Sitting down in the couch, the early-60s, silver haired, polo-shirt wearing copy of what some would have said was a little Richard Branson, a little Bernie Ecclestone, yet all English guru of the sport, was here to be interviewed and Aurora was fast to open.
"Royston Pearce. Thank you for your time, we understand you are extremely busy, so..."
"The pleasure is mine, Aurora."
"So, take us through it, for the audience at home, who may not know the history. How did we get here with AG racing?"
"Well. It all started in 2072. So, I used to run a team, Williams-Porsche in the old Formula One series, but heard from an old friend of mine in the grapevine there was something I had to see. Something transformative. Through him, I met Doctor Petter Karlson, a quantum physicist whose team had come up with the prototype anti-gravity ship that turned mere dreams into an actual craft that could be piloted, perhaps raced, and well...... as you know, the rest is history. Most major automotive manufacturers now offer an anti-gravity model, and we have carbon-negative, as well as incredible efficient ships. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and what started as a limited series came on to replace Formula One entirely with ships that go even faster, turn quicker. The FIA simply let FIAR take the reins, and whilst historic Formula racing exists, we're the top level now."
"Did you have any idea how big it would get?"
"Of course we did! Look, what makes this sport incredible is not only our incredible commitment to pushing the boundaries of what our AG technology, and engineers can do, but also, the pilots and their love for the sport. Whilst we could put AIs to the test, this way, pilots are being pushed to their limits, at speeds that even 20 years ago would be considered impossible. And who doesn't like a little competition when the ships can go hull to hull, like open wheelers can't?" Royston seemed to be confident, yet an underlaying poke back at older formulas there, with his showman-like bravado.
"What did you think about the sport being the most tuned into across 2093 across most major sports channels, and what do you think sets it apart?"
"Well, the commercial opportunities from the sport are now immense. I copied what Formula One had done in the mid-2010s, so perhaps I'm not that original. But I recognised just how good the sport could be when competitive, integrating fan involvement, and working on innovation rather than stifling it into an old boys club. Rather than an alternative to Formula One, I positioned this sport as an exciting, engaging discipline. Our introduction of on-boards for neural link users at home literally puts you in the point of view of pilots' ships, and well, the addition of ELS has made for closer and more competitive races. I know we had some tough periods at the start, but the technology came to us, and we're still playing with some really exciting developments that I think the public are going to love."
"Outside of Amy, who stood out to you as the one of the best pilots of the series so far?"
"Well, Audrick Mulder, he was an incredible pilot. A true prodigy, he....he was so, so on the edge and a showman, driving with this Senna-like tenacity, and in the wet, completely blind, he still lapped as if it wasn't there. Then Sami Lipponen, two-time champion, he was something else too. Ice cold, but like me, reliable. But, I have no true favourites really. I let the fans decide that one."
"And what would you say to those fans who say your changes have been controversial?"
"I'd say give it a chance. ELS wasn't liked at first, but this season it's made some of the best content. So our decision stands. FIAR is a democratically run organisation, but my oversight got us here, and believe me, we listen to what you ask for, but are willing to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can do with the sport."
"Joao, up here! Found the seats!"
"Thanks!" Joao replied, passing across a reusable metal cup to his friend, filled to the brim with Sagres, like his own.
Looking on, the Portuguese fans headed up into the stand, possibly the most stereotypically named two, Jorge and Joao long time fans, and indulging their yearly pilgrimage to the Portuguese temple of speed.
Tickets for Formula AG were hard to come by, but being lucky enough to bag a couple even in this heat, well, it was a treat to say the least, and wearing Zygon merch head to toe, a new purchase given Valkyrie merch wasn't really relevant to them anymore. Lucky the takeback scheme had been happy to reproduce the polymer-based clothing into something else, with a small refund to boot. Whilst those in the paddock lived a life maybe akin to what the old school may have lived up there, given the wider socio-ecomomic contexts, Joao and Jorge representing the fans that followed the sport that went worldwide, but right now, was in their patch of land.
It was a treat, and whilst capitalism meant they could buy a ticket, the rules around payment were a little different for some in society. Universal Basics as a concept was implemented differently across different countries- but in effect, made normal work for about 60% of people a redundant concept, down from 40 hours a week to barely 20. Automation and AI had caused significant recessions in the 2040s, 2060s and 2070s to gut jobs and coupled to water shortages and extreme heat, had started to collapse many states across the world, and supply chains with it. And given such circumstances, governments shifted their model from tax, to benefit, larger companies footing the bill with progressive policy on AI and automation making sure the dividends were shared equally. Not since the early 20th Century had such dramatic upheaval taken place- with Georgist-style reforms on land tax and a UBI-adjacent concept, work had become a freedom of workers to choose, pick and delve into for benefit, not cost.
