Well, well, well. It's been a quite eventful period for formula one since i last uploaded a chapter. Lando's first win, Charles winning at home. Incredible time! Well, i guess it's time to get back to work now, i'm still in the middle of exams, but i couldn't wait to bring you all another chapter. Enjoy this drive to survive episode!

Also, I hope Danica Patrick never reads this, and else, I'm so sorry idk what came into me this chapter XD

DF1 Chapter 9: race to the heat

'Welcome to the Spanish grand prix, the start of the big push towards the summer break! For both Red-Bull and Ferrari their focus will be on being on top before the start of the summer break, to make sure everyone is highly motivated during the break. The pressure is all on Red-Bull, they have a long road to go to catch back up in the championship! What can they do to bring the heat to Ferrari?' Crofty said excitedly.

'Welcome back.' The interviewer said excitedly as Marshall and multiple other drivers sat in the now pretty famous DTS chair.

'Always nice to be back in the chair.' Marshall joked as he got comfortable on the chair.

'How would you describe your position in the championship?' The interviewer asked.

'Not where we want to be, partly out of our control, partly within our control. There is a lot to do to catch up to Ferrari.' Marshall responded.

'Brings a lot of pressure?' The interviewer asked.

'Of course there is pressure, but you learn to deal with that over time, takes experience.' Marshall said.

'I think it is safe to say that Marshall didn't have a pressure free start to his career. Unlike many other drivers Marshall didn't start his career in DF4, but in DF3, and that was not liked by many.' Chris Medland, DF1 journalist said.

'At the time all DF categories were being plagued by so called paid drivers and famous drivers. These drivers most of the time didn't have the talent of the drivers around them but because of their money or fame moved up the ranks faster, there were simply no rules against it back then.' Claire Williams explained.

'And so here came this young dalmatian, never seen practicing racing professionally before, only known from being on a well-known rescue team. No one really understood why he got a DF3 seat above a now rising star in DF2, Casey. Let's just say it didn't get him many friends.' Will Buxton said.

'We just arrived there, me, Chase and Marshall himself. From moment one there was a clear judgement everywhere he went.' Ryder, Marshall's owner said.

'Joining a professional racing team is a lot to handle, there is already a lot of pressure that you bring to yourself. But when the other drivers, and most importantly, your team doesn't like you, the pressure from the outside and the pressure you bring onto yourself only grows. In that sense Marshall was really thrown into the deep end.' Danica Patrick explained. 'All those DF1 fans who watched the junior series were also making Marshall going to professional racing a joke, show him to be someone who doesn't belong. The whole world was put against him basically.'

'How was the pressure back then?' The interviewer asked Marshall.

'Horrible, it was just eating away at me that no one seemed to give me an equal chance. It gave me a lot more to prove and no matter if things were my fault or not, I'd get the blame.' Marshall answered.

'Here comes the pack! Right towards the very well-known turn ten, infamous for locking up the tires of every car in existence. We watch the front of the pack going into the famous turn, it is very busy right there in the middle. AND THERE IS A HUGE INCIDENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, OH MY, A TERRIFYING CRASH!' One of the DF3 commentators said.

'Of course, we are not getting any clips of the incident as of now, but I saw a car being launched over the outside barrier at turn ten! That is utterly terrifying, and we of course hope that all drivers involved are okay.' The second commentator added.

'Oh, look, there is the clip. We can confirm that it is Marshall's car that's flown over the barriers. His car has come to a stop upside down. The marshall's have managed to get him loose, and miraculously, he is walking away by himself, good to see that he's okay after that terrifying incident. Let's have a look at the incident, shall we?' The second commentator said.

'So here they come, oooeeeee. Marshall's car there, I wonder if that is just being too late on the brakes or if there is a car issue involved there. He doesn't slow down for the corner, tries to avoid the car in front of him, gets send flying by driving over the tires of the car ahead. Wow, look at that car fly. The first commentator said.

'You can see his left rear wheel just touches the top of the barrier slightly which caused the car to roll and eventually stop upside down. Man, that is a very big incident.' The second commentator said.

'Let's have a look at Marshall's onboard, see if we can hear what happened there.' The lead commentator said.

