Work Text:
DRIVE TO SURVIVE Season One
Episode One - Tough Guy
Ryan Price is famous for his aggressive driving style - and also for never staying at any singular F1 team for longer than a season. Will this time be any different?
Episode Two - The Long Game
Attempting to restore McLaren to its former success but cursed with an unreliable engine and appalling form, can McLaren drivers Zane Boodram and Tanner Dillon bring the team back to where it is supposed to be?
Episode Three - Role Model
Threatening to crumble under the weight of scandal, Renault F1 team rely on Troy Barrett and reserve driver Wyatt Hayes to rake in their points for the constructors’ championship.
Episode Four - Common Goal
With an impressive career under his belt, Mercedes’ Eric Bennett questions his longevity in the sport, even as his teammate carries the car towards a championship.
Episode Five - Heated Rivalry
Ferrari’s Shane Hollander and Red Bull’s Ilya Rozanov have been competitors since the junior formulas, but what will the events of the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix mean for their rivalry?
Episode Six - Game Changers
Scott Hunter is on the hunt for his very first championship with a shocking improvement in form after a disastrous slump in performance. Is there something else going on underneath the surface?
Click here for all episodes.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[The camera shot opens in the interview room: dark walls, overhead lighting, full of cameras, boom mics, and Netflix staff. In the middle of the room, on a lone chair and looking awfully exposed, sits SHANE HOLLANDER - twenty-six years old, Japanese-Canadian, and wearing the distinctive red of FERRARI. He smiles, somewhat awkwardly. It’s quite clear, under all the scrutiny of the cameras, that he would probably rather be anywhere else.]
HOLLANDER: Is this good? Are we good to go?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Perfect. If you could just introduce yourself, we’ll get started.
ON SCREEN TEXT:
SHANE HOLLANDER
Ferrari Driver
HOLLANDER: Er, my name is Shane Hollander. I’m twenty-six years old. And I’ve been a driver for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One since 2011.
[THE PRODUCER hands SHANE a clapperboard. He holds it with a slightly bemused expression, tilting it to read the episode title card (DTS S1E5: HEATED RIVALRY) before shutting it, clearly prompted by someone OFF SCREEN, with a loud click that startles him.]
HOLLANDER: So, where do you want to start?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: We were thinking about the beginning. How about you tell us about your rivalry with Ilya Rozanov?
HOLLANDER: You want to talk about Rozanov?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: I mean, yeah. One of the most compelling sporting rivalries of this century. Who doesn’t want to talk about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov?
MONTAGE: A series of clips from across SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV’s many on-track battles and off-track appearances, all set to dramatic music that gradually grows in speed and volume.
[SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV are axle to axle as they take a corner together, with ROZANOV on the inside line and HOLLANDER trying to hang on to the outside. They’re close enough that there’s mere millimetres of space between their wheels, and no one can quite make out whether or not contact has been made. ROZANOV pulls away and they roar down a back straight, HOLLANDER still close enough to be larger than life in ROZANOV’S wing mirrors.]
[Another corner, another race; SHANE HOLLANDER dives down the inside of ILYA ROZANOV in a truly breathtaking move that he makes look easy. ROZANOV is too busy fighting with another car to defend, and HOLLANDER sweeps past both of them to leave them in the dust.]
[Another race, this time lined up for the starting procedure. SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV are sharing the front row. Though the footage is slightly indistinct, it looks as though they are both looking towards each other, slightly twisted in their seats, though it is impossible to tell with their helmets on. What is clear is the very prominent angle of their cars, pointing in to cut each other off at the start.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: And here at the final of this year's GP2 season, we’re going to be seeing what the two most talked about prospects in the world are really made of: Canada's Shane Hollander and Russia's Ilya Rozanov.
[Another shot of SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV side by side. This time they do make contact, but both manage to keep it on the track. It seems almost as though neither of them have noticed, so intent on the other that the slight interruption to their battle slips by.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: First, you've got Ottawa's own Shane Hollander. From everything we've seen and heard, he may not be the most sociable, but this is the kid with the highest racing IQ out there. Incredibly smart, incredibly dedicated to the sport and incredibly fast. And those overtakes!
[SHANE HOLLANDER slips past several cars - these are clearly clips taken from a few different races stitched together, but every overtake is characterised by how breathtakingly beautiful each manoeuvre is.]
[SHANE HOLLANDER crosses the line, one fist already raised in the air.]
HOLLANDER [Over the Radio]: Let’s go!
[SHANE HOLLANDER stands on top of the podium. His face is flushed with victory, his hair damp with sweat, and he looks incandescent in his victory. He spikes a bottle of champagne on the step of the podium and leaps of it, thumb already pressed over the bottle top to spray the foam at the other two drivers on the podium and his race engineer. ILYA ROZANOV is on the second step of the podium, and it is very clear that he is avoiding getting HOLLANDER with the spray.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: Then you've got Russia's Ilya Rozanov. Strong on the attack and a strong racer. And from everything we've heard, he really gets under other racers' skins. Good on his own, not exactly liked by his opponents.
[ILYA ROZANOV is side by side with a car, right on the limit of the track. This is the place where other cars might bail out, but not ROZANOV. The other car gets onto the grass, kicking up a plume of dirt behind them, and ROZANOV speeds past, triumphant and unrepentant. Behind him, the other car rejoins the track, but it’s clearly no threat to ROZANOV.]
[Another shot, and this time it is ROZANOV who is in the grass. There’s a moment when the rear of his car nearly escapes out from beneath him, and he is mere millimetres away from stacking it into the wall in spectacular fashion. The camera shot is close enough to be entirely overwhelming, and it makes it even more impressive when ROZANOV keeps it out of the wall.]
[The checkered flag is being waved at the finish line. ILYA ROZANOV is bearing down on the leading car with a terrifying inevitability. Just as it seems that the order is secure, ROZANOV jinks around the other car, having gotten a last minute tow to pull alongside and past on the finish line. In the car, ROZANOV seems mostly impassive; his opponent - now in second place - is visibly frustrated, slamming their head back against the head rest.]
