"We need full send now Emilia. Push the car." John, Emilia's engineer, instructed. The pressure was getting to her. Emilia has just begun her last flying lap meaning she would have one last chance at getting into Q2. She was currently P16 which wasn't enough to progress to Q2 but if Emilia had a good lap, without going wide, she could do it. Emilia's spin yesterday had damaged her confidence and she needed to push that away and move on.
The first few corners Emilia breezed through with sector 1 of the Australian track being her best. Sector 2 is where Emilia usually lost time compared to her competitors but this time, she didn't. Emilia kept as close to the racing line as possible. Emilia In the final sector, quickly had to correct her steering. Emilia crossed the line P10, one place behind George. Emilia breathed a sigh of relief when the message came through that she'd made it through.
Emilia pulled into the garage and got out the car. There was a small chunk of time between Q1 and Q2 allowing Emilia to speak to her teammate. George was grinning, he was ecstatic which Emilia could see as he'd already taken his helmet off. Once George had seen his teammate, he embraced her in a hug. It was only Q1 but the garage was buzzing with excitement, they hadn't gotten both cars out of Q1 in years and it looked like there was still more to come from them.
"Q2 almost became a regular thing for you last season. What are you so excited about?" Emilia shouted to her teammate. It was loud even without the engines in the garage on.
"I'm excited for you, and for the team." George shouted. He ran his fingers through his hair as they both took in the atmosphere. If this is what it was like for one qualifying session imagine what it would be like if they won.
"Brilliant performance but you need to get back in your cars." An engineer ordered. They were always calm in situations like this and the drivers were very grateful for it. George fist bumped her and went back to his side of the garage.
Seeing as Emilia didn't take her helmet off, she just got straight back into the car. Emilia did some deep breathing and focused on the task ahead while listening to guidance from John. Emilia's exit out of turn nine needed to be better so she could be faster into turn ten.
Emilia's first lap in Q2 was fantastic. It got her up to P8. This session she was on the softs rather than the mediums as she was in Q1. That was tactical as her strategy for the race was to start on the softs despite there being a lot of tyre degradation.
Because her first lap of Q2 was very good, Emilia didn't need to go out until the end of the session to secure her spot in Q3 which would be a first for Williams in a while. It felt like seconds rather than minutes before she was waved out again.
"More of the same please Emilia." John encouraged.
"Copy." Emilia replied as she opened her DRS flap down the main straight. Her final Q2 lap had started. She concentrated on her exit of turn nine and felt like she had more speed into turn ten. That was what she was looking for. The third sector went smoothly and she crossed the line satisfied with her lap. Obviously it wasn't perfect but she felt like it was enough to get her into Q3. She waited silently for the results of the rest of the grid.
"P8 congratulations. We're all into Q3. George got through too." John clarified. Emilia smiled and thanked her team for all the hard work they put in.
The team stated that they didn't expect much from Q3 and that they should just go out and try their best. Emilia was relieved to hear that the pressure was off her slightly and more on the other cars who had more to prove.
George and her were first out when the 10 minutes started. Emilia followed closely as she was getting a slipstream from her teammate. George took provisional pole with Emilia 0.3s behind him. They would slowly drop down the order as the Mercedes and others put in their laps but they would get an opportunity to reclimb the timesheet later in the session.
It was not long before Emilia was out on the track again. This time, Emilia had George behind her intensifying the pressure as ruining her lap would jeopardise his lap as well. Emilia completed her lap as the chequered flag was waved. There were cars that had to cross the line still so she wouldn't get the result immediately.
"And that's P8 Emilia, P8." John's voice was evidently happy and she could hear the cheering behind her. She would start her first Grand Prix on the fourth row which was far higher up than she imagined. "George is P5. Well done. Amazing job." Normally, Emilia would be disappointed by the fact she was outqualified by her teammate but it was her first qualifying she wasn't going to be at her beat someone like George at her first try.
"Wow, thank you so much guys. This is incredible. I'm pretty lost for words right now." She laughed.
"Great job out there today. You took the criticism on board and improved where you needed to. Really excited for the race tomorrow." John praised. Rookies usually took a while to start up in F1 with more pressure, faster cars, harder breaks meaning it took time to adapt. This time, adaptability didn't seem to be an issue for her.
