A PIT GIRL IN THE F1 MOVIE

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the F1 movie, the last one I saw. In a short time, it became one of my favorites of the year. Especially because a year ago, I was introduced to the whole philosophy: the protocol, the rules, techniques, tools, and history. Something I'm very grateful for. I never thought they'd make a movie soon after.

The film tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a top driver who retired from Formula One after a tragic accident. 30 years later, a former teammate named Rubén Cervantes convinces him to save the struggling APXGP team from collapse. Sonny returns to Formula One racing, where he is paired with rookie driver Joshua Pearce and engineer Kate McKenna. Throughout the story, Sonny realizes that he cannot take the road to redemption on his own.

I watched the movie 3 times and something I admired was Kate's role in the film, displaying not only beauty but also wisdom, talent, dedication, and courage—something new in director Joseph Konkiski's films featuring female roles or love interests

And for that, I wrote a concept about the crucial role of women in F1: Pit Girls. And decided to write a little self insert. 

HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!

…

The roar of the engine, the smell of gasoline and burning rubber, the vibration that penetrated your bones. For Sonny Hayes, that was home. But home, like so many other things, had vanished. After a serious incident that nearly cost him his life and ended his Formula 1 career, thirty years ago, he reunited with Rubén Cervantes, his former Lotus teammate. He offered Sonny a test for the vacant APXGP seat, and Sonny reluctantly accepted. 

Upon arrival, everything was simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. As he toured the factory, a figure approached, tall and with a calm but firm presence. 

It was Kate McKenna, the technical director, her intelligent eyes assessing Sonny with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Behind her, a younger woman, with a distinctive scar across half her face, walked forward with an enigmatic smile. 

"Well, well, well, it's the legendary Sonny Hayes. It's been so long since you came back home," she said, her voice clear and without a hint of astonishment. 

Sonny looked at her, frowning. "Who are you?" 

"I'm Sofia Soso," she replied, extending a firm hand. "Daughter of your former teammate, Gabriel Soso. Yep, I'm the Junior." 

Sonny's eyes lit up with a nostalgic gleam. "G-Drift! Where is he?" 

Sofia sighed, a half-smile on her lips. "Well, he's retired now. And don't remember him too much, veteran mechanics get sentimental." 

Sonny felt a kind of tug, a need to cling to the familiar. "Come here and scold me like your dad used to whenever I did something stupid." 

Sofia gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "No, I'm not going to scold you. I'm Sofia, not Gabriel. And the rules are different here." 

"Sofia, if you're going to invite your grandfather, let us know." 

Sonny looked up and stood before them, Joshua "Noah" Pearce, the talented British rookie. Sofia laughed. 

"Oh, Noah. I introduce you to the legendary Sonny Hayes. Kate already talked to you about him. Sonny, this is Joshua, our rookie." 

"I see," he replied, raising an eyebrow. 

Noah was arrogant, but his concern for his job was palpable. "If they fire Ruben, they fire me," he muttered. "To survive in Formula 1, I must impress everyone by crushing whatever teammate Ruben hires." 

"Calm down, Noah," Sofia sighed. "I'm going to leave you two alone so you can introduce yourselves. If I hear you fighting, I'm going to get the same or worse than my dad used to scold you." 

"Sofia, Checo crashed his car again because of the exotic defect!" Kate yelled at him. Sofia put a hand to her forehead, knowing what it meant. "YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE IN THE PLACE WHO KNOWS HOW TO FIX IT." 

"UGHHHHH, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT." She complained as she left the place. "SOFIA, HE CRASHED A MCLAREN. SOFIA CRASHED ANOTHER FERRARI. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HOW TO FIX THAT CRAP! IM NOT IN HIS TEAM! THIS IS ILLEGAL!" 

Sonny burst out laughing, struggling to accept that they were two different people. "Just look at her. Just like her dad" 

The test drive at Silverstone was a collision of worlds for Sonny. Modern single-seaters were different beasts, packed with electronics and aerodynamics he barely understood. 

"Dude, you drive like a blind man. You're going so slow that even the youngest rookies in the stands are laughing at you." Rubén yelled at him from the radio as he looked at the youngest drivers: Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, mockingly trying to distract him. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠"Hey, grandpa. When you will invite us to a bingo match?" Joked one of them, while the rest laughed

Ruben turned to look at them as he grabbed a megaphone from the table. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? BE A MEN." 

"They're kids, Cervantes," Kate retorted. "They're just excited because they'll be racing with a veteran on the same track." 

Cervantes groaned. "Sofia, please calm your little brothers." 
 

