Pole Position: Between Logic and Passion

I pushed my way through the corridor behind the hospitality building, weaving through photographers and crew members like my lungs were on fire.

I spotted him just as he was walking toward the media pen, escorted by a Ferrari press assistant and already zipping up his race suit. He hadn’t seen me yet.

“Charles!” I called, my voice too loud, too desperate. Heads turned.

He glanced over his shoulder — eyes catching mine, surprised. He slowed, brows drawing together. “Amy? What—”

“I need to talk to you,” I said, breathless, reaching him.

His eyes immediately searched my face, the tension in them sharpening. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s—” I raised my phone. “It’s important. You need to see this.”

He was already moving toward me, about to take the phone, when his PR handler gently tapped his shoulder. “Charles, we have to go. Sky’s ready. Now.”

He looked back at the cameras, then at me.

“I’ll be two minutes,” he said, hesitating.

I shook my head. “This can’t wait.”

But it had to. He was already being pulled toward the reporters, eyes flicking to mine one last time with confusion and concern.

I stood frozen, barely breathing, as he stepped in front of the cameras.

“Charles, congratulations on pole! An incredible lap today—how are you feeling heading into tomorrow?”

He smiled easily. “Very happy. The team gave me a great car today, and I managed to put the lap together. So... yeah, let’s hope we can carry that into the race.”

Normal. Polished. Safe.

Then the journalist shifted her stance and her tone changed.

“There’s something we do need to address,” she said. “This morning, multiple photos and videos surfaced online of you and Ferrari strategist Amy Carter—arguing. And now this headline is going viral.”

She held up her phone.

I saw his eyes freeze.

I knew the photo. Me and him, standing in the garage, my face tear-streaked and bruised. A still from a video someone had taken behind one of the pit boxes.

The headline: “Violent Argument? Tensions at Ferrari After Amy Carter Seen Crying with Facial Bruises”
Subheadline: “Witnesses claim to have overheard shouting. Has Leclerc gone too far?”

She continued: “There are people on social media claiming they heard screaming. That you were seen dragging her through the paddock yesterday. That this isn’t the first time you two have had explosive fights. There’s even a compilation now—clips of you two arguing over the last year.”

I felt sick. Like my body didn’t belong to me anymore. Like the walls were closing in.

She added, “And many fans are rallying behind you, Charles. Suggesting Amy is unstable, manipulative, maybe even lying. The team hasn’t released a statement yet. Do you have anything to say about this?”

Charles blinked once. His jaw tightened.

He swallowed.

Then, carefully, he spoke.

“I—look, Amy is someone I work with very closely. There’s pressure in this environment, things can get emotional, yes. But I would never—never—hurt her.”