The Boy Who Did It All

The Boy Who Did It All

Luis Atristain Tagliaferro

04/17/2024

January 1st, 2060. The beginning of a new decade. The beginning of what the locals call the “sink decade.” What was once called Miami is now called the Miami Keys, and what was called Orlando is now called Orlando City. Global warming has finally taken its toll on the planet, and humans are now paying the price of the destruction they bestowed upon Earth. 30 years ago, many people thought it was a hoax, and those same people are the reason why 60% of Floridians lost their homes. The world changed; what was considered New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami no longer exist. Colorado became the richest state in the nation as all of the rich moved there and invested billions of dollars into the state. The mid-west became the most populated and powerful zone in the nation. Since the economy had a huge shift, it affected how sports were played. All of the Soccer, Basketball, and football clubs moved to the mid-west, including racing. Formula 1 is the most expensive sports franchise in the world, and now that it has become more competitive than it used to be, people are paying millions of dollars to be part of the sport. I happen to be one of the people who love the sport but do not have the resources to reach Formula 1, yet. My name is Andres Herrera, and little did I know that I would become one of the biggest stars in Formula 1.


Chapter 1: Pilot

September 2nd, 2060. I was late for the first day of Junior year after summer break. Breaks became longer since the government decided that due to the flooding during the summer season, it is better to stay home with our families. I remember my mom screaming at me, “Andres! Baja ya por favor que se te va enfriar tu desayuno.” My mom always made me empanadas on special occasions since it was my favorite food. As I sprinted to get the empanada, my father was outside, turning on the motorboat to take me to school. I lived on the coast of Orlando, which was one hour away from Disney World. My city was hit heavily by the flooding, but I still managed to do what I loved to do: racing.

My papa told me “Hijo, por favor, ten cuidado que los tiburones han estado muy hambrientos recientemente” Sharks adapted to human meat since people are starting to throw dead bodies into the water. Going back to the story, I was the only 16-year-old with a motorboat in my neighborhood. Not only did I receive attention from the police but also from the girls in my neighborhood and school. Racing has always been my passion; therefore, I love to push myself to the limits. I have received over 15 fines for speeding in less than a year, but I always find a way not to get my license suspended. This week was special because not only was it my first day of school, but the Formula 1 season began. This year, the first race of the season would be in Denver. To become a Formula 1 pilot, you must compete in karting first, then go up the ranks starting in Formula 4. I have been karting since the age of 8 at a small track in Orlando City; fast forward 8 years, and I have not received an offer from a Formula 4 team. I arrived at school 10 minutes late, as usual, and I went to my first class, Physics. The class was exciting since it was Specialized in racing. After a long day of classes, I remember riding my motorboat back home at maximum speed with my best friend, Kevin. Kevin was the reason I improved my go-kart last season and won the national championship. As I was parking the motorboat on the dock, the smell of empanadas began to kick in. Walking into my house, I saw balloons and my mom bringing a plate filled with empanadas. All I could think of was that something had happened. Little did I know that this day would change my life forever. As Kevin and I sat down at the table filled with confusion, my papa brought me a letter that had a print on it called “Rema Racing,” and the only thought in my head at that moment was, “OH MY GOD.”

I have been selected to be the second driver for the best team in Formula 4. Kevin was as excited and happy as I was, but there was an issue: school. My papa wanted me to take this opportunity without thinking about it, but my mom was worried about school. After a long talk, my father convinced my mom to let me take this opportunity.