The mechanic sighed as she picked up the megaphone. 

"Kids, go to the arcade with Tsunoda." Spoke Sofia in a serious tone, making them leave as they call her bigster. 

After the session, they analyzed the results. 

"Not bad for an old guy," Sofia commented to Kate, watching the replays. "He needs to relearn the limits, but he's got the instincts. And amazing muscle memory. The children were very helpful in the session, demonstrating tremendous concentration." 

Over time, Sonny and Noah began to smooth things over. In Hungary, Sonny's cleverness in forcing safety cars allowed Noah to score the first point in the team's history. 

Sonny tried to advise Noah, but he ignored his lessons. While trying to overtake his rivals, he felt the car wasn't reacting properly, causing him to crash and suffer a near-life-threatening accident. 

Although Sonny managed to save him before it was too late, Noah was furious and vowed revenge when he returned. 

Days later, before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while the misters were relaxing at work, the Pit Girls were looking for ways to avoid the exotic defect in the vehicles. 

"I hope you paid attention because Sofia won't be helping you anymore," One of the girls said as Sofia turned to look at them. 

Sofia looked at her partner, Kate, and smiled. "Hey, do you like Sonny?" Kate looked at her nervously, as if she'd just spotted her. Making everyone in the room exclaimed. 

Sofia looked at Kate. "Relax, we respect you. He's a good guy, a couple of Red Flags, but he can't hurt a fly. Ayrton Senna, rest in peace, had to tackle Nelson Piquet because he was chasing Sonny with a broomstick". 
 

One of the colleagues frowned "But what exactly did Hayes do?" 

"Doesn't matter, Piquet was on m3tth." 

Everyone started laughing out loud. Now calmed down, Sofia spoke again. " I bet you, Kate, 20 dollars if you take the blond DILF to the room." 

"Deal," Kate replied firmly, but nervously. 

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was a whirlwind of neon lights and promises. Rumors of a "sweetheart deal" for APXGP floated in the air, but the track was unforgiving. Against all odds, Noah took an unlikely victory, a triumph that breathed new life into the depressed APXGP garage. Just after seeing the checkered flag and Noah's jubilation, Sonny Hayes mysteriously pulled his car back into the garage.

Just after the celebration, while Noah was being dragged away by the press, Hayes discreetly left the venue, with an enigmatic smile. There, Sofia gave Kate a little push to talk to her, where Kate and Sonny took the opportunity to get to know each other better. 

Everything went relatively smoothly. The morning after meeting Sonny, Kate told her partner the news, who gave her the $20 she'd promised. 

The next day, Kate and Sofia were anonymously reported for illegally conceived design improvements. 

Kate paled; her immediate denial held no weight against the FIA's authority. "But why are you suing us if we had modified cars for outside teams?" she demanded. 

"And if it's serious, it's a lie." But it was too late, and they were forced to withdraw the improvements. 

Sofia felt a bad feeling as the cars lined up. 

At the start of the next race, after the formation lap, he unleashed his road rage. Hayes' car launched itself at Sergio Pérez at the first corner, intentionally crashing into him. 

The impact was brutal, leaving both cars destroyed. 

"I'm okay," Checo shouted as he emerged from the vehicle without a scratch snd raising his thumb. He turned to look at Sonny, nervous as he watched him get up in the same way and then faint. 

"It wasn't me. It was the little white guy," he added as he left the scene. 
 

That Disneyland incident 

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSSmU1XPL/ 

At the hospital, Sofia and Kate went to see Hayes when he woke up. 

"That Mexican is someone's son and a Formula One muse from our land," Sofia shouted. "If it weren't for the Halo, Mexico would be mourning until our next historic victory. Ask the Brazilians." 
 

"It was an accident; the important thing is that we're both okay," Sonny replied seriously. 

Sofia rolled her eyes, pulled out her phone, and played an audio message from her dad. 

Audio 1 (Calmly): "Hi Sofi, this message is for Sonny Hayes. Can you show it up to him? Thanks." 

Audio 2 (In an annoyed voice): "HAYES, I SAW THE RACE FROM MY LIVING ROOM! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ALIVE OR NOT, BUT WHAT PART OF NOT ABUSING PLAN C YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND? WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS! MY GOD, YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED... LOOK, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU CRASHED INTO. BUT YOU CAN'T JUST PUSH THEM AGAINST THE WALL LIKE THAT TO WIN, YOU COULD HAVE GET INTO LEGAL TROUBLE... I... UGH... GOD DAMMIT, YOU KNOW WHAT? WHY DON'T YOU JUST GRAB YOUR WEAK 4SS AND GO TO THE REDBULL GUYS AND APOLOGIZE? BECAUSE NO PIT GIRL WON'T HAVE YOUR BACK FOR A FRICKING SECOND." 

