My Formula 1 System-Chapter 427: Pre-S2 Spanish Grand Prix
Luca and Manuela promptly returned to London at the required time after everything had been finalized and he was now fully cognizant of what exactly was going to be expected of him in that advertisement shoot.
By coincidence, Luca encountered Mr. Lemaître there in Dubai—along with his daughter, Perla, too. The encounter made Luca feel uneasy, especially because of what had been transpiring lately. He couldn't be too casual and relaxed, as he was well aware that someone could someday disclose photos of this very unintended conversation. Mr. Lemaître, perceptive as ever, understood Luca's fears, indeed, he was pleased that Luca harbored those fears in fact, because that was exactly where he intended to begin from.
Lemaître suggested a quick dinner at somewhere open there in the illuminated night of Dubai. It was a beautiful country, shimmering with luxury and promise, and to Luca, it felt almost like a pre-visit to the very nation that would host this season's Mega Prix. He welcomed Lemaître's invitation, but he made sure to tag Manuela along.
What they discussed about was clearly the German Grand Prix and everything that had traversed around Luca so far. And just as Luca expected, Mr. Lemaître subtly introduced the idea of him returning to Trampos. This time around, he was more persistent, with the help of his daughter, whom it seemed… he planned to personally introduce to Luca and vice versa.
They claimed that Jackson Racing were bullying him like punching a heavy bag, only that he managed to remain strong and sturdy. Lemaitre also pointed out that Luca had just months left until his single-year contract with Jackson would expire, and he'd be practically a free driver. For Trampos, that'd be the perfect setup for them, because they wouldn't have to pay any transfer fee, which would be exceedingly high.
"To return to your home, Luca, you need to move by the end of the season; stall or better still reject all contract proposals… Please."
At the end of the dinner, they didn't receive a direct answer from Luca about whether he would like to return to Trampos or not. His responses frustratingly beat around the bush, still hinting that he was still tied with Jackson Racing. Furthermore, discussions like this must include his agent as well, not just him alone and his assistant Manuela, who was already fatigued by the long travel and the ongoing talks.
However, Mr. Lemaitre was optimistic because Luca had at least entertained the idea of a return to Trampos. Just a little bit more persuasion, he believed; and so far, Germany had been doing the harder work in that regard.
Luca didn't give Perla his personal phone number when she asked for it. He only gave her the number that was still his, but it would be Manuela who would answer any calls.
The dinner was his last in Dubai. By dawn, he was already on the plane back to London.
When he returned, he was met with a lot of good news on progression. Both Isabella's personal statement and interview had been accepted and received with good regard, as Mr. Schafer informed him. What was next was to bountifully provide schooling essentials, and she'd begin in the second half of the semester since many schools were on a long summer break that even stretched into September.
Isabella refused the dormitory, stating her exact dislikes and insisting on a regular drive to and from school. The distance was only fifteen minutes from the villa and about twenty-five minutes from Harborne, so she saw no need to stay in the dorms.
Luca chuckled at the request. He was sure he could meet all of it, but he still pressed back that she should live the dormitory life, even if it was just for one semester.
And speaking of school, Luca remembered Sophia. He wondered why she had not returned and remained in school even during the holiday. Without hesitation, he called her on the phone and briskly ordered her to get herself back into Clapham to stay with their mother for the remainder of the holiday, since she had already exhausted more than half of it still in school.
Sophia groaned over the phone and reluctantly agreed to seeing her family after almost a year now.
First day after his return from Dubai was a humid day full of work. After all that family management, Luca had to keep up with his financial history with Sara, who explained everything to him. He also narrated his encounter with Mr. Lemaitre to Mallow, not leaving out the obvious detail about a switch in team. He also handled more things like checking sponsorship deals that came his way, ensuring endorsements were in line, and reviewing all team-related paperwork and emails.
On the second day, it was time to answer his call to duty and return to the Silver Stallions in anticipation of the Spanish Grand Prix. He drove alone, arrived alone, and spoke to the management alone, which felt like a ritual now.
Afterwards, Luca merged with the team, his intention being a wide-spread general apology to them for depriving them of more than 25 points. No one had asked Luca to do this, but he thought he had to, given the way they behaved and now looked at him. His mending instincts believed a grand apology like this would work.
The team accepted his apology and encouraged him to cooperate better next time for a more satisfactory outcome. Mr. Matthews and his inner circle had deeper words to share. Luca was just happy that no fine was warranted because of this, not even a suspension or any other form of punishment. It just seemed so that he was going to drive in Spain as if nothing of this fashion had ever transpired.
However, what Luca did not know was that this was just suppressed resentment. A similar gathering had already been conducted earlier by the management, during which they imposed an order on the team to speak of nothing or criticize Luca for his actions in Germany. The team was ordered to continue this season and treat Luca's and Rodnick's collision as merely one of many crashes.
The point of this was that Jackson Racing believed they had pushed Luca to the wall enough recently and needed to cut him some slack as much as possible. The season was coming to an end, and no one wanted to state the obvious, but Luca was 70% responsible for where they now stood in the standings: the very top.
To lose Rennick is not an option.
Rennick needs to be happy.
If he's happy, he signs a new deal.
