A Statistically Unaccounted for Variable

by SaudadeTrials

Chapter 4: Status Update? Next Chapter Soon I Suppose?

Hello everyone!

I know it’s been a while...I hope you’re all doing well! And that there are still some of you out there reading or waiting for an update.

First of all, I want to sincerely apologise for the long gap since the last chapter. I promise I haven’t abandoned this fic! Life has just been incredibly hectic lately. I’ve been working on research grants, and I was fortunate enough to get to travel for my research as well. I’ve also been busy settling into a new place while working as a visiting scholar, so it’s been a lot to juggle.

On top of that, with the break before the 2026 F1 season, I found myself a bit out of touch with the world of F1, which made it harder to feel inspired enough to write a decent chapter. I didn’t want to rush out a chapter I wasn’t happy with. That said, I do have the next few chapters planned out, I just needed to find the right way to put them into words without hating the result haha. But the good news is that I’ve written about half of the next chapter, and I’m actually pretty happy with it so far, so an update should be coming soon!

I do wonder, though, whether the current lack of a Russtappen title fight (at least for now), along with all the rumours surrounding Max, might make this fic feel a bit strange or harder to read for some of you. If that’s the case, I completely understand. Things feel a bit uncertain at the moment, and since this story is sort of rooted in the real F1 world, it does affect how it comes across. And, of course, recent events with Max and the Guardian journalist haven’t made this fic… interesting to write. But at the end of the day, this is fanfiction, I suppose we can all suspend disbelief a little?

Anyway, this is my long way of saying, please don’t worry, I will be updating the next chapter sometime this weekend, for anyone still reading!

Thank you all so much for the love and support you’ve shown this fic so far. I really appreciate it!

P.S. I’ve updated the previous chapters, so if you’d like to reread them, please feel free to do so! There are no major changes though, just some rewritten sections to improve the overall flow and readability.

Warm regards

S.T. x

Notes:

My Twitter feed was once again flooded by the infamous 2024 Qatar incident and that “he lashes out with borderline violence” speech, which frankly, is where this entire idea came from. Is this delusional? Certainly. But do I also think it’s also a hilarious and surprisingly compelling setting? Absolutely yes. I’ve always enjoyed a good enemies to lovers story, and this pairing just feels like the most fascinating one to explore that dynamic with.

As always, I’ve tried to keep things as accurate as one can when writing RPF, but I still encourage you to read with a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief. Especially because I am a social scientist. All my knowledge of anything STEM and journalism in this fic comes from my lovely girlfriend.

I truly hope you enjoy it! I always appreciate kudos and comments. I love reading your thoughts and reactions.

I’ll do my best to update as often as possible, as I do with my other ongoing fic under this account. That said, I’m an academic with quite a lot on my plate, so there won’t be a fixed update schedule, unfortunately.

Thank you for giving this fic a chance, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for what’s to come!
Until next time,
Warm regards
S.T. x