After a moment of awkward silence, Kate cleared her throat. "I heard that the injuries you sustained in the 1990s had permanently affected your driving performance under racing speeds. Is that true?" 

Hayes nodded, and that's when Ruben entered the scene. 

"How could you think of it, Hayes?" I yelled at him. "Racing with so many physical scars and weakened body parts that can put your health at risk, you could have died in front of everyone. Any driver involved in an accident like that would feel guilty for life." 

"Not only that, I discovered that a certain Peter Banning falsified the report with the plan to fire us, make himself look bad, and give himself control of the team," Kate argued. "Obviously I was furious, but I remained calm. He explained that he did it as a way to gain full control of APXGP so he could sell it. If it's a success, the team principal position will be all yours." 

"What about Noah?" "How did he take the accident?" he asked. 

"He just let out his anger before visiting you," Kate explained. "It's not your fault, nor Checo's. Noah said he's the one to blame for idealizing you, pressuring you, and blaming you for every problem that happened. Sofia explained this to her father, and he calmed down a bit." 

After a few days of reflection, Sonny rejected Peter's deal for one last race, managing to expose the truth so he could get the pieces back.

The Abu Dhabi race began. Noah took a bold lead by staying on worn tires, but his decision was short-lived. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc overtook him, their cars flying with the advantage of a different tire strategy. Just as the APXGP's morale was beginning to flag, luck intervened. Sonny, struggling in fourth place, felt the symptoms of concussion and post-traumatic stress attack him. A slight wobble, a moment of confusion, and his car collided with George Russell, causing a red flag. "Damn it!" Sofia exclaimed over the radio. 

Kate addressed the team. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, Pit, pit, pit. New tires for both of us! This is our chance!" 

"We've got one chance, Sonny. Our last," Ruben told Sonny over the radio. 

When the race restarted, the APXGP duo competed fiercely against Leclerc. They overtook each other, covering each other, pushing each other to the limit until they found themselves in second and third place, with Hamilton in the lead. 

It was the moment of truth. Sonny, in a bold and almost suicidal maneuver, glued himself to Hamilton's car. Not to overtake him, but to force him to block his pass, to close the door on his own teammate instead of Noah. 

Hamilton, desperate to maintain his position, dove in to block Sonny, but in the process, he and Noah collided, a minor impact but enough to divert their trajectories. The road opened up, putting Sonny in the lead. The team fell silent, while Ruben smiled proudly. 

"What's going on?" one of them asked. 

"He's flying," Kate replied, shocked. 

"Impossible..." Sofia added. 

No one else dared to say anything; the silence seemed eternal. The road was clear. Hayes, in a dramatic turn of events, found himself in pole position, crossing the finish line to claim APXGP's first victory. 
The team's sale was canceled, and Ruben's job was saved. 

"OH MY GOD!!!" the PIT GIRLS shouted, jumping with euphoria.

On the podium, under the spotlights and with confetti falling, Hayes and Rubén hugged. "We're the best in the world!" they exclaimed in unison. 

After some conversation, Noah thanked Sonny for the experience, where he learned a very important life lesson. 

"No reason, kid. I don't know how, but I think it will benefit you in the future." 

That night, after Sonny and Kate confirmed their relationship, her and Sofia gathered on the same balcony, and Sofia gave Kate other twenty dollars, which she declined. 

"I think it's a new chapter," Kate smiled. "He told me sincerely that we'll see each other again soon." 

"I think you've changed him, I don't know about you. But please be yourself, that's the key for a stable relationship." 

They high-fived. "It'll be a great story to share with the girls." 

Days later, as Sonny was getting ready for a well-deserved vacation, he heard a familiar voice behind him. 

“I thought I'd never see you again, old friend.”

End…?

ESPAÑOL:

PIT GIRLS

https://www.peliplat.com/es/article/10073045/las-pit-girls-el-spin-off-de-f1-la-pelicula-y-carta-de-amor-al-empoderamiento-femenino

INGLES: 

PIT GIRLS https://www.peliplat.com/en/article/10073073/pit-girls-the-spin-off-of-f1-the-movie-and-a-love-letter-to-female-empowerment 

I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE GODFATHER https://www.peliplat.com/en/article/10073120/i-didn-t-care-about-the-godfather-literally