Three days later, the team principal for Rema Racing came to my house and began the negotiation terms with my parents. His name was Josh Green, he was tall and hilarious. He was straightforward with my family and wanted me to succeed in the sport. The terms were that if I wanted to stay on the team and possibly move to their Formula 3 team, I had to finish either 1st or 2nd in the driver’s championship. He said, “You are a talented lad; I know you will do well on this team.” The good news was that I was getting sponsored, and I did not have to pay a single cent, but that meant I would have a lot of pressure on myself. Practice for the team was going to begin in January in Mexico City, therefore I had six months to prepare myself. My father was a mechanical engineer, and in over a month, he and I were able to create a motorboat that could simulate the same conditions as a racing car but on water. I practiced for three months using the motorboat to strengthen my neck strength and steering grip. I used the go-kart to not just adapt to water racing. Six months of hard work were completed, but the most challenging was coming, which was saying goodbye to my family and friends.

As my last days home were approaching, all of my friends passed by my house and said their goodbyes, but Kevin stayed with me at all times. It was January 10, 2061, and my parents were saying goodbye to Kevin and me at the airport. My mom and dad were crying that I was leaving, but Kevin was proud. Kevin was the reason that I made it to where I am today, which is why I made him my manager once I reached Formula 1.

Chapter 2: Orale Wei!

January 15, 2061. The training sessions began. We were training at Sergio “Checo” Perez’s track; he is the greatest Formula 1 driver from Mexico. Mexico City was highly different from Orlando City; I had never seen an inch of water on the streets! One thing that I can say is that the oxygen in Mexico is thinner due to its altitude. I was staying at an apartment provided by the team, where I was responsible for almost everything. I was in charge of cleaning, cooking, and changing the oxygen tanks.

I have not met my teammate yet, but all I know is that he is from England, and English drivers tend to be highly competitive. In the racing industry, your biggest rival is not the opposing team but your teammate. You always want to be first and be the team’s favorite therefore the competitive environment can become highly toxic.

Anyway, it was time to drive the car on the track. I was nervous and scared because these cars sometimes like to crash. I remember putting my helmet on and just breathing, feeling the sweat drops on my forehead, ready to step on the gas, and then all of a sudden I started hearing the loud siren, and it was time. I remember hitting that first corner at full speed and fighting the G-forces, it was brutal. The track consisted of many curves so that the drivers could get used to g-forces, but Lord, it was brutal.

After a long day of practice, I was able to get a faster lap time than the Formula 3 drivers. Many people were impressed, including the team principal of Scuderia Ferrari. No one believed that a young boy from the flooded coasts of Florida would be able to pull such an amazing lap time. I remember getting out of the car and I see everyone congratulating me, except one person, Neil Johnson. Neil was my teammate, in other words my biggest opponent. He was staring at me with a face filled with envy and jealousy. He began to accuse the team that I had a better car when I did not, and his father demanded that the team kick me out.

June 13, 2061. After a long 6-months of training sessions, I was ready to dominate the season, but my teammate had one target, and it was to beat me. The team principal came to us and said, “Please, whatever you do, do not kill each other out there.” We both shook hands and went to our garages. While the mechanics were preparing my car, I had time to call my parents. My papa answered the phone and said, “Hijo estoy en la tele viendo la carrera, que Dios te bendiga y ten mucho cuidado.” I got a little emotional, but I knew that all that hard work would pay off. My mom got the phone and only told me “No me importa si pierdes, ten mucho cuidado amor.” As I was saying my goodbyes, I heard the mechanics screaming my name that the car was ready and it was time. I was going to start 3rd on the grid and Neil 6th, meaning I had to be offensive and defensive at the beginning of the race. After the formation lap, 22 cars were on the grid, ready to fight and do whatever it took to stand at that podium, including myself. 10 seconds before the start, all you could hear was your engineer through the radio helmet and 22 cars getting their engine ready. All of sudden, you hear “3,2,1!” and then at that same second, your heart starts beating as fast as those cars, and then it is just a matter of time. Lights go off, and all of the cars start racing; there were 3 crashes at the beginning; the first and second-place drivers crash into each other in the first corner, meaning I was leading my first-ever Grand Prix. After 42 long laps, I won the Mexican GP, which was my first-ever win in professional racing. Stepping out of the car and running to the podium felt as if I was the king of the world, but then, as they handed me that trophy, the first thing that popped into my head was, “This is not enough.” As I stepped down from the podium, Enzo Coletta came to me and asked me to have a chat (P.S. He is the team principal of Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1). He said, “You were amazing on the track, expect me to come by one of your races soon.” After a long talk, he also told me, “If you get 1st place in the championship, I will assure you a seat for the Ferrari Academy team in Formula 2.” Not only did I receive my first victory, but a potential seat in the second most competitive racing league in the world. After my victory in Mexico City, the rest became history.

