Before I start I want a moment to mention Antoine Hubert and Dilano van 't Hof. I didn't know them, I wasn't even an F1 fan back in 2019. I always loved spa and I, and many others fought for the track to stay on the calendar. But now it all feels different, now I feel what many people felt in 2019. I think for us all it will feel different. I think we should use this moment to start looking at some other tracks, tracks that we love too much to see it's flaws. The flaws of spa were long known, but the fact we still haven't stopped racing there (just temporary so Belgium can look for ways to fix the major problem they have) is insane given the amount of fatal injuries. I looked through it and the amount of times the cause was eau rouge, raidillon or kemmel straight is crazy (which is the eau rouge section) I could talk about this endlessly but I will leave it at this for now. I will dedicate a chapter to them in the future, but that is for the future. For now, we most open our eyes and pay attention. That's all I wanted to say, I hope this explains my frustration a little bit.
DF1 Chapter 4, first weekend.
It was still an hour till qualifying, but the paddock was already filled with excited people lurking around the place, looking to spot some DF1 drivers. It was clear that the close championship battle had caught the attention of many F1 fans, as qualifying got closer, the stands were filling up quickly reaching a DF1 record attendance. Chase looked out his window and saw the chaos, hoping to stay away from it as long as possible, then his trainer walked in.
'Sup mate, how are the nerves.' Nate, nicknamed the surfer dude said.
'Managing, it's crazy out there.' Chase replied.
'Yeah, anyway, your friends from home would like to have a call with you before the action, you up for it?' Nate asked.
'Yeah sure.' Chase replied. Nate giving him the phone.
'I'll be in the canteen, find me when you are done.' Nate said. Chase giving him a thumps up before Nate had closed the door, then called his friends.
'Hey guys!' Chase said, excited to see everyone.
'Hey chase!' Everyone replied.
'How are you?' Rocky asked.
'Good, excited and nervous, should be alright.' Chase said, trying to show the calmest part of him.
'Sounds busy there.' Skye noted.
'Sure is.' Chase said, showing everyone the view from his window.
'We have secured the tickets for some of the races in America and Europe, Red-Bull has given us access to the Red-Bull pits.' Ryder informed.
'We can't wait to watch you and Marshall race!' Rubble said in full excitement.'
'Awesome, can't wait to see you guys there.' Chase said, happy to feel his friends support.
'We are watching everything, even those races early in the morning or late at night.' Rocky said.
'Awesome, then I'll better get to it then.' Chase joked.
'I'm sure you will, best of luck at qualifying.' Ryder said.
'Thanks everyone!' Chase said before the call ended. Chase walked out the door and saw Nate waiting for him. 'We should really do some surfing when we go to Australia.' Nate joked. 'I saw you did some surfing back in the day.'
'Yeah, a little, Zuma is better at it, but we'll see.' Chase said with a smile.
Chase went to the pits and said hi to the Red-Bull team members, camera's pointing at him, but Chase had better things to do. Chase put on his racing suit and everything he needed, put on his helmet and got in the car as it was almost time for qualifying. He looked over and made eye contact with Marshall who had also entered his car and waved at him, Marshall waved back. Now it was time to get into the zone and wait. The adrenaline rushing through Chase as the crowd got wilder.
'Alright Chase, we are about to drive to the exit of the Pitt lane and wait for the light to go green, whatever happens this season I can't wait to do it with you, let's have a good one.' Cameron said over the radio. 'You too.' Chase replied, feeling the support from his team.
Seconds later Chase pulled out of the pits and parked his car behind Marshall's Red-Bull, who was already waiting there for qualifying to begin.
'And the light goes green for qualifying, the two Red-Bulls first out on track, eager to show everyone their issues in preseason testing are over.' Crofty said.
'They had issues every day of preseason, Marshall on day one and Chase had little issues on day two and three that luckily for the rookie, could be managed quickly. Meanwhile Ferrari is looking like the team to challenge them, everything seems to be running smoothly with them, and the upgrades are bringing them very close to Red-Bull, so let's see who can come out in front.' Anthony added.
'Marshall is the first driver this season to start a flying lap, Chase about three seconds behind him. The Ferrari's only exiting their pit box now. This will be interesting.' Crofty noticed.
Marshall goes through the lap, his car feeling even better than last year, Marshall puts the power down with confidence, flowing through the track making it seem like a toddler could do this with ease. Chase three seconds behind, not doing bad himself. Suddenly after turn 13 he suddenly sees Marshall go slower.
