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“You told us once how jealous you are that we get to drive such awesome cars around the track, but you don’t have to be anymore. You get to drive this one,” Val informs me, making a shocked, swift laugh escape me.
“Are you serious?” She nods with a grin and takes my hand to lead me to the driver's side. “But you’re going to sit with me, right?” I ask, excited and scared at the same time.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I won’t accept it if she tells me to go through with this by myself. My anxiety has already spiked, but the comforting smile she offers me settles the feeling a little.
It’ll be okay.
Deep breaths.
“Of course, love, I’d never let you do this by yourself,” she assures me while opening the door and gesturing for me to get in. “This is going to be so much fun,” she adds, shutting it once more and skipping over to the other side to kiss Gabriel once before joining me in the car.
My fingers run over the leather interior and then trace the Velocità Rossa logo on the horn of the wheel. Val gives me a brief instruction and everything I have to know. Then, she tells me to start the engine and drive out of the pitlane and onto the track.
“Go slow, see what speed you’re ready for, what you can handle,” Val adds, so I start driving slowly instead of speeding down the track.
“My father’s taken me to race in cars like these since I was a kid. Sometimes he even let me drive them, but never like this,” I say, giggling a little as we make our way into the sixth corner of the track if I’ve been counting right.
I press down on the gas pedal, steadily increasing the speed but chickening out as soon as I see a corner. It’s dark outside, but the track is lit up all around, allowing me to see everything in front of us.
There’s just something so beautiful about a Formula One track at night, the way there’s nothing around us but the sound of the roaring engine, the lights giving it an orangey hue, and the air just smells different. It's an entirely different feeling in itself, and I think that’s why I’ve always enjoyed the night races more whenever Papa took me with him as a kid.
Sometimes, I forget how big of a role Formula One has played in my life since I was a child. My father has been a big part of that, of course, but I also remember Nova cheering at the top of her lungs for her favorite driver, Adrian’s dad.
As I got older, Mama started taking me to tennis games, and once I started playing it too, I no longer cared about anything else. Even after I lost my dream, I thought any connection to tennis, to the sport I fell in love with, would make the pain of losing my dream less consuming. Until now. Until I fell in love all over again.
I’m twenty-one years old. I always thought I knew exactly what I wanted, what I was working toward. I was miserable in this job when I was working with Gillian, but I felt so free when I started working with the drivers. They showed me the beautiful sides of Formula One. The speed, the thrill, the fans that cheer for you no matter what. The family they created here. It almost feels like I’m part of that now, and I don’t want to leave.
“You can do it,” Val encourages, and I take a deep breath. “There is a straight line coming up, okay? Fucking floor it,” she says, and I laugh before doing exactly as I’m told.
“Woohoooooo!” I scream but slow down soon after as the straight comes to an end.
“Good job,” she praises and claps her hands together to cheer me on.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and I finally get it. I understand why the drivers crave this, the thrill and excitement. The danger and power. The lightness of my body, the speed as we race down the track, it all feels like nothing can touch me. Like I’m invincible.
It’s an addictive feeling.
When I tell Val what I’m thinking, she beams up at me.
“It is. It’s everything. I’ve loved it for so long, I did everything to make it my life,” she says and smiles at the track ahead of us.
“Can we switch seats? I would love to watch you race for a little,” I admit, and Valentina tilts her head my way, giving me a wicked grin.
“Absolutely we can, but I won’t go slow or easy on you,” she warns, but I’m already bringing the car to the start line so we can switch places.
Once Valentina is behind the wheel, her eyes light up and her body relaxes into the seat. She waits for me to put my seatbelt on before flooring it and racing down the track. If I could, I’d fly out of my seat. A laugh bursts free, one that turns into a squeal as she hits the corner and drifts. She lets out awhoopbefore stepping on the gas again and letting out an evil laugh.
“Hold on tight, Nevaeh,” she instructs before going even faster.
I screw my eyes shut, holding back another laugh before looking at my friend. Whenever I see her in this environment, I realize over and over that Val was born to do this. She was born to be a racer, to break down barriers men have built around her for as long as she’s been trying to make it into this sport.
But nothing could stop her. Nothing and no one, and I admire her for that. I admire her strength and determination. I admire the way she never gave up. I admire that she knew what she wanted and went for it.
“You were made for this,” I say as she races down the main straight once more, drifting into the first corner. My fingers hold onto the door and the middle console as she laughs again, slowing down to, probably, keep my heart from stopping altogether.
“It didn’t always feel like that, you know? I felt so lost and worthless more times than not. That’s how they made me feel. Like I wasn’t worthy of a spot in this world. Sometimes I still feel that way, like if I don’t work every single second of the day to earn it, I’m not good enough for it,” she admits, turning the wheel to take a corner.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s a driver on the grid who deserves a seat in Formula One more than you do. You’ve outperformed Leonard in almost every race. You have pushed Alfa Adrenalina higher on the Constructors’ Championship standings than they have been in a long time. On top of all of that, you and Leonard are still working to open your driver academy soon. You’re remarkable in every way, Val.”
