Summary: Lewis Hamilton has officially become the 6 time World Driver Champion, while this is only Elenas first. Ontop of the celebration, tasting champagne spray, and excitement, she also gets some professional advice. ...Then some less professional plans for the upcoming holidays.
Disclaimer: MDNI.
Author Note: A little bit of a fun chapter! I did my best to research but it may not all be the most accurate (2002 season mostly).
See the masterlist for AOTA here.
ENJOY!! Please comment and like! It makes me all excited for people to enjoy something as much as I do!
United States GP, 2019
The Mercedes garage sounded like a storm had formed inside it.
Champagne sprayed in glittering arcs across the polished floor, mechanics shouting over one another while someone dragged a speaker onto a tool chest and turned the volume high enough to make the walls vibrate. Engineers who normally argued over telemetry were suddenly hugging like long lost family.
Six world driver championships.
The number was being shouted somewhere near the back of the garage, over and over again, like a chant in multiple accents.
Elena slipped through the chaos with a bottle of champagne tucked under her arm, trying to avoid the worst of the spray that was already coating the floor. People had popped at least a dozen bottles already, and the air smelled sharply of yeast and celebration. Thank goodness COTA had been prepared with some drainage in the garages for clean up.
She scanned the garage for a particular face. No Lewis. Of course, that made sense. The world had just watched him lock down yet another championship. Every camera in the paddock and probably the greater Texas area was pointed at him right now.
She kept moving, weaving between mechanics and cables and discarded headsets, determined to use the bottle to shower it on the driver who got them there.
“Looking for someone?”
Elena turned just in time to see Lewis Hamilton step into her path, he was already damp from champagne and grinning in the way only someone who had just secured a sixth world title could manage.
“You are difficult to find,” she said, pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
Lewis shrugged, the gap in his teeth peeking out under a smile he was trying to suppress, “That tends to happen when you win championships.”
He glanced down at the bottle tucked against her side. “Is that for me?”
Elena lifted it, “Yes.” Lewis didn’t even try to dodge. She popped the cork and it smacked him square in the chest before the champagne followed, spraying him straight on, only being blocked by his mandatory podium hat.
The mechanics nearby erupted in cheers and joined in, tossing their various types of celebratory drinks in the air around the driver.
Lewis sputtered, laughing as champagne soaked into his race suit which he was just getting dry. “Oh, your turn,” he said.
Before Elena could retract her arms, he grabbed the champagne straight from her hands and turned it around, shaking it so the bottle could get a second wind.
Cold champagne blasted her across the shoulders, she tried to block it with her hands. “LEWIS!” She tried to step back but it was pointless, and Lewis was already laughing too hard to stop.
By the time the bottle ran dry a few moments later, they were both soaked. Elena tasted the sweet citrus turned a little salty from her sweat, as it gathered on her lips as it ran down her face.
Someone whistled from across the garage and more drinks were poured.
Lewis handed the empty bottle to a passing mechanic like it was a relay baton and wiped his face with the sleeve of his suit. “Next year,” he said, still grinning, “we should try to seal it by summer break.”
Elena pushed wet hair back from her face, “You say this like it is simple.”
“It could be.”
She laughed softly, “That sounds like unnecessary pressure.”
Lewis leaned back against a tire stack, watching the celebration around them. “Elena, You know the best part about winning early?”
“What?”
“You actually get to enjoy the rest of the season.”
Across the garage someone popped another bottle. Elena watched the spray arc over a group of mechanics and shook her head. “Personally,” she said, “I would prefer to secure it in Abu Dhabi. With some stipulations in your favor of course.”
Lewis looked at her sideways, like she had grown a second head, “You would?”
“As somebody who was a watcher with my brothers and father before I even got involved, yes” she continued. “I know it is hard since you've been driving so long, but with no battle, it becomes like the 2002 season. It is fun from a team perspective to race without reservation for the rest of the season. But from an observer's perspective?”
Lewis studied her for a moment.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“I did.”
“No,” he said, smiling. “You danced around the answer, after giving by far the strangest lead-in known to man.”
Elena crossed her arms. “You clarified if I would prefer to win at Abu Dhabi. I said yes, in so many words.”