[ILYA ROZANOV is on the podium. The Russian flag is above him, ruffled by a digital wind on the screen, and he rests one hand on his heart as the anthem plays out. His eyes are closed, and his head tilted back. Gold glints between his fingers: ROZANOV’s signature crucifix pendant, which he bares aloft as the anthem draws to a close, chain tugging at his neck. His lips move, but whatever he says is not picked up by the cameras. On the third place step is SHANE HOLLANDER; a complex array of emotions pass over his face as he watches ROZANOV. He applauds politely.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #1 [V.O.]: Every once in a while, you get a generational talent like Hollander or Rozanov - someone who is fast and clever and seems to exist on an entirely different level to the rest of the guys they’re racing against. And these people are the best. They dominate the sport. They redefine what it means to win. The problem begins when you have two generational talents racing and winning at the same time.
[SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV are stood side by side on their first drivers’ parade as Formula One stars, waving out at a cheering crowd. They are very obviously not speaking, and - though ROZANOV keeps shooting looks at HOLLANDER, very obviously meant to mock and unsettle - HOLLANDER is acting as though he hasn’t realised ROZANOV is there. The contrast between them is striking: HOLLANDER in the bright red of Ferrari, and ROZANOV in the dark blue of Red Bull.]
[In a drivers’ press conference, ROZANOV leans over to mutter something in HOLLANDER’S ear. HOLLANDER’S face tightens; he slams his water down on the table forcefully - too forcefully - and water sloshes out over his hand. ROZANOV looks delighted. HOLLANDER is also smiling, but it is not a nice smile. The tension is palpable enough to cut with a knife.]
[HOLLANDER walks down the pitlane, side by side with his race engineer HAYDEN PIKE, who holds out an iPad of data that HOLLANDER is clearly trying to review, even as they dodge through the bustle of the pitlane. From the opposite direction comes ROZANOV, stalking through the crowd with barely leashed aggression. It is very clear the second he sees HOLLANDER, because he begins to smirk, and then lowers his shoulder to collide glancing with HOLLANDER as they pass by each other. HOLLANDER staggers and scowls. PIKE snaps something over his shoulder at ROZANOV, taking HOLLANDER’s elbow to steer him carefully away.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #2 [V.O.]: No one doubts that Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are the best at what they do. The thing is, you can have two people who are the best at one time. You can only have one winner. Everyone else, by definition, loses.
[The camera opens wide at the back of a very wide auditorium, peering down the central aisle to a raised stage. ILYA ROZANOV and SHANE HOLLANDER stand atop it, framed by a single spot light that bears down around them; it’s like there’s no one else and nothing else that exists in the world. It looks very lonely. In his hand, HOLLANDER has an envelope, and he’s focused on teasing out the paper from within - it’s an award show, and HOLLANDER and ROZANOV are announcing. But ROZANOV is focused intently on HOLLANDER, staring at the side of HOLLANDER’s head. It’s an almost hungry look, and it wouldn’t look out of place on track.
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #3 [V.O.]: Motorsports is such a small, exclusive world. These guys grew up knowing each other, racing each other, beating each other. That’s a ready made legacy right there. You know, with Hollander and Rozanov, everyone is watching them mature as drivers through the lower categories. We all knew what to expect from them before they ever sat in a Formula One car for the first time.
[Accompanied by chirping sound effects, a deluge of Tweets and Twitter reactions begin to cover the screen, reading things like HOLLANDER AND ROZANOV HAVE COLLIDED AGAIN and SOMEONE IN THE FIA NEEDS TO BREAK OUT THE GET ALONG SHIRT. As the Tweets build and cover each other, the screen begins to fade to black and the music, having reached its dramatic conclusion, cuts out.]
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: If you were going to describe the relationship between Hollander and Rozanov, what would you say?
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #1: That they can’t stand each other. That’s what kind of relationship we’re looking at here. There can’t be any other. When you’re driving, you’re driving to win. There’s no other goal. And anyone prevents you from achieving that goal is in the way - an enemy.
CUT TO:
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #2: I mean, Hollander and Rozanov, they’re the best, right? They’ve grown up being the best. They’ve continued being the best. There’s no one else who understands what it is that they’re going through. So, it’s a relationship like none other. You can’t be friends with each other - pretty much every week, you’re in the mindset of being willing to kill the other guy if it would get you an advantage! But you can’t rally be friends with anyone else, ‘cause no one but the two of you understand what it means to be in the position that you’re in. It’s a wholly unique and strangely psychological relationship - there’s nothing else like it in the world.
CUT TO:
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #3: I mean, I’d call it a rivalry, wouldn’t you?
TITLE CARD
[Engine guns rev, the sounds of the pitlane rushing in. From a birds eye view overhead, we see the mechanics swarm towards the red Ferrari of SHANE HOLLANDER as he peels into the box, and remove and replace his tyres with practiced ease. HOLLANDER shoots out from the box, and the whole process is over within a couple of second.]
ONSCREEN TEXT:
DRIVE TO SURVIVE
Episode Five: Heated Rivalry
INT. SHANE HOLLANDER’S KITCHEN - DAY
[SHANE HOLLANDER’s kitchen is a very upscale, very modern, and very high-end construction. It is more a work of art than it is a kitchen. The appliances are all of professional quality, and would not be out of place in a Michelin star restaurant. Floor to ceiling windows open the space up to the verdant outdoors outside, with greenery and trees and a beautiful view of a gleaming silver lake in the distance.
SHANE HOLLANDER himself is stood at the very large island in the centre, in a blue linen shirt and some sensible chinos. His sleeves are rolled up as he methodically dices and prepares food.]
HOLLANDER [Looking up]: Are you sure I can’t fix you anything?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: We’re sure. Thank you.
HOLLANDER: It’s just good hospitality. My mom would kill me if I didn’t offer you something.
EXT. SHANE HOLLANDER’S PORCH - DAY
[SHANE HOLLANDER is sat on an outdoor dining table, a freshly prepared salad in front of him. Behind him stretches the view from the kitchen, even more glorious than it had been from inside.]
HOLLANDER: Is it okay if I eat when talking to you guys? Yeah?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Of course. Eat away.
HOLLANDER: I have, like, this performance diet, and it’s really important to me to get the right nutrition at the right time.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: You get hangry?
HOLLANDER [Somewhat bemused]: I mean, I guess? [He takes a mouthful of salad, chews and swallows] I am a high performance athlete.
[A pause.]
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: So, is this what Shane Hollander does when he’s not racing?
HOLLANDER: Sometimes, yeah. I mean, I was born and raised in Ottawa, so I definitely try and get up here as often as I can. I had this built a few years ago, and it’s only ten minutes away from my parents. It’s where I like to go to destress, recuperate for the rest of the season. I have a gym to train in. I like to do yoga.