Emilia drove in and parked her car giving herself a moment before she attempted to get out. There were things she needed to do like make sure the engine was off and disconnect her water tube which would have been simple tasks had there been no adrenaline pumping through her veins. The elated feeling from her Q3 and the high speeds meant it would take longer to calm down.
Immediately after getting out the car, she was wrapped in George's arms. She knew there would definitely be speculation that the two of them were more than friends but the media always blew up the tiniest thing.
"George we did it!" Emilia exclaimed. She presumed George could hear her even though they both had helmets on and there were still cars pulling into the pitlane. Cheering could be heard but she presumed it was for the pole sitter who probably just got out their car.
"Yeah we did." George let go so he could see her face even though they both still had helmets on. He'd lifted up his visor and she could see the happiness in his eyes.
The Williams drivers went to get weighed where George got tackled by Alex and Lando. Their boisterous behaviour was discouraged by the people with the clipboards but they didn't mind too much. They gave Emilia hugs as well including her in the playful ruckus.
After getting back to her driver room, Emilia took off her helmet and balaclava allowing her face to get some air and cool down from the heat. She was soon joined by her manager, Aurelia, who embraced her in a hug. Emilia wasn't a very huggy person but getting P8 in her first qualifying made it an exception.
"Emilia, that was fantastic, especially for a rookie!" Emilia grinned. Over the course of her F2 seasons as Aurelia managed another driver, they had become good friend With Emilia moving into Formula 1, she needed the manager and knew just who she wanted to fill the vacancy.
"It was so amazing, the result was amazing, the whole team was so amazing." Emilia replied.
"You've got an interview in a few minutes. You need to get changed and head down to the main building." Aurelia reminded her.
"Okay." Emilia answered annoyed her happiness had been so fleeting and was ruined by media duties. Emilia grabbed the Williams' gear that she needed to wear. "Who else is there?" Interviews weren't enjoyable as the press were always trying to get drivers to say something that they could make a big headline out of. Yes, it was their job but they weren't particularly nice about it. What made it even worse was that the majority of Emilia's questions were to do with her gender as the reporters knew that would wind her up after an incident last season resulting in her walking out of the room.
"George and I believe Lewis as well. We've asked for no questions to do with you gender but you know what they're like. Just keep a cool head." Aurelia informed. Emilia nodded and left to get changed joining Aurelia once she'd finished; the both of them headed to where the interview was taking place.
Emilia was the last one in the room with her teammate and the seven time world champion already seated. She took her seat to the left of Lewis whom Emilia smiled at when she sat down.
"Great drive today." Lewis commented with a smile. Emilia wasn't focused and didn't realise Lewis was talking to her. Despite being a Formula 1 driver, she was still in awe when Lewis spoke to her. It had something to do with him being her idol growing up.
"Thank you." Emilia said. "Amazing qualifying from you as always."
"Thanks." Lewis replied. Emilia didn't get the chance to say anymore because the questions started. The first few were directed at Lewis.
"A question for Emilia." One of the reporters started. Her eyes widened as she focused on the question. She could feel her legs bouncing beneath the table. "Remarkable qualifying and practices for you today, what is your secret for not cracking under the pressure as many rookies do?" A nice easy question to start with.
"I don't think there is a secret to be honest. I listen to music beforehand and just practice breathing deeply when I'm in the car. While out on the track, you don't really have a chance to think properly as it requires all your concentration to not spin the car off the track. So I guess that's how I do it. Obviously, everyone does it in their own way and I haven't even completed my first race so I guess we'll find out later if I can handle the pressure." She looked for reassurance to George who gave her a thumbs up.
The next question went to George asking him about what was different for Williams this year. He answered it perfectly without giving too much away but not making it seem unrealistic. Of course, Williams had stayed within the rules but whatever happened to make this year's car faster had made a massive difference. Emilia herself didn't know; she was also certain they wouldn't want the other teams finding out.
"I've got a question for Emilia." Emilia smiled optimistically. "What's it like being a woman in a man's sport?" This question was intended entirely to wind her up and get a reaction but she kept mostly cool as she prepared to answer.
"First of all, this is not a man's sport." Emilia stated. "Woman have been involved with Formula 1 for years. I believe I should be looked at no differently than to any of the other drivers just because I have boobs." There wasn't a response from that so she presumed her answer was good enough. They moved on with another question to George before coming back to her.
"Question for Emilia. Formula 1 always talk about increasing diversity in the sport. Is that the reason you got your seat?" Emilia's jaw dropped. She shut it as soon as she noticed not wanting to make a scene.
