( on screen interview with claire williams, former team principal of williams racing )

".... you know there aren't many women like dakota in this sport. mac's got something special. after i stepped away from williams there weren't any women in these big important places in formula one anymore, so to find out that alphatauri were giving dakota her grandfather's old job, it made me smile. the drive and the passion that dakota mcmanus has is incredible, and it's something that i don't even think i saw in my own mechanics at williams. she's so in tune with what she does, and she gives her 110% every single race, every single weekend, every single free practice. we need more women like mac."

2022 SEASON

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

SATURDAY - QUALIFYING

The AlphaTauri garage was a hub of activity, both driver's suited up in their fireproof racewear and ready to go while Dakota hovered around the mechanics, performing her final checks on both cars before sending Pierre and Yuki do do their qualifying laps. 

Time and time again, Franz had told Dakota that she was just a manager now, she was to sit at the pit wall and monitor the car's data during the race, and to take the advice from the engineers as the next step, but the mechanic inside of her would not let her leave the cars in somebody else's hands.

Maybe it was less the mechanic side of her and more the anxious side of her, especially since her best friend and her boyfriend would be driving the cars. Maybe it was a conflict of interest, maybe it wasn't. Dakota thought her closeness to the drivers made her a better crew chief, a more cautious one.

"Alright, listen up!" Franz Tost shouted, calling the garage to attention. 

The engineers in their polo shirts lined up at the back, frozen in place, the put crew in their fireproof overalls and helmets taking seats on the folding chairs. Dakota stood at the back, McDonalds' cup in her hand as she sipped a drink that Marcus Ericsson, formerly of Alfa Romeo Sauber, had once told her was the Middle Eastern equivalent of a Sprite. She missed Marcus the same way she missed a lot of the drivers she had met over the years who had moved on to other things, like Romain Grosjean from Haas who was now competing in IndyCar, or Bendan Hartley, who was doing the FIA's Endurance Championship.

"It's been a whirlwind few years, and there have been a lot of changes in this garage. We've seen good crew members come and go, and a new breed of mechanics and engineers to take over. It's my pleasure to also welcome back Dakota as our crew chief, who I could not be more proud of." Franz grinned in her direction like a proud father. "I've had the pleasure of watching Dakota grow from a shy eighteen year old girl on internship, to a young woman influencing an entire generation of young girls who may one day join this world on the technical side."

The garage erupted into cheers, and Dakota's face went pink. Grinning widely, Yuki took her hand. The small man was only 5'2, and Dakota felt like she towered over him some days at 5'4, but that was nothing compared to when either of them stood next to Esteban Ocon. The AlphaTauri driver looked at his girlfriend with pure love in his eyes, and regardless of how awkward it would grow to be, Dakota rested her head on his shoulder.

"This truly is going to be a season like no other." Franz continued, "But under Dakota's influence, I'm pleased to introduce you to the youngest member of our crew, but certainly the brightest, our new mechanic, Vanessa Xu."

Vanessa Xu had been Dakota's idea. An avid car enthusiast, Vanessa had been inspired greatly by Dakota's success as an online influencer following the media frenzy around her when she became the youngest woman to be appointed to an F1 pit crew going into her first proper contracted year with Toro Rosso. Vanessa was one of the best, and quickest mechanics in the AlphaTauri garage, something that would mean everything in a race.

"This is the start of a new era for AlphaTauri, springing off our success in Abu Dhabi. Let's keep it this way, and go show the world that we have what it takes." He looked over at his junior. "Baby Mac, is there anything you'd like to add?"

Disentangling herself from Yuki, Dakota laughed. She always had been attached to that nickname.

Before she could get a word out, the garage began to chant, 'speech, speech, speech', and nobody was chanting louder that Vanessa Xu, dark hair pulled back in a prim bun, nerves visible under the surface of her eager exterior. This would be her first quali session as a mechanic.

"We've come a long way since I started here in 2018. We've had our ups and our downs, and we've lost good men and women. But we've also gained a new generation of crew members that give me more faith than ever. More young women who remind me so much of myself. God, I'm only twenty-three, I feel fucking old saying that. But the truth is that I'd be considered middle aged if i was a driver, I'd have maybe eight years left, max." Dakota began, her speech quickly turning into a ramble. She didn't like having to think of something on the fly, too many possible distractions. "Abu Dhabi was one of our best runs yet considering that all of the major players still finished the race. A four-five finish was how we proved ourselves in the eyes of the public."

