My Formula 1 System

Chapter 191 Back Home

Their stay in France had been the longest of the season so far, stretching beyond the usual schedule. But now, it was time to leave.

Luca had the advantage of traveling back to Berlin ahead of the team, thanks to his new routine which was flying on a private Hawthorne jet with Sara, Mallow, and the Hawthorne agents.

The evening before, he packed up his things in his suite, making sure nothing was left behind. After double-checking, he headed deep into the facility, where most of the team was still busy wrapping up final logistics for the trip back.

Luca spoke to them, saying his goodbye and how they'd reunite in Berlin the following day.

"Take care, man," McCauley said, patting his back.

The night passed quickly as Sara and Mallow didn't make a big deal out of the situation, treating it like any other evening, which helped ease Luca's mind against everything that was unfolding.

By dawn, they arrived at the airport, moving swiftly through the private terminal before boarding the Hawthorne jet. As the engines roared to life, Luca leaned back in his seat and exhaled, allowing a moment of calm to settle over him.

Before takeoff, he pulled out his phone to check for any missed calls or messages from the past few days. He responded to a few and marked others to return once he was back in Berlin.

One message, however, dragged his mind back to reality.

It was from Harry, a break from their usual back-and-forth racing topics.

"Ay, bro (skull emoji), what the heck are they saying about you? (skull emoji)."

Luca sighed, locking his phone before sliding it into the seat pocket in front of him. He reached into his duffel bag for his MP3 player and earpiece, quickly connecting them. As he placed the buds in his ears, he glanced around the cabin.

Sara was occupied with her tablet, likely handling his business. Mallow, arms folded, had already dozed off. The four Hawthorne officials sat farther away, engaged in quiet conversation.

Luca turned up the volume and leaned back, letting the music drown out his thoughts as the plane began its ascent.

Five minutes later, the jet lifted smoothly off the runway, climbing into the morning sky. The soft hum of the engines filled the cabin as they left France behind, heading straight for Berlin.

After about an hour and fifty minutes in the air, the captain announced their imminent arrival at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Luca had removed his earpiece earlier and was alert enough to catch the announcement promptly. Noticing Mallow still asleep, he gently tapped him awake.

As the jet taxied to a stop, the cabin crew swiftly prepared for disembarkation. Luca unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his duffel bag, stretching as he stood. Sara was already on her phone, while the Hawthorne officials exchanged a few words among themselves.

Descending the steps, Luca nodded with relief after taking in a deep breath of the air he was now familiar with.

Their private shuttles were already waiting near the tarmac, so without delay, they grabbed all their luggage and climbed into the black vehicles.

The small convoy pulled away smoothly, heading toward their respective destinations. For Luca, he was heading straight to Dalhem, heading straight home.

The ride was quiet, the low hum of the engine blending with the occasional buzz of notifications from Sara's phone. Mallow, seated up front, was going through his own messages when he suddenly spoke up.

"I got a zoom meeting in an hour with you-know-who," he said to Luca. "We'll speak later."

Luca gave him a nod. "No problem."

'You-know-who' was Outback Performance's agents, and after getting Mallow's contact, they were about to hold their first indirect discussion with Luca about his potential move to their team.

The Hawthorne official slowed the car to a stop in front of the house he was directed to in the neighbourhood—Luca's house.

Sara stepped out first while Luca followed, the door clicking shut and the car pulling away, leaving the two in the quiet morning air.

Luca took a quick look around his quiet street before his eyes landed on the side of the gate, where a neatly folded newspaper rested. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Every day, a fresh newspaper was delivered, and if the vendor noticed the previous one hadn't been taken, he'd remove it and replace it with the latest edition. Since Luca had been away in France for nearly a week, there was only one newspaper there—today's.

He picked it up, tucking it under his arm, then reached for his key. With a smooth turn, he unlocked the gate and rolled it open, stepping inside.

Luca paused, taking in the sight of his lawn. Some loose oak and fir leaves had scattered across the grass. It wasn't much, but he knew it would take time to rake them up.

He made a mental note to deal with it over the course of the week or even today if possible. "Do you think I should consider getting cleaners?" he asked, turning to Sara, who was just entering with her three bags in tow.

"Yes, absolutely," she replied with a sigh. "Even a gateman—ugh, help me with this."

Luca hurried to assist her, taking the bags from her hands. "What are you doing here? You should've gone home straight from the airport."

Sara rolled her eyes as she walked toward the front door, pulling out her own set of keys. "Can you compare the luxury of my own place to this? I can't even cook that much, Luca. I thought that was obvious by now. Come on, you'll cook something let's eat, and I'll head out by evening."

Luca sighed, managing to carry all the bags at once and roll them inside the house.

Maybe she had a point. He did need some cleaners, and perhaps even a reliable gateman. This house was too big for him to handle alone, especially with the constant travel demands of being a Formula driver.

He did want to test himself, though. How long could he keep up without extra help? He was living alone, with no pets to take care of, and the only real tasks left were things like raking the lawn for example.

Once Luca settled in and unpacked his things, he took a refreshing shower and dressed in some comfortable housewear—perfect for a person like him. Afterward, he headed to the kitchen, tidied up the space, and started boiling some rice, throwing together a quick meal.

While the rice simmered, Luca moved to the living room, grabbed the newspaper he had placed on the side table, and unfolded it.

It had been a while since he read one, and he needed to catch up on what was happening, both in the country and, of course, in the world of motorsport.

The sports section caught Luca's attention first, with the headline highlighting Antonio Luigi's win in France. Just beneath it, in the sub-headline, was mention of Luca's own victory.

Luca turned to the designated page, the warm smell of boiled rice wafting in from the kitchen as he left the door open.

He scoffed, skimming through Luigi's article before moving on to his own.

"UNAUFHALTBAR TRAMPOS! LUCA RENNICK WILL BE CHAMPION!" the bold headline proclaimed across the middle of the page, just after Luigi's feature.

The article continued:

"LUCA STRIKES MAX FOR VICTORY! TWENTY FIVE POINTS FOR LUCA, TWENTY FIVE POINTS FOR TRAMPOS!"

The subheading then read:

"RECKLESS DRIVING OR NECESSARY DRIVING?!"

Luca began reading, and it was all about his magnificent win in Le Castellet after dethroning Max by forcing him into a DNF at a very dangerous part of the track.

"MAX VELOCITÀ JNR LOSES GROUND: LUCA CLAIMS TOP SPOT WITH STYLE"

The newspaper also displayed the drivers' standings to inform the audience that the championship race was too tight and up for grabs by any of the drivers.

One thing Luca didn't see was the doping accusation against him.

Perhaps it had yet to hit the notice of the press. And when it did, Luca wasn't sure how Germany would react to the predicament.

Luca rose to his feet to resume his cooking.