I’m mostly in Monaco though. Most drivers are in Monaco. I have some good real estate there - a nice apartment. I stay there during the season. Closer to Maranello as well - or at least closer than Ottawa. But, you know, it’s nice to remember your roots, especially in a sport like this.
INT. SHANE HOLLANDER’S LIVING ROOM - DAY
[The living is equally as open and light and full of windows as the kitchen had been, with a spacious seating area, fireplace and large television. The camera pans across the walls, which are full of pictures that chart HOLLANDER’s whole career, from a small HOLLANDER in what looks like his very first kart to a teenage HOLLANDER on top step of a podium with a wreath far too big for him hung around his neck. HOLLANDER himself is stood looking at them, a slightly distant expression of nostalgia on his face.]
HOLLANDER: God, this all feels like it was ages ago. I can’t remember what it was like to be this little.
[A pause.]
HOLLANDER: I think I was maybe four when I sat in a kart for the first time - which sounds young, but some of the guys start even younger. I loved it from the very start though. I was a really quiet kid, awkward and shy - still am, probably - but everything made sense in a kart. It was like speaking another language, and I was fluent in it. It was everyone else who had to catch up with me.
My parents saw that I was fast straight away, and that I loved it, so they started investing in my future. I’m really grateful to both of them for that, ‘cause I don’t know where I’d be if they hadn’t. I know some people aren’t as lucky as me.
My mom was a massive motorsports fan my entire life - she was a massive Ferrari fan, so she was just as excited as me when I got the call telling me that I was not only going to be a Formula One driver but a Ferrari driver. My dad used to kart as well, when he was younger, but he wasn’t as lucky as me. I think he’s glad that he gets to do all of this with me though. It gives me something else to drive for, which is pretty special. Whenever I win, I get to remember who I’m winning for, you know?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: There must have been a lot of pressure though, to win with Ferrari.
HOLLANDER [Laughs]: You can say that the Tifosi are passionate. It’s what I love about them the most. There’s really no feeling like winning with Ferrari, ‘cause no other team has the history and the love that this one does. People talk all the time about feeling like you’re part of one massive Italian family, but it’s true! There’s no better feeling than winning in Italy and standing above the Tifosi and seeing just the absolutely vast sea of red that’s cheering you on.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Not even winning a championship or two?
HOLLANDER: Wow. Okay, you’re asking the difficult questions. I mean, on the one hand, I definitely mean what I said. Monza is maybe my favourite race after Montréal. But also, winning a championship for Ferrari… You know, the team went through a few difficult years after the 2000s. Getting to be a part of bringing them back to where they belong and winning the championships in ‘15 and ‘16. That’s pretty special, knowing that you’re part of something like that. Also, selfishly, it’s a personal fulfilment of everything that I’ve wanted since I was little.
Karting meant everything to me when I was younger - in a way, driving still does. I think of little Shane Hollander and I hope he knows that he’s going to get to where he’s trying to go. It might be difficult or lonely at points, but it’s worth it. It’s all worth it.
[There’s a very pregnant, momentous pause. HOLLANDER is visibly emotional, though it looks like he’s working through what kind of emotional it might be, jaw clenching and unclenching as he looks at the pictures on the wall. His eyes shine.
[On his coffee table, his phone rings and the screen lights up: INCOMING CALL - Rose Landry <3. HOLLANDER startles at the sudden ringing, as if he has been broken out of a trance. He blinks rapidly, and moves to pick up his phone, smiling slightly.]
HOLLANDER: I need to take this. Rose gets annoyed when I ignore her. I’m really terrible at returning her calls, and I honestly think that she might be the only person I know who has a busier schedule than me.
[HOLLANDER leaves the room, answering the phone. His words are too quiet to hear.]
EXT. THE PADDOCK - DAY
[The sun beats down on the Formula One paddock as the camera pans over the bustle of engineers and team personnel scrambling around, darting in and out of motorhomes and the garages, before turning to capture the sheer magnitude of the Ferrari motorhome.]
ONSCREEN TEXT:
Race Seven
Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2017
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Montréal, Quebec
INT. FERRARI MOTORHOME OFFICE - DAY
[It’s virtually impossible to tell that the office in the Ferrari motorhome is one that can be dismantled in a matter of hours, packed away, and transported across the road. With wide windows that peer out across the paddock, a wide conference table, and all the technology needed to accurately and impressively chart the course and strategy of a grand prix, it very much looks like the sort of facility that you might expect to see in Maranello itself.
SHANE HOLLANDER is sat at one side of the table with his race engineer HAYDEN PIKE. On the other side of the table is HOLLANDER’s teammate J.J. BOIZIAU and his engineer GILBERT COMEAU. Team Principal RENÉ THEIRUALT is sat at the head of the table; behind him, on a large screen, is a video conference call of team personnel back in Maranello.]
ONSCREEN TEXT:
RENÉ THERIAULT
Ferrari Team Principal
HAYDEN PIKE
Shane Hollander’s Race Engineer
J.J. BOIZIAU
Ferrari Driver
GILBERT COMEAU
J.J. Boiziau’s Race Engineer
THERIAULT: We had a good showing in qualifying, boys. We’re in a strong position for the race, but we’re surrounded by Merc and Red Bull, and they’re going to be fast. Hollander, we need you challenging Hunter for the lead off the line. Boiziau, we need you up in front to support Hollander as soon as you can. Get the move done on Bennett.
PIKE: We’re going to try get this done in two stints for tyres: super softs and ultra softs. Pirelli’s rubber is sensitive but durable.
BOIZIAU: You really think that we’re getting the battle to Merc? Track temp is rising, understeer is up, the wind, and I can’t get anything from my tyres.
COMEAU: Don’t be a *****. Merc don’t stand a chance.
HOLLANDER [Clearing his throat]: Hunter’s fast. The Merc is fast. But we can get ‘em. We just keep our heads down and go from there.
PIKE: Honestly, guys, just make sure you take out Rozanov and we’ll all go home happy.
[They all laugh, except for HOLLANDER who grimaces. It’s clear that their rivalry is a running joke amongst the team, but it’s unclear if it’s this that makes him uncomfortable or if he is just intently serious about preparations for the grand prix.]
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[SHANE HOLLANDER sets his water bottle down on the floor, out of view of the camera. He fidgets slightly, fingers tangling in the drawstring of his hoodie. It’s clear that he isn’t entirely comfortable - though whether he’s uncomfortable with the interview set up or the next line of questioning is uncertain.]
