*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—chapter two: the professor

March 2003

A FROWN HAS FORMED UPON THE THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD'S FACE AS HE'S WHEELING HIS KART INTO THE GARAGE. The race he's just participated in hadn't gone too well. He didn't even place for points. Dennis Kaufmann had purposely rammed his kart into Caio's kart, which resulted in Caio veering off the track, skidding across the gravel and grass, and nearly colliding straight into a barrier earlier that day. The kart had been damaged, too much to be able to get fixed real quick and get back into the race. Any chance of getting points had been ruined.

Now, back at home, Caio was in a bad mood. His aunt Viviane and his uncle Leonardo had helped him get his kart into the garage to let him tweak it. So, currently, he was by himself out here. The garage door was wide open, the sunlight pouring in, though it isn't very bright out anymore as it was starting to go into the late afternoon hours.

Caio sits on the floor of the garage, inspecting his kart. There was a toolbox beside him, through all the tools that were in it were haphazardly placed around him. His cap is sitting lopsided on his head. His hands are starting to sweat and he can feel it through his gloves.

He can hear voices outside. His family must have come back out of the house. But there is a new voice that piques his interest. He sets a wrench down and glances toward the driveway, seeing an older brunet man speaking to his aunt.

Caio knew who it was immediately, but didn't bother greeting him. Alain Prost was a former friend and rival of Ayrton Senna. Though Prost had retired in 1993. It seems he had stopped by the Senna household to check up on them, well, more like he wanted to know how Caio was doing.

The talking soon stops and footsteps could be heard as Alain makes his way into the garage. Caio doesn't look up, too focused on tightening a bolt on the steering wheel.

"Hello, Caio."

The boy doesn't look at him as he swaps the wrench for a screwdriver. "Olá, Alain."

"Fixing up your kart?" Alain questions, now watching him tighten a screw.

"Yes." Caio still doesn't look at him. "Why are you here?"

Caio understands he's being rude to Alain by not even making eye contact, or in the way his tone is when speaking to the Frenchman, but right now, the boy did not care. He wanted to be alone, and Alain figured that out right away, so he tries to cut to the chase.

"I've just talked to your aunt and uncle, and your grandparents."

"About?" Caio stops working on his kart. Setting whatever other tools he had down on the floor, he glances up at the man, his interest suddenly piqued.

"I'd like to be your mentor," Alain answers, kneeling beside him to inspect the kart.

"I do not need a mentor."

"I may not be the best driver ever, but I know a thing or two about strategies and whatnot." Alain's brows furrow in concentration as he takes a look at the chassis and the wheels. "Ah, looks like you need new pedals."

"O qué?"

"Take a look here," Alain points to this small steel part attached to the wheels. Caio is beside him now, staring at the underside of the kart. It looked like something was supposed to be in between the wheel and what Alain had pointed at, but it was gone. "The padding on the brakes is worn down completely. Metal-on-metal is never good. Hm..."

"Como sabe disso? Só um mecânico sabe disso."

Caio wasn't expecting Alain to answer his question considering he hadn't asked it in English. But the Frenchman seemed to know some Portuguese. Maybe from all the times he had hung out around Ayrton during his racing days, he managed to pick up on it. It was likely that when Ayrton had celebrated a win, his tongue would slip and out came the string of Portuguese words, and Alain learned a few words here and there. Alain was much smarter than he seems. Caio wonders what else he knows.

"They call me The Professor for a reason," Alain says with a shrug. He doesn't elaborate on it. Though, Caio grins. He knows why people called him that. The level of intellect and driving skill that Alain has amassed was enough for him to have taken on Ayrton and hold his own, though he was never able to outpace the Brazilian in a race.

That gives Caio an idea. Alain's skill would be useful, and he needed that advice. "If I get into Formula One, would you like to be my engineer?" he asks.

Alain smiles. "Of course, kid."

✧ ✧ ✧

2007

Ever since that day, Alain had taken Caio to a makeshift track nearby a few times a week and had him go around a few times, before pulling him aside to inform him on what skills he needed to improve.

They had gone over a lot, and any doubt that Caio had before about Alain had faded. The Frenchman really knew what he was doing. And Caio had been listening, taking his advice and making notes in a journal. Over time, Caio had gotten way better than before.

A few of the practice sessions involved Bruno Senna Lalli racing against Caio Senna. And of course Caio wasn't perfect. Bruno had beat him in many of those practice sessions, even though Caio had won most of them. The ones Caio didn't win were his own fault, whether it was something not installed correctly in the kart, resulting in one of the mechanisms failing, or just a simple strategic error that Alain was glad to help him take note of.

It was only months later when his skills were recognized on a professional level.

Caio had been accepted into the junior team for Bugatti by that time. It was an opportunity to excel in his career and potentially make it into Formula One in the coming years, which was his end goal.

Now, at seventeen years old, Caio had a few years' worth of experience under his belt. And there were speculations that he would be in Formula One the following year.

Well, those rumors were according to Bruno.

"Bugatti have to consider you for the Formula One team for next year's season," Bruno says as he walks through the kitchen grabs a bag of chocolates and goes to the sofa to sit down.

"Those are mine, thank you very much," Caio says with a roll of his eyes as he snatches the bag from his cousin. "And what are you going on about, Bruno?"

"I think they'll consider you for Formula One." The twenty-four-year-old says as he reaches toward the bag that the young boy is purposely holding as far away from him as possible. Caio swats his hands away.

"De jeito nenhum."

"You're one of their best drivers, so why wouldn't it be a possibility?"

"One of their best junior drivers," Caio reminds him. "Kaufmann's another consideration. Won't be surprised if they choose him first over me for the 2008 season."

"I doubt that. But both of you are the best there at the moment."

"Tentando aumentar o ego dele, irmão?" Bianca teases as she talks a seat beside the boys. Bruno grins as he glances at her.

"Talvez."

"If they do, then I don't want Dennis Kaufmann as my teammate," Caio says with a huff. He takes a chocolate oit of the bag and pops it into his mouth. "This is getting ridiculous."

"What's getting ridiculous?" Paula asks, a brow raised as she enters the living room.

"Nada. Esqueça."

"Caio," Bianca frowns, "tell me."

"I told him there's a high chance that Bugatti is considering him for next year's grid," Bruno says.

"Oh?"

"That rumor's been circulating around the house all day. How did you come up with that, filho?" Viviane has entered the living room now.

"We all know Caio's the best junior drivers at Bugatti. You see how far he's gotten in GP2, mãe," Bruno explains. "If he's not on the team next year for the Formula One season, then they've made a mistake."

"Why don't we resume this conversation later and have breakfast?" Viviane suggests. "Caio, put the chocolate away."

"We're never coming back to this conversation," Caio mutters under his breath as he gets up from the couch and puts the bag of chocolate into the pantry. He was sure no one had heard him but Bruno is glaring at him from across the room.

"We're gonna come back to this conversation."

"No, we're not, Bruno!"

author's note
i didn't mention this in the first
chapter, but there's gonna be a
few flashbacks (ranging
anywhere from 1994-2007)
throughout this fic btw just
so you guys can see why caio
is the way he is during the
2008-2024 f1 seasons
bc i said so

05.26.24