「 A C T 1 」
2 0 2 2
Isabella Romero
Arriving bright and early to the paddock does have it's advantages. The crowds are smaller, the noise is quieter. People had yet to catch a glimpse of my face, especially given that fact I could literally have any reason as to why I was entering the paddock. Even wearing the Mercedes merch, nothing had been announced mentioning the gender of the driver, so the media had just assumed it would be a man
That man is unsufferable. Still cheering with his team at his success, happily replying to all the interviewers questions. All the things we had dreamed of doing together as children. We had everything planned together, as far as the end of time. That was before he stabbed me in the back. Whether he remembered me or not, I was not going to let him forget that I have and always will be the better
"You alright?" Lewis asks, setting his bottle down on the table beside us
"Yeah, why?"
"You seem stressed"
"You would be too. I'm starting from P9 in my debut race"
"From what I've seen after qualifying, you are capable to get in the top five, but you need to focus"
"Thanks" I smile, "I just hope you don't take losing to a rookie too hard"
"Don't get cocky, kid"
"Okay Isabella, remember what we said in the meetings yesterday and stick to strategy and things should go well" A voice says through comms. I hesitate, trying to the think back to last nights meeting, "You've forgotten, haven't you?"
"I'll figure it out" I say, grabbing the steering wheel that had been handed to me as the car is directed out the garage, pulling out of the pit and onto the track
"Just try not to crash"
"Got it"
I pull into my place on the grid as P9 after the formation lap. Once the mechanics finally run off the track, the green flag is waved. I tap my fingers nervously against the wheel as the five lights turn red one after the other before simultaneously going off. I slam my foot down on the accelerator, speeding down the track. The first to knock of the list - Esteban. Although he had many more years of experience, his tactics weren't enough from stopping me from passing through and by lap 7 was on Lance's tail. The rain is pouring already, although we hadn't been scheduled it for another half hour. Since no one had been prepared for the sudden change in weather, no one had slicks on, causing Lance to slide slightly coming out of turn 10 and giving me the chance to pass him
"Box, Box"
Following instructions, I pull into the pits at the end of lap 15. It seems everyone else had the same idea as they also had both drivers, ready to swap tires. The team were quick, getting me out just ahead of Fernando who's team hadn't been prepared and had to go back in for a tire. 1 more place and I'm in the top 5
Sergio was proving a challenge, blocking my every move. However after 9 laps, it seemed he was already beginning to lose traction and was forced to pit, losing his position. The next few laps go inconsequentially, getting ever so closer to Carlos every second. The already torrential rain seemed to be falling heavier than ever as it pounds against my helmet. He defends relentlessly until the last minute when I get DRS and am able to surpass him
With only 3 more places to the top and 10 laps left, the chances of me keeping this place are high, as long as I don't fuck anything up. During lap 47, there's a red flag and the team decide to double up, much like every other team. I come out ahead of Lewis, who had to take another lap because he was already past the pit lane entrance
"Isabella, we're going for P2, copy, P2"
"Copy"
There only person stopping me now from getting P2 was Charles, but there isn't a chance I'm going to back down. He defends well as I try to pass, taking turn 1 wide however he pulls across, blocking my path. I can see we are pushing further forward as the distance between Lewis and I becomes larger as he defends against Carlos
Try as he must, his tires are older than mine so he wasn't going to be able to keep the pace for much longer. As we enter turn 3, I breeze past him, Charles not having a chance to put up a fight. I look at my wing mirror noticing that he was much further back than expected. What's he up to?