Lewis laughed, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Fair point.” He glanced back toward the celebration. “Still, you’ll learn.”
“Learn what?”
“That winning early isn’t the problem.” His smile softened slightly. “Not enjoying it after is.”
Someone shouted his name from across the garage and he knew his quest to dry off would be futile, so he straightened up, “Duty calls.”
Elena nodded pushing away from the wall, “Go on,” she paused “But Lewis,”
He turned towards her when she called for him by name, “Yeah”
“I want to keep competing this season like Abu Dhabi is the decider.”
He nodded solemnly, “If the car stays running like it is, I can promise you I’ll keep driving like I’m in a battle.”
She nodded, turning to allow Lewis to disappear back into the crowd. Elena slid away from the center of the celebration, and by the time she reached the pit wall, the noise had faded into something contained by the garage walls.
Now that it was quieter, she noticed how sticky she was starting to feel. She had no clue how drivers did this weekly on the podium, especially in a race suit. Elena glanced towards the monitors to see James Vowels sitting alone, observing one of the screens. Of course he was still there on the pit wall. “Congradulations.” Elena called as she neared the edge.
He glanced at her, a smile pressing against his lips when he saw that she had clearly become victim to the sprays of the garage, “Yes, thank you, another one.” He raised a hand in a fist, shaking it like a little celebration.
Reaching for the hem of her Mercedes shirt Elena tried to wring it out slightly. “You say it like it happens every weekend. Like it is just another Lewis podium.” The pathetically small drips of champagne fell onto the asphalt before she shook off her hand.
“I see you have officially experienced the champagne shower, it is why I fully avoid the garage until after the team photo, or you end up sticky the rest of the afternoon.” His eyes clung to the replay of Lewis’s final lap.
She watched in silence for a moment before finally speaking up, “This is my first one.”
James raised an eyebrow, “You have been here for plenty of constructor championships.”
She hummed, trying to fathom the job James had, overseeing both cars. Chaos to the maximum. Elena was certain he had stopped seeing the difference between the cars years ago. “I have, yes, three of them now. But, with all due respect, it’s not the same.”
“No?”
She shook her head, “It is a different energy when the driver wins, when the car you worked on carries the number. We’ve celebrated yes, but with every celebration of Lewis’s championships we also have to acknowledge the loss with Valtteri's car. So being with Lewis when he wins is different.”
He considered it for a long moment before nodding in understanding, “Well, now that you have officially helped win both types of championships, you may enjoy them.”
Elena nodded, allowing a slight smile to cross onto her face, “Good. Because I am fully intending on it. This season has been trying, in the best way.”
James leaned back against the desk, placing his foot up on the bar of the pitwall. “So, what is next for you?”
“In what sense?”
“Your Career.”
Elena shrugged, “Keep working with Mercedes and Lewis as long as you all will have me. Continue to bring home titles.”
James shook his head, “I mean after that, you have aspirations beyond just being one of our engineers. Even if you aren’t to meet them within a year or two. I am curious.”
“Ah, well, my interests lie in Vehicle Dynamics.”
He pushed his head back, “Not strategy?”
“I do adore it, but no.”
“Not Management?"
She looked almost offended, “Absolutely not.”
James laughed under his breath, “So you prefer to deal with the car itself, then.”
“Yes. The behavior. The balance. How the driver feels it. The wind tunnels, our down force readouts, they are fascinating to me. I want to be able to translate how the driver reacts, to change the car to what they need.” Elena paused, “I someday dream of Loic’s job. But, I do not want to kick him out of the position. Just learn from him.”
“That was a good answer.” James nodded before pressing his lips together, “Just a little friendly professional advice? I have found that to climb vertically, you also have to be willing to move horizontally first.”
She didn’t quite understand what he meant but he also didn’t elaborate, so Elena mentally wrote the advice down to dissect later. She greatly respected James, and he was always looking out for the team so the advice was worth noting.
Before either of them could say more, some voices echoed down the pit. They were loud, and familiar, as 3 silhouettes in race suits wandered down the lane.
“Oh no.” Elena muttered, closing her eyes, preparing for the headache that would inevitably form, all before she had even gotten the chance to drink enough to form a hangover the next morning.
