In the early morning light, Valentina stirred from her deep sleep as her alarm blared. Grumbling, she reached to silence it, then grabbed her phone to check messages. As she scrolled through the messages, she saw one from her co-star, Gabriel Guevara.

It said, "Missed my flight. Next one's on 5th. They'll fly me to Bahrain for the main race day. You'll do great, don't worry. Don't be nervous, Val. You got this!"

Letting out a sigh, she rose from bed, choosing not to respond. She had warned Gabriel about this since  he was always late and lazy. She had asked him to arrive a day early, but he never listened. Despite her being right, as usual.

Her nerves spiked at the thought of meeting F1 heroes she admired since childhood. She wished Gabriel were here to calm her jitters, but instead she'd have to face it alone now.

Valentina had always loved Formula 1, ever since childhood. Last season, she saved up to buy tickets but they sold out quickly.

So, when Amazon Prime suggested going to an F1 race during their 'Culpa Mia' press tour, she was thrilled. The 2023 World Championship schedule coincided with their tour, and she couldn't wait to meet her favorite drivers.

She was excited to meet her favorite racers in person for the first time. But also, nervous. Very, very nervous.

Despite being a Ferrari fan, she couldn't ignore how good-looking Lando Norris was; as well as the other F1 racers too.

Just thinking about meeting them soon made Valentina more nervous. She hoped everything would go smoothly today. With that, setting aside her worries, Valentina began to get ready as a Ferrari car would pick her up in an hour and drive her to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮------------✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖

The Ferrari arrived at 9 to pick up Valentina. As they drove to the Bahrain International Circuit, she couldn't help but wonder who she might meet that day. The first two practices were happening, and Valentina hoped to at least say hello to most of the drivers. She was thrilled to finally experience something she had only seen on TV before.

Arriving at the circuit, Valentina was greeted by Sarah, who introduced herself as the Team Assistant for Ferrari this season.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry to hear Gabriel couldn't join us," Sarah said, and Valentina smiled in response.

"The practices will start soon. Let's head to the Ferrari Spectator's Room, where you can meet Frédéric, Carlos, and Charles, okay?" Sarah suggested.

"Sure," Valentina agreed as they walked side by side. "Will I have time to meet the other drivers too? I'm a big fan and was hoping to say hi," she asked.

"Yes, of course, you can meet them. But after the Practices end," Sarah reassured her.

 
In the Ferrari Spectator's Room, Valentina sensed the tension as soon as she entered. This practice would set the tone for the season and everyone wanted it to go well for their team.

Sarah whispered to a man, who then approached Valentina with a smile.

"Miss Pérez, it's great to have you here. I'm Frédéric Vasseur, you can call me Fred," he said, shaking her hand.

Just then, Sarah walked up with a big bouquet of red flowers, adorned with the Ferrari emblem.

"This is from the Scuderia Ferrari family, to welcome you," Fred said, handing her the bouquet.

"Thank you so much, Fred, Sarah," Valentina expressed her gratitude, "This is so nice! It still feels surreal to me that I'm meeting you right now," she admitted, to which Fred chuckled.

"Well then, you'll be even happier when you meet Charles and Carlos, no?" Fred teased as Valentina smiled and nodded.

Right on time, the door opened, and Carlos Sainz walked in with his girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson. They approached Valentina and Frédéric, smiling. Carlos shook Valentina's hand. "Hi, I'm Carlos, nice to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Rebecca."

Valentina, feeling nervous, blurted out, "I know you both already, I'm a big fan." Frédéric chuckled, remembering him previous words, and she quickly added, "I mean, it's such a pleasure to meet you both too."

"We're big fans of you too," Rebecca said. "I love you in 'Skam España' and 'Vera' too."

"Oh, thank you, that's really nice to hear," Valentina replied with a big smile.

"Where's Charles?" Frédéric asked Carlos.

"He's down at the Paddock with the engineers," Carlos replied. "I'm heading there too, just stopped by to meet Valentina."

"Please call me Val," she chimed in. "And good luck to both you and Charles."

Carlos nodded in gratitude as he and Frédéric headed down to the Paddock, leaving Valentina and Rebecca to chat amongst themselves.

˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮------------✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖

Fifteen minutes later, they announced that the first practice was starting. Rebecca and Valentina found their seats in the VIP box, which had a great view of part of the track. There was also a big screen showing the cars racing around the track.

As the first practice session of the 2023 season unfolded, excitement filled the air. Valentina and Rebecca watched from the VIP box, their eyes glued to the action on the track.

Cheers erupted as Red Bull's Sergio Perez set the fastest lap, with Fernando Alonso close behind in his Aston Martin. Valentina leaned forward in anticipation, her heart racing with each passing moment.

But then, the unexpected happened. Carlos Sainz's car spun out on a sharp turn, causing gasps of surprise from the spectators. Valentina's hands flew to her mouth in shock, while Rebecca gripped the edge of her seat, her eyes wide with concern. Thankfully, he managed to regain control and continue, but the scare left both Valentina and Rebecca on edge.

Despite the close call, the session continued, with other drivers pushing the limits of their cars. As the final results flashed on the screen, Valentina and Rebecca exchanged smiles, happy that Carlos was okay.

Sergio Pérez had finished first, followed by Fernando, Max, Lando and Charles respectively. Carlos had finished last due to the setback on track but it was okay. This could easily be recovered in the next races, or so Ferrari hoped.

Reporters crowded the drivers as Rebecca suggested they go down to the Paddock now, Valentina following behind her.

Arriving at the Paddock, the Ferrari team made space for Rebecca and Valentina to enter, moving aside paparazzi in the process.

Once inside, Rebecca rushed to Carlos, hugging him tightly and whispering her fears. Carlos reassured her, comforting her with his words.

Meanwhile, Valentina observed the heartwarming scene from a distance. She could see the love between Rebecca and Carlos, which stood out amidst the tension in the Paddock.

Lost in her thoughts, Valentina was startled when someone called her by a childhood nickname. "Bubbles?" the voice said, making her turn to see Charles Leclerc in front of her. Shocked, she met his gaze as he questioned if it was really her.