'Use his slipstream and finish strong.' Cameron quickly said over the radio. Chase doing as told, using Marshall's slip stream and finishing the lap strong.
'What happened there?' Chase asked.
'Marshall had a big moment at turn 12, I guess he decided to give you a slipstream after.' Cameron replied.
Chase returned to the pits, his team pulling him back into the garage.
'It was a real nice catch from him though, you should watch it after the race.' Cameron joked a little, trying to get his childish energy out.
'Ha, I will.' Chase said whilst laughing.
He saw Marshall going back out to get a lap in. 'Do we need to go again?' Chase asked.
'Negative, your lap is too fast for back-markers to beat, we should save the car for Q2.' Cameron answered
Chase waited as many cars past, it was chaos as a lot of teams found themselves having to go out again, but Chase could stay in his box and calm down and focus on Q2 as Q1 came to a close.
'Five drivers now eliminated, time for the remaining drivers to reset and focus on the task at hand.' Crofty said, looking at the drivers waiting for the team to give the order to exit the pits.
'Okay Chase, Marshall has managed to get through using another lap. we are letting you out first for Q2, show me what you've got.' Cameron said over the radio
'Copy.' Chase said. As the mechanic gave the signal, Chase exited the pits. The light was green so Chase could immediately go out onto the track. Only one of the Ferrari's in front of him. The Ferrari team stays with the same lineup. Danny remains with the team, still looking for his first world championship title. And his teammate Rocco, who seems to mainly be there because he's from Italy. He isn't bad, but he isn't one of the golden prodigies this sport sees once in a while.
Danny was the one in front of Chase, but for now that didn't matter. Chase warmed up his tires and let Danny drive a little further away so Chase would have all the room he needed to get a good lap in. Almost finishing the out lap, Chase put the power down and rounded the final corner to start the lap. Immediately feeling the car was a little slippery, but he had a job to do. Chase braked into turn one, a little lock up costing him valuable time. Turn 2 and 3 not much better as the car continued slipping and sliding all over the place. Chase knew he had to gain time in other places to keep a good enough time. Feeling the car starting to stabilize as he braked for turn 4, gaining a bit of time back. Early on the power and flying through the combination of turn 5, 6 and 7. A little lock up again in turn 8, Chase trying to gain wherever he could. In turn 9 the car felt slippy again, turn 10 approaching very fast, too fast. Chase brakes to late and the car goes straight on, the front wing hitting the wall, not with great speed, but enough to break part of the front wing.
'You alright?' Cameron asked over the radio.
'Yeah fine, sorry about that.' Chase answered.
'Come into the pits quickly, we'll try to give you two laps if we can.' Cameron replied.
'Copy.' Chase replied. Feeling a bit defeated he returned to the pits. Not a great first Q2 for him.
Chase came into the pits and his team took his front wing off and then looked at the front of the car to check for some internal damage. Time flew by much faster then when you are just waiting and don't have a worry in the world. A few minutes later a new front wing was finally placed on the car.
'Alright, I'm afraid you will only have one lap, but I believe in you.' Cameron said over the radio
'Copy.' Chase said.
Chase was released from the pit lane, a bad feeling was in his stomach, but he had to remove it. It's not over until its over, that's one thing certain in formula history. Chase warming up his tires once again, he and the team making sure he had enough room. The mechanics were nervous as they waited, knowing Chase only had one shot at this.
Chase went into the final straight before the lap, then pushed the throttle as he approached the final turn, braking well and getting on the power early. Feeling more confident in the car as he started the lap. A little careful on the brakes into turn one, but he got through the corner fine, ultimately gaining time on his failed lap from earlier. Now he just had to keep it within the white lines. Chase approached turn 10 again, braking in time he got through the corner, the commentators starting to get excited as the last cars were fighting to get out of the danger zone.
'If he doesn't mess it up now he will recover his mistake, what can Chase do under this pressure!' Crofty commented enthusiastically.
Chase braked for turn 11 and got on the power early, he feels the back of the car slipping but he manages to correct it in time, only losing a tiny amount of time compared to what Marshall lost when he slipped around the same area. 'Final corner, you are looking good.' Cameron reported. Chase staying focused for the final corner, braking well and able to get on the power very quickly. As he crossed the line he was still a bit nervous, as he didn't know how fast other cars were going.
