Senna Sempre - My Pastiche on Things Fall Apart
i wrote this long time ago and i know this is unrealistic but bare with me its technically a fanfic crossover between the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (from the use of colloquial diction and simple sentences) and F1 -- this isn't supposed to be a recreation of what happened before Senna tragically died.
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Aryton enters the paddock and thinks of the young Schumacher. "He is a bullet in the needle; This car is not driveable, but I will find a way,”
To him, it seemed cruel that FIA decided to move on after the rookie's fearful crash. He had visited the medical centre to see if Rubens is okay, and he appreciated the fact that Aryton had concerns for his compatriot. Aryton grimaced seeing how everyone was relaxed about the crash. He wonders why everyone seemed so unworried about the young driver.
"It must be that pepper in others’ eyes is a refreshing drink to them," he ponders to himself. His mother would tell him that, because it is not good to laugh at those who are experiencing pain.
Aryton takes a seat in his own driver’s room and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and lays his hands on his lap, in an attempt to collect all of his thoughts.
For the first time this season, he has the chance to obtain the pole position that he felt was gifted. For the past two races, Aytron delivered a disappointing result: DNF. During the second race, he was pushed by Larini and Hakkinen at the same time.
“Amadores”, he scoffs in his head as he leans back against his chair.
Racing is different from how it used to be with Prost, his rival back then. He wonders why Prost decided to retire at such a young age.
"The crooked-nosed French man had the competitiveness to push me,” Aryton mused to himself.
He furrows his eyebrow as he swiftly adjusts his posture, finding the real conflict within himself. Ending up like Rubens was not his greatest fear, it was not proving to himself that he can still win a championship. Despite his rival being gone, he remains afraid of not maintaining his legacy. He is a driver for Formula One; he had signed up for his death to be where his passion lies. Yet, his human instinct to survive fears him. He looks through the window, watching the young Schumacher run towards his garage. Aytron narrows his eyes and his eyebrows scrunched up, deep in thought.
He is disappointed that God has stripped away his divine right to win. The Brazilian driver believes that God has blessed him with the driving skills that he now possesses. He swears to his life that he saw God on the race track, granting him the divine right to race so fiercely. God has allowed him to live this long because his achievements on the track are valuable and should not be disregarded. Ayrton is embarrassed by himself for worrying about his life; this is not the mentality of a driver. This is the mentality of a coward, asking Deus to live rather than to win. Perhaps this is why Deus has neglected him and taken away his bênço to win.
Instead of dwelling on his fear of dying, he decides to give himself the mental practice of a lap in the race.
He takes the steering wheel left on his desk. The new steering wheel can detach from the car to allow for an easier exit from the cockpit in the event of an accident. Ayrton holds out his arms straight, gripping the steering wheel. He presses down on the air to pretend it is the throttle and brake. He closes his eyes, suddenly imagining himself on the track, rearranging the imaginative gear in the air. The gracefulness of Aryton’s movements and steering are remarkable talents of his. Through the Tamburello turn, he felt a sensation of the G-Force hitting his body. His eyes opened from realisation as his chest elevated from shock.
Why would he ever imagine that? He has never thought of such an accident during his mental practices. His third-person strategy of monitoring the car’s performance before the race was always accurate. He drops his steering wheel and turns to the door after hearing the voice of his mechanic calling him.
Aryton walks into the garage and glances at the new Simtek driver on the screen. During the flying lap, Roland had driven halfway into the high-speed corner. However, his car went out of control. It was spinning, and dust was everywhere as debris flew out of it. Roland’s helmet limped to the side of the car. Aryton takes off his helmet and balaclava swiftly as he narrows his eyes at the screen.
A wave of fear and emotions went over him. His breath hitched as he realized the amount of speed that Roland went through.
"That was three hundred twenty kilometres per hour," he commented to one of the mechanics in his garage.
Aryton’s eyes bored into the screen until the medics hastily worked on Roland. He walks out of the garage, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. The Brazillian driver decides to go out on the track with a marshal after the incident with Roland but sees that Professor Watkins is there.
Aryton approaches the professor whom he knows closely and cries on his shoulder.
"He’s dead," Aryton repeats. "He’s dead!”
The professor was saddened by the incident and his friend’s reaction. He pulls Aryton away to persuade him and sees his face.
“But do not race, please. What will be the point? You are already a three-time world champion, Aryton. You are the quickest racer," He tries to convince Aryton, but Aryton shakes his head.
"The important thing is not to win; it is to compete," Aryton snaps back.
The professor averts his eyes from the determined Brazilian driver and looks down at the scraped asphalt. In contrast to Aryton, Professor Sid believes that Aryton should be cautious. The scans that have been conducted show that Roland has a skull fracture. He is worried that the legendary driver would experience similar things. Aytron returns to the hotel after taking the Austrian flag to honour Roland Ratzenberger. Reminding himself of the sacrifices made to live his passion.