HOLLANDER: I’ve known Rozanov basically my entire life. I mean, we’re the same age and competing at the same level, so we came up through juniors together. We were in all of the same competitions - probably the same hotel rooms and stuff. We got drafted into Formula One at the same time. Our careers are basically mirrors of each other.
I don’t think I talked to him properly until I was… seventeen? Yeah, seventeen. That was probably the first time I spoke to him without parents and grown ups around.
I mean, obviously you make a lot of friends when you’re all growing up karting together - like J.J., or my race engineer, Hayden, who was also karting at this time. But with Rozanov… that wasn’t really the case. There was the language barrier for one. We also just didn’t have that much in common either - beyond racing, of course.
But I was always aware of him. I mean, it’s pretty difficult not to be. Sometimes, during juniors, it felt like he was the whole reason behind what I was doing, the effort I put into competing. I wanted to be the best, and so did everyone else, but the difference with Rozanov was that he could be the best. I had to make sure that didn’t happen. I had to always be competing one level above him, so I had to always be aware of what he was doing.
It was the same for Rozanov. I don’t think that there’s anyone who knows me better, probably.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[We at last introduce ILYA ROZANOV in the flesh - also twenty six years old, a blond Eastern European man, lounging in the chair in a way that suggests he would be just as comfortable on the cover of Playboy as he would the cover of Autosport. ROZANOV is wearing a Boston Bears NHL jersey and a dark pair of sunglasses that cost more than most people’s monthly rent; the only hint of his allegiance to Red Bull Racing is the backwards cap sat jauntily over his blond curls.]
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Can you do the introduction now?
ROZANOV [Making a vague snapping motion with his arms, like he is mimicking a shark]: I would like to do the movie thing.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: The clapperboard?
ROZANOV: Da. The clappy board.
[There’s the sound of rummaging in the background, and the clapperboard is handed over. ROZANOV holds it aloft in triumphant, face lighting up, and proceeds to snap it closed multiple times in very quick (and noisy) succession. It is hastily confiscated from him.]
ROZANOV: Aw. I will be on best behaviour now. Promise. [A beat] Hello. I am Scott Hunter. I am million years old and drive for Mercedes. Am not world champion -
[A very noticeable cut.]
ON SCREEN TEXT:
ILYA ROZANOV
Red Bull Racing Driver
ROZANOV: My name is Ilya Rozanov, and I drive for Red Bull Racing. I am 2014 world champion, and best driver in entire world.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Some people would disagree with you there.
ROZANOV [Unimpressed]: Who?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: I mean, Shane Hollander -
ROZANOV: You want to talk about Hollander?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: I mean, yeah. Everyone wants to talk about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
ROZANOV: I don’t.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Really?
ROZANOV: I am here to talk about racing, not Hollander.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: That’s basically the same thing, isn’t it?
ROZANOV: No.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: What do you mean?
ROZANOV: Beating Hollander is never about racing. This is nonsense. What liar tells you this? No, no, I do not beat Hollander to race - is more than that. Is like fairytale, yes - you know fairytales? Of course you do. Think, then, of fairytales. Fairytales are never about telling a story - is about what it means. This is what it is to beat Hollander.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: So, what does beating Hollander mean to you?
ROZANOV: Everything.
INT. CAR - DAY
[ILYA ROZANOV and SVETLANA VETROVA - a very fashionable, very poised and very elegant woman wearing a vintage Stweart Grand Prix jacket - sit side by side in the back of an SUV together. ROZANOV is, at last, wearing team kit beyond a cap, but retains the sunglasses. He’s twisted around in his seat to kick his feet up in VETROVA’s lap, who rather indulgently rests her hands on her ankles. She is looking out the window where camera flashes and signs (reading things such as: FORZA HOLLANDER and HOLLANDER HOME HERO), whilst ROZANOV scrolls on his phone.]
ONSCREEN TEXT:
SVETLANA VETROVA
Daughter of Sergei Vetrov (ex-Formula One driver) and Ilya Rozanov’s friend
VETROVA [In Russian, Subtitled]: You are not fan favourite today, Ilyusha. When do you think the effigy burnings begin?
ROZANOV [Rolling his eyes]: Canadians are too nice to do this. They would apologise to the match.
VETROVA: Ha!
ROZANOV: I do not see why they’re all cheering. They know that they’re going to watch their Hollander lose, yes?
VETROVA: To who? You? Please.
ROZANOV: Fucking excuse me?
VETROVA: You’re not beating Shane Hollander today, malaysh. Trust me.
[ROZANOV sits upright, setting his phone away. He looks indignant. VETROVA is unrepentant.]
ROZANOV: Explain.
VETROVA: Look, you’re having a good season. You’re definitely challenging to take it all. But, personally, you and Hollander are on par with each other. You know who’s performing a level above both of you? Scott Hunter.
ROZANOV: He is one million years old! Fossil! Scott Hunter is not going to beat Shane Hollander.
VETROVA: You asked for my opinion.
ROZANOV: You’re wrong.
VETROVA: Have I ever been wrong before?
ROZANOV [A pause] [He crosses his arms, pouting]: No.
VETROVA: I will bet you three thousand euros that Scott Hunter will be world champion this year.
ROZANOV: Legally, I am not allowed to do this.
VETROVA: That’s fine. I’ll take the satisfaction of being right.
[A beat.]
ROZANOV: Hollander is still going to lose though. Mister Canadian. Mister Golden Boy. Ha! How embarrassing to be beaten by Scott Hunter!
VETROVA: Scott Hunter is also going to beat you.
ROZANOV: I will crash myself out of this race before I let this happen.
VETROVA: I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM.
[SVETLANA VETROVA lounges on the chair. She’s dressed decadently, in glittering finery, and looks out of place in the little room. She also looks very intensely bored.]
VETROVA: I have grown up around motorsports. It is nothing special. My father, yes, he is Formula One world champion. Then he goes to IndyCar and he wins at this also. Many consider him to be one of the best. I think that my Ilyusha is better - and I do not say this because he is my friend.
I used to watch Ilya practice, you know, and I would go to all of his races that I could. He has the sort of natural talent that people write myths about - like Senna. He’s naturally fast. He’s smarter than people give him credit for - and he’s much smarter in Russian, as well, and he’s determined. He puts in more work that anyone I know who is naturally talented at something, because he knows that talent is not enough. This is why he will be one of the best, even if he has only the one championship.