'Good job! You're through.' Cameron said, the nervousness in his voice disappearing and excitement came in place. 'This time gets you P5, I almost pooped my pants mate.'
'Haha, that was close, sorry for that one.' Chase said, able to laugh about the situation.
'Very good job, come back to the pits now, Q3 coming soon.' Cameron reported.
Chase returned to the pits feeling better, able to show that the car did really have pace.
As the team had parked the car in the pits Chase took a minute to calm himself. 'Where is Marshall at right now?' He asked, wondering how his teammate was doing.
'Currently p1, the Ferrari's are close behind, give it your all in Q3, would be nice if you could scare the Ferrari's a little.' Cameron answered.
'Copy that.' Chase replied. Focusing up as it was almost time for Q3.
'We will let Marshall go first this time, we will make sure you will have the room to push the Ferrari's.' Cameron said.
Chase watched his teammate exit the pits, Chase getting the sign shortly after, the light was still red but multiple cars were already waiting for the green light. The light went green and many of the DF1 cars were released onto the track, Chase warmed up his tires hoping the car wasn't gonna do what it did at the start of Q2, but it seemed to feel fine.
'Alright, show those Ferrari's what this car got in store.' Cameron said with excitement. Chase went for it, feeling confident as he slammed on the brakes in turn one. Always having to be a little careful on the throttle coming out of that turn, but no slippy slidy this time. Chase feeling more confident each corner, feeling like he was flying. The commentators watching the pups round the 15 corners of the circuit with excitement. Chase crosses the line
'P4 for now, great lap mate.' Cameron said with his happy voice.
'Let's go!' Chase reacted, going off the racing line to let cars go past starting a flying lap. Chase then went to the pits, the mechanics already looking much happier then the previous session.
'Okay, we are sending you out a little earlier so Marshall will have all the space he needs in the end, you'll have an empty track so make use of it.' Cameron reported.
'Copy that, let's go forward.' Chase said with confidence.
'Good spirit, just make sure to keep that spirit on track.' Cameron joked.
'Now we see Chase coming back on track to go for probably his final lap, I bet that pup will have a big smile on his face.' Martin Brundle commented.
'Definitely so Martin, a team that's behind him, a team he's comfortable with, and he now has the chance to really upset the Ferrari's, can see him fighting his teammate not long from now either.' Crofty added.
'You are very excited Crofty, don't forget Marshall is a championship contender this year, so is Danny. He will have to pull something magical to get in their space.' Martin said, trying to remain realistic.
'Well let's find out what he can do right now shall we, as Chase starts a flying lap.' Crofty said.
'Looking nice through sector one, the pup keeps growing confidence and it shows, because he is improving and not far of the fastest time.' Martin said. 'It's like watching magic unfold in front of your eyes when you see a rookie drive a car with such focus and control. Sector two is also very good, still very close to Marshall's fastest time so far, but remember Marshall and the Ferrari's are going back out to improve their time so the positions can still change. Chase crosses the line, that is a very good performance!'
'Great lap buddy, P2 for now, I'll keep you updated on the Ferrari's.' Cameron said.
Chase started his cool down lap, the other drivers now starting their flying lap, Chase getting out of the way nicely for all of them. 2 minutes later, massive cheering was sounded from the crowd. Seconds later, even more cheering. Chase waiting for any news on the radio.
'Alright, qualifying over. P3 mate.' Cameron reported.
'Let's gooo!' Chase said, happy with his performance. 'Who hoo!'
'What a first qualifying mate, you've split the Ferrari's, absolute beast.' Cameron said. 'Marshall will start P1.'
'Awesome team! Whoo, this car is on it.' Chase said with happiness.
'Very good job Chase, appreciate it.' Team principal Miles said coming onto Chase's radio.
'You can park your car behind the P3 board, enjoy it!' Cameron said.
Meanwhile in the other Red-Bull
'That is pole position Marshall. Your first ever pole position is here, that's a good way to start off a season my friend.' Cole said over the radio.
'Let's goooooo! Happy with the pole, great start indeed. Let's go get them tomorrow!' Marshall said back over the radio to his team, hearing cheering on the background and from the crowd.
