ISABEL SAID THAT SHE was sick to get out of media duties on thursday. instead, she spent time in the motorhome locked in the room with the simulator with emilia sending her updates every now and then in case there was anyone with a key to get in. she did not want to get fined for missing media duties again.

ON FRIDAY, SHE FINALLY entered the garage to get ready for the free practice sessions. harry was there at the front waiting for her.

"morning," he greeted isabel with a hug. "you ready?"

"if it is alive, i will not be happy," she joked, following him inside her garage so that he could show her the surprise he mentioned.

harry laughed, "go on," he gestured to the car in the centre of the garage. all the mechanics cleared off to the back.

isabel approached the side of the car, her eyes scanning the carbon to see if there was anything different. and then she spotted it.

on the side of the sleek black carbon was a sticker that read 'jb17 & ah19' with the french flag beside it. immediately, isabel slapped her hand over her mouth, unable to tear her eyes away from it. she wanted to cry but nothing fell, just that unpleasant burning sensation instead.

"i—" harry was cut off by isabel turning around and tightly hugging him.

"a good surprise then?" he said, a large smile on his face.

"the best," she confirmed, squeezing her engineer with all her strength. "merci, harry. thank you so much."

harry's smile was so paternal that it made her chest hurt when she pulled away from him and noticed it. it hurt more too when she realised that she wouldn't see him as often when she left the team, especially when she hadn't heard from any other teams about negotiations. she was going to miss him far too much.

"go get changed, belle," he picked up her race suit from the nearby counter and handed it to her. "we'll get the car ready for you."

isabel gave him one more quick hug before rushing off to her driver room in a better mood than she had been in earlier on in the day.

her week in france had been interesting so far. her first two days in the country was spent reminiscing about her late friends with their families, and then fast forward a couple of days, she slept with max again. and then she went out to dinner with noah and emilia on wednesday night. however, come thursday, she wasn't in the mood to deal with vast amounts of people, especially when they all wanted to talk about max or charles or alicia or anyone else that wasn't her.

everything felt more like a chore now, too. ever since the whole ultimatum thing had blown over and disappeared because her and max were apparently not as awful in the public eye anymore, everything just felt more like extra effort. she didn't have a reason to stick around to prove a point as much anymore. the only thing she constantly had to prove was that she deserved her spot on the grid in a male-dominated sport, but even that was starting to feel like a chore instead of something that she used to work towards.

all isabel wanted to do was get in her team's best model yet, the LR22, and drive. driving ever since she was young meant that the best way for her to clear her head and meet ultimate comfort was to be behind the wheel. there was something so freeing about being the one in control and going anywhere you want, either on-track or on-road. it felt like the only thing in her life that she could actually control, but even that was dying out. it had been stolen from her in barcelona and only time would tell if it would happen again. and this was probably her last year in the sport, too. she just wanted to race and not worry about anything attached to it.

FREE PRACTICE ONE AND two were consistent over the course of the friday, and the third free practice session was similar. noah fell back to p13 as he tried to get a feel for the circuit again after his retired french grand prix last year. the ferrari boys and max easily dominated the session and so isabel comfortably remained in p5 with her times.

after the third session was over on saturday, isabel unzipped her race suit and held her cold water bottle to her forehead out the front of her garage. when she noticed that a camera was pointing in her direction, she acknowledged it by subtly winking before turning and walking into the ferrari garage.

"hey, isabel, come on," a ferrari mechanic stopped her when she stepped foot inside. "not in between sessions, you know this."

isabel rolled her eyes. "jayden," an amused expression tugged at her lips, "trust me, i do not want to steal your shitty strategies or ideas. this is unnecessary."

jayden was a mechanic assigned to carlos' car and had been since the spaniard moved to the team. he was a good guy with no ill intent, but it was annoying whenever he tried to stop her from going into the garage when her brother and best friend were in there. she understood why, but she'd been honest a hundred times before: isabel couldn't give a shit about ferrari's strategies or anything because they were awful. worse than her own team's.

"i know," he shrugged, "but it's protocol."

she pat him on the shoulder before stepping around him. "cool," she brushed off, "i do not care," and she continued to walk through the garage until she was in the back corridor and walking into carlos' driver room.

carlos' head snapped up when he heard the door open. "oh, hi, belle!" he greeted her as he set down his phone on his knee. "how'd you get in here?"

"jayden loves me enough to let me through," she shrugged as she walked through the room and sat down beside him on the couch.

"that's a lie," carlos pointed out. he sighed when isabel laid down on her side, her head rested on his thigh.