Motorsports meant everything for Ilya when he was little. It meant… Ah, what can I say that he will not kill me for?
His father expected this of him - Grigori Rozanov always knew that Ilya was going to be a champion… but Irina - his mother - she loved this for him. She loved the sport and she loved her son. I think he does this for her.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #4: Shane Hollander… How can you describe Shane Hollander? I mean, he’s on track to be one of the most successful drivers in history. He’s a beast. He’s fast, he’s clever, he’s dedicated… He’s like a human computer whose only job is cars, and it shows.
[CUT TO a shot of SHANE HOLLANDER stood beside his Ferrari on the starting grid. The car is covered by mechanics working on very possible inch, checking the tyres under their blankets and cooling the body work with hand held fans. HOLLANDER is a little bit off to one side - race overalls tied around his waist to expose the fireproofs that he wears underneath, a white towel draped over the back of his neck, a pair of dark, tinted sunglasses obscuring his eyes - but supervises everything. His face is implacable and focused, intense to an almost terrifying degree.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #4 [V.O.]: He’s won back to back championships the past two seasons - his first in 2015 and his second in 2016. Both of those seasons, he was utterly dominant. Untouchable. He was finally proving why people consider him to be the best.
2017 seems to be shaping up to be his season for the taking as well. Hollander is in the prime of his career, and Ferrari have given him the car that needs to accomplish great things. There’s no stopping him, no answer to his powers. Except -
[CUT TO ILYA ROZANOV as he lifts a first place trophy over his head. He’s on the podium in his race suit, a Russian flag tied around his shoulders, and this is the moment in which he wins his first every championship. The footage slows down as ROZANOV presses his lips to the glistening metal and then boost it up into the sky, his lips mouthing something, as the crowd beneath him roars and weeps and hollers. He looks very much on top of the world.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #4 [V.O.]: - Ilya Rozanov. He’s coming into this season looking for redemption.
In 2014, Rozanov crashed out of his home race in Sochi. It was an… embarrassing performance from him. But he won the championship in 2014 with a historic run of form. Everyone knew that Rozanov was looking to prove himself, and to distance himself from that disastrous race. After that, everyone knew what Ilya Rozanov was about, and no one doubted that he was there to stay.
But 2015, while close, proved to be a fruitless season. Hollander had the best of him in all areas, and Rozanov settled for second. 2016 was arguably worse - though it started off close, Rozanov had a dip of form towards the end of the season that ensured he was firmly out of contention.
Rozanov has nothing to lose this year but everything to gain.
And then there’s Scott Hunter.
[CUT TO SCOTT HUNTER as he pulls his Mercedes up behind a first place plaque. He goes a little too long and clips it, knocking it over, but this is immaterial. HUNTER doesn’t seem to notice as he begins the process of removing himself from the car - removing the belts, head rest and steering wheel. He’s already celebrate, bringing his fumbling hands up in celebration in the moments before he stands, shaking his head back and forward so fast that it slams against the head rest. He heaves himself up and, stepping over onto the nose of his car, raises on arm to the air and pulls the other one back like he is notching an arrow to an invisible bow. He releases the ‘arrow’ and leaps down to sprint to the awaiting Mercedes mechanics, who lean over the barriers with an ocean of arms, patting his back and picking him up and nearly dropping him over the other side of barriers themselves when he launches himself at them.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #4 [V.O.]: Scott Hunter is a veteran of the sport. There’s a lot of people talking currently about his place in the sport - if it’s time that he should hang up the gloves and move on to something else, if he’s worth the massive amount of faith that Mercedes have put in him since the very beginning of his career. A lot of people were beginning to think that he wasn’t worth it - and everyone else was pretty sure that Hunter would be another one of those stories of people who should have made it and never did.
But Scott Hunter’s current form is electric. It’s like watching all the promise of rookie Scott Hunter again. Whatever he’s done on the off-season is clearly working, and now - for the first time in a while - Scott Hunter has a chance of winning this championship. He’s the unexpected joker in the pack - the one driver who might stand a chance at stopping the combined forces of Hollander and Rozanov on their run for the championship.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[SCOTT HUNTER, in spite of the way people talk of him like he is long past his prime, is certainly not old by any stretch of the imagination. He’s an all-American golden boy, the handsome boy nextdoor, with dark hair and neatly combed stubble and the sort of smile that sells magazines. There’s still something very intense about him, but he hides it well behind his charm. HUNTER is wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the iconic Mercedes Benz logo and the sponsors of the Formula One team. In his hand, he holds the clapperboard and snaps it shut before passing it off screen.]
ON SCREEN TEXT:
SCOTT HUNTER
Mercedes AMG Petronas Driver
HUNTER: My name is Scott Hunter, and I am a driver for - Fuck, the full name… er, Mercedes… AMG Petronas Formula One Team. [Pause, quiet laughter] I’m also a championship contender this year, which is fun.
For me, I’ve always been close but never close enough for the championship. It’s been the sort of thing that I can see but never touch, never have, never win. But it’s been my dream ever since I was a kid. I’ve sacrificed everything for this. I’m going to keep sacrificing everything for this dream until I have it. I’m not letting it slip away from me this time.
EXT. PIT STRAIGHT - DAY
[The scene opens on an aerial shot, swinging over the pit straight on which the drivers have begun to assemble on their marks for the performance of the Canadian national anthem. Many of them are wearing sunglasses - though there’s a visible amount of wind, race day has dawned bright and sunny.
The drivers assemble in a v-formation. HOLLANDER and ROZANOV are on opposite sides of it. HOLLANDER watches the anthem performance, cap in hand and one hand pressed against his chest. ROZANOV watches HOLLANDER; he’s smirking. The camera cuts to HUNTER, who is stood near ROZANOV, but HUNTER’s eyes are closed, a frown of concentration marring his brow.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: Welcome to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on this lovely, sunny day for the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix right here in Montreal! Canada is always a brilliant event, with barriers running close to the circuit to catch out even the most experienced of drivers, and today promises to be no different with the championship fight heating up with every passing race.
[ROZANOV and CLIFF MARLOW (his teammate) confer beside their cars, heads bent together as they talk, gesturing to the their cars and the tyres and then to the competitors. Their race engineers, stood beside them, nod along as they consult the tablets in their hands. ROZANOV says something sharp and MARLOW laughs, bringing his knuckles up against ROZANOV’s and then pulling him into a back-slapping hug before they part.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: Red Bull have definitely qualified out of position today, back in fifth and sixth. They aren’t far off the pace and they’ll be looking to make up the positions that they’ve lost as soon as they can off that starting line and into that first corner.