'Oh yeah, that is not a normal sound, there was a bonk right there. I think the throttle got stuck there.' The second commentator said.

'It sure sounds like a stuck throttle to me, the refs going up, there was no way he would've been able to get that car slowed down in time. Truly terrifying!'

'Having your throttle be stuck in a professional race is the most terrifying thing you could experience. You have no more control, you know you're going to end up in the barrier, and you know the impact will be hard. Can't imagine how horrifying that must be in your FIRST ever race. It has a big psychological effect.' Claire Williams explained.

'As soon as I got back from the hospital, all I heard was my friends saying, do not open social media, do not do it. I still did it, maybe not the smartest idea, but I did.' Marshall explained. 'Everyone was joking about me. How I "Already pushed the boundaries of what was possible." It didn't help indeed. Following races, I stayed out of trouble, scared to drive to the limit. At least most people stopped making memes and jokes about me, because they thought my career was already over anyway.'

'Any professional who understand this situation would agree in saying that this should be career ending, when you are afraid to push the limits, you can't make it in the sport.' Will Buxton said.

'So, what did you do?' The interviewer asked.

'I did nearly quit after that, but i kept going. There was a crucial point in the season where the team wanted me out, my teammates were way better than me, there were more pups waiting for a spot, i had to start performing now.' Marshall said. 'So, I told myself the words that i heard Russell, who was at that point still building up Red-Bull say; "If you never push the limits, you'll never find out how far you can go." I ended up getting in the fight more and got my first podium by the end of the season. I was then put in a team that supported me, got a deal with Red-Bull, and the rest is history.'

'With the difficult start to the season, did doubts from back in DF3 make a return?' The interviewer asked.

'It was a difficult time, but after Canada, I took my time to reset and spend time with the crew. In a way looking back, the past now drives me to push further than I've ever have before. Thanks to these people believing in me, I'm here fighting the biggest battle of my life. Im not fighting it alone, but together with the team.' Marshall said, a smile appearing on his face.

Spain

Cars zoom past the camera.

'Europe is a crucial part of the season. There is a lot of racing close together, five races in six weeks. If you want to start getting good results, this is the place to do it.' Will Buxton said excitedly.

'This is the moment; this is where I must turn around my season.' Marshall stated dramatically for the camera.

'Welcome all to the Spanish grand prix, where we are about to witness 66 laps of racing. Who will come out on top? Ferrari and Red-Bull have at this point in the season really separated themselves from the rest of the grid, but they are not perfect.' Crofty revealed. 'Sam, tell us about today's grid.'

'Yes Crofty, we have a big fight promised for the coming laps, but question marks continue to fly above Red-Bull's head. The team suffered yet another gearbox issue in the final lap of qualifying, limiting Marshall to p3, still an impressive performance to pull a lap with a ruined gearbox.' Sam Colins explained. 'Gear box issues and other minor issues have plagued Red-Bull a lot this season, and it doesn't seem to be finished quite yet. Red-Bull said to have fixed the gearbox, they are doing everything in their power to not need a new one. Let's hope it doesn't have the effect that these decisions usually have.'

'We're not in the best position, but the results are promising.' Marshall said. 'Chase was just 0.008 away from pole, this car is fast. Being afraid of the gearbox dropping has no use either, if it goes it goes. I'll do whatever I can to achieve the best result possible today.'

'AND WE'RE GO for the Spanish grand prix! Chase gets a great start, he's alongside Danny!' Crofty said excitedly jumping through the room.

'The Red-Bull is ahead into turn one, the rookie leads!' Martin commented with happiness in his voice.

'Marshall sets himself up well in p3, let's see what he can do throughout the race.' Crofty commented.

'There are still many people that aren't confident in Marshall's ability. You basically only have two sides in his followers. One, the people who see him as soon to be world champion and the future best of the sport. The second, the people that still see him as the one that is here thanks to money and luck driver.' Danica Patrick said. 'Danny has had this level of competitiveness for years, the pressure is all on Marshall.'

'She said that? That isn't accurate.' Miles told the interviewer. 'Pressure is equal for both. How embarrassing would it be for Danny to lose the world championship to a dog in only its second year in the sport. Rivalries always have pressure on both sides. Danny with all his experience hasn't won a championship yet, he'd be much more relaxed if he wins the championship. He's a very talented driver and has kept us alert which is very important. I'm very excited to see who comes out on top.'

