to pass. When she did, she jerked left to avoid a collision, and the car went speeding past, which would have been fine if Rocco hadn’t moved right, trying to muscle her to the outside.
Nico caught a flash of metal in her peripheral vision just before they crashed and went spinning off the track.
Anker zipped by them, lapping them both, followed closely by Clarke doing the same.
The damage was extensive enough that those two cars weren’t the only ones to pass them.