[HOLLANDER and PIKE are silent as they stand beside the car - not in an uncomfortable way, but it’s clear that HOLLANDER is trying to centre himself and any distraction or attempt at conversation will be unwelcome. PIKE understands this implicitly, having worked with HOLLANDER for years; COMEAU does not. He claps HOLLANDER on the shoulders and - ignoring the way that HOLLANDER jolts forward and scowls - proclaims something in a clearly strident tone that has HOLLANDER smiling tightly and insincerely and PIKE rolling his eyes.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: Ferrari as well will be disappointed with where they’re at, because they seemed to have so much more pace at the beginning of the weekend. But, as track temps have warmed, the Ferrari is favouring a slight understeer at the moment, which suits Hollander starting in second, but it’s less favourable for Boiziau in fourth.
[SCOTT HUNTER takes a swig from his water bottle, tossing it to his race engineer. He stretches, arm lifting up to the sky, and exhales on the come down. As he does, an expression of deep concentration falls across his face. He’s ready, locked in and intensely focused on his target. Beside him, ERIC BENNETT fiddles with the fastenings of his racing overalls.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: Meanwhile, a blistering lap from Hunter sets him on pole for this race, with a Mercedes that is trending the opposite way to the Ferrari with less understeer as track temps rise. He’s starting on the ultra softs and hoping to make this race a one stopper. He’ll also be hoping that his teammate, Eric Bennett, can catch Hollander off the line to give him a bit of breathing space. Every point is going to count towards this championship.
EXT - STARTING LINE - DAY
[The sound of engines groans to an almost deafening cacophony as the starting procedure begins, the lights of the gantry lighting up one by one slow enough to ratchet up the tension. Then, thy’re all lit up, the tension has peaked, the cars snarl, the crowd holds its breath, the footage almost silent and hushed, and -]
COMMENTATOR: And it’s lights out and away we go!
And right off the line, Shane Hollander is challenging Scott Hunter for the lead, braving it around the outside of the very first corner… it’s tight but Hunter hangs on by the skin of his teeth. He hasn’t quite shaken Hollander yet, who is determined to make his way into the lead early and see if he can extend from there.
A good start for Rozanov as well, who has slipped past Boiziau, who is now duelling Cliff Marlow for track position. Rozanov’s on the heels of Bennett but an overtake seems inevitable - and he get the job done! Rozanov up in third one lap in and charging down our leading pair; the battle of top three in this race is now also the battle for the championship, led by Hunter at the moment.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[CLIFF MARLOW sits on the chair. He looks, strangely, very small in the middle of the room, which is not something often said about a man of his stature. He looks heartbroken. He looks guilty.]
MARLOW: It’s impossible to describe what goes through your head when your racing people at high speed. You’re obviously thinking but it’s not - it’s not like thinking. You can’t think when you're going that quick. You’re brain isn’t quick enough. You think when you’re training your hands and your body to know what to do for you before the race; during the race, instinct takes over. But instinct can made mistakes sometimes - stupid, fucking, dangerous mistakes.
EXT. TRACK - DAY
[A track side shot of ILYA ROZANOV and SHANE HOLLANDER as they thunder past side by side, jostling for track position even though, by all rights, they are not near the traditional areas for overtaking. ROZANOV is close enough to the track edge to kick up a plume of dirt, car wriggling before he gets it under control again. CUT TO an aerial shot as ROZANOV pulls up axle to axle with HOLLANDER and seems about to make the move before dropping back just enough to avoid contact.]
COMMENTATOR [V.O.]: And here comes Ilya Rozanov, attempting to make a move around the inside of Shane Hollander at turn three - very tight there - and he’s far enough along that Hollander is required to give him space, which he does but it isn’t enough for Rozanov to make it past. Hollander still leads but Rozanov is all over the back of him. He tries again to the inside of turn four, trying to force a move where you might not necessarily, but Hollander covers him off, cleanly and skillfully.
We’re approaching turn six and -
Is that Cliff Marlow gaining on both of them? It is! It’s Marlow attempting to go past both of them on the inside of turn six, which is not the place to be running three cars wide and -
Oh my God, is that Marlow? It is - Marlow’s locked up. Major lock up from Cliff Marlow who goes late on the brakes and loses control of the car. He’s going straight but -
[CLIFF MARLOW, lunging suddenly down the inside of SHANE HOLLANDER and ILYA ROZANOV, clearly taking advantage of the fact that they are preoccupied with duelling each other, is so clos to sticking a move when the wheel suddenly lock in place, furious plumes of white smoke erupting. Though he visibly attempts to wrench the wheel to one side, to make the turn, it’s clear that he doesn’t have control of the car anymore. He keeps on going straight. There’s nothing he can do.
The camera catches the exact moment that MARLOW’s car spears in to the side of SHANE HOLLANDER’s Ferrari. It’s a hard, brutal hit - and then HOLLANDER’s car catches onto something, maybe the curb or some debris or maybe the angle that MARLOW’s car hits him is simply awkward, and it is rolling, tossed in the air like it weighs nothing at all. It rolls over and over, and HOLLANDER is reduced to simply a passenger right up until the moment the car strikes the wall, sending up a scattering of debris. The car comes to a rest. It’s upside down. The commentator is silent, and a high pitched whine overlays the images, a disorientating ringing that makes it feel as though the audience has experienced the impact as well.]
EXT. FERRARI PIT WALL - DAY
[HAYDEN PIKE has his hands pressed over his headphones as he leans closer to the bank of monitors in front of him. A crowd of Ferrari personnel slowly throng behind him, growing by the minute. Their state of shock is palpable. One mechanic is seen crying silently, before being ushered back into the garage.]
PIKE [Over the Radio]: Are you okay? I repeat, are you okay?
[Crackly silence.]
PIKE [Over the Radio]: Please respond. Are you in need of medical assistance?
[More silence, long and drawn out. It feels almost as though the length of it must be edited.]
PIKE [Over the Radio] [Voice cracking]: Shane, buddy, let me know you’re okay please. We need a response, okay? ****ing Hell. ****. Marlow, you mother******. Shane, please.
[There is no response.]