'Such composure from the pup, not celebrating to much until the flag falls tomorrow, really interesting to see.' Martin reported
Chase drove towards the pit lane, Danny right behind him, who came to park his Ferrari on the P2 spot. Marshall right behind him. Chase parks his car in P3 and turns of his car, looking at Marshall parking in P1. Chase smiling at the sight of his friends hard work, knowing how hard Marshall and Chase himself have worked for this. Marshall got out of his car and out his paw in the air in celebration, definitely a message to Ferrari. Chase got out of his car too, Marshall immediately there to greet his friend. 'Awesome job.' Marshall said with the biggest smile on his face, genuinely impressed by his friend and teammate performance. 'You two!' Chase said happy this team was off to a good start. The two pups then running to their team to celebrate before it was time for interviews.
'Marshall that's P1 for you, is this car still good enough to fight for the championship after the issues we saw in practice?' Jenson button asked the young dog.
'I mean I certainly think it can, last year the team did a great job to bring both titles home and I see no reason why we can't try that again this year.' Marshall commented bravely
'So the issues with spinning in qualifying and the issues in practice are not worrying you?' Jenson then asked.
'Of course issues with the car are never something you want to see, but I know and have trust in the team that we can get on top of it and fight for the championship.' Marshall said.
The team was surprised by the big statements from the Dalmatian, but they were happy to see it.
'Now, Chase, wow, what a performance. Not bad for your first ever qualifying session is it.' Jenson said excitedly
'Well I can't complain, of course I had to get on it in Q2 but luckily managed to get through and yeah, got ourselves in a pretty good position.' Chase said unable to hide away his smile.
'So what's the strategy tomorrow, have a great start and leave everyone in the dust?' Jenson joked.
'Haha I wish.' Chase said jokingly. 'Nah it's my first race, I will do what I can and make sure the car gets over the line in one piece hopefully.'
'Thanks mate enjoy that.'
Chase walked to Marshall whilst Danny was getting his interview.
'Did you have in Q2 what I had in Q1.' Marshall asked.
'Car became very slippery and unpredictable all of a sudden, luckily it was gone for my second run.' Chase said.
'Yeah same for me, definitely something to report on the debrief.' Marshall said. 'Remember, public doesn't need to hear all the details of what happened, you did a good job at the interview.' Marshall said.
'Thanks, humor always works I guess.' Chase joked.
'Does help to change subject.' Marshall commented. 'Alright, I have to get my pole award, see you at debrief.' Marshall said.
'Yup.' Chase reacted before walking to his team, the crowd still cheering the Red-Bull drivers on after that good qualifying. But not the focus would be on what would really count, the event where the points would be awarded.
The next day
Chase sits in his pit box focusing up whilst listening to Cameron talking about the track. The crowd in a great mood as the sun started to set in Bahrain. Marshall walked by and the two drivers fist bumped, before going their own ways once again. Chase put on his very good looking blue helmet. People compared it to Logan sergeants helmet. Blue design with the number 2 on it, Chase's racing number. He also had a police badge on the back of his helmet showing everyone what job he still performed when not seeing the whole world racing. Chase was surprised at the amount of fans he already had, I guess the fact that he was driving in a Red-Bull as a dog who was already known by the general public before he got into racing had not really dawned on him yet.
Chase looked across to his teammate, who was also getting into his car. He had a real cool looking helmet also referring to his job at home. A nice red helmet with very good looking flames on it. His racing number 3 also clearly visible from the onboard camera. Chase went back to focus as it was time to drive his car to the grid. Chase could feel the energetic atmosphere the fans had brought throughout the cockpit but he didn't want to grow attached to it. He had worked so hard to get here, he couldn't let that slip away. Chase parked his car on the grid further discussing all the plans with the team. 'Just pretend that it's doggie formula 2.' One of the mechanics had said. Chase knew he was right, but the car looked a bit to different from the DF2 car to keep that mindset on. Then it was time to get in the car and Chase just did what he had always did. 'You have to be in that super focus before you start a race. You can't just wait for it to come, you have to enable it.' Marshall told him all that time ago before Chase started his first race in a real racing car. Sounds easy, Chase thought back then. Spoiler alert, it wasn't that easy. But now with the right help and support from his friends and trainers, Chase felt confident about it, and the focus just came naturally.
The formation lap came and went, Chase parking his car on the grid once again, for the final time this weekend. It seemed to take forever waiting for the other cars to stop on their correct grid spots. The crowd went silent as they anticipated the run towards turn one. The first light went on, everyone looking at the lights. 5 red lights on.