"That is untrue." Emilia bluntly answered. The annoyance in her voice was audible which is probably why the reporter continued.
"Then why did Nicholas Latifi lose his seat to a woman, if it wasn't to accommodate diversity?" The way the man spat the word woman made Emilia's fists curl around her microphone tighter. She gave herself a moment to breathe before she replied but George beat her to it.
"As Williams said, Nicholas had to leave the sport due to personal reasons which won't be discussed further. It was decided after his departure that Emilia would take his spot because she deserved it." George was calm and collected defending his teammate well and not getting annoyed. Maybe it was just with practice that she would be as good as him and Lewis at this interview thing.
"I mean hasn't she proved herself today?" Emilia looked up at Lewis who had joined in supporting her. He offered a smile which she returned. "Emilia is P8 in a her first qualifying session, she's in Formula 1, you're sitting there criticising her performance having never even driven a Formula 1 car." Emilia mouthed a thank you. The final question went to Lewis concluding the interviews and Emilia escaped the room as soon as she could.
Once outside, she found a bit of shade and sat there. She needed a few moments to sit and breathe. Emilia hadn't had much of a chance to do so all day. The British driver had expected it to be draining but it didn't make her feel any less tired. It was a lot to take in and that press conference certainly didn't help.
"You alright?" George sat down next to her. There weren't any cameras in this area so there was one less thing to worry about.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Emilia was evidently not but she didn't want to sound whiny or moan to George about how unfair her life was because she knew she was extremely lucky to be in this position.
"I can tell you're not. The media are there to wind you up, to get a reaction. They'll say anything to get a headline. Ignore them and focus on the positives today. You did amazing in your first qualifying, I would hate for that to be ruined by a bunch of idiots who are claiming something that isn't true." George expressed. Emilia was incredibly lucky to have him as a teammate. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel." George pulled her up after he got up and hugged her closely. Though she would never admit it, she definitely needed a hug.
"George you have a girlfriend." Someone behind Emilia reminded. She turned to see a papaya clad driver. Lando.
"Emilia had some horrible interview questions she needed a hug." George explained. Lando was only winding him up but looked concerned when Emilia turned around. She hadn't cried but she did not look her best. Her hair was falling out of its bun and her makeup was melting in the heat. Emilia didn't want Lando or anyone to see her like this but she couldn't do much about it.
"Oh, what did they ask?" Lando was a very funny guy and joked a lot but there was a definite serious tone in his voice. He took a sip from his water bottle as he looked between the two Williams' drivers. George put his hands on his hips and looked to Emilia to reply.
"They asked whether I got the seat because Formula 1 wants to increase diversity." Emilia sighed. She knew this was coming and she'd been told that she would hear and see things like this but she didn't expect it to come up in her first interview.
"That's bullshit. We all saw what you did out on track today." Lando shouted also agitated by the nerve of the media. "What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything really. George and Lewis handled it." Emilia started playing with her fingers. She was anxious. She just wanted to get back and be alone right now. It was all just a bit too much. Though everyone was so supportive of her and she was so grateful.
"Can you do anything about it? Can you report it?" Lando was trying to find some sort of solution. He was really trying to make her feel better but she would just have to get used to it.
"No, it happened in F2 as well. I just have to get on with it." Emilia said. She didn't want pity from either of them so she tried not to sound sad but it did bother her. She didn't understand why this sport would never accept females but maybe she had to be the person to change that.
"It shouldn't be like this." George sighed.
"No but there's nothing we can do. Let's just focus on tomorrow's race and getting past the McLaren's." Emilia threw a look at Lando who winked back.
"I'm already ahead of one. You've got the work to do." George poked Emilia who prodded him back even harder. George prodded Emilia again and they continued stabbing each other with fingers until Emilia surrendered. Lando was sort of standing there slightly lost.
"Right we need to get back. I bagsy driving. Lando do you need a lift?" Emilia asked kindly. It would be rude not to ask but she was kind of hoping he'd say yes. She enjoyed his banter.
"Nah, I have a few things to clear up at the garage now before the race tomorrow."
"Bad qualifying?" George enquired with a smirk on his face. He knew the results and was only asking to wind him up.
"Well obviously otherwise we're behind a Williams." Lando laughed. The Williams' drivers rolled their eyes at the amused McLaren driver. They said goodbye and left to go back to the hotel.