"i am sleeping," she told him. "i would not be surprised if alicia let cameras into my room and filmed me while i sleep," she mumbled, setting her water bottle down on the ground.

"alright," carlos said as he picked up his phone again. "but i've got stuff to do in half an hour, so i will wake you up."

isabel was already asleep by the time he had finished talking.

x

AT SOME POINT DURING the course of the few hours in between free practice three and qualifying, charles had switched with carlos and so isabel woke up in the presence of her older brother instead.

"oh, good, you are up," he ruffled his sister's messy hair. "quali is in thirty minutes."

"mhm," isabel rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

"you're falling asleep a lot lately," charles mentioned, an undertone of concern in his voice as she sat up. "are you okay?"

isabel shrugged. "i haven't been sleeping well," she told him honestly. she still couldn't work out why, but the complete silence didn't lull her to sleep anymore. "and i'm still stressed out with alicia and quitting and . . ." she trailed off with a sigh. "i don't know."

"alicia does not matter," charles shook his head as he stood up from the couch. "you said you sorted it out with sebastian, yes?"

"yes," she nodded. "he said that i should wait until the end of the break."

"then it does not matter," charles smiled at his sister as he held his hands out towards her. "in a few weeks, everything will go better, okay? and you know you can always call me."

"i know," she couldn't help but mirror his smile as she grabbed his hands so that he could pull her up. "grazie, charlie."

he shrugged her off, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the room and into the hallway. "all you need to worry about is getting in the car and driving," he led them out into the garage. isabel had to ignore the looks she was getting from his team for her simply being in their area so close to qualifying. "and obviously not getting a faster time than me."

isabel laughed at this, blinking away the sun that blinded her when she stepped out of the garage. "obviously," she mocked, already in a better mood than before. "je t'aime."

"moi aussi," charles kissed the top of her head in response before they split and went to their respective garages.

x

THE FRENCH CIRCUIT HAD two drs zones that need to be taken carefully because they both lead into sharp turns that require immediate braking. a lot of the time, those who gained positions with the drs fall back and lose it if they don't take the corner properly. it was a track that required absolute concentration and enough experience to be able to perform well.

isabel had the experience, sure, but she knew that others didn't. and that meant that she did not want to be anywhere near the midfield during the start.

"alright, when you're ready," zander stood beside isabel's car this time. "good luck, belle."

although he couldn't see it, she smiled at him before sliding her visor down into place. "thank you," she felt him tap her helmet before he stepped away, and a couple seconds later, she was set to pull out of the garage to enter the pitlane.

Q1. "holy shit, mick is fast," isabel breathed as she completed her flying lap behind the haas. according to harry, mick had gone from p17 in the elimination zone to p11, leaving lance to be eliminated.

"alright, belle, you are p4. p4. order is leclerc, verstappen, sainz, you, perez."

"holy shit, haas is quick," isabel said in response. "kmag bumped up, right?"

"he did. behind norris in p7. i— oh. the stewards have erased mick's lap time."

"the fuck?" isabel frowned as she slowed for a cool-down. "why?"

"exceeding track limits at turn three."

"he was fucking quick, though," isabel mentioned again. "fuck that."

Q2. the first two qualifying sessions had gone smoothly so far with few issues.

"noah's out, p12."

p12 was good news when noah had struggled in france last year. she didn't blame him, there were too many lines on the track to the point that it could be confusing.

"and me?" she asked.

"p3. sainz, leclerc, you, verstappen, perez."

"yes!" she grinned. even though she knew she would no doubt be in q3, it was still good to hear that she had landed a p3 in the second session. especially when she had somehow ended up in front of the red bulls when they had a ten times better car than she did. she was a firm believer in the fact that having the skill and precision meant more than the car. of course, having a better car always helped, but to her, the skill showcased more. otherwise she wouldn't be able to outdo ferrari, red bull and mercedes like she had proven.

"you think that i can catch a tow from charles," isabel joked as she started her next hot lap.

"last time you did that, verstappen ruined your lap time."

"you are evil, harry."

"just doing my job, kid."

throughout her next few laps, isabel watched the ferrari strategy play out. it was clearly to have carlos tow charles so that he could consistently be holding provisional pole. with that, isabel knew that she couldn't take pole because she didn't have noah up with her to help, and so therefore she was happy to push for the second grid spot instead.

"alright, time's up," harry said as she crossed the line again. "that is p2. i don't think we'll have it for long."

isabel didn't have to ask to know who was taking it from her. the red bull shot past her seconds later, and so now she just hoped that she remained in p3 instead.

