FIFTY TWO

"You sure know how to start a season, don't you?"

Valterri Bottas laughed as he stood beside his new team mate, who had just managed to set a qualifying lap where she would starting tomorrow's race in P2.

Behind his P1, of course.

"It's not about the qualifying, it's about the final result."

Larissa Cohen spoke whilst in her new black Mercedes fireproofs, which she was absolutely loving for many reasons. One of which was that Lewis Hamilton, her manager had made sure that the size was absolutely perfect.

"Spoken like a true racing driver." Valtteri smiled, lifting one of his hands to pat her on the back since he couldn't wait to work with her on the actual race track.

"That's because I am one." The Cohen girl shot him a playful wink, seeing his smile turn in to a large grin.

"Who's going for the championship this year? You or you?" Valtteri questioned in a joking tone though they seemed to be slightly serious.

"That would be you. I'm the rookie here, I'm just here to make you look cool." Larissa immediately held her hands up in defence.

"You're a Cohen. How can I look cool when you're next to me stealing all the coolness?"

"Dude! You're Valtteri Bottas, you're the one with all the cool!"

"Let's not start the season with a punch up because you two are trying to compliment each other."

Toto Wolff spoke in amusement as he walked up to his drivers for the 2019 season, a large smile stitched on to his face since both of his drivers would be on the front row for the first race of the season.

Take that Red Bull.

"She would win with that any way." Valtteri laughed, knowing that his team mate could definitely fight and beat his ass.

He had seen her training sessions with both Lucy and Lewis, and he knew that he did not want to ever have a fight with her, since she used her work out sessions to let all of her frustrations and anger out.

Lucy Appleton had come up with the absolute genius idea to have a punch bag with a picture attached to it, which was a picture with her grand father's face on it, and she loved how worked up the Brazilian got, because it was exactly what she needed.

Zahra would occasionally come to join her work outs when she wasn't trying to annoy their uncle Kimi, but would usually have a picture of Larissa's mother on the punch bag, though they would occasionally switch.

"Gasly is looking for you, but he is not at Red Bull." Toto informed his newest driver, seeing her furrow her eyebrows at him in confusion.

"Where is he? Please don't say Toro Rosso, because I can't be bothered to go back there and Alex isn't there as he's out on his run."

"No no, he's not there." Toto shook his head lightly from side to side. "He's at Ferrari."

"Oh."

Larissa spoke quietly as her mood immediately began to change, starting to chew on her bottom lip anxiously since she was still not comfortable about going in to the Ferrari garage.

"Please caan you tell him that I'll meet him in Alfa Romeo or one of the others?" Larissa asked with hope in the brown of her eyes, knowing that her team principal would understand what she was trying to tell him.

She didn't mind going in to Alfa Romeo, which was the new name for Sauber, since it wasn't the garage that her father had essentially died in, but she wasn't completely sure if the two of them would be allowed there.

Toto slightly hesitated in replying, since he could see by the far away look in her eyes that she was still deeply haunted by what happened to her father, refusing to go in to the garage of the Italian team.

"Valtteri, can you go and tell him for her, please?" Toto questioned his veteran driver, seeing the Finnish man immediately nodding his head up and down in understanding.

The Finnish man didn't hesitate to walk out of the Mercedes garage, heading towards their rivals to inform the new Red Bull driver Gasly that his former team mate was struggling to be in the Ferrari garage.

He knew that Pierre would understand as soon as he was informed, since the French boy had always had her back every single step of the way, but he just couldn't help but feel bad for the young Brazilian girl.

Her uncle and one of her closest friends were the  drivers at the Ferrari team, but the two men knew that if they wanted to see her whilst at the paddock that they would need to leave their infamous garage to go to either the garages of Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Williams or Renault.

They were the only garages that she felt completely comfortable in.

She would only go in Haas, if both Kevin and Romain were there as well, since she trusted the both of them to tell when she wasn't okay even before she did. She wouldn't go in to Red Bull if Max, Jos and Christian were all there at the same time, especially after her last run in with the elder Verstappen which had caused her to want to punch him in the face at every single opportunity that she got.

She wouldn't go in to Toro Rosso unless Alex was there because with it being her old team, she didn't want to face them or her old boss, since she had certainly never forgotten the comments that he had always said about her.

She wouldn't go in to Mclaren unless both Carlos and Lando were there, because she felt uncomfortable due to having turned down their offer for a seat in their team, having been offered both Stoffel's seat as well as her uncle Nando's.

She wouldn't go in to Racing Point, and would only stand outside it when Checo was with her due to the fact that it was now owned by Lawrence Stroll, Lance's father, the driver who she had never gotten along well with. He might have helped her after her crash in Germany last season, but it didn't matter. She liked to hold a grudge.

She hated so much how her brain was making her scared of other places that were previously fine for her or such a big part of her life.

She had no problem the previous season in running in to other garages to hide from Lucy when she was training, but now it all had changed.