The next few laps go smoothly, I stay within a good distance of Max, just as we had talked about last night and keep clear of any of Charles advances however he pushes forward, getting past by just an inch. He speeds up, trying to create space between us. Going at almost full throttle, I had much more of an advantage than him. Every turn I take, every change I make, Charles is able to defend. He's relentless and has no intention of letting me through. That is until we come are coming up to the main straight. I back off slightly, directing the car so I'm driving exactly behind Charles. Assuming I had backed off and was going to stick with P3, he was sitting pretty, not going too fast down the straight. Without warning, I pull out from behind him, clearly surprising him as his car swerves and his helmet turns as he watches me drive past. His car speeds up however he couldn't keep up, not having been moving at the same speed as me to begin with
"Suck my fucking balls, Leclerc! WOOOO!" I shout, laughing as I round the corners. I can hear Nic laughing in my ear
"Well done, Isabella" Toto says. I choke on air, having forgotten the head of Mercedes Formula One team was listening
"Thank you, sir" I say meekly
"No need for the formalities, just Toto is fine" His response causes me to release a sigh of relief
"5 laps left. Max is 3.4 seconds away and Charles is 10.7. We can hold P2" Nic assures me
"That should be enough time" I say, going full throttle
"Toto said hold P2 Isabella, strategy C"
"Tell him I'm going for P1" I say, voice straining as I go around the corners at such a high speed. I can hear the silent hesitation from Nic
"Copy"
"And can you ask if someone can get me some food? I'm feeling pizza. Ask Lewis what he thinks" I tell him, waiting for a response
"Lewis said pizza would be good, as long as there are no ham and pineapple on it"
"I would never deface pizza like that" I focus again on the car that has now appeared in front of me
"I've just been informed that if you finish P1, you can have as much pizza as you want" I laugh
"Now that's an incentive"
I quickly catch up to Max, weaving in and out of the lapped cars. We move onto our final lap and he defends my every attack viciously, contradicting each motion I make. Come on Isabella, push. As if I wasn't already putting a lot of pressure on the pedal, I press my foot down even harder, laying the pressure off the brakes when I round a corner. He fails to block me as I come up to him, now driving side by side
"Engine temperature has just increased a lot"
"Can it last thirty more seconds?" I ask, pushing down the second straight
"I mean, yeah, but it could-"
"Good"
We were close to the finish, flying around turn 13. Max's car pulls forward by about a foot after taking the apex. I had one more chance, one more turn to win. As if by some miracle, he loses traction, causing the car to wobble. He breaks, giving me just enough time to push in front of him. I pass by the waving checkered flag just seconds later, hearing cheering from the other side of my radio. Many Mercedes engineers were hanging out the fences on the side of the track, arms waving in excitement
"Make sure to have pizza delivered directly to my hotel room when I arrive CAUSE I FUCKING WON BITCHES! WOOOOOOOOO!" I throw one arm up in victory, then waving at cheering fans as I take a last lap of the track before pulling back into the pit lane and stopping my car in front of P1. With all the car engines turned off, I can now how loud the crowd actually are. After making sure all was switched off, I pull out the steering wheel, allowing me to climb out and stand on the front, once again throwing my arms up in victory. The crowd roars again, cheering for the 'faceless driver'. I pat Lewis on his back as I pass by him during his interview. Apparently during the last lap he had also managed to pass Charles, putting him in P3. By the time I had finished being weighed, both Lewis and Max had already gone inside to the cooldown room. They're sat in their seats, still panting, staring at the screen which displayed Lewis overtaking Charles
"Nice driving, Lewis" I smile, pulling my helmet off and replacing it with a first place cap. Max's head whips around at the sound of my voice, eyes wide as he takes in my appearance
"Sorry for taking your place, Verstappen" I smirk, sarcasm dripping off my voice as I sit down. His expression morphs to one of frustration
"Yeah, you're alright. Just don't pull that stuff again"
"Are you alright in the head? I didn't do anything. You lost control of your car because your team decided to not your change tires during the red flag. I just used the opportunity to my advantage"
"Well, just expect the same thing the next time, you know?"