"okay," harry said again as she completed her cool-down lap and headed into the pitlane. "starting grid for tomorrow is leclerc, verstappen you, perez, hamilton, norris, russell, alonso, tsunoda, sainz."

isabel didn't switch on the radio. "lando's in between mercedes? wow," she whistled to herself, a smile pulling at her lips. she was beyond happy for him.

this time, she did speak through the radio. "thank you, harry."

"happy for you, isabel!"

x

ISABEL PLACED HER FINGERS against her lips before reaching down to press them against the names on the side of her car; a tradition she had picked up for french grands prix. the formation lap was soon and she was yet to get into the car.

"you right?" harry offered his arm out to her as she climbed into the cockpit around the halo.

"yeah," isabel grabbed his arm to keep her balance as she shuffled to get situated in the small space. "grazie. you help me more than zavier and luca do," she shot a wink over at the her trainer and head mechanic that were on the other side of her car.

"you said you didn't want my help just before this," luca pointed out as he flicked the top of her helmet.

"same," zavier piped up.

"eh," isabel laughed, "maybe i just like harry more."

harry grinned before stepping back so that zavier could help her get all her belts on properly and ensure everything was secure.

"of course you do," luca said as zavier stepped back from the car. "harry's the only one who lets you get away with shit."

despite the fact that they couldn't see her mouth, isabel's smile was bright before she closed her visor. "no," she drawled as she settled her hands on the steering wheel. "that's not true."

"it definitely is," harry added as he ritually tapped her helmet twice. "good luck out there, kid. bring it home."

ISABEL SETTLED INTO HER grid spot behind her brother after the formation lap was completed.

when the lights began to flicker, she thought of jules. he had never gotten to race around this circuit. when she was younger, she used to race around the go-kart track fifteen kilometres from where she was currently sitting idly. she remembered spending hours upon hours with jules and her older brothers until she perfected the racing lines. isabel leclerc had never been one to give up, especially as a young girl who had grown a passion for all things fast. and then she had helped teach arthur the same racing lines.

it had been hard because she had been forced into quitting multiple times throughout her life. the first time was when her family only had the money to send charles through the higher stages of his racing career, so her and arthur had to give it all up. if it weren't for jules, she wouldn't be sitting under the glowing red lights right now.

but if it also weren't for jules, maybe she would have become more successful years ago. she didn't blame him and never could, but she'd quit racing for a while while she was still in f3. races upon races were missed because, unlike charles who used racing as an outlet, she couldn't get herself back in the car. she skipped races and that therefore stunted her move into f2.

all in all, she missed him.

the lights extinguished.

"will it be verstappen or leclerc that gets away best? it's lights out and away we go!"

lap one. from the moment she took off, it was a fight against checo to hold her spot into the first corner. she didn't have to worry about it for long because lewis overtook him and she had created a gap, leaving her with time to gain on max instead.

lap sixteen. isabel comfortably remained in p3 since the first lap once she defended lewis with everything she had. charles and max were almost out of sight as max fought for p1 on the straight.

all she could suddenly see in the distance was a mass lock up of tyres and the red ferrari spin off the track into the barriers. "harry," isabel hit her radio immediately.

"i know, belle. he's fine," harry said, and even though that isabel knew that her brother was fine because the impact hadn't been that hard, she still needed to hear it from her engineer that he was confirmed fine. "we'll box next lap, there's a safety car for tsunoda's spin."

lap seventeen. isabel merged back into the track under the safety car conditions behind checo in p4. with the hard compounds on, she wasn't planning on boxing again anytime soon.

lap twenty-six. with a swift precision and drs, isabel was able to pull away from lewis and beat him to the turn, taking it quickly on the inside and then falling back in front of him in p2. she kept up her pace on the relatively straight sections of the track to build a gap between her and the mercedes, especially since checo was near lewis and she didn't want the red bull gaining on her anytime soon.

"nicely done," harry commented. "hold off on verstappen for a bit. work on keeping a gap if you can."

"understood," isabel replied, taking the turns a little faster just to keep up the pace. lewis was falling back further and further as he worked on defending carlos, leaving a seven second gap between them.

lap forty. now that she had kept pace for a lot longer than necessary, she was starting to gain on max. the boosts of drs helped when she was able to use it, but it did not stop the fact that he is both max verstappen and driving a red bull.

"come on," isabel muttered as she went wheel to wheel with him around the turn, trying to push just a little bit harder so that she could pull forward ahead of him. however, with max being on the inside, he took the apex first and isabel had to back off. only slightly, though, because she was not going to drop back and lose the close positioning she had.

she knew his driving style as well as he knew hers. and although that may sound like a disadvantage, it was actually a huge advantage. it meant that she knew what he would do when she went to attack, and therefore she could work around that until she pulled out in front of him in p1.

lap forty-nine. isabel fought max until she finally found a weak spot in his defense and slipped through on the inside of him, braking as she took the corner before the chicane and then finally pulled ahead of him through the rest of it. "yes!" she cheered to herself after a nine lap fight with him. almost as soon as she took p1, a virtual safety car was called for zhou.