Chapter 3: Red

April 3, 2062. After a long season in Formula 4, I was able to win 16 out of the 22 races in the season, ending the season in first place while Neil finished third. Neil was not happy with my accomplishment and as well the team for not giving him “priviledge.” He left to another team in Formula 3, and I did not hear from him for a long time.

Transitioning back to my home, well, it got flooded. The water levels have been rising at an extremely rapid level, causing many families to move to the Midwest. The Southern USA was sinking, and that meant that I had to get my family out too. Thankfully due to my salary in Formula 2, I was able to move them into a beautiful apartment in Denver, where my papa was able to open his own mechanic shop. My life really turned around when I signed that contract with the Ferrari Academy. I was being portrayed on all of the magazines, sports, fashion, food, and car parts. I was an 18-year-old driving for the most successful team in the history of racing. When it comes to comparing Formula 4 and 2, well the change is drastic. In Formula 2, I had one team principal, 6 engineers, 20 mechanics, and my own assistant. In Formula 4, Neil and I shared one engineer and 10 mechanics. Life was truly amazing, until the news came by. Ferrari was getting fined for going 100k over budget, leaving us unable to use DRS on the first 5 races of the season. DRS is when the rear wing opens so more air can flow and allow aerodynamics to increase the horsepower by 20 on every long straight in the track.

The first press conference went terribly since all the reporters would ask us was how we felt that we might lose the championship, but all I really cared about was racing. The first race of the Formula 2 season was coming up, and all I needed to do was get first or second place in the driver’s championship to get that seat in Formula 1.

July 7, 2062. The first race of the season was going to start in St. Moritz, Switzerland. I arrived to the city 5 days before the race to go over meetings and marketing sessions. Oh yeah, the marketing will make you money but it will be annoying. I was being called the “Salty Croc” because I come from Southern Florida when I existed. I was the youngest driver on the grid, my teammate was 23! My teammate’s name was Luke, and he was from Germany. We became close and supportive of each other. Germans are the contrary of English drivers, Luke was extremely nice and never doubted my abilities.

The time was near and even though we were sanctioned for the first five races of the season, I was not going to give up. After an intense qualifying session, I got 4th place out of 25 drivers. Enzo was in shock since Luke came in 10th due to the sanctions. I, the rookie driver, placed better than my teammate who has been in Formula 2 for three years. Getting out of the car after the session and seeing all of the paparazzi around me, I thought I came in last until I was told my grid position for tomorrow. I was the fastest on the corners of all of the drivers due to my intense practice months in Mexico City when I started Formula 4. St. Moritz was not an easy track due to its altitude, but I still managed to survive.

Ferrari decided to go from yellow and red to fully red as they did in the early 2020s. The color really suited me and as well the team, it made me feel like Lightning Mcqueen from that old cartoon movie.

The race was intense, I finished 3rd which was way better than what I expected. Formula 2 cars are extremely fast and hard to steer on corners. Enzo promised me a seat in Formula 1 if I did well in the season. After 17 races of the 23, I was second in the driver’s championship, with a difference of 10 points from the championship leader. The next six races were difficult since I had to race on mountainous tracks, but I still managed to get through. The season ended and I finished second in the championship, enough to bring me to Formula 1. Little did I know that my dream was almost thrown down the drain.