'And it's lights out and away we go! Marshall gets a good start from P1, behind him though, Rocco is already beside Chase! Amazing start for the Ferrari driver! Chase will now have to watch out for the two McLaren's who are eager to get into an impressive position the team has literally never been in before! Chase covers off the inside into turn one, he keeps P4.' Crofty said filled with excitement.
'Now the chaos is further back as we see many teams battle for points. The McLaren teammates in P5 and 6. A Williams in P7, an Aston in p8 defending against the alpha tauri, another Williams driver in P10. Chaos unfolding here at the first race of the season!' Anthony Davidson reported.
'It's a long race and the pace is there, stay patient.' Cameron told Chase. 'Just stay as close as you can.'
Chase did so, putting on the pace, going equally fast to the Ferrari now three seconds ahead.
Meanwhile Marshall was in P1, leaving every car on the grid in the dust as he grew the gap to Danny behind. But comfortable, he was not, car felt different the moment he drove out of the pits with it.
'How fast is Danny going?' Marshall asked over the radio.
'You are gaining between 0,3 and 0,5 seconds a lap.' Cole reported.
'Can I go a little slower or will that lose us to much valuable time?' Marshall asked.
'I'd be better if you could keep this pace up, anything wrong?' Cole asked
'I just want to make sure this car makes the finish line.' Marshall answered. Looking at his steering wheel to make sure he can get through the corner nicely.
'You are far enough a head to start equaling the time of Danny, if you really want to start saving the car already.' Cole said. 'Would not recommend.'
'I will go a little slower, tell me how I'm doing compared to Danny every lap.' Marshall commanded.
'Sure thing, that's copied.' Cole replied.
The pitstop time had arrived and some midfield and back marker teams had already pitted, now the big teams were about to come in.
'When do I come in?' Chase asked his engineer.
'We call you in when needed, unless you feel like you are losing to much time to tire-wear.' Cameron said. Knowing he was about to tell him to come int, but to scare Ferrari he didn't want to do it to early. 'Okay box this lap, pit confirm box this lap.' Cameron said only a minute later as Chase approached the last turn, Ferrari had no time to react and Rocco would need to stay out on his tires for another lap. Chase came into the pit lane for his first ever official pitstop. It made him think of Abu-Dhabi, when he didn't exactly knew where his future would be. Chase stopped the car in the right place, feeling himself be lifted upwards as the team changed the tires. He couldn't even really process it and the car dropped on the ground again and Chase was back on the gas pedal driving out of the pit lane.
'Alright, get some decent laps in on those softs, but don't push em too hard. If you can't get close to Rocco now you certainly will when we put you on the hard tires.' Cameron reported.
'Alright, let's get going then.' Chase said. The commentators crew smiling as they see the excitement from then young dog. But their attention quickly went to the front as Marshall came into the pit lane.
'Here comes Marshall into the pit lane. Got a decent lead, then decided he didn't want to grow the lead anymore and now he is here, into the pit lane for his second set of soft tires.' Crofty said.
'And there he goes a decent pit stop being around 2 seconds is never something to complain about, now let's see how his car holds up, because he really seems to be worried about it.' Anthony said
'And the other Ferrari is following Marshall into the pits, not wanting to give any opportunity for the Red-Bull car to drive away any more than it has.' Crofty said. 'And that is a very good stop for them 2.1 seconds that is better then Ferrari managed to do all of last year. They are fired up.'
'Okay Marshall, your gap to car behind is alright, do what you think is needed.' Cole said.
'Yeah this is not the pace of the car, I am not pushing it 100% right now.' Marshall said.
'Copy.' Cole said.
'Well for the championship, that is not great news, if Marshall is really holding back like he says he is, the season can be a long one.' Anthony said.
'But with the issues that car is having and whatever Marshall seems to be worried about in that car can keep this championship very much alive. I think this could very well be, a Championship that could go all the way to Abu-Dhabi, yes I do believe that.' Crofty said with full confidence.
The race then quieted down, the commentators trying to keep people interested by talking about the most random things whilst everyone on the grid seemed to stay in their places. There were some drivers close to each other, but no one was making any moves. The second pit stop period then came and people started pitting for their hard tires that should last to the end. Chase came in first again and had a very decent pit stop time once again, now he just had to make it to the end.
'Okay mate good job on slowly closing that gap to Rocco on those softs, now you can push those tires for a couple of laps, you are free to fight Rocco.' Cameron said, Ready to see what Chase could do.
'Copy.' Chase said, ready to push the car.