Whilst some jobs in the traditional sense of course, existed as they did just with reduced hours, the nature of it had evolved a little more. Lesser work hours and contractor-styled piecemeal work for most replaced a normal nine to five, giving people more time to commit to other projects. Of course, Lunar engineers and workers, as well as many of the engineers in Formula AG and associated medical staff didn't ever have that luxury, continuously being transported around the globe, the pay that came with it was significantly higher and rewarded them in other ways. Of course, people moaned in relative terms- but everyone was guaranteed a place to live, healthcare, water, energy and a basic standard of food and education, with a small supplement of money that came from the Basics Support that felt like a quasi-job programme, made up of piecemeal work that turned most into contractors specialised in transforming communities. It came in different packages, but this is what a utopia looked like when the previous conglomerates, so shaken by climate change and the protests that had followed, realised they'd need to give up a sliver of gold if they wanted to continue into the next century without anarchy ensuing.
Piecemeal work ranged from fixing AI models to technology transfer to less developed countries and states affected by climate change, coming in varying packages dependent on need. Graphic design, arts, and sectors that could be automated, but were better left in human hands still remained. You could watch an entirely AI driven film, for example, but still, the traditional remained, as it did with music and art- widened if anything, with local goods made from local supply chains that came with a community-led solarpunk utopia. Given basic needs were met, entertainment and leisure came out of that small budget, and the net benefits of a society that seemed to run out of problems here on Earth, and rather now focussed on the Solar System. Instead of being bored, more community-led initiatives had nicely filled the void left behind, Joao's old career as an Environmental Consultant replaced by piecemeal voluntary work and supporting high-tech permaculture that restored the arid badlands of the inland back to their former glory, led by communities that put people back in focus, rather than as an afterthought. Jorge's work as a doctor was more as an oversight to the machines that operated on people, and as such, gave him time to work on his real passion, grassroots junior racing, and part of the wider piecemeal programmes that he could find. Society's dividend from immense mineral wealth and automation had given humanity a respite from thousands of years of hard graft, labour and work, and given those who wanted the opportunity the chance to invest into other things, and many others to tune into Formula AG. It offered a bit of escape. Conflict in a world that offered non-stop drama, that simply made itself.
It was not perfect, of course- some wanted more and wanted to be greedier, and of course, the inequality at the top was vast- almost gulfing 70 years prior, but for most, the basics of life were provided for in everything from healthcare to education. A missing generation between the 2050s and 2070s, the near collapse of many nations and humanity teetering on the brink had perhaps made some wake up to the reality, and once technologies such as asteroid and lunar mining hit, alongside nuclear fusion, the cat was truly out of the bag. Companies like Zygon sometimes had more predatory piecemeal contracts and strings to Universal Basics, but by and large, the sheer shortage of workers, coupled to the relatively little work that was actually needed meant completing tasks, rather than a performative joke was the standard of work.
Untapped accelerationism felt like an AG ship roaring forwards, any any normal model of working in that society seemed misplaced- so perhaps, society had somehow veered into something else altogether. A little utopian, yet if you desired more, off-world work was where you could find it. That, or something that AI, robotics, automation or sustainability hadn't knocked out. The other 40% probably didn't enjoy fixed hours in work, but with virtually untapped flexibility, enhanced benefits and the ability to enjoy voluntary work of their own meant most were able to follow their passions. It was strange that for such a bleak past, people were generally optimistic, and community led.
The other bit of course, was sitting down in 30C heat was near unbearable. It felt strange how the Algarve was still the Algarve- the geoengineering efforts that resulted in the gentle drizzle earlier now fading from the more forceful cloud seeing methods to more broadly engineered carbon sequestering and cloud production from saltwater. Portugal and Spain had nearly collapsed in the wake of the 2060s water crisis, and whilst some of those younger may not have remembered those times, hellishly hot 45C summers were common, and countless people had died from heatstroke and the natural disasters that had flooded vast chunks of Florida, Bangladesh, parts of the Netherlands and western Africa, creating a demand for change.
