Page 65 of Formula Freedom
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Reid’s home, but when we step inside, I stop just past the doorway.
The apartment is nothing like the sleek, modern edges of Monaco. It’s old-world beautiful—high ceilings with exposed beams, hardwood floors aged to a deep walnut, arched doorways trimmed with carved moldings. A wall of arched windows overlooks the city. Between the rooftops, I can see the Limmat River, the thick window glass framed by gauzy linen drapes. Bookcases flank the living room fireplace, the shelves filled with everything from technical racing manuals to weathered paperbacks.
A worn leather chair is draped with a Matterhorn hoodie. A half-finished puzzle occupies a portion of the dining table. There’s a motorcycle helmet on a sideboard and a single clean coffee mug resting near a drip coffee pot. This isn’t the polished display of Monaco. It’s lived-in and is more like Reid than Monaco could ever be.
I’m immediately comfortable.
“What do you think?” he asks, wheeling our suitcases to the bedroom.
“I love it,” I say honestly. “It’s… real.”
He shoots me a smile over his shoulder, setting our bags just inside the door. “Glad you approve. I definitely prefer Zurich to Monaco, but honestly the tax benefits are too good to give up my place there.”
I wander into the kitchen, stroking my hand along the granite countertops along the way. I peek in the fridge, open a cabinet and stop short. “Is that… my tea?”
Reid leans against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, smiling at me. “Yeah. I had someone stock a few things to make you more at home. Your tea, Tim Tams, that granola you like. I’m pretty sure you’ll find your weird dairy-free yogurt too.”
“You had someone? Who someone?”
Reid shrugs, dropping his arm. “An assistant who helps out doing mundane things I don’t have time to do. She’ll do shopping, run errands… stuff like that, which is helpful as much as we travel. Gunner uses her too.”
I blink. “That’s either thoughtful or mildly terrifying.”
“Call it both.” He laughs, an unguarded grin lighting up his face—the one that makes him look less like the man who races at breakneck speeds and more like the boy who once built sandcastles beside me. “Let’s grab dinner and walk around.”
♦
I’m enchanted aswe wander through the quiet beauty of Zurich’s Old Town. The last traces of daylight have slipped behind the rooftops, and the city glows with a softer light. Gold hues spill from windows, streetlamps flicker to life above cobblestone alleys, and the sky deepens into a velvet blue. Dinner is cozy—fondue and crisp white wine in a tucked-away bistro where surprisingly, no one looks at Reid twice. Either he’s just not recognized tonight, or he is and no one cares to bother him.
It’s like a different version of us compared to the last two days. No pressure, no flashbulbs. Just laughter and bread dipped in cheese and my leg brushing his under the table.
We’re halfway through our second glass of wine when Reid’s phone buzzes. Then again. And again.
He frowns and checks it.
“Whoa,” he says, eyebrows rising.
“What?”
“Carlos texted… apparently the Titans have signed Francesca Accardi to replace Matthieu Laurent.”
“Who’s that?” I ask.
“She’s a female driver who’s being moved up from FI2. This is huge news because she’ll be the first female driver in the top tier.”
“Oh… wow,” I breathe out in awe and a shiver runs up my spine at the implications. “Is she good?”
“She wouldn’t be in FI if she wasn’t phenomenal,” Reid says, his eyes scanning something on his phone. “There’s been talk of someone signing her. I’m not surprised at all that Brienne Norcross is the one to make the move to bring a female driver onto an FI team.” Reid scoots his chair around the table closer to mine. “Here… there’s an article.”
I lean over as he taps a link and a sports article opens. We read silently together.
TITANS RACING SIGNS FRANCESCA ACCARDI, MAKING HISTORY WITH THE FIRST FEMALE FI DRIVER
By Lydia Schelling| Formula World
In a groundbreaking move, Titans Racing has signed Italian driver Francesca Accardi to a full-season contract, promoting her to Formula International’s top-tier roster effective immediately. Accardi, 24, becomes the first woman in history to earn a seat as a primary driver in FI.
The announcement follows the internal reassignment of Matthieu Laurent, who will move to a development role after reported tensions within the team and performance inconsistencies earlier this season. Hendrik Voss, the team’s controversial chief racing engineer, is reportedly on administrative leave.