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #3 sits on the chair in the middle of the room. He is very, very pale, and has to visibly compose himself several times before he begins trying to speak. Someone from off-screen hands him a glass of water.]
MOTORSPORTS PUNDIT #3: Goes without saying that you never want to see an incident like this happening. I mean, Formula One is a dangerous sport. People die. In 2015, after his accident in 2014, we lost Jules Bianchi. Stuff like that… it lives on it people’s memories. You can’t help but think about it when stuff like this happens - and there’s no shortage of accidents to choose from. Fifty-two drivers have died in an F1 car, and that’s not even counting marshals and spectators who have lost their lives in accidents as well. You never want to see it. I mean, I was ten in 1982 - that was a dark year for motorsports - but it never gets any easier to see. All you can do is pray, and wait for news.
There’s a structure to how you deal with accidents like this, especially when you’re broadcasting to the whole entire world. You have to balance the need of the public, who are wanting to know that they haven’t watch a guy die live on television, and the need of the driver’s loved ones, who might be watching and need contact.
First, you try to radio the driver - establish contact, make sure they’re responsive, see if they can get themselves out of the car. A lot of the time, we get confirmation of wellness from the driver himself - we broadcast the message, we watch the driver et out the car, and everyone goes home happy.
Sometimes, they don’t respond for whatever reason, or we don’t get the broadcast. But the cameras might pick up the driver getting out the car, or the marshalls signalling to each other that they have contact. A lot of the time, the medical car is deployed, and we’ll see the driver loaded into that, which means we have assurance of care.
But if it’s serious, the broadcast cuts away. That’s when you know that what you’re watching is a matter of life or death. Red flag conditions, so there’s no cars out on track, which means, for however long it takes to resume the race or - God forbid - cancel it, we’re looking at images in the pitlane. Those ar often difficult to watch. I mean, you see the engineers and the team staff, and some of them know just as much as we do. It’s difficult to watch, ‘cause you can tell just how bad the situation is.
Yeah… That’s when you start praying.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[RENÉ THERIAULT is sat in the chair. He looks angry, but this is mostly just his face - he is a very severe and angry person.]
THERIAULT: As team principal, I’m thinking a lot of things in that moment. I mean, we’re fighting for a championship. Every point counts. The race has been red flagged. We get a free tyre change for Boiziau, but we don’t know when the rest of the race will resume. The factory back in Maranello now has a massive rebuilding job to get done. Scott Hunter’s running away with this championship, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: And Shane?
THERIAULT: Obviously I’m thinking about Shane. But, I mean, the guy lives and breathes this sport. I think he’d understand why I’m not worrying about whether or not he’ll enjoy the hospital menu.
EXT. RUNOFF OF TURN SIX - DAY
[The Ferrari of SHANE HOLLANDER is upset down and buried nose deep in the barriers. Debris trails in the wake of it, a path that charts its passage from the track to the wall. It’s enough debris that it seems almost like the car has been totally ruined, deconstructed like lego. But HOLLANDER is still in the car. There’s no movement, no sign of him attempting to pull himself out. Behind the fencing, the crowd swell to their feet, screaming and yelling and training their cameras on the wreckage, as if reducing it to a picture will make it any less true. The saving grace is that the car has not ignited, though lazy smoke drifts around it.
A few feet away, a Red Bull is abandoned near by. At first, this is assumed to be CLIFF MARLOW, who had locked up, but the widening shot reveals MARLOW’s Red Bull dragging itself back to the pits on flat spotted tyres, front wing hanging loose where it collided with HOLLANDER. The abandoned Red Bull belongs to ILYA ROZANOV, who was only a spectator to the collision. His car is visibly undamaged, but the camera catches him as he pulls up regardless, executing a hurried emergency exit from the car. His head rest goes flying across the run off as he throws it away from him. He is running almost before he is out of the car, scrambling for balance and footing.
He makes it to HOLLANDER’s car before the marshals, each of whom beckon and call for him to move away. It’s a risk, if the car ignites. But ROZANOV is unmoved. He drops to his stomach and slithers closer to the cockpit where HOLLANDER is still trapped, reaching in, peering in. Whatever he sees must be terrible. He tears away his helmet, discarding it, and is yelling for the marshals, demanding them to hurry.
They have to drag him away.]
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[ILYA ROZANOV is back in the interview room - but he’s different to how he was before. There’s no mirth on his face, no confident arrogance nor mocking brazenness. His face is rigid and serious, and every line of his face and body is hard and sharp, like he is both holding himself together and holding himself apart from everyone else. He looks like someone who is, at any moment, expecting to be challenged, to be cornered, to be threated. He looks like a man who is on the cups of losing everything that he has ever cared about and is dealing very, very poorly with it all. He would not be out of place at a funeral.]
ROZANOV [Taking a deep breath]: What do you want me to say?
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: I mean, this interview is about you. What do you want to say? What are feeling? If Shane Hollander was with us today, what would you want to say to him? I mean, your championship rival is out of the running just like that -
ROZANOV: I stop you there. This is not about that. Is not about championship. I do not care about championship.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Okay, so what does this mean to you?
ROZANOV: I speak to Hollander first when I am seventeen. By myself, at least. People think that this is strange because we are such big rivals through all of our careers, but is not so strange. We did not like each other. We did not have anything to talk about. We did not share language. But Hollander -
Hollander is the best in world. I know this because I am also best. This is what this is about. I cannot race like I do without Hollander because he is there, constantly. We are the best - we can the screw everyone else. We do not need them. It is me and him - always, me and him. Do you see? Do you understand?
You speak of rivalry. Is not rivalry. It cannot be rivalry. There is no Hollander without Rozanov, and - and there is no Rozanov without Hollander. Is not how it works. He is reason - beating him, destroying him, racing him… is reason I am where I am
If there ever comes a day in this sport where Shane Hollander is not racing, I will stop. If he - if he goes, part of myself goes with him. I could never drive again. There would be no more competition. There are no others. Is only him. Is only me, and him. No one else.
This is what your episode is about.
EXT. THE REAR OF THE GARAGES - DAY
[The camera shot is shaky, peering around a corner and into a small back alley that is hidden behind the garages and is used as an access road for transporting equipment. There are stacks of discarded tyres and cardboard boxes piled up around, and it is beside one of those tyre stacks that ILYA ROZANOV is half-hidden, sunk back into a crouch against the wall. He is still wearing his racing overalls, having not changed yet from the race. He drops his face into his shaking hands, combing his fingers through his curls with a ragged sort of desperation. He’s shaking. CLIFF MARLOW is crouched beside him, looking just as wrecked but trying to comfort ROZANOV, who shies away from his touch. VICTOR ST. SIMON (ROZANOV’s race engineer) is stood guard over bother of them. He sees the camera and scowls, charging over to shove it away.]