Water had become a major topic of war in the 2050s and 2060s in particular, with the Arabic Union's wars in Egypt being particularly bloody over the Aswan supply, one that was the lifeblood of agriculture projects in the Lower Nile and deserts surrounding it. Migration, populist governments, rogue terror cells, society had gone through the wringer and many would have been right to say it could have escalated at any moment as the great former powers cowered under the pressure of it, and many were on the brink of completely falling apart. The innards of Australia, China, Russia and western Africa still were, in some ways, lawless and abandoned.
Yet desalination plants that were powered by cheap electricity, and that electricity then powering massive geoengineering schemes, coupled to most people having access to carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative produce, emissions were rapidly turning back down and even in spite of the artificiality of it, actually made sure humanity kept itself at bay. AG racing was no exception- the carbon-absorbing process of the concentrated biofuel coming from an energy crop that was basically on steroids. Massive companies were replaced by upstarts and governments wanting change, meaningfully delivered and most of all, wanting to survive again. So society rebuilt, either a little like in Auckland's case, or in Cape Town's, nearly entirely, as did much of the United States, Russia and China, which still had much to finish. The world had certainly tamed the beast of climate change....but that had meant compromises for most.
Actual steak or meat from cows was a luxury akin to buying a fancy Rolex, products were produced either become infinitely recyclable with relatively few plastic types, or be bought as one-off, highly expensive reusable items that were made to last, be sold, reused and mended over and over again, making fast fashion or fast consumption a thing of the past. You had your coffee cup in the same way you had a set of house keys, your refillable cup for beer, and clothing and electronics that could be mended freely, and so simple it could be fixed by an average ten year old. Soil erosion had been reversed through a mixture of lunar mining and deep-sea recovery, rewilding had helped halt ecosystem collapse, as well as high intensity vertical farms mixed in with permaculture and sustainable farming practices helping to mend the land, but meant that in some places, the landscape wasn't exactly left the way nature might have looked like 100 years ago. But for it, rewilding, and true restoration had taken place, driven by multi-billionaires buying land and returning it to free use, a remarkable turn of events given their wealth had come from extraordinary gains in the space and engineering industries. Growing up, a child would have access to more green space than in the last 100 years that was emerging in bloom,. Solar panel-like coating on every window and roof mixed in with cheap nuclear fusion and wind power, meant that electricity was cheap, so that meant industries requiring power to recycle, or simple operate the geoengineering schemes had no such issues, nor did anyone else in buying it. It meant a change in mentality and some hated of course, this idea of being told what to do- but in the end, it meant people weren't obsessed over new things, but bought what was needed and often recycled sustainably what they didn't.
A tangent? A little bit, but the two at the top were beneficiaries of this, and in the teeming crowd here to watch a race, got to enjoy their favourite sport, that frankly everyone in the Taverna or the croft or the virtual office or wherever they were talked about, on social media or in their own sims at home.
And as Joao and Jorge sat in the top of the stand, watching the ships get pushed onto the grid and their frames then removed, the Delta Hyper camera captured that look of awe on their faces, and of course, the chant that simply waved from the crowd.
"Neves, Neves, Neves!"
Round 5 of Formula Anti-Gravity Racing
Sunday 7th May, 2094
Race Day
Portuguese AGP
Autodromo Internacional Algarve
Portimão, Portugal
1300 GMT
Soundtrack: Digitalism- BlitzHard, deep inhales almost seemed to have an echoing effect when the neural link plugged in, taking Amy out of her calm, meditative state into the link that connected her ship and her consciousness into one, a feeling that felt like coming alive somehow. At least, she tried to make sure that routine came back. The smell still seemed to taste in her mouth, the gentle drizzle that had interrupted the morning now gone, with the wet track drying fast with the warm sunshine, not that it would matter much given the ships didn't really need the tarmac at all.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
GREEN.
The ship however, did not do what Amy expected. With a stall, the other six ships accelerated, and Amy was back on throttle again half a second later, as the connection faltered.
GREEN.
Other ships were dodging her stall on the grid before she was whisked to their speed as it reestablished, further back than she would have liked.
"What the fuck was that!" The unfiltered anger raged out, as she gripped her way through the first corner, barely dodging Kais and tightening the line, fixing things up and wanting answers.
"Software glitch, head down Amy, we'll talk after. You can get this back." Keira's voice was reassuring, firm, but Amy was not in the mood. And the part of her that turned inside out was pouring out.
"No talk. I'm taking those positions back."
