Page 24 of Formula Fling

“Well, I do. I’ve never done anything so devious in my life.”

“Yes,” I say drolly with a roll of my eyes. “You’re a criminal mastermind.”

Posey snorts before jabbing me hard with her elbow, and I even like that about her. No girlie giggles or offense. Just a snort of amusement.

“Ready to see how all that comes together?” I ask her.

She nods eagerly, and I lead her into the sim room. Gio is joined by Emma Dunn and Gareth Elrod, all three sitting at a long table with their laptops open.

“Right, Lex,” Gio begins, his Italian accent less pronounced but now adding a touch of gravitas to the conversation. “We’ve made some refinements to the front wing to increase drag on the straights, particularly on the back straight of the Bahrain circuit. You should feel a bit more stability in high-speed corners without compromising top speed.”

I nod, absorbing the information. Bahrain is all about balancing speed on the straights with the grip in the corners. “So, we’re expecting less understeer coming into turn ten?”

“Exactly,” Giovanni confirms. “But I need you to push it hard through that sector. See if the adjustments give you the bite we’re expecting when you’re on the throttle.”

“We’ve also adjusted the suspension setup slightly,” Emma says. “We’re trying a nominal softer rear to help with traction out of the slow corners, especially coming out of turn one and turn thirteen. The aim is to get the power down earlier without losing the rear end.”

“Got it,” I say, mentally running through the sequence of corners. Bahrain’s a track where you’ve got to be aggressive but smart, especially with tire management.

My head turns to Gareth Elrod, our strategy engineer who’s staring at me with his usual intense focus. “Lex, keep an eye on the tire degradation simulation. We’re running medium tires in this session, and I need to know if the softer suspension is affecting wear. Also, pay attention to energy deployment. I want to see if the new mapping gives us better acceleration out of those corners.”

I take a deep breath, nodding. It’s a lot to focus on, but this is where the work pays off. “Understood.”

“Give us your feedback as soon anything seems off.”

I put on my racing gloves, the familiar material sliding over my fingers as I flex my hands. They’re lightweight but provide just the right amount of grip, giving me that perfect feel for the steering wheel. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Posey watching me, her brow furrowed as she notices the contrast between my casual attire and the racing gear.

“Why the gloves?” she asks, her voice tinged with curiosity.

I glance down at my fitted athletic shirt and lightweight trousers. “The clothes are for comfort, but the gloves are about touch,” I explain. “They give me the right grip and tactile feedback on the wheel. And you see I’m wearing my race shoes.” I hold up a foot, and she nods. “They’re thin soled. They let me feel the pedals as if I’m actually in the car. It’s all about maintaining consistency between this and the real thing.”

She nods, writing in her notepad. I’ve noticed she doesn’t miss a detail, which is both impressive and slightly unnerving. I hope I’m doing justice to the information she needs to make her story authentic.

I reach for the headset next, sliding it on and adjusting the mic. “This is so I can talk to the engineers while I’m in there,” I say, tapping the side of. “They’ll be monitoring everything, but I’ll provide real-time feedback on how the car performs. It’s likea conversation.” I give her a cheeky wink. “Only we’re talking about what’s happening at two hundred miles per hour.”

Posey chuckles as she watches me step up to the simulator, her eyes wide with fascination. The familiar rush of anticipation washes over me because while this can’t compare to the real adrenaline of being in an actual race, the technology is so realistic, it can be a bit of a mind fuck. I’ll feel the g-forces pulling at me and every bump in the road. Bahrain’s a tricky circuit and despite being an FI driver for five years, I still marvel at all of it. “All right, let’s see what she can do.”

With a final nod to the team, I slide into the cockpit, ready to push the limits and see if their tweaks will make the difference on race day. The engineers begin their final checks, the room quiet and the atmosphere tense as they prepare to run the program. Posey stands off to the side, watching intently. The engine roars to life in my ears, and the simulator jolts forward as I take off down the virtual straightaway.

The session is intense. I focus on the adjustments made to the car’s rear wing and suspension, pushing the car through the corners, feeling the changes in the steering and grip. It’s almost like being on the real track, the simulator so precise that every bump, every shift in weight is mimicked perfectly. I can feel the improvements, especially in the handling through the fast corners, but there’s still work to be done.

After what feels like an eternity, the session ends, and I pull off the headset before climbing out of the cockpit. Posey listens in as I discuss with the engineers what we learned and what modifications we’ll try in the next round.

When we’re done, I turn to Posey, now wide-eyed and full of questions. “That was amazing. And all those changes you discussed… you’ll test them in another simulator run?”

I nod. “We’ll get some track test time next Wednesday. And I’ll do practice runs in the simulator, just continuing to memorize the Bahrain track.”

“How long will the team make adjustments? I mean… at some point, you need a finalized version you have to commit to, right?”

Laughing, I grab a bottle of water from a small fridge in the corner. “We never stop making changes. We are always trying to improve.”

The door opens and a fiery red mop of curls peeks in. “You’ve got fifteen minutes before your interview starts.”

I glance at my watch and curse. I’d forgotten that Ronan and I have an interview with a formula race influencer that will be posted to social media channels. While written articles such as the one Posey is supposedly doing is good for the older fans, the younger ones want to see and hear from us on their TikTok and Instagram pages.

But I take a moment to introduce Posey. “Maeve Dornan… this is Posey Evans. Posey, Maeve is the communications manager for Crown Velocity.”

Maeve steps all the way into the room, her curly hair bouncing as she gives Posey a firm handshake. “Pleasure. You’re more than welcome to come along if you like. Harley told me you are shadowing our boy here.”

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