17.179. This is the exact duration in seconds that Scuderia Libra's purple Lotus Elise spent losing sight of the lead during the five-lap Sebring sprint.
At the Lotus F1 Team garage, we did not actually see our driver, the entity registered in the entry list as Fernando Horta. There are persistent paddock rumours that he was present, but our crew only found a lukewarm cup of sweet coffee and a USB drive containing a 2:19.799 lap time plugged into the telemetry computer. The Elise returned to the pit lane completely empty, yet victorious, having secured the win and stretched our driver's championship lead to four points.
Our newly appointed Chief Strategist, Robert Smith, adjusted his smeared eyeliner and stared blankly at the concrete bumps of the Florida runway before offering his formal assessment of the weekend.
Robert Smith (Chief Strategist): It is always the same. We find ourselves on a dusty airfield, chasing ghosts in light sports cars. The lap times are fast, but what is speed when we are all just accelerating toward the inevitable end? I told the mechanics to paint the Elise a darker, more melancholic shade of grey, but they said it would ruin the sponsor placement. Still, a win is a win, I suppose, if one believes in the fragile illusion of achievement.
The paddock whispers suggest the driver left immediately after the checkered flag to smuggle some obscure telemetry components out of the country, or perhaps the car simply ran on sheer, unadulterated fear. Either way, the trophy is currently sitting in our hospitality tent, and our purple rivals have been left to ponder their life choices in the Florida heat.
