DNF - c.l [1]

03:00

"Don't let him get into your head okay," Albert said to me as we walked through the paddock towards the garage.

after last night, Dee and I had left shortly after, when I told her what had happened on the drive home it took me everything to get her not to rock up to Max's hotel and cuss him out right then and there.

all morning Charles had been giving me judged looks from across the paddock durning his pre-race interviews and such had I.

"Who?" I ask Albert, not knowing who he was referring to. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about last night as it had been playing on my mind all morning that Charles really thought I was about to sleep my way through the grid.

"Max, he was only a second ahead of you in practice which means you're just as fast as he is - remember the strategy we spoke about this morning and stick to it, oh, and try not to kill yourself or Charles okay?" he says, briefly stopping before the garage door.

I nod my head in reply as he opens the door for me to the madness which was the garage, even busier and more mayhem than it was yesterday.

"Oh and also Scott your da-"

"Madeline!" I hear from the other side of the garage over all the commotion.

I follow the voice and lock eyes with my dad who had a headset on stood by the wall.

"Dad!" I squeal out, running over to him and hugging him tight. "You said you couldn't come because of work?" I question him but not caring about it, other than he was really here.

"And miss my main girls debut to formula one? not for the world poppet," he hugs me again and my eyes almost filled with tears as his support meant the most to me.

he was my number 1 supporter, never missed a race and often helped me with my cars back at home, the main thing we bonded over was cars and our love for racing, on and off the track.

"Remember what I told you," he says, placing both his hands over my ears, "you're in your own bubble out there, drive like there's not tomorrow," I close my eyes for second and let myself immerse in his words.

we both nod and I make my way to the car, putting my gloves on as I slide into my seat, tightening my harness.

I watch the screen above my car as the camera stream shows the crowd, the grand stand completely filled out.

"Radio check?" Albert's voice fills my ears once again, "evening Albert," I chirp back, now in a better headspace knowing I had my dad and Dee here supporting me.

"Drive it like it's stolen Mads," Dee's voice almost makes me jump but I chuckle, doing a final check of my steering wheel and harness.

I get the signal to drive out onto the track and I race on forward, but suddenly coming to a stop when I'm cut off by Charles accelerating off in front of me. I could almost hear him laughing in his helmet so I drop a wanker sign as he looks at me, driving off.

the formation lap went smoothly with Max ahead of me and Charles behind me.

lining up on the grid I see my dad and Dee by the fence cheering me on and I smile again, closing my eyes as I listen to the beep countdown in my ear pieces. 

I deserved to be.

the lights went off and we were off into turn one, Max only a few inches off my off side tyre as we're wheel to wheel, pushing out into corner two.

my back end slips out and for a moment I almost lose the car, keeping the steering tight and correcting the movement, but it costed me as Charles races on ahead of me. the next 30 laps goes smoothly, with Charles ahead of me and Fernando Alson right on my bumper.

"If this guy gets any closer to me Albert, it's going to get physical," I threaten to Albert through my ear piece, the stress now getting to me.

"We're working on it Scott, hold position, I repeat, hold position." he states. "do you not think I'm trying Albert?" I yell back at him.

"Next lap we're pitting, prepare to pit." Albert says and I let out a frustrated groan, hugging it close to Charles. 

I pull into the pit lane and for a moment times slows on the race track, my heart almost stops beating as those 2 seconds feel like 2 years, watching the mechanic in front of me, waiting for them to signal I could race off again. 

before I know it, they've raised the banner in front of me, letting me accelerate back onto the track where I pull out in front of Max who has lapped Charles and I a while ago.

only a few more laps and it would be done, the first race of my formula one debut, I needed to make it count, but the only way I could do that now was to catch up to Charles.

I forget about Max behind me and race ahead at may next target who was still Alonso.

"Alonso is 4 seconds ahead, strategy 3, I repeat strategy 3." Albert says and I instantly hit the gas, pushing the car harder than I should into the corners, lapping Yuki for the second time now.

Alonso was now only half a second ahead of me, waiting for DRS to kicking in I take one last breath and take the inside line on the corner, cutting in front of him.

I look in my side mirror, making sure I hadn't caused him to swerve to his death, before accelerating further along the straight.

"7 seconds to Charles and 5 laps left." Albert speaks again, almost making me jump.

I was gaining on him again, now only a few paces behind him.

as we closed to the end of the race I could hear the crowd getting louder every time we passed the finish line.

Turn 13 he cut me off again, just like he did in practice, but this time not touching me, instead he was the one to run off slightly into the rubble, allowing me to overtake him, giving me room to hit the apex and take the straight at full speed correctly.

as I pass over the finish line on the final lap I find myself grinning, ear to ear.

"P2 Madeline! you did it! you made it on the podium!" I could hear the rest of the garage cheering as Albert notified me.

P2, in formula one, against all the other male drivers, on my first race. it didn't feel real.

as I come into the pit lane and park in front of the P2 sign, getting out of my car i'm bombarded with camera's and members of the pit crew hugging me and patting me on my helmet.

"You did it! oh my god you did it Madeline!" my Dad embraces me in a hug, kissing the top of my helmet as we all cheer. 

"You really took what I said seriously huh?" Dee says laughing and congratulating me, "driving it stolen always works," I says pulling off my helmet and looking around me, the team and Vasseur who was now approaching me with a grin on his face.

"I must say, when I brought the idea of putting you as our second driver, the board was mainly against me, but my god girl, you can drive." he says hugging me as well.

"Thank you Vasseur," I say, holding his hands.

"No Madeline, thank you," he says as I stand on the nose of my car, putting my helmet above my head and cheering as the camera's flash around me.

I look beside me and see Max smirking at me as he takes his girlfriend into his arms hugging her, and it almost ruins my mood, but I refuse to let it.

"I must say Scott," a voice comes from below me, Charles stood in front of my car, his hair wet from sweat and his race suit tied around his waist.

"I knew you were a slag, but a cheat too? now that's low." 

before I can say anything else he's already stormed off into the garage to go and get weighed and cool down.

"Don't let him get in your head," Dee whisper yells into my ear over all the noise as I step down from the car, a smile still on my face for the cameras.