"nicely done!" harry cheered for her. "keep up the pace!"

lap fifty-three. final lap. it was tense. as soon as isabel and max turned the corner and entered the main straight, it felt like a drag race to the finish. on the straights, it was no longer a matter of skill, it was a matter of who accelerated first in the faster car.

and it was a known fact that max had the faster car.

it was close, however. the sprint finish between max and isabel was so close that watched their wheels almost touch in her mirror, much like how they had finished races tens of times before. just before they crossed the line, max's front wing just managed to pull out a little further by a centimetre. max won the french grand prix.

isabel exhaled, finally breathing once she crossed the line after holding her breath throughout the sprint with max. her car remained side by side with him as she began to slow, him doing the same.

before the end of the straight, isabel gave him a little wave, a silent 'congratulations' as well as a way of saying 'good sprint'.

max copied her, replicating her wave as he steered with one hand. as they approached turn one, isabel backed off and let him take it first. he had won, after all.

IN PARC FERMÉ, ISABEL embraced her team over the barriers first.

"awesome race!" she felt harry affectionately pat her helmet in a congratulatory manner. "we're so proud of you, kid."

"thank you all," isabel was overwhelmed by the crushing hugs she was getting as her team piled on top of each other to do so, but the feeling was like being on top of the world.

after she finally split from them, she moved to congratulate lewis on p3 first. afterwards, she found herself in front of max. "good sprint," she said, pulling off her helmet and balaclava and setting it in her cockpit.

"it was," max agreed, trying not to look at the camera that was focused on them. it was uncomfortable and he didn't know how much of their conversation he could hear. "good race."

"congratulations," she nodded once at him, and he copied her, before she turned away from him to head into the cool-down room.

x

ISABEL HAD LISTENED TO max explain certain aspects of the race to lewis for what felt like forever as she had lay on the floor before the podium ceremony. she had felt like she was back learning how to kart again because for some reason max was explaining how to race to a seven-time world champion.

now that the ceremony was over and she was heading back to the hotel to go out with her friends, max was still at the track. more specifically, being interviewed.

"so, at the end of the race," max could tell that the blonde lady interviewing him was getting ready to wrap it up. "we noticed you and isabel have a more decent understanding. usually in those situations, it's the opposite. can you talk me through that?"

max shrugged. "yeah. she's a good driver, some of the best competition you'll get. the little sprint at the end was a perfect finish, in my opinion. she was the only one challenging me throughout, so it made the race a bit more interesting on my end," he let a chuckle slip.

"it's starting to sound like a friendship is blooming," she said.

"no, no," max shook his head. "i just know a talented driver when i see one. it is just the truth. i won't lie just because i don't like her, you know?"

"thank you for your time," she concluded with a smile before her and the cameraman moved along to their next driver.

x

INSTAGRAM — ISABEL.LECLERC

isabel.leclerc: very happy with the weekend results ! have some photos from this week <3

comments . . .

user1: congrats !!!!!

user2: omg mick 💕💗💕

user3: danny looks dead
↳ user4: just like his career at mclaren
↳ user3: unnecessary

alex_albon: who's that cool guy next to george
↳ isabel.leclerc: i think it's albono idk if you know him
↳ lilymhe: idk i heard he's got a super cool girlfriend 🤷‍♀️

user5: you look really pretty belle!!

imickschumacber: hey!
↳ isabel.leclerc: hi!

danielricciardo: hangover hours ☺️🥰
↳ landonorris: i cannot believe you danny ric
↳ isabel.leclerc: lando mate you were a mess
↳ maxverstappen1: lando you were gone
↳ user6: wait max is here what
↳ user7: MAX ????

user8: soooo we all heard max's interview right
↳ user9: isabel and max being civil was not on my 2022 bingo card
↳ user10: i need to know what's going onnnnn

user11: this weekend was !!! isabel leclerc wdc when ??
↳ user12: she's not getting one lol
↳ user13: she lost it by like nine points last year user12
↳ user14: there's no way she can take it this year unless she beats rb and keeps p1. this year isn't her best
↳ user15: user14 yeah bc of lamborghinis shit strats

x

im just saying,, i have the rest of this book properly planned out rn through a timeline. everything is set in stone and im so excited!! just finished workshopping it :)

hope you're all well!