"That, and the fact that you made out with Yuki at the finish line!" Pierre laughed, ruffling the shorter driver's hair. The garage started to laugh, and even Dakota found that she was grinning.

"So let's fucking go out there and show them that we didn't just get lucky in Abu Dhabi. Let's go score some fucking points!"

After a round of cheers, hugs and high fives, the engineers went back to their computers, the photographers lined up near the track and the mechanics triple checked easy tyre access, ease of materials and so forth. Dakota fixed her bandana, tied daintily above the plastic clip keeping her hair out of her face. The bout of heatstroke she suffered in Singapore had scared everybody, and you can imagine how they were watching her like a hawk now that they were back in the danger zone in terms of climate.

"Hey, baby." Yuki said softly, sidling up to his girlfriend as she anxiously watched Pierre climb into the race car, the pre-race nerves settling in her stomach.

"Hey." Dakota grinned, gently placing a kiss on the Japanese driver's lips. "Knock 'em dead out there, sexy."

Yuki laughed, his entire body vibrating at the sound. "I'll do my best. How are you feeling? Did you take your meds when you came back earlier."

Kota grimaced, thinking about the migraine medication in her bag. She hated how everybody in the garage thought it was their business, that she wasn't capable of taking care of herself. Truth be told, she was so used to the dull pounding of her head that she could almost always tune it out.

But Franz wasn't willing to take chances, especially with the lives of both of his drivers in Dakota's hands.

"Yuki, I'm fine, really." She reached into her bag for the small orange bottle, shaking two tablets out onto her hands. The noise and the lights of night races always made her migraines worse. "Just focus on the race, okay. Nothing else."

"Nothing else but your voice in my ear."

"Exactly." Dakota smiled after dry-swallowing the pills. "I'll be on the pit wall if you need me, okay." She kissed him again. "Good luck out there."

Qualifiers did not, in fact, go well for the AlphaTauri team. Yuki was out before the end of the first session, and he was going to start Sunday morning at the back fo the grid. As much as it pained Dakota, she knew that most of the team's resources were with Pierre anyways, that he was the more experienced driver. AlphaTauri would still have a chance to bring the points home with the French driver. 

She sat at the pit wall, breathing heavily into the flimsy AlphaTauri team sponsored mask that covered the bottom half of her face, as per Sakhir's health constraints. Every race left her like this, on edge quite literally. She felt helpless sometimes as the chief, more so than she did when she was just a mechanic. And being who she was, with the media attention always on her, she was really beginning to feel the pressure towards the end of the 2021 season.

"Come on, P." Dakota grimaced, muttering under her breath as she stared at the screens in front of her. By all accounts, Pierre was making good time. Q2 was over, and as long as he kept that speed up before crossing the line, he'd make it into Q3. 

When Pierre crossed the finish line, she exhaled a sigh of relief. He had moved up into P9, saving him from elimination. A pole position was too much to hope for, she knew, but the further up Pierre was on the grid the following night, the better.

"Good fucking job, P! Great fucking time, mate!" She cheered over the radio, knowing the Frenchman would have at least a small grin on his face. "We're in Q3, show me what you got."

Yuki watched from the garage, a soft smile on his face. There was nothing he loved more than hearing Dakota's voice over his radio while he drove except watching her in her element, perched delicately on the pit wall, cursing in Aussie slang and trying not to knock coffee cups over in excitement. 

It almost made not making Q2 easier.

"How are we doing, cherie?" Pierre questioned, attempting to keep his cool. He knew this session would be rough, with both drivers from the Big Three teams also competing for those top six spots on the grid.

Dakota glance back at the monitor. "Sainz is leading, Leclerc just behind, then both Red Bulls and both Mercedes. Sainz clocking 1.30." She cursed. "Fuck, mate. you're 2.552 seconds behind him, it's not looking good."

Pierre would finish the session in tenth, meaning neither AlphaTauri would be in a prime race day position. Charles Leclerc took pole, and while she was proud of Charles, she was also gutted for her own team. While other crews got to celebrate, Dakota found that she was more often bound for meetings than parties, filled with a sense of dread as seasons dragged on with no improvement.

She didn't want to be vindictive. Charles had been one of her best friends going back to her first season, and she's never felt prouder when he got the Ferrari promotion.

But it still fucking stung.

And now she needed to go talk to Daniel Ricciardo about fuck knows what.

Fuck.

NOTES!!

this chapter was three times as long as I think I meant for it to be-

but what big news does danny ric have?