'Were you nervous this race?'

'I mean, what do you expect, it's never been so close out on track before.' Miles responded.

'Due to a wrong strategy, Marshall passed Danny during the pit stop chaos. But he wasn't done yet, he was on the hunt. On the hunt for the win, one that was in the hands of his rookie teammate.' Will Buxton said with a mischievous smile on his face.

'Okay mate, Marshall is getting closer, show us your pace.' Cameron told Chase via radio communication.

'Just tell me what I need to do.' Chase said.

'Marshall one second behind, you are free to fight as long as you both keep it clean.' Cameron said clearly.

'Free to fight is the message from the team, the entire garage nervously looking on, what is about to unfold?' Crofty asked to get the crowd interested.

'Onto the main straight we go, Marshall getting a great launch, DRS open, slipstream from Chase. Chase moves to the inside to defend, who will get the position?' Martin said excitedly.

'The rookie holds on for now! Great display of skill from rookie Chase against his somewhat more experienced teammate and friend Marshall!'

'The scariest thing for a team principal, is when your drivers start fighting each other. One wrong move and these drivers can make the rest of the season, if not more, a disaster for the entire hardworking team. Keeping them in line is very crucial.' Will Buxton said.

'It's wasn't like a one lap thing, it just kept going and going. Chase just had the defensive skill to keep Marshall behind.' Danica Patrick said.

'Not completely true. Looking at the fight you can see Marshall isn't in a rush to make the move, he was picking his moment, though Chase's defense was very good.' Claire Williams commented.

'Danny is catching up to us.' Cole told Marshall over the radio. 'If you want, we can make a suggestion to Chase.'

'No need.' Marshall responded.

'How far is Ferrari?' Chase asked his engineer

'To close for comfort, it's a threat.' Cameron responded honestly.

'Copy.'

At the following corner Chase moved to the inside, seemingly defensive. But he breaks early, giving Marshall the opportunity to get past, and Marshall takes it.

'Focus on defending the Ferrari?' Chase asked.

'A-firm. Would be preferred.' Cameron responded.

'Chase had the opportunity of a life time here. No rookie at Red-Bull has ever managed to win, this was a crucial moment.' Will Buxton said.

'I don't think Chase was happy with this situation at all, that win was his for the taking, the team put a lot of pressure on him.' Danica Patrick said.

'Pressure? Every driver has pressure, but it was Chase's own call to give up his place. He saw the situation, and decided himself what was best. Putting the need of the team above his own, that is the stuff I look for in a great driver.' Miles said. 'Pups that know when to push, and when to sacrifice. Chase's time will definitely come, he's already alongside some great names in the list of best performing rookies at Red-Bull. I can't wait to see what's next for him.'

'A rookie has a lot of pressure to perform and to do great. Being able to think about the team instead of yourself is something very difficult to do when you are in a new environment. Is's a skill only few other drivers know, Miles definitely knows how to pick them. Most of these strong smart drivers have found their way to Red-Bull since its rise to the top. You can't have both drivers be number one in a championship fight, Red-Bull is playing it perfectly and Its drivers are locked into a best team result.' Claire Williams said.

'Marshall brings it home, HE'S back on the TOP step! A great one two for Red-Bull, the fight is far from over!' Crofty said excitedly.

'This could go down to the wire.' Will Buxton stated with a smile on his face. 'Going into Austria, the odds are in Red-Bull's favor. Austria is a Red-Bull circuit, the support is huge.'

'He's popular with the fans, you can see the excitement in their eyes, even more, you can see the excitement in Marshall's eyes. Apart from the issues the car has had, Marshall's got everything he needs to bring the heat back to the title fight.'

'Game on.' Marshall said with a smile on his face.

'MARSHALL MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW! He wins at the Red-Bull ring to bring a bright smile to his entire team; a streak has truly been started!' Crofty exclaimed excitedly.

'Chase keeps Danny behind, keeping p5 and stopping Danny from scoring some crucial points, with Marshall winning here in the UK, the gap is closing!' Martin Brundle stated as the British gp came to an end.