And that was what Amy did. She blitzed Han into Lagos in the next lap, and then after that, her own team-mate, Jamie, who was actually trying to put the power onto Nora. Not that Amy was even remotely interested. She overtook them both through the last turn and first three turns respectively, almost as if the ship itself was powered by pure rage. Pure frustration. But Amy knew how to use that. Even when it seemed lost, she wasn't going to let up now. It wasn't clear how the glitch had happened, but with a neural link, the wrong receptor being sent maybe sent something off. Or something on the ship had malfunctioned. Or Amy's internals had themselves reacted wrong. She didn't know. She did not care. She was taking whoever was in front of her and the way she was going, you could frankly hear the boss music playing if she was chasing you down.
Next person up, as the ship bucked over the crest into Portimao, and the right hander that looked like it could send an AG ship into oblivion, if it wasn't for the brakes slowing the ships down with such an intensity that it physically looked to be vorticing air off them. Even if you hated her with a passion, there was something to be said that even with a ship that seemed to have had a thrust issue on start, and a few seconds dropped back on grid, she was an absolute warrior when it came to mentality. She was willing to put the ship in places others dare not try, and make sure that the absolute needle-like feel of the ship, a feeling only paralleled by Valkyrie in Portugal, was able to sow corner after corner as efficiently as possible.
She carved forwards in a recoup of some charge for her ELS that put her side by side with Paul, cursing as she watched him slip by after a long fight, Amy swiping across and denying that move with Nora trying to follow through with a level of aggression bordering on insulting. But you did not play fair with Amy. And she was going to keep her behind, stalling the ship through Torre VIP with the hard pull of an airbrake that she just imagined in her head and saw come to life, the white ship tailing right behind the gray and yellow of Paul, Amy going toe to toe. It would have been an unthinkable pressure for the young rookie, because Amy was giving it everything. Every corner, trying to dive, every straight, trying to unwind the ship's superior pace, but none of it was working on Paul. He was driving like a man possessed, but when the reflection of Amy was visible breathing down his neck in his rear-facing sight camera, in a metaphorical way, then Paul had every reason to either fight harder or go faster.
But if there was one person she was more angry about, it was Harrison. She could hear it from Keira over her comms about the distance, the only one Amy wanted to hear. Like it fuelled her. Maybe like Kais. Love was a powerful emotion, but hating the fact you weren't where you wanted to be was like petrol on a fire. And every time she just felt things slip, she found focus in that. This was not what she wanted. Not by any long shot. But she had a race to take back. And despite the bad start, the commentators had the same thought.
"Well, it has been an uncharacteristic start for Stirling! With all the talks of upgrades, the three-time champion's stall at the start seems to be claiming positions, and is putting Mulder under pressure after sweeping past Kelly, Hart and Zenix, she seems like she's channelling something else! I would not want her breathing down my neck right now, she's not looking to give up!" Rosie called out, the roaring whine of the metallic white ship despite the stall showing why the pilot behind the interface was so feared.
Amy's tongue curled against her cheek, in focus and absolutely locked in making Paul's life hell, keeping Nora back at the same time Her heart closed and opened on corners that almost seemed to amplify that want, that focus in the same way the ship did given the g-force being pulled, but Paul must have been doing something to not fall victim. He must have found his own Shangri-La, corner after corner coming.
"Unbelievable, Mulder is fighting for position hard with her, he must be feeling the heat! Whilst Valkyrie has just lost its iconic designer, Felix Burkhardt a week ago, to see Paul holding back such a fierce talent in this sport so calmly shows such maturity for the young racer." Rory replied, as Rosie piped up, watching the Portuguese home hero lead- after all of the changes at the start, Cassie had lucked out and pushed through, but was making that advantage pay.
"Yes yet would you look at Neves, we know her for her aggressive, attacking racing style, all on the line. She is putting on a show for sure it's like the crowd are carrying her ship faster!" Rosie commented back, the sight of other ships barrelling through the now old-school race-circuit putting on a show that displayed on a little more of a human scale how fast these ships were. Rather than the hyper-fast circuits that Formula AG normally travelled to, just how short the laps were coupled up to make laps fly past, and Cassie Neves actually on a second place position, by merit. The crowd and Joao and Jorge had a definite favourite.
"A national hero, and she's been underperforming at Zygon, but is this finally her time? We'll have to see, as Wedgewood makes a lovely move on Al-Nadir..."
Ava Villarosa
Pulling back in line with Bea, she followed her team-mate past Ulrich out of the last corner onto the hilly start-straight, the Carrera's superior speed here making up for the handling, and even Ulrich's ELS couldn't beat two ships onrushing past. And it was all going well coming into turn one, well, until.....a loud clatter could be heard behind Ava's ears.
