My Formula 1 System-Chapter 415: Politesse

On that same day when everything was resolved, in that very moment as Luca and Isabella were exiting the building through the elevator, Luca stumbled into Ansel and his agent, Mr. Bloch, whom he had seen multiple times before. In fact, Luca even had his number.

The encounter was purely coincidental, which made it heavily awkward. Or perhaps it was awkward because Luca never expected he and Ansel would ever cross paths again, not after the haul of rejection-laced words he had offloaded over the phone following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Ansel's expression and speech didn't give any sign that he was clearly hurt. He greeted the couple with ease and even struck a brief conversation about why they were all present. Apparently, Ansel and Mr. Bloch had come for a hearing with Ferrari regarding new potential contracts, deals that could be offered to drivers in Trampos for future sponsorships. Since Trampos was now legally bound to Ferrari for the next seven years, the manufacturer had decided to dive deeper into the arrangement.

With Isabella around, Luca made sure his responses didn't sound sour. Still, he made it clear that they had to get going because they were utterly exhausted. It was then that Ansel casually dropped the bombshell. He invited Luca to his home in Germany after the race. He and Laura were hosting a gender reveal party for their child, and they were looking for more guests to create greater memories.

Luca inwardly sighed like an employee working a 9-to-7 shift.

The fact that Luca had previously turned down any attempt at getting together and Ansel still offered this invitation meant it was pure machination. Ansel, seeing that Isabella was present, knew Luca wouldn't decline on the spot. And, true to this, Isabella was already beaming with happiness. Luca sighed again as he remembered that she and Laura had gotten along really well during their golf outing, so of course she would want to attend.

With a gesture of indifference, Luca replied that he'd think about it. The season was tight, his schedule was packed, and he had way more to do than cheer in someone else's backyard over a specific paint color.

He had no intention of going, but Isabella seemed like the obstacle. Luca would have to focus on helping her forget about it, and if she did end up remembering, it would already be too late by then.

Before Luca could begin drills once again and merge with the team's progress, he had a word with Jackson's management. It was something he had anticipated after all that strife, so he was ready for it. He attended the meeting alongside Mallow, Vance, and Sara. He brought his herd with him so he could feel secure, weaponized, and immovable in the face of a management whose intentions—what exactly they would say in this meeting—remained ambiguous to Luca.

He wasn't sure if it was going to be another round of apologies for painting him black, or a motivational meeting to help him bounce back, or something else entirely.

However, the meeting turned out to be none of those things, at least not initially. The latter, perhaps. But what they first made clear was their displeasure at Luca's refusal to race in Austria. They didn't shy away from stating how much that move had hurt the team's trajectory, and now, with everything returning to a cleaner state, they needed him to bounce back. The team was looking forward to future strategic "adjustments," and Luca's presence and drive, both literal and figurative, had to be at the center of that momentum. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Mallow did most of the talking, which annoyed them a little, while Luca listened and digested every word exchanged as both parties eventually came to a conclusion—Luca would resume his championship season with a forgetful mind toward what had transpired this summer.

Luca could forgive, but he couldn't forget. Memories were everything that helped push a person to their limits. One could either drown in them or emerge as a better person than they were when those memories were created.

Luca then stated it clearly to himself. He was angry with Jackson Racing, especially the management and the owners.

He wasn't angry at the fact that fingers had been pointed at him. That, he believed, was natural, and though the theory involving him had been ludicrous, it was still, in some way, possible. What truly angered him was how Jackson Racing and Ferrari WANTED to believe the theory.

It seemed Friedrich Nietzsche had been right when he suggested that humans thrive on inner chaos and complexity. It was as if they craved that outcome, not something dry and straightforward like a mere technological issue. Luca was just relieved that his accusation had not been made public. If it had, and the name Rennick was once again picked up and tossed around like confetti in a scandalous parade, Luca believed he might have begun to reconsider wearing the badge of a wheel on an anvil.

For now, he decided to draw a single stroke across the past and move forward, continuing the season in pursuit of the championship. The German Grand Prix was next, and after that, the iconic Spanish Grand Prix awaited.

Drills continued steadily in the days leading up to the German Grand Prix. The rhythm was back, the paddock alive once again with tire screeches, telemetry chatter, and engineer calls slicing through the air. Luca rejoined the fray with a quiet resolve, blending into the team's momentum as they collectively pushed toward one of the most anticipated races of the season.

Rodnick still showed visible, though manageable, struggles with the FRC, while Di Renzo had missed a few days altogether. His frustration was misdirected—he was angry at everyone around him when in truth, the anger should have been aimed at himself. He had been given a chance in Austria to collect solid points, but failed to deliver.

When it was time to head to Germany, Di Renzo didn't travel. With Luca and Rodnick confirmed for the qualifiers, he saw no reason to linger around the paddock just to be a spectator. Instead, he opted for a personal break.

Like the scheming devil, Luca pondered his next move on how best to keep Isabella occupied and distracted. He had just helped her into the Hawthorne 3, her destination Berlin as well.