( on screen interview with dakota mcmanus )

... it meant a lot to me to have granddad in the garage for my last drive with alphatauri. after he had his stroke, we didn't think he'd step foot in the paddock again, especially with covid going around, so to have him with me at my hone grand prix, just days after i made the most important decision of my career so that he could watch me do something that i love and tell me he's proud of me in person is indescribable. there's a part of me that felt like i was letting him down in deciding to leave the red bull organization, so for him to tell me that he's proud of me for deciding to take my career into my own hands means more to me than i think he;s ever gonna know.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

SATURDAY - QUALIFYING

Dakota McManus stood in the hotel room's ensuite bathroom as she fought to drag a hair brush through one last section of hopelessly tangled hair. The night before, Yuki had been so enthralled by the sight of his girlfriend in her race suit that the couple had barely spent any part of the night asleep, sheets tangled around bodies and cries of pleasure permeating the air.

"Babe, have you seen my Yas Marina bucket hat?"

Within moments, after a minor scuffle with the pristine white duvet that was still lying on the floor, Yuki Tsunoda materialized in the doorway, passing his grilfriend the white bucket hat.

"I had a feeling you'd be asking for it." He said with a smile, quickly pressing a kiss to Dakota's lips.

"You're an angel."

"Incredible drive in the car yesterday. P9 was kind of incredible seeing as you haven't done a practice session in almost a year." Yuki continued, getting his duffel bag together before they were due to meet Dakota's sister Virginia and the dogs near the racetrack. "Imagine how unstoppable you'd be in a McLaren. They'd be tripping over themselves to offer you one of their Formula E seats, you know, since they've bought the old Mercedes team now."

Dakota froze, mascara brush halfway to her eye. "Yeah, about that." She sighed, gently applying the thick black cosmetic to her lashes. "McLaren don't want me within ten feet of their cars. I'm the pit stop coordinator, at most. I'm not allowed to touch, drive or basically breath on their precious little papaya machine. I can't do my job if I can;t drive the car. That's not how it works. I need to know what it feels like normally so I can tell the driver if there's something seriously wrong."

"Oh shit. Mac, I didn't know. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." she capped the pink mascara bottle aggressively, dropping it into her makeup bag before pulling on the bucket hat and staring at herself in the mirror.

A lot of things depended on AlphaTauri's success this weekend.

"I have a meeting over at Alpine with Otmar later, so we'll see how that goes. If anybdy can stick it to McLaren, it's Otmar and his guys. I talked to Lance's dad this morning, and Lawrence gave me such a pity stare that I wished the floor would swallow me whole. Stroll Sr. said there's no space at Aston, not like I'd want to work there anyways."

She still had one card to play.

She could still call Toto and admit defeat, that she couldn't find a position anywhere else. Merc would take her, that wasn't the issue. The issue was relying on her friendship with the Mercedes team principal, relying on the most vulnerable and medically terrifying night of her life, to get a job.

People already hated her for having her current position handed to her by her grandfather, imagine what they'd say if she used Toto to get in with Mercedes because of Mexico City.

"You still have time, love bug." Yuki reminded her, taking her warm hands in his. "This isn't a choice you should be rushing to make. And if it turns out that decision that's right for you is to leave F1 altogether, I'll support that. I'll still be by your side every step of the way."

Dakota grinned. "So you heard what that fucker from Juncos Hollinger said, didn't you?"

"Maybe. I heard a few mechanics talking about it earlier."

"I'm not going to Indy. Too American for me. I'd love to drive one of those things, though. Maybe Tati can hook me up at A.J Foyt." Dakota laughed, thinking about Tatiana Calderon, the IndyCar racer she had met a few years prior, brought together by their shared circumstances.

"Now come on, let's go show the world that Dakota Elaine McManus is back and better thatn ever."

F1: "She's playing with fire, leaving like that": Lawrence Stroll on McManus: "No team is going to want a glorified mechanic from the midfield unless they're also in the midfield or below. She has no chance at a top three contract unless she takes what Zak Brown is giving her."

Motorsport.com: BREAKING: IndyCar press conference reveals Juncos Hollinger desire to steal pit crew cheif Dakota McManus away from Formula 1 for 2023 season as A.J Foyt's Tatiana Calderon continues to push for more women in IndyCar racing.

BBC SPORTS: AlphaTauri qualify 11th and 13th in first race since Dakota McManus took sabbatical to focus on mental health

TWITTER

'sup melbourne ! so great to be back, here's the grid spots for tomorrow's race day.

pierre is starting in p11 and yuki will be starting p13. me and the dogs will be in the pit lane, ready to take all challenges as they come.

- Dakota Elaine Mac ( dakotalelaineee )

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FemalesInMotorsport

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femalesinmotorsport Today is a very special post in honor of Dakota McManus, pit crew team leader and testing driver for Scuderia AlphaTauri, who recently announced that she would be leaving her post at the team in search of another opportunity for the next season, closing out the FP1 session on Friday in Pierre Gasly's car with her grandfather, the reason she got into the sport, in the garage to cheer her on, scoring a brilliant P9 finish.

Dakota has been with AT in Formula 1 for five years, and has expressed her excitement in looking for something new, including a potential shift to IndyCar racing after a leak online revealed that Juncos Hollinger Racing would be offering her a contract for the upcoming race season.

When we talked to her ahead of quali this weekend, she told us that she is grateful for all of the chances that the Red Bull Racing umbrella has given her, and states that she bears no ill will towards those she is closest to, reminding the world that this was a personal decision that she has been thinking about for a while, and that she is not simply leaving the team because things are getting tough. Dakota will tick with the team for the remainder of 2022, and is ready to give her all to the competition and is excited to open up the next chapter of her life.

We wish you all the best in your future endeavors, Dakota!