"Ship's compromised! Lost power, going to have to stop!" Ava yelled out, the warning blaring in her mind, seeing just what had gone wrong. A nasty engine burnout had basically killed all power, and the system seemed to collapse rapidly, Ava very aware of what this meant for her race.
Rey's voice on the other end was a calming tone, looking on at the telemetry and well, knowing Ava's safety was critical. They could fix the ship later, but Ava wasn't expendable.
"Okay, steady now Ava, stop the craft and get out on the sand." Rey's response was not answered by Ava, who very quickly pulled that in, the mag-enabled gravel trap pinning the ship to a halt, and the AG-system below deactivating as she could see the fire engulf her rear camera.
As the ship crawled on the magnetic sands, Ava immediately unhooked from the ship and pulled the Carrera ship to a total stop, releasing her harness and popping the canopy, the smell of the engines roasting away as she clambered very fast off to the side, the ship buried in gravel and giving her the chance to get away. The ship's internal extinguisher had done most of the work to take out the flames, but given how volatile the biofuel was and energy dense, as well as the battery next to it, the ship was like a lithium battery being set afire, albeit even more quick to rise.
From the highs of Italy, to the lows of having her ship catch fire behind her, the drones and soon, marshalls coming over to extinguish the flames, and with that, marking the end of her race, as the prosthetic-legged Chilean clambered over the barrier, a deep sigh audible on comms.
Not the best day. And not a day Carrera were grabbing points on, it was a reminder things didn't always work out.
The resultant virtual safety period, and the restart hadn't changed much of the order- Max being the main disruptor after it came back, managing to make moves from 11th to 9th in a ship that was now being pushed to its limit, the American unlucky not to have overtaken Kais, given he was nipping away with his superior handling through the corners.
But as for the rest, it had turned processional. Not every race was a world-beater, not like Races 1 and 2, because Harrison had disappeared into the distance whilst Cassie had made a decent gap from Paul, caught up in alternating from defending like a lion to having to put down lap after lap to try and break Amy's flow. She was good, but in this moment, his relative calm prevailed. Behind that, Nora had kept Amy honest but didn't have enough to break their flow, whilst Jamie Hart, despite not messing up this time, really did not have the talent to just break through on his own and content higher up the grid. Han and Kais had been fighting all race, but in the end, the order stayed as it had begun- netting Zygon even more valuable points, given Al-Saqr's decisions with the neural links.
Max and Layla finished out the top ten, and the disappointment that was Dorian's race had finally come to an end- it turning out it was caused by a faulty airbrake system, reducing his braking capacity and making him a sitting duck towards the latter half of the race, the aim to at least get a handful of points reduced to finishing ahead of Beatrix, who had quietly overtaken Ulrich and held the lone position as the Carrera ship on circuit. He'd been more than a little pissed off, given the change in engineering management, no doubt the team that remained would have that to fix because it had cost Valkyrie points. He had done everything he could, but
And with it, the chequered flag had fallen.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn…
Post Race, Portugal: Cooldown and Podium
"So, you think I made the wrong call again?" Cassie sassed back, Harrison shrugging, smirking, looking at the move Cassie made legit on Paul, whistling. The two of them certainly were a little more friendly than Amy and literally anyone else, but at this point, a newcomer to their little gang had joined, and was watching on at all of this. Wearing their respective team hats, Harrison a yellow variant on his team's navy blue and yellow, whilst Cassie wore a special edition red and green Zygon hat, for the team to tap into the European market a little
"Well, the amount the fans are screaming out there for you, I'd say you have a boost. Damn, I thought I heard them through my cockpit when you crossed the line!" Harrison chuckled, looking across to Paul, the new Mulder on the block showing an impressive performance today.
"Those moves on Amy were impressive, Paul. She wanted to really get past you, but you gave no quarter....damn, you are going to be sinking in the ice bath after this!" Harrison smirked, as Cassie shrugged, looking over, knowing that no doubt that level of work had probably exhausted Paul, but then again, who was he to know. Rehydration had come a long way, so he probably had enough in his tank for now.
"Not bad at all. Looks like we will be in for some competition later this season. But, welcome to the podium, Paul. Good to have you here. And I think it won't be the last time either. But, save some steps for me." Cassie smirked, giggling as Harrison nodded.
"Well, come on then. They'll be screaming your name. Fish and Chips after this?" Harrison led the way, the crowd noise picking up, as Cassie shook her head, the red-green haired pilot not really giving much quarter to that reply.