Chapter 4: The Big Day

I got my seat in Formula 1, but not as a pilot, but rather as a reserve driver. If a driver got sick or was not able to attend the race, then I would step in. I remember arriving at Denver for the first race of the season in Formula 1, and I saw Neil leaving the Aston Martin Racing Team garage. Neil’s father bought the whole team so that his son could be able to drive. I was mad since I knew that I was better than Neil and it was not fair that he could get an opportunity like this. Instead of just sitting down and drowning myself in anger, I decided to pray and hope for a chance to drive these cars.

October 30, 2063. The Miami GP was getting near. This track was opened on that season and it was going to be above water! It took engineers ten years to build this track to perfection. The track offers beautiful views and as well amenities. Miami may have become a key, but it still hosts the best events in the country. One of the drivers in Ferrari started to complain about pain in his abdomen, later it was found that he had appendicitis and needed to get surgery. I was on a press conference when I got the call from the team principal asking me “Can you come to the garage please, you will race tomorrow and we need to make some adjustments.” I remember hanging up the phone and looking at the cameras with a shocked expression, and when I said “I will race tomorrow” all I remembered where enough camera flashed to cause me a seizure. I flew my parents from Denver directly to Miami with Kevin as well. I promised Kevin that if I ever made it, he would come to my first race.

The driver qualified 5th, which meant that I was going to start 5th. I remember walking up ti the car and seeing the complexity and design, it made me tear up. Neil was 4th, right in front of me on the grid. When we were in the lineup before the race, Neil came up to me and said “You took away my spot in Formula 2 and now you think you can take this away too?” I told him “Look, I don’t know what your problem is with me, but I will assure you that I will be the one on that podium.” The tensions were escalating faster than ever, my target was not to beat him, but rather get on that podium to show this team that I am Formula 1 material.

It was time, the mechanics were removing the cooling devices off the track so that the engine did not warm up too early. I was nervous, ecstatic, and scared, but I knew my future on this sport was in that race. 3,2,1 and you only hear the loud engine go. As soon the lights go off, what truly matters is how fast you press on that pedal. “Lights go off! And all of the cars are moving fast down the straight!” that is the only comment I remember hearing while I was going 250 miles per hour down that first straight. Neil was in front me and it was difficult to pass him because one thing Neil was really good at was defending. We were on lap 28/50 and it was time to pit. I was currently P4 and Neil P3, but as I was leaving the pit lane, Neil struck me on my front wing. I went from P4 to P12 due to Neil’s crash. There were 22 laps remaining in the race and I had to up at least 9 places. As the race was coming to an end, I managed to get to P5 and Neil was still on P3. There were 5 laps remaining, but the car in P4 crashed into barriers pushing me up to P4. The gap between Neil and I was less than a second, which meant I had to push everything to the limits. There was 1 lap remaining and the gap between Neil and I was 0.098, the cars were almost touching. As we headed for the last straight, my DRS opened and I pressed the overtake button on the car and we both raced next to each other until the finish line. As I crossed the finish, I did not know if I finished on the podium, until I saw red fireworks shoot in the sky. I remember turning the radio on and my engineer screaming “OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! YOU GOT THIRD PLACE!” when I heard those words, I began to cry. When I arrived at the pit lane and saw the third-place sign in front of my car, I began to cry even more. I remember getting out of the car and running to my parents and telling them “Lo hize mama y papa, LO HIZE!” The gap between Neil and I when I crossed the line was 0.005 seconds! The Salty Croc won in the swamp.

Standing on that podium and being handed that trophy was the best day of my life, even better after winning my first race in Formula 1. Neil approached me after the race and shook my hand, he said “Nice job lad, you deserve it.” I never expected those words to come out of Neil, but I appreciated them. Walking towards the team picture with the trophy, I began to look at it and think “Is this really enough?”

After that race, I got offered a seat in Ferrari, won over 50 Grand Prix with the team, and 4 World Driver’s Championship. 10 years later, after winning all of those titles and being placed in the Hall of Fame, I still question myself if all of that is enough.