"Whatever mate" I roll my eyes, taking a drink. A woman enters the room, looking down at her iPad
"They're ready for you" With a nod, we follow her out the room. I can hear the crowd roar to life as Max and Lewis are called out to take their place on the podium
"Now our first winner of the 2022 season, Isabella Romero" I step out waving at the crowd with a large grin on my face before taking my place as P1. I look down at the many mechanics, drivers and other VIP's who are gathered around the bottom of the podium before making eye contact with one driver in specific. Charles stares back at me, eyes wide as Pierre laughs, still clearly in as much shock as him however finding humour in the situation. His eyes only grow wider when I smirk and wink at him before looking away
A woman walks over, handing me the silver and gold trophy. I thank her, shaking her hand before lifting it into the air, causing another uproar from the crowd. All of sudden I'm sprayed with champagne. Dropping the trophy, and making sure not to break it, I lift the large bottle, covering the opening of the bottle and slamming it down against the podium. The spray reaches at least 5 feet up before I start shaking it all over Lewis, making sure to get a few good sprays in Max's face which he did not seem happy about however, other than a few subtle glares, he held his façade
As expected, every media personnel was dying to get an interview with me, which I was more than happy to do. They were all very curious on how I had reached this position and how I had managed to keep this such a secret
"As much as I would love to keep talking, I really have to go" With a goodbye, I push through the crowds, finally making it out and walking towards the garage
"You did well today" A voice comes from beside me. I turn my head, watching Lando Norris fall into pace beside me
"Thanks" I smile
"I'm Lando by the way"
"Isabella"
"We were all theorising this morning about who would be Mercedes driver but none of us thought it would be someone like you"
"Someone like me?" I raise an eyebrow. His eyes grow wide in realisation
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that we all thought it would be a man because woman can't be in Formula One- I mean, it's not that they can't it's that they aren't- I- This isn't going very well is it"
"Not at all" I join in with his cheerful laugh
"How about I start again?" I nod, "My name is Lando and it's nice to meet you"
"I'm Isabella" A shout comes from in the garage, "I really have to go but it was nice talking to you, Lando"
"I'll talk to you later then?"
"Yeah"
After placing my trophy into my drivers room for safe keeping, I walk back out into the paddock for the post-race interviews
"You" I sigh, already knowing who the person was without having to see them. I take the lasts few steps down from the building, watching Charles push past groups of fans to reach me
"Hello to you too" I look around, hoping to see someone who could take me away from this situation, however to my dismay, there's not a person in sight that could stop what's about to unfold
"You're the woman from the other night?" Rolling my eyes, I turn away. He follows in step beside me
"Are you like, Sherlock Holmes?"
"Have we met before?"
"Did you not just say we met a few days ago?" I try to be dismissive, not wanting him to look into it further. It made sense that he couldn't recognize me. For one, the last time we had talked to one another had been years ago at one of my fathers events, which did not end well, and since that night I had tried to avoid having to attend one. I really only get called Isabella now, considering he was the person that gave me that nickname so I guess that explains it. That and I had changed a lot since then. I had been what people would have called a 'late bloomer', braces, glasses, short hair. Puberty hit me like a train
"I know that, I mean I feel like I know you. Do you happen to go to many parties in Monaco?"
"Not any that you would be at" I grumble, just wanting the conversation to end
"What is your problem with me? You've barely ever spoken to me"
"When you figure out who I am and why you know me, you'll understand" I stop, taking a break as we come up to the entrance of the media area, "For now, I'm going to go and celebrate my win. Have fun, Prince"
"Is Max always like that? I mean, I just did what anyone else would have done in my position. It's not like I put him in an unsafe position" I ask Lewis, taking another slice of complimentary pizza. Toto had lived up to his word, having gotten it delivered to my room
"He's probably just intimidated. Don't take this the wrong way but not only are you already doing better than him, you're a woman. The first woman in the history of Formula One to win a race, and in your rookie year at the first race of the season. Shit, even I'm worried, and we're on the same team" He laughs, causing a slight smile from me, "And I know you're not going to want to hear this because you've probably heard it your whole life but try not to let it affect you because it'll just feed into what they're trying to get from you - a reaction. Showing that the way he's acting is affecting you is only going to add fuel to the fire"
"Thanks" I sigh, knowing that would he was saying was true, "I'm thankful I'm not doing too much the next few days, I am exhausted after this weekend" Lewis laughs
"Makes sense. After my first race, I could hardly hold my head up"
"I'd pay to see you the next day, that would be fucking hilarious"
"Just wait until it's you in that position tomorrow. There will be several videos taken for memories, don't worry"
"Yeah, yeah"
.·:*¨☆◦✦◦☆¨*:·.
isabella is such an icon, literally love her
charles tho was like #gobsmacked to say the least, but still pretty boy has yet to put two and two together
anyway, hope you liked the chapter