Page 54 of Overtake
Somehow the room gets even quieter. Junior crosses his arms and leans in the doorway, eager for conflict, but Graham’s smile widens.
“You object.” Obviously, he’s eating this shit up. “How principled. Carlos must be so proud.”
“This isn’t about my father. It’s about not pushing setups beyond their limits just to prove something.”
“To prove what, exactly?” Graham looms over Wyn, both controlling and possessive. “That some drivers have what it takes to be champions? That some understand what this sport requires?”
The man’s got somecojonesconsidering Nico’s afour-timeworld champion and Wyn isn’t. “To prove that some fathers care more about points than their sons’ lives.”
The words hang there, sharp and ugly. Wyn’s intake of breath is just audible.
“Careful, Belmonte.” Graham’s voice turns silky. “Questioning another driver’s setup choice is one thing. Questioning family loyalty is entirely different.”
“It’s exactly what needs questioning here.” Heinrich’s quiet support makes heads turn. “These adjustments you’re suggesting? They’re not just aggressive. They’re dangerous.”
“Perhaps.” Graham shrugs elegantly. “But then, danger is part of racing, isn’t it? Unless some of us have forgotten what it means to be a real driver.”
Nico’s rage is burning through his careful control. “Arealdriverknows the difference between pushing limits and being an idiot.”
Junior laughs. “Who’s the idiot here?”
Nico’s had enough of that piece of shit. He hurls his headset at Junior, hitting the wall beside his head, a deliberate miss. “You don’t have an opinion here,coño, so get the fuck out.”
Everyone jumps in their seats, even Wyn, because Nico’s the calm one. The diligent driver who gets the job done and doesn’t rock the boat.
“Enough.” Heinrich’s sharp command seizes the room. “This ismyengineering department.Myresponsibility. And I’m telling you, Graham, these setup changes arenothappening.”
“Are you sure about that?” Prick-chard’s smile turns cruel. “Positions can be precarious in F1. Especially with next year’s contracts still under negotiation.”
The threat lands exactly as intended. Heinrich’s been with the team for fifteen years, through multiple ownership changes and technical directives. His job security shouldn’t depend on Graham Pritchard’s influence.
But no one’s sure.
“You know what’s interesting?” Nico cuts through the tension. “How quickly some people forget their own history.” He meets Graham’s hard gaze. “Like how theBettertonssupported Carlos Belmonte’s stand against unsafe regulations. How Karl and Damien recognized that sometimes principles matter more than winning.”
Junior shifts. He’s still in the doorway, though not technically inside the engineering room.
Graham’s smile falters. “Ancient history. The sport’s evolved.”
“Has it?” Heinrich pulls up another data screen. “Because these numbers tell the same story Carlos, Damien, and Karl worked to change. Lives areneverworth more than points.”
“Times change,” Graham insists. “Champions adapt.”
Nico sits back. “Speaking as theonlychampionin this room, I’m saying you’re full of shit, Graham Pritchard. Champions never risk lives for the win.”
He may have just ended his career, but if F1’s going down this hole, he doesn’t care to sink with it.
Silence ticks between them. Wyn hasn’t spoken, but he’s shifted forward and escaped his father’s grasp.
“Well.” Graham adjusts his French cuffs. “This has been illuminating. We’ll continue this discussion later. Come, Wyn.”
But Wyn doesn’t move immediately. For just a moment, he meets Nico’s eyes and something has changed behind his gaze.
Heinrich returns Graham’s steady gaze. “The setup stays as is for both cars.”
Graham’s expression suggests this isn’t over, but he merely nods. “We’ll see what the sprint race brings, shall we? Sometimes adjustments happen naturally.”
The threat in his voice is clear. But as he leaves, Junior trailing like stink on shit, Wyn stands and plants his hands on the table. He meets Nico’s gaze. “That line you took in sector 3. The clean one? It was faster, wasn’t it.”