Then Marshall came into pit lane for his hard tires, as he exited the pit lane he just felt something was wrong, but he could not tell what.
'Can you check the car?' Marshall asked.
'Cars is fine my friend, all you have to do is drive it around, I'll worry about the car.' Cole said calmly.
'Okay.' Marshall replied, continuing on driving the car, not going faster then matching Danny's time 8 seconds behind him on the road.
'The camera's are now focusing on Chase as he arrives within two seconds of the Ferrari of Rocco ahead. A very decent start to the career for the young German shepherd so far, a bit of trouble in qualifying but he still managed to end up P3 on the grid, now he's trying to gain back the place he lost to score a podium on debut, how does that sound to you ant?' Crofty said with great respect towards Chase.
'A podium on debut would be a great sign to Red-Bull, we were all talking about Marshall and we can see now why, but his teammate isn't bad eather, compared to Marshall's first race this is huge! I'm telling you if that dog manages to get a win in his first season, something Marshall failed to do, Red-Bull might have to start prioritizing Chase over Marshall as the lead driver.' Anthony said.
'Speaking of that ant, I can see here that Marshall is now losing time to Danny, what is going on here?'
'You are now losing time to Danny.' Cole reported.
'Yeah something is wrong man I'm telling you, I'll show you I'll go for a lap on full power.' Marshall reacted frustratedly.
Cole could see he was going a bit slower, but he really could not see any problem with the car.
'I don't see what you are experiencing, give it all you've got that's all I can ask for.' Cole said
Chase got DRS on the main straight as he had fully closed the gap on the Ferrari. The Ferrari fans standing with their hand in their hair as they hoped Rocco could keep the team in a good position with Marshall having issues. Chase decided to wait, as another straight would come shortly. Chase following the Ferrari closely through the first 3 turns, then it was time to strike. Chase dives down the inside and stood on the brakes like he knew this place like the back of his paw (which he didn't)
'What a move from the rookie! I have to remind myself that this is his debut, cause I keep forgetting!' Crofty said.' Back in the podium places for Chase, awesome stuff from one side of the garage, the other side is quite nervous though…
10 laps to go
'Marshall's lead has disappeared to only one second as the Ferrari is now hunting down that Red-Bull. Marshall is missing a lot on the main straight, the Ferrari won't be behind him for another full lap i recon.' Anthony said.
Marshall drove on and got onto the main straight. '7th and 8th gear are gone, what do you want me to do.' Marshall asked.
'Drive that car like a beast.' Cole answered.
'The Ferrari fans are cheering again now, they know Danny has a chance here. Marshall's lead is draining like a swimming pool with a massive hole in it, that is not what Red-Bull want.' Crofty said.
Marshall went through turn 13, the Ferrari just a meter behind from Marshall's dying gearbox. Marshall went to the inside, trying to make the overtake as hard as possible, but the Ferrari did not care and flew around the Red-Bull like it was a Haas. Marshall shaking his head for everyone watching the onboard camera to see.
'Nothing I could do there.' Marshall reported.
'Try and keep as many positions as you can mate, you don't have many laps left the gearbox will most likely hang on.' Cole said trying to help the Dalmatian.
'I'll do my best.' Marshall said.
'Marshall better watch out cause his teammate might be coming for him too!' Anthony said.
'Marshall is really having to fight that car to keep it from just quitting and going home, and honestly he is not doing a bad job, but driving without those gears is just something you can't just overcome and adapt to, keeping a car without those gears on track and moving is a real challenge one that Marshall is still going for. But how will that be if his teammate gets involved?
'Chase is approaching.' Cole said.
'Yeah just tell me when I'll let him by.' Marshall said, trying to steer the car through the corners the best he can.
'You still gain some time in the corners, try to get as much of that as possible it could be important.' Cole reported.
'Copy.' Marshall responded.
'Alright Chase, Marshall's issue has gotten worse, you will pass him shortly, he has said he will let you by when he can.' Cameron said.
'Copy.' Chase said, a bit confused as to what was going on with Marshall's car.
'You have no issue with the car right now copy?' Cameron asked,
'No issues here.' Chase reported back.
'Okay be aware, you are approaching Marshall.'
Chase focused up as he saw the Red-Bull ahead on the main straight, he was gaining without drs so much on him he gained 1,5 seconds on that main straight without having drs. 'That's not great.' Chase said as he got out of turn one, Marshall moving aside to let him pass.