'Another race, ANOTHER WIN! The Hungarian grand prix is Marshall's! A gap that seemed impossible to close just a mere 5 weeks ago has now come to just 3 points!' Crofty said excitedly.

'What was the goal for you personally?' The interviewer asked Danny.

'The goal is clear. No one wants to go into the summer break being the one in second. It can ruin you. So, the objectives are simple, do not lose the lead in Belgium.' Danny said seriously.

'Welcome to qualifying, a very important qualifying for these two drivers. The championship lead could change for the first time in a long time this season, but it all depends on what these two drivers will do in the coming two days. Who sets the bar on Saturday? And who will jump over that bar most convincingly on Sunday.' Crofty hyped up the crowd.

'I mean it couldn't be more exciting for fans. A very experienced driver with a good start to the season and somewhat consistent results throughout the rest of the season versus a second year pup who is on a streak of four race wins. No one predicted this from Marshall nor Danny, this fight is one different to previous years, its super exciting for the F1 fans who've just watched domination unfold on their sport for many, many, MANY years.' Danica Patrick said.

'I mean, Sainz showed Ferrari how much they messed up, Lando won a race, then made the sport interesting by challenging Verstappen in which both drivers cause George Russell to win another race. So many bad luck situations for teams and drivers have been broken, others have embraced the meme, Stake you're the best lol. And now Lewis has found a way to win again after his very weird sour win in Saudi 21 which is now making him cry because Mercedes is now better then Ferrari. I wouldn't call this situation a dominant one.' Jenson Button, EX F1 driver said.

'Let's qualify! The rain falls today in Spa, who will come out on top?' Crofty asked the viewers.

'Marshall across the line, he's put in a very strong time! OH WAIT, has he gone into the wall?' Martin Brundle exclaimed.

'That is car number two which means that is not Marshall.' Crofty responded. 'Chase has found the wall up the most famous corner of Belgium! That is a big crash, hopefully Chase is all okay.'

'You alright Chase?' Cameron asked.

'Yeah, sorry about that, there was no controlling that.' Chase said.

'With Chase out of the picture, this is certainly a 1v1 going forward. Danny seems to fight his car through every corner, Marshall seems confident in his ability, who will come out on top? Danny has beaten Marshall's time, but Marshall is still driving. Purple sector one, purple sector two, Marshall has found 0.700! that is a huge gap, a worthy pole position for the dalmatian!' Crofty said excitedly.

'I mean it's great to grab pole in such a way, showing strength in struggling conditions. But the conditions will be very different come Sunday, it' still anyone's game.' Claire Williams said.

The Belgian grand prix

'Being in a championship fight really brings the most out of the drivers. It pushes them to great limits. The limits of themselves, their team, and of course, their car.' Will Buxton said with a smile.

'AND ITS LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO! Both Marshall and Danny get an equal start, they are right next to each other as we go towards turn one, both pushing their throttles to the limit! I SEE SMOKE! Marshall does turn in, THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS TOUCH!' Crofty yelled in excitement.

'When both drivers don't want to give in, in the end the theoretical max will show its ugly head. This was that day.' Will Buxton said.

'What happened was we both braked too late, Danny was in my blind spot. After I stopped locking up, I turned, and Danny was still locking up, so we made contact.' Marshall explained to the interviewer.

'Were you angry with Marshall?' The interviewer asked Danny.

'The situation was very clear very quickly. We just pushed the limit, and we both found the inches above that limit. That's racing, you can't blame that on someone.' Danny answered maturely.

'Ay ay, do we have damage?' Marshall asked over the radio.

'Yeah, retire the car. Your sidepod is nonexistent.' Cole responded.

'Ah such a shame, sorry guys, I'm coming in.'

'Copy.'

'It's not the way you want to go into the summer break, but it's motivating. You can be sure both drivers and teams will work their buts off to make sure they have everything they need to win; it's going to be a very fun second half of the season!' Will Buxton said. 'With Marshall retired and Danny able to finish 12th after front wing damage caused by the start and by a back-marker later on in the race, the courage and close racing will sure bring a smile to the sea of orange that awaits the drivers in the Netherlands.'

'I'll bring it my all' Danny said.

'Let's go racing.' Marshall said with a smile on his face.