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As Henri went into the pits to get his softs, his left tire malfunctioned, causing him to come out behind me in P2 once all the other pit stops had been completed by the other drivers. I was in front again with eight laps to go.
“GG, defend like the lioness I know you to be,” was all Mel said on my radio.
And defend I did.I went through the next eight laps with more precision than I have ever had in my life. I drove within millimeters of the barriers and set my eyes in front of me, not even worrying about Henri behind me. This was my race to lose – and nomanwas going to take it from me.
As I started the last lap, I began to hear a little whistle in my car.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, I thought to myself.This can’t happen now. I will push this car to the finish line before I DNF out of this race.
“Mel. Noise. Why?” I panicked, barely able to get out the words and definitely not able to get out a full sentence.
“Debris stuck in the floor.”
“Fuck. What do I do?”
“Remember when we went to that stupid fair in Paris?”
“How is this fucking relevant?” I bit back.
“We went on that silly go-kart track, and you were so mad you qualified behind me, so you just blocked the way for everyone like an absolute menace.”
“Yes…”
“Now’s your time, GG. Be that menace.”
And what a menace I became. I could feel the debris in the floor, so I slowed the car down and then did the unthinkable – I started to drive closer to the middle of the road, not caring about the racing line. I didn’t need to be faster than Henri this lap; I just needed to keep him behind me. I could see his car swerving, trying to find an opportunity to pass.
But this was Monaco. I grew up on these streets. The only person who knew these narrow streets as well as I did was behind me. As soon as the checkered flag came into view, I launched my car with all the might and power I knew the Valkyrie car had. I saw Henri right behind me, making one last attempt to get past me.
But it was too late for Henri –I had crossed the linefirst.
I had won the Monaco Grand Prix,with Henri a 1000thof a second behind me.
The emotions in that moment were inexplicable. It was like every emotion I had felt in the last year, since taking the seat at Valkyrie F1, had finally bubbled up to the surface. Tears started to spill from my eyes as I made my way into the pits; the floor was absolutely damaged, and that was going to cost the team, but at that moment, I didn’t care. This race win was going to bring us the sponsorships we needed – the sponsorship the teamdeserved.
I heard the radio turn on, “Georgie, this is Isabelle. No, this is the entire Valkyrie team speaking… well done, love, well done. Also, that’s P3 for Lily. Double podium today.”
“Wahoo!” I screamed into the radio. “This one’s for you all. For every single one of you that stayed up all night working on this car. This trophy belongs to you. You believed in me when no one else did.” I took a moment before adding, “This win is for every little girl who is told she can’t compete with the boys. Let this be a lesson to those who want to keep women out of motorsports. We’re here to stay.”
As soon as I parked in the P1 spot, I jumped out of my car, hands in the air, classic window washing dance as I stood on top of my car. Soon after, Henri parked in the P2 spot, and Lily parked in the P3 spot – her first-ever podium. Apparently, Blaue Flügel had made an error on the tires, and Lily was able to sneak past Noah Hendriks with a better change of tires.
I ran towards the Valkyrie paddock and jumped into the arms of Mel, my race engineer, tears on both of our faces. Fiona ran over, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a deaf-defying hug. As I walked back towards the cars and presenter, Hugo grabbed me and gave me a huge hug – followed byHenri. My twin brother came up to me, grabbed my helmet, and pulled me in for what can only be described as an absolute chokehold of a hug.
“I’m so proud, Peaches,” I heard him say over the commotion. “So proud.”
I took off my helmet and fireproof cap and ran over to Lily, who was also celebrating with the Valkyrie F1 mechanics. Surprisingly, she jumped up into my arms, wrapped her legs around my waist, and gave me a huge hug and kiss on my forehead. I chuckled and spun her around. At that moment, I wasn’t sure what I was happier about – me winning, or Lily finally getting that podium she deserved, and in Monaco, no less.
A double podium for Valkyrie; there was absolutely nothing that could spoil today.
As other racers started to come up to me, I looked for Luca in the crowd. Finally, I saw him coming up the paddock walkway, a huge grin on his face. As he reached me, he pulled me into a huge hug. All of a sudden, I felt myself being leaned backward. I looked up at Luca's face, and he had the world’s biggest grin on his face, like he had a plan in motion that he couldn’t wait to see hatch.Before I knew it, Luca’s lips were on mine, and I was leaning back, being kissed as if I was Cinderella and Luca was my Prince Charming.
After a few seconds, Luca slowly lifted me back up and pulled my face to his. “Go and celebrate, Principessa. I’ll give you your real prize later,” he said in a voice much too sultry for my liking – well, maybeto my liking.
He picked up his helmet and began walking towards the Hermes garage, a huge grin on his face. Before I could process what had just happened, I was being pulled towards the presenter and then the cool-down room.
After the trophy ceremony was complete, I made my way back to the garage to get ready for the media circus. For the first time in the history of my Formula 1 career, I wasn’t the least bit nervous for the press debrief. Hell, they could have told me that my car had caught on fire, and I wouldn’t be able to compete for the next five races, and I wouldn’t have cared.Nothing could ruin the magic of winning Monaco.
As I was changing my clothes, Isabelle knocked on the door.