"I'm driving again tomorrow Russell." Emilia declared as they got out the car having arrived at the hotel. He didn't protest and she threw him the keys although she would claim them again tomorrow.
"What are you doing this evening Miller?" George looked up at his teammate as he pressed the lift button that would take them to their desired floor.
"I want to go out for a walk and look around the city. What about you?"
"I'll probably FaceTime Carmen seeing as I haven't spoken to her since we landed." George admitted. Emilia was surprised by that. He constantly spoke to her while they were at Williams during winter break and wouldn't stop talking about her but her name hadn't cropped up in any conversations they'd had in Australia yet. Maybe he was just focusing on the race ahead or didn't want to think about her because he'd realise that he missed her. Long distance relationships like that must be hard.
"Have you not even messaged her?" Emilia queried. George shook his head at her reply. "What's happened?"
"Nothing. It's just I've been concentrating on the race. I'll speak to her later and apologise because I don't want to be a bad boyfriend like that." George admitted. She had no relationship of her own and could not begin to imagine what it was like being separated from your significant other. "She's supposed to fly out to Bahrain though for next week so at least we'll spend some time together then."
"It'll be nice to see her again." The drivers got out the lift and headed to their rooms. George's was further down the corridor than Emilia's so she had the shorter walk. "See you tomorrow and tell Carmen I said hi."
Once Emilia got back to her room she literally flopped on her bed. She was exhausted. She'd done two days of racing as well as working on the Thursday in the garage and she would be happy to finish there for the year. Obviously, she had been training so it wasn't as if she was unfit and if anything, it was more mentally taxing than physically. However, Emilia couldn't finish there as much as her body wanted to, she had a race tomorrow.
It was around eight when Emilia woke up from her unintentional nap so she could still get that walk in. She changed into t-shirt and shorts and slipped on trainers. Outside the track, Emilia wasn't required to wear Williams gear, but she put on a blue team jumper in case it was cold outside.
It wasn't particularly cold outside so Emilia could just hold her jumper in one hand and her phone, room key and other essentials in the other. There was a breeze that wasn't the warmest and was glad she picked up a jumper. She would possibly need that later.
Melbourne was situated on the south coast of Australia so it wouldn't be hard for Emilia to find a beach to walk on. It was about a ten minute walk through a brightly lit street with lamps guiding her overhead. Mosquitos and other flies buzzed around the glowing lights desperately but unsuccessfully attempting to break through the barrier that was the glass covering it.
There was a brightly lighted path that ran parallel to the beach and was teeming with people. A few recognised her and she willingly took photos with them. Emilia was patient and kind with them considering it was late and she wanted to be alone but being a Formula 1 driver had it setbacks. The fans were lovely of course and she spoke to them for quite a few minutes before they had to be on their way.
Wanting to avoid that bubble of chatter that the lively promenade provided, Emilia hopped over the wall landing softly on the sand. She took her shoes off not wanting to ruin them in the sand and added it to the bundle of items she was carrying in her hands. Emilia set her stuff down and pulled her jumper over her head to give her less to carry.
The sea looked inviting with waves breaking quietly too her left. She decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to dip her feet and was shocked by the warmth of it. In England, the sea was always freezing but there would always be one lunatic no matter the weather in a swimsuit bearing the chilly, grey water.
This was not England. The sea was less violent and the colour undoubtedly not grey but it was night so it matched the black that was the night sky. The moon shone widely taking up the centre of the stage. It was a full moon that night making it even more prominent and contrasting the black canvas.
Emilia stood there taking it all in. She took a few steps back and sat on the sand far away from where the unknown waters could creep up and soak her. It was peaceful and she liked it. She enjoyed the moment of serenity as tomorrow would be anything but still. Thinking of the track, she and George had to be there extra early because they needed to discuss things neither of them were up for yesterday. The team had agreed to postpone them until the morning.
As much as Emilia wanted to enjoy the calm that the beach and the sea brought her. She had to get to bed at some point even though it would be futile because the concoction of nerves and excitement would result in tiredness the next morning. She picked her phone up to check the time and found it was 9.30 way past what she planned on. Picking up the rest of her belongings, Emilia headed back to the hotel where she showered then fell asleep.
Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; there should be another out tomorrow but I am quite busy at the moment so we will see. Next chapter will be the race which I am excited for everyone to see! All the support is appreciated and I hope you have/had a wonderful day <3