Her grandfather was now no longer a threat to her or any body, but her mind would be erratic most of the time and it would infuriate her.

If she saw a man who looked even an ounce similar to her grandfather, she would be terrified that he had once again escaped prison and would come to cause her harm.

She had nearly fainted one time when she had seen a man who looked similar to him and she could have seriously injured herself, but Anthoine and Lorenzo had been there to help her and get her out of the way.

For somebody who was always trying to convince people that she was no longer scared, she was still absolutely terrified.

"Sorry, I forgot."

Pierre Gasly muttered quietly as he rushed in to the garage of Alfa Romeo, seeing his former teamate stood near the trailer of her Uncle Kimi as she waited patiently for him.

The French man barrelled in to the Cohen girl, tightly wrapping his arms around her shoulders whilst hers snaked immediately around his waist. His lips pressed once against her temple to calm her before his chin rested on the top of her head in comfort.

"It's okay." Larissa muttered quietly, the taste of blood inside her mouth from how hard she had been chewing on her bottom lip.

"Congratulations on P2 by the way, I got P10." Pierre smiled whilst he hugged her, since he knew that she should be more excited than she was, knowing that he was definitely the cause in the different mood from forgetting that she still didn't go in to Ferrari.

"Congrats." Larissa spoke against his chest, knowing that he was disappointed that he didn't get a high result, even though it was his first qualifying in a Red Bull.

"Unless I get possessed by Lewis, I won't be getting near you in the race." Pierre chuckled lightly, knowing that she seemed to bond with her new car better than he did.

"The spirit of Lewis Hamilton would never possess a Red Bull driver." Larissa teased him lightly, trying to cheer the both of them up.

"Wouldn't it? What's not to love? Just look how amazingly talented and sexy this Red Bull driver is." Pierre stepped away from her to clench his muscles mockingly, wiggling the both of his eyebrows up and down whilst he did so.

"Must be delusional, docinho."

"You wouldn't be saying that if I was Charles."

Larissa rapidly surged forwards towards her best friend, sending a slap in to his arm as he had attempted to avoid her, making him release a loud yelp.

"OW!"

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"Leclerc is closing in on you, you'll need to defend."

Her new radio engineer spoke to the Brazilian, since she was still in second place, with her team mate still ahead of her.

"Oh I can't wait for this."

Larissa laughed loudly whilst she was driving, since she could just about make out the small dot of Leclerc in her mirrors.

She was on older tyres than the Monégasque so it would be more the matter of driving skill and defending if she wanted to keep her second place, since the two of them had clearly gotten along with their cars quite well.

Within a couple of seconds, the Ferrari was almost right behind her, and the Cohen girl couldn't hide the smirk that was forming on her lips as she was swerving in the same direction that he was every single time.

She had practised for this.

The Mercedes that she was in was so much faster than the Toro Rosso that she was in last season, and whilst it had taken some getting used to, her manager Lewis, had been able to help her understand the car.

Now, the car worked in harmony with her, almost as if it was built for her.

Every corner that she took, the car seemed to glide smoothly, no matter how aggressive she was in her turns. Every quick switch of her steering wheel to defend, the car moved with her as if they were one and the same.

It made people stare in awe, and it made her fellow drivers fear.

A Cohen was back in the driving seat of a car competing for a championship title, and they knew that history would eventually repeat itself.

A Cohen in a competing car was always going to win a world title. It was just a case of when.

Luiz could have easily won a lot more than five world titles, but when his time on earth ended shorter than it was supposed to, his spirit never left the earth.

That was made very clear to everybody as soon as his only child took to the track, with the looks and personality of her father, determination and nerves of steel.

Luiz had been reborn in his daughter.

Charles attempted to swoop around her at the next corner so that he could take second place, but he chuckled to himself when his Larissa held firm in her position and kept him at bay.

He had wanted to be able to challenge her and now that he could, he couldn't wait for their little competitive rivalry to grow.

He was Charles Leclerc, prodigal son of Ferrari, godson of Jules Bianchi.

She was Larissa Kimi Cohen, the prodigy of Mercedes, the god daughter of Kimi Raikonnen, daughter of Luiz Cohen.

The legacy.

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A/N

I wanted to do this one, so that the 2019 season could officially start. It's gonna be a rough one so we're all gonna need therapy and a lot of tissues, but we'll get through it together

Just want to reiterate that I have nothing against poor Lance, he was just the unlucky one that I chose for Larissa to forever hate.

The hate he gets is ridiculous and I think his race in Bahrain proved that he is not a pay driver and is actually talented because come on, that guy races with broken wrists and gets p6?

So please don't hate on my baby Lance, (I've warmed up to him so I'm now starting the Lance Stroll protection squad)

I can only apologise for what is to come this season, but I will be going through it quickly. This book will end at the end of the 2019 season, bit I will be throwing in a quick chapter at the end to summarise where Larissa goes. Then there will be an epilogue.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all soon for the next one,

I'm so proud of all of you, my loves

Love you all,

-RUBY