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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Sometimes, Anneli Raïkkonën wondered if Formula 1 had become more obsessed with making their drivers into models and media sensations before they were good drivers. She'd been asked to do more media during the weekend than she had getting into her car, from games with Yuki (which she did enjoy) to reaction videos. She didn't enjoy all of it and she definitely didn't like the idea of being some random media girl.
In reality, she knew it was just about money. Everything was. She raced to get points for her team so they'd get more money and the media was their way of bringing in more sponsorship. Of course, Anneli was there to drive and that's all there was to her story. She didn't care what else they wanted her for as long as she got them the points they hired her to get.
"Yuki," Anneli called as she stepped into hospitality. "What do I eat for breakfast?"
It was finally race day in Zanfoort. There had been a close call during practice between Anneli and Oscar Piastri, where if Anneli hadn't chosen to slow down more than she would have done on a corner, she could have potentially gotten into a situation when the Australian crashed in a hard spot to avoid at full speed. She had said nothing about the incident, apart from the mumble in the radio of: "Piastri crashed and ruined my lap."
Every morning on the race weekend, Anneli let Yuki pick whatever they were going to be eating but it allowed her to focus on the weekend ahead of her instead of what to eat. He always made good choices and it was their way of bonding as teammates, something Yuki was worried they wouldn't be able to do. Now, they spent every race weekend dining together in the morning and for lunch if it was a late race, as Yuki would teach Anneli all about food (which she didn't know a lot about) and talk about differences in their cultures.
"Oh, we have a tag along," Anneli hummed as she noticed the newcomer.
"Hi, I'm Liam," The blonde, with a defining Australian accent greeted.
"Anneli," The Finnish woman nodded in return. "You are...the reserved driver, Lawson, yes?"
"That's me," Liam grinned. "I hope I'm not gatecrashing your breakfast."
"No," Anneli shook her head. "You can join us."
Robyn, the only other female on the grid, had emphasised the importance of Anneli making friends with the other drivers. Respect went a long way in the sport and no one wanted a driver who wasn't a team player. So she was doing her best to try to accept everyone with open arms.
