DNF - c.l [1]

10:00

Practice yesterday went as smoothly as you could expect it to, with the tension between Charles and I still high, we were battling each other mentally and physically.

"I'm so serious you two," Vasseur said as he walked with us to our cars through the garage. "If you guys even get within a second of each other during this practice, you're both done." his empty threats meant nothing to Charles, but a lot to me.

We both agreed to lay off each other for the practice, with Charles getting P2 and myself P5, not the best performance as during my final test lap there was too much traffic on track and the power steering in the car started to leak.

"Happy birthday Madeline," Albert says through my ear pieces as I'm putting my gloves on in the car, only a few more minutes until the official Monaco Grand Prix, on my birthday.

"Thank you Albert," I say smiling, "can my birthday present be letting me pass Charles?" I ask laughing, checking everything on my steering wheel was working correctly.

"I will have to check with Vasseur on that one I'm afraid Madeline," he replies, I hope he knew I was joking.

This was my race, no matter what I had to do, I was going to win.

After completing the formation lap, I take my position as 5th on the track, looking at the stands filled with people to my left.

"Have a safe race," I hear from my dad through the comms, looking back at the pit lane I see him smiling through the fence, waving me to focus forward.

Clearing my head, I allow myself to clear any thoughts or other worries and be present in the car.

The lights went out and we were all accelerating forward.

Lando and Sergio were ahead of me, only a few seconds as we made out way into the first corner, cutting it tight on the street circuit. 

They make contact in front of me, giving me a chance to swerve around and push forward into third, changing gears a little too late and locking up I almost give up the position back to Sergio.

Charles was ahead of me now, pushing on Max ahead of him. 

I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead as the stress was getting to me, trying to battle off and hold my position while still trying to gain on Charles.

We race like this for another 30 laps, Charles pitting before me as I was now P2, Max not yet pitting.

"Okay Madeline, we're pitting next lap, prepare to pit," Albert says as I'm edging around the hair pin, Max only 3 seconds ahead of me now as we push forward into corner 8.

"Max is pitting too, so this will be tight," Albert informs me as we hit the speed trap at 200 miles per hour, the G force was starting to hit my neck now, causing it to tense up in pain as I clutched onto the steering wheel.

"Charles is 13 seconds behind," Albert says as I begin pulling into the pit lane behind Max.

Hoping this was a quick enough pit I could pull out in front of Charles and beat Max out the box.

I look for a split second at the pit wall as Vasseur watches as the mechanics change the tyres from hards to softs, my dad with his arms crossed over his chest.

The mechanic raises the sign, letting me pull out back into the pit lane, only millimetres before Max, almost cutting him off.

"Okay Madeline, you may make it out before Charles, but you may also get a time penalty for that," Albert says as I'm edging the pit lane exit. 

I can see Charles at the end of the home straight and I punch it, accelerating out onto the track, letting the car off full speed.

I barely miss his front wing as I pull out in front of him, with Max hot on both our trail.

I don't think I had beed this stressed in years with Max and Charles behind me, pushing me into every corner.

"Okay Madeline, Charles has been told to defend, you're free to go, strategy 1, I repeat strategy 1." Albert confirms for me as I'm pushing it for the last 20 laps.

The car felt like it was overheating as we came round the home straight for the last time, "Albert I think there's a problem," I comms in to him, looking around in my side mirrors for any smoke as it felt way too hot in here.

"We're checking it now," he replies to me as I look back again to see Charles defending off Max like he was supposed to be doing, blocking him from every racing line on the corners.

As we make our way through the tunnel I feel my chest start to go light, only a few more corners of holding this position and it would be P1, my first ever win in formula one.

"Almost home Madeline, come on," I hear my dad say through the comms as I round onto corner 18, the crowds of people cheering so loudly I could almost hear them over the roar of my car.

I change down a gear as I hit corner 19, giving myself enough revs to acceleration extravagantly over the finish line.

Everything slowed down as I saw the checkered flag as the front wing of my car crossed the finish line. The garage boys having climbed onto the railing, holding the sign 'P1 Scott', it didn't feel real.

Red smoke fills the grand stands as the chalk cannons go off, flooding my vision.

I let out a scream, flipping my visor up as I looked around, tears filling my eyes as I slowed down, taking in every moment of being on this track.

The smell of rubber and fuel filled my nose through my helmet and I was grinning ear to ear, rising a hand above my head to wave at the people in the stands and on their boats in the harbour.