"Caraho, fish and chips....you have no culture." Cassie stung back, as the noise grew louder and louder, fans opposite the podium screaming once they saw Cassie. Trophies were picked awarded, with Paul's getting plenty of shouts given his status as the song of a legend too, followed by Cassie, and then Harrison, who held up the cork-embedded silverware in the sky, before the champagne was broken out by Cassie and blasted across his face, nearly taking his hat with it, and he responded with his own blast of champagne back to both of them.
It was good to be winning.
Pulling into the booth, it was back to post-race interviews once more, in the now sweltering afternoon heat of Portugal.
The cheers from the crowd came in for the Zygon team, given the Portuguese link that now connected Zygon, as Han came up, a solid race with more points for the team.
"Han, a solid race for Zygon, with good points positions, and your first podium of the year for Cassie. Do you think the move has finally worked out and she's settled in?"
"Nora, a good finish for Southern Cross, but do you think you could have done better here than in Italy? It seems like you were struggling to hold back Amy, did you feel she was quite intense on the circuit?" Aurora asked Nora, the Southern Cross pilot this time not on podium yet still keeping her end of the bargain up when it came to getting points. The rivalry would intensify between the two no doubt given it was both of them chasing Amy, and turning it into a three-way fight.
"Bea, not the best weekend for Carrera Condor, and the fire for Ava had us all worried. How do you feel about the risks in Formula AG- following your crash and this recent fire?" Aurora's question harkened back to Cape Town, the risks Bea took in rally significant yet still comparing a little differently to those in Formula AG- and likely seeing her team-mate pull in with an engine fire would raise some pulses.
"Paul, congratulations on your first podium! This is quite a momentous occasion- do you think this silences the rumours that you weren't ready for the step up into the sport?" The crowd cheered, and of course, a loaded question by Aurora was set up for him with an answer that she knew he would likely give, one that was likely to cement Paul rather nicely in that growing pool of rookies.
"Kais, a difficult weekend out there after two podiums in a row for yourself and the team, it looked like you and Layla are struggling with focus on the ship. What do you think happened out there?" Aurora asked, aware Kais probably wouldn't be able to divulge the complete truth, but the audience at home would likely be asking why Al-Saqr hadn't done as well as anticipated- particularly Layla, who was more fruitful on technical circuits like this finishing 10th. Behind the scenes, no doubt Al-Saqr were scratching their head why that neural mod hadn't quite worked the way they had, but the migraines had continued and that among poor luck had been a factor.
"Not our best today, outside of that start, and being caught in an ELS trap, the pace was good but simply not enough. We're looking into the fault but taking the best from it, we know the other upgrades are working nicely." Amy replied, curt in her reply, leaving after that, keeping it short.
Harrison beamed a smile.
"Hell yes, back on the top step! Well, yeah, it was great. We're opening our lead up against Silver Apex, we're showing our result. And while I've overtaken Nora by a point, we're working well as a team to get the job done and extend our lead in the constructors. Stock in us is off to the Moon...speaking of!" Harrison left on that note, cheers from the crowd responding as the naturally charismatic Aussie indulged them with a wave or two.
Dorian sighed, a grim look across his face, another bullshit weekend but still, a weekend that felt like he'd done all he could.
"Well, the right airbrake failed, and that was that. Every corner was a fight to get through, but we have to move on and find the fault." Dorian did not give off positive energy, but he didn't blame the team too harshly, just merely stating what his media-trained self knew had to be said. This wasn't the time for it. They could get points again, but he was somewhat glad deep down that Paul had gotten his.
Ava gave much a similar response, the usually stoic Chilean pilot not letting disappointment go.
"Engine fault meant a full burnout, and well, that was that. Not much I could do, but all safe and sound. We'll go again at Luna, and outside of that, we have lots to be optimistic for as we are on a positive trajectory."
The contrast to Astrid though, who gave even less of a fuck was clear.
"Well, that was a penalty I don't agree with, but it is over now. I did well all the way, but just couldn't keep the momentum going to get higher up the grid. But our pace is good, and it shows we can compete. On even terms."
Max was in another opposite, smiling as he came into camera, blue and orange hat on, a smirk on face.
"Another points paying finish, and it proves on race-day, we can really bring it up to standards. We don't go backwards often, well, not at least when we can't help it. Looking forward to the next."
And finally, Cassie, who like Nora in Auckland, got a deafening roar.
"Yes, it's amazing! P2 at home! I'm so, so happy, Obrigado Portugal, this is a dream come true!"