'Okay Marshall 2 laps to go, Rocco is 4 seconds behind, defend like I know you can.' Cole said with confidence.
Marshall went onto the main straight to start the final lap, the Ferrari fans were cheering for Danny, but also for Rocco who was now getting closer to Marshall. Marshall knew this podium was important for the constructors championship and he had to use every trick in his book to keep that Ferrari behind. The car really just wanted this to end, Marshall wanted it to end, but he wanted that podium. Marshall manages to hold the Ferrari a little just by knowing where to put that car on track to make the overtake as hard as possible. Marshall braked at turn eleven and got on the power as fast as he can, but he felt the car slip once again as he made the transition from turn 11 to 12, correcting it quickly and luckily in time. Suddenly the Ferrari appeared right beside Marshall and got ahead by turn 13, Marshall got on the power as early as he can, but the Ferrari drove away like the Red-Bull was nothing. The fireworks went off, the Ferrari fans cheering like all the pain of the end to last season had evaporated. Marshall stayed silent going through the final turn, bringing his care over the line in 4th place.
'Half of the garage is cheering, half of it is silent, what a mix of emotions here at the Bahrain Grand Prix!' Crofty said. His words echoing over the entire track.
'Really sorry about that ending mate, you drove well today and I know there is better to come.' Cole said trying to comfort the Dalmatian.
'Yeah, I gave it everything tonight, the car has pace which is great to know, congrats to Chase, let's enjoy that together. And Ehm, talk about this and clear our minds for Saudi.' Marshall responded over the radio as he cooled down his car.
'Marshall, Miles here. You drove amazing today and you deserved more. Better things are coming I promise you that.' Miles said with hope.
'Thanks Miles, I'll drive this care no matter what.' Marshall said, slowly driving the car into the pit lane to park it.
'Clearly upset, but also clearly motivated to go again, let's go to a more positive radio shall we.' Crofty said.
'That is P1 mate, great job!'
'Grazie Ferrari! That is a good start to the season!' Danny happily exclaimed over the radio
'Double podium as well, really well done.'
'Let's gooo! This is what we want, whooo!'
'P2, congratulations mate!' Cameron said.
'Yeahhhhh! Whooooooo! That's awesome guys! Red-Bull! Red-Bull! Red-Bull! Whooo. Thank you team!' Chase exclaimed over the radio in happiness.
'Not bad for a first DF1 weekend rookie.' Miles said over the radio.
'Thank you Miles, thanks to everyone. Keep this spirit up guys, this season has just started.'
'I fully agree with you mate, awesome stuff.' Cameron said.
Chase brought his car into the pits and parked in P2. He turned off his care and got out of his car, seeing his full team cheering for him, even many of the Marshall mechanics and pit crew had come to celebrate with the shepherd. Chase celebrated and celebrated with his team. So did Ferrari who were clearly happy with this result. The interviews flew by and Chase found himself in the cooldown room with the Ferrari drivers.
'Great job man.' Danny said, coming to Chase as Chase got his water.
'Thanks, congrats on the victory.' Chase said, not really knowing how to react. Rocco also came in and also seemed to be in a good mood. Which was understandable as the team seemed to be happy with him for once. Then the dogs were called and it was time to go to the podium. Chase saw the Red-Bull fans in the crowd and could see they were happy for Chase to even after the disappointment of Marshall's race. Chase could not stop smiling and after having some fun spraying his rivals with some cool bottles filled with doggie safe water Chase could go to the press with an Unremovable smile on his face.
During podium celebrations Marshall had taken a moment to return to his room. Just trying to process what just happened. The disappointment was real, Marshall knew every point counted and with how close the championship was last year, this result could mean a lot for who would win the championship. At may just be 1 round of 23, but it all mattered and Marshall knew it. Feeling defeated he just sat there, waiting for someone to tell him it was press time. Marshall then looked at his phone and saw a message from Russell. Marshall immediately opened it and read: "sorry about that race mate, but you know you'll come back stronger. Ferrari are not immune to problems eather, you drove that broken car like a champ and you will be rewarded I know it. Show Ferrari what you and your team are made of. You know what your goals is now that you've achieved pole, go and achieve it." Marshall couldn't help but smile with the support Russell gave him. Marshall never had a personal trainer, mainly because Russell was just always there for him when he needed advice or just some support after a hard race. After he left Marshall never really thought about actually having another personal trainer like he had in the junior leagues. He had his friends and this driving community, what more could he need?