shoot to thrill, play to kill, too many women and too many pills . . .

"i did something really stupid, lewis. something that could end my relationship with yuki, and something that could end my career in formula one."

                                  DAKOTA MCMANUS HAS HAD A ROUGH START TO THE 2022 SEASON. With multiple mechanical failures, ever-pressing medical concerns regarding the migraines that have plagued her since her youth, as well as the tumultuous waters of navigating her budding romantic relationship with AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda, and did she mention the threat of missile attack in Jeddah the day before a scheduled Grand Prix?

                                          It's all Koda can do some mornings to get out of bed regardless of what beautiful senic location awaits outside the hotel room window. She feels worn down, something she never understood until she took her promotion. If only her team could have one good race, function as well as Yuki did in Abu Dhabi last year. It's tough to get excited about going to the races everyday when it's obvious that your team isn't going to win, and there is nothing you can o about it except forge onward with a little bit of hope. AlphaTauri is nowhere near as well-funded as sister team Red Bull, or current season favourites at Ferrari.

                                     So when a job offer comes in from McLaren, by way of former Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo, who never failed to make Dakota feel at home while she was settling in during her first season with Toro Rosso (which later became AlphaTauri), she doesn't know what to think. At least McLaren were having a good year: Both Daniel and teammate Lando Norris were actually finishing races, and scoring higher than both AlphaTauri racers. She thinks: God, it would be good to work for a team that wins once in a while. But AlphaTauri is in her blood, it's her family legacy. Her grandfather put so much work into the Italian team, and he worked so hard to make sure his granddaughter didn't slip forgotten down the rank ladder, elevating her to a position no woman has ever held in a Formula 1 garage. Taking the pay rise from McLaren would feel like a betrayal to the people who did nothing but make Dakota feel at home since she started in the sport.

                                     Of course, there's one major thing that she hasn't been honest with her teammates about. Koda is usually an open book about her migraines, her mood swings and her irreparable homesickness. But of course, if the gossip magazines got a hold of this one, she would be public enemy number one. She was already scrutinized by the media as a woman working behind the scenes in a male-dominated sport, this was a bombshell that could tank her career before it even really began. You see, the night Yuki kissed her, she ran off to deal with her emotions. One drink in an Azerbaijan bar lead to another, and another, and then she's hooking up with Ferrari champion Charles Leclerc in his hotel room shower, a moment Charles and Dakota agred meant nothing, and swore to keep secret, especially now that sober and level-headed Dakota is trying to pursue a relationship with Yuki, the man she loves more than anything else, her grounding wire when her job becomes too much. Talking to Yuki over his race headset keeps her grounded twice as much as it keeps him focussed on the track in front of him.

                           Of course, in a position as high-profile as hers, things don't stay secret for long, and all it takes is one article to change the public's perception for good. And when it comes time to make a major career choice, Dakota is forced to wrestle with demons she hoped were long gone: the long-lasting effects of her years in the Red Bull Racing young driver's programme.

lauren riihimaki as dakota mcmanus, alphatauri pit crew chief , age 23

yuki tsunoda as himself, rookie alphatauri driver, age 22

all other formula one drivers as themselves

social media & real life !

(on-screen interview with daniel ricciardo of mclaren-mercedes)

"... dakota is a very emotional person. because of that, she has a lot of anger, and a lot of sadness, but she has twice as much joy. she feels everything so deeply and she can be a wonder to be around when she's in her element, she makes everybody around her feel that same joy. but when she's upset, it can be a really scary thing, like this swirling vortex. nothing really gets through to her, nobody knows what to do.

when yuki got through to her today, it was like watching a miracle happen. i've known her since she started out in toro rosso, and nobody has been able to get through to her like that in four years."

(on screen interview with pierre gasly of alphatauri-honda )

"... the team basically threw away all aspects of professionalism when they hired dakota. other teams have clean-cut chiefs in polo shirts and slacks, and then dakota walks into the paddock with grease-stained hands, cutoff shorts and more tattoos visible than what the FIA probably deems acceptable. she has this whole surfer-girl vibe thing going on with her floral tattoos and her sun bleached hair and the loud rock music she always has on in the garage when she's working on the cars alone, and i mean no disrespect, she's incredible at her job. i wouldn't want anybody else in my garage."

TAGS!!

the usual suspects lolllll (ik i havent interacted with some of yall in a while so apologies here and now )

nvptxne 90scoffeegossip lalax0x0 cobracade

 bbyzules

NOTES!!

i am down bad for most of the starting grid this season it's not even funny-

ive only been watching races since the season started in march ( and i saw brazil last year ) but here we are

bear with me for this total insanity because i am so excited for my chaotic F1 baby to meet the internet