Page 1 of Lights Out (Love in the Paddock #1)

I remember the moment that got me here so clearly, it might have happened yesterday rather than two years ago.

It was the Miami Grand Prix. My dad had some corporate hospitality tickets, and I thought it would be something fun to do.

I had just finished my school year at the University of Georgia, so I was home.

I figured I might as well tag along, thinking I’d enjoy the experience even if I wasn’t into cars.

But that was before I felt it.

And I, Isla Foley, fell completely and totally in love.

Not with a man.

But a sport.

Formula 1 racing was like nothing I had ever experienced. I was studying sports journalism with dreams of covering a major pro team, and in two weeks I was about to start my internship at Total Access Total Sports Miami.

The second I inhaled the scent of fuel and rubber? Felt the reverberations of the race cars run through my body as they headed toward speeds of two hundred miles per hour? Held my breath as a driver made a risky move to pass ahead of a competitor?

The sport is dangerous. Breathtaking. Full of speed, drama, strategy, and risk.

And I was hooked.

Now I’m standing on this very track two years later, at the Miami Grand Prix, with the opportunity of a lifetime.

I have been freelancing for Total Access Total Sports Miami since I graduated from Georgia, doing things for their social media channels.

But the entire time, I’ve also been creating F1 content just for fun on my social media channels.

I thought that’s what it would always be. Me creating racing content just for fun.

I was wrong.

Someone from The Downforce Network saw my Connectivity Story Share—one of the major social media platforms I use—and hired me to do some fluffy, behind-the-scenes pieces for their social media channels during the Miami Grand Prix.

So here I am. I’m in the paddock that has actually been set up inside the football stadium. It’s the area where motorhomes are magnificently transformed into what are called mini skyscrapers, housing racing teams’ offices and hospitality for the week.

I’m here for a tour of the Collings Motors motorhome, giving viewers an inside peek of the hospitality space used by the elite racing team that’s in contention for both the individual Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship for teams.

If it goes well, I hope it will lead to something I desperately want.

A career working in Formula 1.

An excited shiver races through me as I walk alongside Chip, the intern assigned to help me today. I never expected this kind of break. Especially not from my videos on TikTok and Connectivity. But that—along with my reporting for Total Access Total Sports Miami—has given me this chance.

And I intend to make the most of it.

I can’t help but smile as we make our way toward the Collings Motors motorhome.

It’s amazing how in city after city, going around the world, they are able to set up these motorhomes and construct something like a mini city.

We pass by some of Collings Motors’ biggest competitors—Hoffman, an elite team from Germany, and Drago, from Italy.

But today’s feature is all about Collings Motors, a storied racing team and luxury car brand.

From what I’ve gleaned off YouTube, they have one of the most lavish motorhomes in the paddock.

Collings Motors has an interesting problem on the grid—two drivers who are equally worthy of being the team’s number-one driver. Mason Clark, a young Brit, has stormed his way right up to the top of the podium twice in the first five rounds of the season.

However, his teammate has landed on the podium three times already, getting closer and closer to his first win of the season.

Oh, and that teammate?

Caleb Collings.

Collings, as in a member of the Collings Motors legacy.

I smile to myself. Now that’s a bit of drama for the season. There was never a doubt Caleb Collings was going to have one of the two seats available at Collings Motors. But it was understood that Mason was going to be the lead driver.

Now that’s become a debate, and pundits and social media commentators suggest there is some tension between the two of them.

I push my racing—ha ha, racing , I truly am a wordsmith—thoughts aside to focus on the task at hand.

I became immersed in the sport when I fell in love with it a couple years ago. I studied it. Watched all the races. Listened to podcasts. I not only know this sport, but I understand it.

My mom asked me if it bothered me that I was being asked to do “fluffy” pieces instead of hardcore racing reporting.

The short answer?

Nope. Not one bit. These stories are fun, they’re informative, and they give fans a behind-the-scenes look at an F1 team. I’m proud to share these stories.

And hopefully, The Downforce Network will like them enough that they’ll ask me to do more of them, too.

Chip continues to make small talk with me as we walk along the paddock.