ST. SIMON: Bunch of cunts. Fuck are you doing? Off! Off with you!
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[CLIFF MARLOW is sat silently and stoically on the interview chair. He looks very uncomfortable to be there, shifting his weight back and forth like he is weighing up the pros and cons of fleeing. It’s very clear that MARLOW has been having a hard time of it recently, with a rumpled Red Bull team polo, mussed hair, and red-rimmed eyes that look either like he has been crying or not getting enough sleep.]
MARLOW: I’m going to regret the accident for the rest of my life.
This is the thing not a lot of people understand about being a racing driver, because it’s impossible to know unless you’re in our position, but you never think about the fact that you could die in the car. You start thinking like that, you stop racing. You can’t race if you’re thinking like that - so, you don’t, and you race.
At the same time, I don’t think that there’s anyone who understands the risks of what we do better than the guys that I’m on the grid with. I mean, most us growing up - our idols were people like Senna, like Villeneuve, like Lauda. And most of us on the grid now… We all knew Jules, who was going to go on to do great things in this sport. We all mourned him when he died, ‘cause he was one of those guys that you had to like and it wasn’t fucking fair when he died. It was the opposite of fair.
But you can’t think of this. And when an accident happens -
[MARLOW stops, stumbling over his words. His eyes are shining. He swallows and clears his throat, takes a swig of water.]
MARLOW: I was talking to Hollzy just a couple of hours before at the drivers parade. You think about these interactions a lot, after the worst happens, ‘cause you can’t help but wonder if that’s going to be the last time you ever talk to them. And it’s difficult to deal with, ‘cause - Yeah. Yeah. Hollzy was - He was telling me a little about his plans over the summer break, with his girl, and how he was excited to take time to detour to Ottawa to see his parents before he had to leave again. And, you know, it’s Hollzy, so he was talking about his season and the championship and… And that’s a person, you know? He’s a person with a life outside this sport, and love and passion - but you aren’t allowed to be that in the car. But that version of you can still die in the car, but you can’t think about that, but -
It’s just really fucking unfair, isn’t it? And I gotta live with that. I gotta live with the fact that I could have killed a guy.
[MARLOW breaks off, breathing heavily. In his lip, his fists clench and unclench. He’s struggling for composure but it’s clearly a losing battle. He’s a guy who has just bared his whole soul to the entire world.]
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: Do you want to take a break?
MARLOW: I think we’re done, actually.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[For the first time this episode, the interview chair is empty - glaringly so. It’s obvious who we’re expecting to replace MARLOW, who we’re still waiting for news on, but SHANE HOLLANDER is not there. In the background, just on the periphery of the shot, sound crew can be seen moving around and adjusting their equipment, but they remain strangely and unnervingly silent. It means that it is easy to hear it when the door opens and closes, and the sound of approaching footsteps.
A torso in a blue linen shirt interrupts the camera view, turning to adjust the chair, remaining anonymous at first - and they sit down. It’s SHANE HOLLANDER - battered, bruised, with a sling still immobilising his arm, but mercifully alive, which is more than some people, cynical with experience, had ever expected to be able to see.]
HOLLANDER: Hey.
[There’s a few awkward chuckles throughout the room - awkward, only in that they are strangled and slightly bitten off, and clearly more the result of relief than any genuine humour. It breaks the tension regardless.]
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful to be conducting an interview in my career, ever. It’s so good to see that you’re doing well. Really.
HOLLANDER: Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been this glad to be doing an interview, to be honest. I know I gave a lot of people a scare - I’m pretty sure that my mom still isn’t talking to me, which is fair - and it’s meant a lot to see all the well wishes that people are sending my way.
I think the crash looked a lot scary than it was. I mean, I don’t remember much of it - concussion. But I got really lucky. The collarbone will take a while to heal, so I’ll be missing the races up until Spa, after the summer break. It’s a much longer break than I would want to take out - especially at this point in the season, with a championship on the line, but if this is what I need to do to come back stronger and in good form then I’ll do it. This isn’t the last championship I’ll ever be in contention for, even if I would’ve loved to win three years in a row. Yeah, that’s probably not happening now.
But I know that I’m lucky. You think of some of the guys who deserved to be racing with me today who weren’t that lucky - who are missed by their loved ones, who were gone too soon - and I’m so grateful to be where I am today, because I know that it could be totally different.
I’m older than I was when I first got into this sport. I know that there are things outside of this sport that… that are maybe more important to me, that are worth choosing and showing up for even when it’s difficult. I’m lucky to be able to do that still.
PRODUCER [OFF SCREEN]: There was a lot of reaction to your accident - notably, from your long time rival. I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the interviews that he’s done since. Can you give us a comment on Ilya Rozanov?
HOLLANDER: I… Yeah.
EXT. RED BULL RACING HOSPITALITY - NIGHT
[CUT TO footage from the evening after a previous race; ILYA ROZANOV and SHANE HOLLANDER are sat together on the front steps of Red Bull Racing hospitality, heads bent together as they share a joke and a conversation. HOLLANDER is saying something, illustrating his point with expansive hand gestures and taking sips from a can of ginger ale between sentences; ROZANOV is smiling - face warm and open, friendlier than he is often seen in public, or at least more genuine - and his shoulders shake slightly with laughter.]
HOLLANDER [V.O.]: I never know where to start when it comes to Rozanov. There’s no one in the world who understands what we’ve been through together like the two of us. We’re two of the best guys out of the top twenty in the whole entire world, and sometimes it can get lonely at the top - except that Rozanov has been there, with me, the entire time.
This episode was about a rivalry and I’m sorry, but I can’t give you that. This hatred that the media likes to spin around us, this narrative… It’s not true. Maybe me and Rozanov aren’t friends - I don’t think that we’ve ever had the space for that - but I don’t hate him. I like him, a lot. I think we’d - we’d be good friends, if we were given the chance. Maybe, after we retire, we’ll get a beer together or something. I’d like that - the chance to be friends.
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM
[Cut back to SHANE HOLLANDER, who is smiling.]
HOLLANDER: Obviously, I still want to fucking beat him though.