Another weekend, another race for the newest driver on the grid. James "Jimmy" Sirius Potter is in round 8 in the 2022 Formula One World Championship, coming to you from Baku...

James "Jimmy" Sirius Potter was annoyed.

No, he wasn't annoyed. He was fuming.

Yet another retirement, and for the second time this season, it was an engine problem.

His day had started just fine thank you, having left the hotel that he and his brother, Al, were stopping at, hoping to make sure he was at the paddock on time for the necessary bits that needed to be done before a race.

A surprise visit from his aunt, Athena, whilst he was getting ready for the eighth round of the 2022 Championship, in the Alfa Romeo garage to talk about the plans for Canada and the Grand Prix there was appreciated especially with the nerves he had for the race after...

...Silverstone. The British Grand Prix.

Seeing his dad working with the two Red Bull drivers reminded Jimmy of when his dad had been a Red Bull himself, and how the team of Mark Webber and Harry Potter ruled the track in the 2009 season, coincidentally the elder Potter's last year as a driver.

Stepping onto the track for the obligatory media interviews, he had been looking forward to trying to race the full number of laps in the historic city.

But of course, that never got to happen!

"Welcome to Azerbaijan ladies and gentleman, the land of fire, we're here in the city of wins and a circuit of surprises. We race on a third different street track in 2022 and we have 51 laps ahead of us for the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

"Three very different sectors and two DRS zones, along the main straight, speeds of over 200 miles an hour, and the straight between turn 2, and turn 3. 20 turns in total, 12 to the left, 8 to the right. You take your lap time at full throttle for 63% of the lap."

Audiences all over the world were watching the commentary provided by the lead commentator of Sky Sports F1, David Croft, who was reminding them of some of the previous season's events that had occurred on the track, revealing what tyres that Pirelli had supplied for the race.

"And here is the grid line up for this years Grand Prix. Mick Schumacher at the back with Scorpius Malfoy beside him, the Aston Martin driver having had a bad qualifying round. Surprisingly in 15th, Valtteri Bottas, outperformed by his teammate, Jimmy Potter, for the first time in 2022."

Going through the grid, it was announced to the TV audience that Charles Leclerc was in pole position, but of course that was not 100% certain to be converted into a race win.

"Especially with former Red Bull driver and 2009 Champion, Harry Potter, in the Austrian team's garage this weekend, spending time working with the two Red Bull drivers. Potter must be having mixed loyalties this weekend with his son, Paul di Resta, outperforming his teammate, Valtteri Bottas in Qualifying."

"Yes, he did Crofty. Jimmy Potter has been having a rollercoaster of a season, having luck in Barcelona with a single point, tenth place and the fastest lap point, but 3 retirements this season, and some bottom half finishes. But he has the hand of experience in his garage, Valtteri Bottas."

"He does, and at the front, Charles Leclerc, with a Red Bull to the side of him and a Red Bull to the back of him."

"Yes, and I bumped into Charles earlier, he told me that despite the two Red Bull drivers being close to him, he was hoping to win this race."

Harry Potter was sitting at the back of the Red Bull garage, watching the screens as the lights extinguished, and the cars were underway.

"Leclerc locked up." he said to himself, seeing Sergio Perez taking the lead of the race on the first corner 'That talk with Max and Sergio worked, showing them that if they see a mistake from Leclerc as he leaves the grid, they could take advantage by sandwiching him.'

Watching the data screens, he saw his son was keeping his place despite the attempt by the Williams of Alex Albon, and the Aston Martin of Scorpius Malfoy to gain places.

Grabbing a headset, Harry headed over to his old Team Principal to see what was going on.

"He's a changed man, Sergio Perez, with so much confidence, the smile on his face illuminating after, following what I presume was some advice with the former 3-time World Champion, Harry Potter." Croft said as he commentated on the action.

"I'm very interested to see what speed Verstappen can get up to with the DRS. He's got a less than a second gap to Leclerc, and with a couple of laps to go until DRS does get enabled, it will be interesting to see what is going on."

"And there goes Alex Albon, straight past Valtteri Bottas, with Jimmy Potter right in front of him, and also, it seems, Scorpius Malfoy having gained a place as well, ahead of Nicholas Latifi."

"As the replay of the start shows, Perez gets off to a good start, Leclerc locking up his front left tyre, and Verstappen taking station behind the Ferrari, making sure he has nowhere to go."

"Perez had the better reaction times, just fractionally clear of Leclerc, and look at the end result…"

"DRS is enabled this lap" Jimmy Potter heard over his radio at the start of the third lap. Heading into the DRS zone, he pressed the DRS button, for that extra boost past Esteban Ocon, but the extra few miles per hour he was expecting never came.

"My DRS isn't working" he said on the team radio, hoping that it was just a glitch. "I know I'm range of Ocon, but it isn't working."

"Standby" the response came through. "We'll have a look at the data."

As Jimmy threaded his way around the Castle section, the team radio sprang back to life "We've had a look at the data, and it showed that the DRS had activated. Try it again in the next zone and it should work."

Heading past the second detection point, he passed the speed trap, entering the zone, pressed the DRS button… and nothing!

"Its still not working." Jimmy reiterated over the radio. "It's not working at all."

"And lets head down to Karun Chandhok in Sky Race Control, Karun?"

"Yes Crofty, I've been monitoring the team radios, and it seems Jimmy Potter is having issues with the DRS. He's seven tenths of a second behind Esteban Ocon, but he's reporting that the DRS button isn't working.

