Page 5 of Spin Control

“Now that that’s all sorted,” David says. “Let’s get started.”

Elizabeth taps her mouse and the screen at the end of the meeting room fills with the most intense matrix I’ve ever seen.

“I’ve already made a list of every possible scenario I believe we might encounter, including contingencies for anything Elio or Stas might do,” she says. “Today, we need to come up with plans of attack for each scenario—as well as any others you believe need to be here.

David jumps in immediately, throwing around phrases like “external stakeholders” and “brand equity.”

It’s suddenly very clear why Elizabeth was so appalled by the idea of a charm offensive. This isn’t a press conference or a couple of interviews that help a media storm blow over. This is a fucking battle plan.

And I’ve got to strap in if I want to keep up.

So I take a deep breath, and meet my extreme crash course in crisis communications head on.

3

I’ve been in my fair share of media circuses. But none of them hold a candle to the energy in this F1 press room.

Since I arrived in London on Tuesday, my schedule has been nonstop. Every second of every day is filled with meetings, strategy sessions, chats with journalists, and crisis training workshops. And that’s not even counting all the international travel. I like being busy and I love the rush of a crisis, but this pace is nearly too much.

Not that I would ever let anyone know. My job is to get this team through this scandal. So if that means I need to survive on three hours of sleep and more coffee than is likely medically safe, then that’s what I’ll do.

I stand at the back of the room in Bahrain, waiting for the drivers to take the stage. David and I drilled Wes and Hyunjoon on how to answer the questions they’ll inevitably receive this weekend, and it turns out that Wes really is a PR dream.

Since looking him up and contemplating handing in my resignation letter the second the search results populated, I’ve learned that he’s the handsome, affable American in a sport where Americans aren’t all that common. He has graced gossip sites, been a guest on late-night shows, and is a brand ambassador for a mix of luxury and household brands. In addition, he’s a tabloid staple. There’s no lack of rumors about his playboy antics: partying on yachts with billionaires and frequenting high-roller casinos, not to mention the rampant rumors about his bedroom preferences. If you believe the internet, the man is not just a bisexual icon, but a modern-day Apollo who has slept with every celebrity on the planet. Then there’s the very small but extremely vocal minority that is adamant he’s in an open relationship with Stas Dubinsky.

Aside from the rumors, I’ve learned the facts about Wesley F. Grant. He was born and raised just outside of Boston. He started karting when he was five and made his Formula 1 debut with Orion Motorsports when he was 20, alongside Stas. He won a lot of races with them—but he never won the Drivers’ Championship. After eight years at Orion, he shocked the motorsports world when he left for Sterling, their biggest competitor.

That decision was a terrible one. Wes had a rough time at Sterling, never performing the way people expected. After they canceled his contract early, he ended up at Bosch, a less successful “mid-field” team for the next two years, where everyone agrees he found as much success as he could in a car that was never going to win. Then, he landed at Martine, where he was once again teammates with Stas and driving better than he had in years. These days, he’s one of the older drivers in F1, but no one is in a hurry for him to retire.

After studying his interviews, it’s clear that he’s not just highly media trained, but genuinely at ease in front of cameras and journalists—even when they’re out for blood. Though he says things that toe the edge of reckless and often uses the type of humor that’s easy to misconstrue, I’m not particularly concerned about him today.

Hyunjoon, on the other hand, I’m worried about. During our crisis training session, I role-played a ruthless journalist and he crumbled under the pressure.

On top of everything we’re already dealing with, Hyunjoon announced that he and his girlfriend, Min Sora, are publicly unveiling their relationship this weekend. Since she’s a K-pop megastar, there will be all sorts of new eyes on not just him and the team, but the entire sport—so gossip about Martine Racing is going to hit an even higher fever pitch than expected.

But that’s tomorrow’s problem.

Today, we need both Wes and Hyunjoon to project confidence, stability, and focus. We need them to reassure people that Martine Racing has things under control.

“Excuse me,” a stunning Black woman with an American accent says. “You’re Elizabeth Jacobs, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I heard a rumor that Martine brought you in,” she says. “Smart of them.”

“Thank you,” I say cautiously. Strangers don’t usually know my name, let alone recognize me. “Are you also in public relations?”

She breathes a laugh. “No, I’m a presenter. My name is Chalondra Matthews. You probably don’t remember me, but I was dating Zeke when you worked with him.”

Ezekiel Bello was one of my earliest crisis clients: a basketball player who found himself canceled after he went on a podcast and disparaged a boy band with a very active fanbase. He deserved the backlash, but I did my job anyway, complete with recommendations for rehabbing his image and educating himself. “Oh, wow.”

“Yeah,” Chalondra says. “I promise my taste in men has improved.”

I grin at her in solidarity. Unfortunately, Zeke did not learn his lesson. When his team called me a couple months later, I saw the writing on the wall and declined the work. I’m glad that Chalondra also got away from him and his toxic masculinity.

“I was so impressed with how you handled his situation. I’ve followed your career since,” she says, handing me her card. “If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“Thanks, Chalondra. I really appreciate it.”