With the motorsport world finally putting light on the women of racing, one racer was ready to work her way up to the Formula 1 grid. As a Formula 2 rookie, she struggled, but with Red Bull Racing behind her, she was sure to cause one of hell of a c...
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Anneli quite liked the Red Bull atmosphere.
She knew it wasn't for everyone; to some people, it might have seemed a ruthless place. There was no room for mistake but was there with any team...well, from previous records, there was.
Red Bull was strict in what they wanted from a driver and Anneli respected that; she didn't see the point in keeping someone who was pointless if they truly were at that moment in time. It also meant they kept a tight circle within the team and Anneli appreciated that too.
Anneli was back in Milton Keynes for her seat fitting as reserve driver. She'd also had a seat fitting at Alpha Tauri as she was contracted to be a reserve driver for them too. So she'd been to Italy and England within the space of two days.
After the seat fitting, Anneli decided to just stay in England for a few days after they unveiled the new car. The media team liked that as they got some time to film promo videos. The car launch was supposed to be a large event and they wanted Anneli there as their official reserve driver, not just their driver's academy member.
"Anneli, hey!" Max called as he saw her. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"You did not?" Anneli surprised. "Well...surprise?"
"Hi Anneli," Checo added, stepping forward slightly to shake her hand.
Anneli had to wonder if Checo ever got worried at Red Bull; they had a history of getting rid of drivers very quickly and replacing them with fresh F2 talent...Checo wasn't exactly a young driver and everyone knew Max was the golden boy. Max would only ever leave Red Bull on his terms.
"How was your flight from Switzerland?" Max asked.
"I flew here from Italy," Anneli corrected. "It was nice."
"How was your winter break?" Max questioned.
"It was good...I just went hiking with Felipe and Jack last week," Anneli explained. "Then I went to Race of Champions to support Felipe, Mick and Seb."
"You've been busy then," Max laughed. "Do you like the new suit?"
"It's a little different from last year and my normal DAMS but yes, I do," Anneli smiled. "And my helmet is cool."
Anneli was glad about her new suit being the fit it was, You couldn't see much and it did its best to make sure she wasn't objectified for being a woman in the sport. She'd had that in the past...people commenting on her waist and upper area so at least they wouldn't do it as much now. Other than that, it was about the same as her DAMS suit with changed branding.
After they did the photography shoots in the new suits, it was back to normal clothing of the Red Bull brand for the car reveal. Anneli doubted it would look any different their livery never did.
"Have you ever been on a stage like this?" Checo asked kindly, seeing Anneli shuffle in her spot.
"No," She shrugged. "Just on the podium...but my dad is here."
"He is?"
"He comes to everything," Anneli nodded. "Christian said it was okay."
Anneli wasn't particularly nervous, media didn't scare her other than the odd annoyance with how long it always took. This was a little different...it was the main car to show off to all of the sponsors and guests.
Despite the fact they were supposed to be paying attention to what the presenter was saying after the car had been shown (which Anneli liked)...Max Verstappen was too busy joking around her as they looked at the car.
Anneli finally understood what the term 'maxplaining' was.
The Finnish woman could also see her father rolling her eyes from where he stood as he watched Max point out parts of the car to his daughter. Kimi knew it would likely bore Anneli.
"Anneli, you are new to the Red Bull family this year," The presenter began and Anneli turned her attention to her. "What do you think of the sim work you will be doing?"
Anneli brought the mic up closer.
"Well It's to develop the car for Max and Check," Anneli replied shortly. "I also have my own races in Formula 2 so I know the car and how things work. I am hoping that my experience is useful to the sim work too."
As soon as the presenter stopped talking to Anneli and turned to Checo, Max was back whispering to her about random things...Anneli was doing her best not to burst out laughing in front of all the people. She could tell Max was as bored as she was.
"Now Anneli, you're one of the older drivers on the F2 grid, how does that change your perspective and how does being in the Red Bull family help you?"
"I started karting at a very early age but had to take a couple of years out so you could say my teammate Arthur Leclerc and I are in the same boat so I would not say my perspective is that much different. I think it makes me appreciate the fact I am here a lot more," Anneli explained the best she could. "I think being with Red Bull for me will allow me the sim time I don't always get and having the experience of Max and Checo should be invaluable."
The launch didn't go on for long after that but Anneli was rather bored all the way through. After all, she was just standing there listening to everything that was being said. When she finally exited the building, she was glad to have some fresh air.
"Hey, Anneli!" Max called as he jogged to her.
"Hi," Anneli replied, glancing at her dad, who waited leaning up against the car they rented.
"Sorry if I'm keeping you, I just wanted to ask when testing was for you?" Max questioned.
"February 14th," Anneli replied smoothly. "Why?"
"I just wanted to see if you'd be there at the same time as us," Max replied with a shrug. "But—"
"I'll be there through my testing and I'll be in the Red Bull garage during yours," Anneli interrupted. "That's what you are asking, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess," Max smiled slightly.
"You must really miss me," said Anneli with a hint of sarcasm as she began to walk to her dad. "See you, Verstappen."
Meanwhile, Kimi just glared at Max Verstappen.
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Are you finally excited to get into some racing and paddock drama...
:O
If you read the other books in the series, you know they stop at the end of 2022 so you'll be getting bonus content of them from this ;)