"They're saying that the DRS is activating, but I've been on board with Kevin Magnussen who is behind Potter, and it seems the rear wing isn't opening fully, so I think that there is something wrong with what the data is reporting."

"Thanks Karun," Croft said. "Talking about DRS, we go onboard with Max Verstappen, closing on Charles Leclerc as they head down the main straight into turn 1, but not close enough to get him into the turn."

"He probably needed a 3 kilometre straight to overtake Leclerc with a bit more DRS at the rate he was going to get that overtake done Crofty."

"I think Leclerc is catching up Perez too, which is making it hard for the two Red Bulls, and, woah, how close was Verstappen going into the wall there?"

"Doing a Harry Potter there, trying to slingshot himself past Leclerc. Shades of Monaco 2009 when Potter managed to pass his teammate, Mark Webber on the Hotel hairpin, a slingshot off the inside." di Resta said, watching the manoeuvre "I wonder if he taught Max that move, or did Max watch some of the old tapes?"

Christian Horner was in the Red Bull garage, watching the same images that the commentary team were seeing and turned to Harry.

"Monaco?"

Harry gave his old Team Principal a lopsided grin. "Yep."

"I ask you to give Max and Sergio a few pointers and you mention that to them. What do you think I'm going to do next? Ask if you could be my Number 2? I know Dietrich has been chatting to Helmut about getting you back in the fold."

"Nah, old man, but I'll take your job!" Harry said, chuckling. Looking serious at his old boss, he smiled. "Seriously though, I do miss being around, but while doing some of the F1 TV bits, and the odd talk with Max and Checo about bits where they could improve that you and Helmut has been having me do, is great, I don't want the other teams to moan. Toto has already started to make rumblings about you guys breaching the budget cap for last season."

"He's a bit bitter about last season." Christian replied, sighing. "Lewis wanted that 8th title, but Max was just that good. It helped that our engineering team had been working hard all season."

"I think you've got a good pairing with Max and Checo," Harry said, observing what was going on in the race. Watching his son battle to keep his place (and succeeding), he sighed. "Jimmy and Al are a good driver/race engineer combo, but I think Jimmy needs to get a year or so more experience in Formula One before things start properly going his way.. Things today may different to 10 years ago, and even 20 years ago, but if he doesn't get the performance that Alfa Romeo want, he'll probably end up being replaced with another Sauber Academy driver in the next season or two."

"Al Potter, the youngest Race Engineer in the sport. With his mother's brain and your name, I can see why Alfa Romeo hired him." Christian said, sighing. "I think you're right though about Jimmy. Apart from the car issues, and the few incidents with Scorpius Malfoy, I can see some of your first season in him. Those first two years with BAR you had had their ups and downs, but seeing how Jacques helped you, I think Valtteri is a good influence on him, even though he was in a Merc last year."

The two chuckled, the staff in the garage looking at them like the Team Principal had gone mad.

"Talking about Jacques, have you heard that he's doing the NASCAR Pinty's Series' Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in August?" Harry asked.

Lap 33 and Jimmy Potter was on fire on the track. 13th place and 24 seconds ahead of the person who could overtake him, he had only another nineteen laps until the chequered flag.

Despite a problem with his DRS, which had eventually sorted itself out, everything had been alright for him, unlike his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who had had to retire. He wasn't the only one who had to retire though, as the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz retiring too.

The only problem was that he now had a slowing Kevin Magnussen in front of him. Watching as the Haas moved to the side, he moved off the racing line slightly to allow the Dane space to get to the service area.

"Yellow flag, sector 2" Jimmy heard on the radio from his brother, Al, who was acting as his race engineer again. "That was Magnussen retiring."

Heading along the start/finish straight, Jimmy could feel the bouncing of the car as he reached the top speed of his Alfa Romeo for that section of the track.

"VSC. Mode SC." The radio squawked as Jimmy was going through the first sector. "It'll probably be a short one. Follow your delta."

Doing his best to follow the requirement for the earliest time of arrival at each point, Jimmy heard a call to box as he was going through the castle section.

Acknowledging the call, he got himself ready to enter the pit lane, knowing that the likelihood of the Virtual Safety Car ending soon would be high.

Approaching the first safety car line, he took the pit entry, and slowed down as he reached the line which required him to put the pit limiter.

Arriving in his pit box, his team changed his tyres and gave him the release, so he started to accelerate…

…only to find the car move two foot and then stop.

"And Potter has pitted. Jimmy Potter just as the Virtual Safety car is ending has entered the pits." Croft announced on the television coverage. "It's a bold move by Alfa Romeo to pit whilst he's in P13, Ted Kravitz."

"Yes, it is Crofty, but at the same time it looks like he has had some graining on those tyres" the pit lane reporter, Ted Kravitz, said, watching the Alfa Romeo from his position in the pit lane.

Seeing the tyres change and getting the release, the Alfa Romeo started to accelerate, and then suddenly stop "Hang on Crofty… it looks like he's having problems. Barely a few feet away from the box and Jimmy Potter has stopped."

As the television coverage showed the mechanics surround the car with a trolly and the engine coolers, everyone could see Jimmy shaking his head.

"It looks like the car is having a problem, so… they're retiring him. Jimmy Potter has had his car retired." Kravitz reported. "With DRS problems earlier on in the race, his teammate Valtteri Bottas retiring with engine problems, and now engine problems for this Alfa Romeo, can they recover over the remainder of the season?"

So no points for Jimmy this round!

Up next is Silverstone, the British Grand Prix, and a nice bit of Harmony and Jily fluff!...