James glanced towards the noise and chuckled, sliding off the chair, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks, “Good luck with that.”
“Elena!”
Now her hopes of getting cleaned up before the champagne crystallized in her hair was truly a fantasy, as she watched the three headed driver monster move towards her like they had just finished something deeply suspicious.
Lando, George, and Alex all stood in a line at the pit wall, looking rather untrustworthy, smiles seated on each face.
“What have you done,” Elena asked, allowing them to shuffle as they tried to silently choose a spokesperson for defending themselves.
“We haven’t done anything,” Lando finally defended.
“Ah, that is exactly what someone who has done something would say.” She replied.
George stepped forward, like he was prepared to verbally give a dissertation. “We need a neutral party.”
“A trusted adult.” Alex added.
Elena stared at the three and huffed, “First of all, I am only a year older than you Albono. Second, what are all you on about?”
Lando leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile on his face, “We want to do a secret santa.”
Elena blinked, raising her eyebrows, “A secret… santa.”
“Yes.” The three responded in sync.
“You interrupted my conversation with my boss, and my attempt to get some clean clothes, to tell me that you three want to buy each other christmas gifts?” She paused, “And it is just going to be you three?”
George just shrugged, “More or less, we need someone to be the mediator, we don’t trust each other enough to not rig it.”
“Just us this year, next year we will consider bringing in others, if Christmas gifts are good enough.” Alex added.
Lando pointed at her, “And you will be participating too,” like he expected the involvement would change her opinions on organizing it.
“And what if I refuse.”
The three boys as if on cue all did the same exact face, as if begging her.
“Fine,” She said finally, “But, there will be rules. And you will all abide by them.”
They immediately straightened.
“There will be a budget limit.” She said tapping her foot on the ground.
“How much?”
“Reasonable.”
George frowned, “That is not a number. How are we supposed to know what is too much without a number.”
“Then at least behave responsibly.”
Alex snorted, “Well that eliminates Lando from all involvement.” Lando immediately shoved Alex’s shoulder slightly.
“Nothing of this will be posted online. No instagrams, no twitters. You boys are very public facing, and I don’t want randoms showing up at my door.”
The three nodded, then George spoke up, “Your door?”
For a moment Elena wondered if hosting the secret santa at her condo would be the greatest idea. The boys weren't known to be the most subtle or gentle, but the more she imagined it, the more she was sold on the idea.
Growing up, her house had always been busy around the holidays. Though New Years was always the more busy of the two, the holidays always meant that there were people bringing food, too many bodies squished into a kitchen, as people everywhere caught up and shared stories about their year. Since starting her career, everything had changed and holidays had gotten quieter, but the yearning for gatherings stayed.
Surely the rookies at the condo with her and Marco for an evening to do secret santa was alright.
“Yes, it will be held at my house, the week before Christmas, Yes?”
All three of them lit up instantly, whispering about seeing her home.
“No one destroys my house. Or you will not be invited next year.”
She shooed them off finally, with a promise to give them more details at the end of the season. And with that, she was finally free to go change her shirt.
By the time she finally had a clean team kit on, the garage had started to thin out. Many team members were preparing for the inevitable parties that night in Texas. There were champagne puddles all over the floor, and a discarded speaker still played music somewhere in the garage.
As Elena wandered out of the garage, she noticed a familiar figure lingering nearby, on the outskirts of the party even if Cami was normally, by all accounts the life of it.
Elena picked up the pace, meeting her best friend in the middle for a hug.
“Oh congratulations Reina! I had a feeling you would be celebrating, so I made sure to do my podium interview duties first before coming to visit.” Cami had always been able to read situations so well, Elena had always admired that about her.
“Thank you Κολλητή” She gave her best friend a little extra squeeze. “Tonight we celebrate, all weekend all anyone has been telling me is-” She cleared her throat before mocking the Texas accents she had been hearing, “-Everything’s bigger in Texas. So I want to experience it. I think it's time we finally ride an actual bull.”
Cami raised her eyebrows in shock.
“I am joking. But we should try to beat last year's time on a mechanical bull.” Elena smiled, giving her best friend a little shake.