It’s Thursday morning, but it’s already bustling with activity.

Staffers from the racing teams are easily identified by the polo shirts they wear, all branded with the logos of their respective teams. People are carrying cups of coffee, others are reading phones, more are engrossed in conversation as they head to the motorhomes set up on site.

“Here it is,” Chip says, inclining his head down to the right side of the row we’re walking along. “Are you ready?”

I smile at him. Chip is shooting the feature I’m doing today.

Which means he’s holding the iPhone. Because my feature is going straight to The Downforce Network website, it’s shot with an iPhone instead of a camera. Hence the reason I have an intern instead of a videographer.

“Yes. I’m ready and I’m excited,” I say eagerly.

I walk up the steps to the glossy black building that has the sleek platinum “COLLINGS MOTORS” logo on the outside.

What’s really fascinating? This motorhome has been downsized from one they used in years prior.

In order to be more eco-friendly with shipping, they redesigned the motorhome so it can be shipped worldwide in eight containers.

Instead of the previous twenty.

I can’t even imagine what the other motorhome must have looked like, because this one is impressive as it is.

I push that image aside as I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the blackish glass.

I’m not dressed like anyone in the paddock, since The Downforce Network wanted a different image for lifestyle and behind-the-scenes content.

I’m wearing a sleeveless ruby-red blouse and white wide-legged trousers with strappy black heels.

My long copper-red hair tumbles in waves down my shoulders, and my face full of freckles is fully visible through the sheer tinted moisturizer I use.

I made my lips bold, however, with a strong red lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury that looks phenomenal with my blouse.

I’m dressed for the job at hand, I think. Now it’s time to go in there and nail it.

Chip opens the door for me, and we step inside the motorhome.

I shouldn’t be completely awed by what I see, as I’ve already looked at videos of it on YouTube, but I am.

The first floor is like walking inside a hipster café.

You’d never have any idea it’s a collapsable space!

There’s a pale gray faux-hardwood floor and light-colored wood tables.

Potted palms dot the space, giving it an airy and fresh feeling.

Along the back wall is an elaborate buffet, with a row of silver chafing dishes offering up all kinds of items for breakfast. Next to it is a coffee bar, manned by baristas who are busy working the espresso machines and getting out coffees for those waiting at the counter.

People are everywhere—getting food, sitting at tables, laughing, and talking. It’s obvious this is one of the hubs of the motorhome.

Soon, a young woman with dark hair and blue eyes approaches me, a smile on her beautiful face. I immediately know who she is.

It’s Catherine Collings, another member of the Collings Racing dynasty and personal assistant to her brother, driver Caleb Collings. She’s wearing a black polo shirt with the Collings Motors insignia on it, paired with a black pencil skirt and heels.

“Hello, you must be Isla,” she says brightly, extending her hand to me. “I’m Catherine Collings.”

I shake her hand. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I was just upstairs. Arthur is finishing up a meeting,” she explains, referring to the communications director who is my point of contact for today’s shoot. “I’d be happy to give you a little tour first and then take you upstairs to meet him.”

“Oh, that would be perfect, thank you so much,” I say.

Catherine quickly goes into tour mode, walking me through the lounge and dining area, before stopping at a staircase. “Now we’ll head upstairs to where merchandising, marketing, and the meeting rooms are located.”

I smile at her. “You’ve given this tour a few times, haven’t you?”

She chuckles. “Or a thousand. But I don’t mind. I love sharing what we are doing here. So many people work so hard, week in and week out, to get our base set up and make us comfortable. It’s really amazing what they do.”

Catherine starts up the stairs, and Chip and I follow behind her. On the second floor, we reach another lounge area, this time with circular tables and fabric-covered chairs.

“The drivers often use this lounge area,” Catherine explains.

“Then we have more offices here.” She pops open the door to a room where people are all crammed together, working on laptops.

Then she opens another door to a space filled with merchandise the drivers have to sign.

There are loads of baseball caps in all different colors, and by the volume I’m looking at, the drivers will be lucky if they don’t come down with carpal tunnel after signing them all.