Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
The hum of conversation buzzes around me like the vibrating drone of a bee’s wings, yet my mind can’t seem to break through what’s actually being said. I only met these people a week ago, but I already feel the weight of their expectations.
I can also hear their discontent, and they don’t seem to care that I’m listening.
No one has made an effort to include me in the discussion, which is mostly focused on their bitter disappointment that they’ve been summoned. Instead, I focus on my surroundings and keep my ears open.
The meeting room is spacious, bright and modern, with sleek, angular furniture that stands out against the gleaming white floors. The walls are a soft, muted gray with accents that give the room an industrial yet polished feel. It’s a far cry from the headquarters in Guildford, England, where racing history hangs thick in the air.
But that was then… when this company used to be known as Excalibur Racing.
This is now, and it looks like Titans Racing will be moving to Pittsburgh.
I slide my fingers over the surface of the conference table, not willing to join in the grumbles from the higher-ups. I just got this job—chief strategy engineer—and I’m not about to do anything to muck it up.
“Brienne’s going to lose half the staff with this move,” Michel Dubois says. As the team principal and highest-ranking member of the executive team, he’s controlling the conversation, his lilting French accent at odds with his harsh tone.
Markus Reinhardt, the head of operations, clears his throat but it doesn’t dissipate the guttural German roll to his words. “I’m concerned we don’t have access to a decent test track. Montreal is the closest and that’s over nine hundred kilometers away.”
“I doubt she’s moving everyone at once.” This from Nadine Sheffield, the head of logistics, her voice clipped and precise—entirely British. I estimate her to be in her mid-thirties and she seems as pragmatic as they come. I speak to this with understanding since I’m a fellow Brit and I value efficiency.
“Very diplomatic,” Michel practically sneers. “Tell me you’re looking forward to relocating?”
Nadine blushes and averts her eyes.
“I certainly don’t want to relocate,” Hendrik Voss says. He’s also German and is the team’s chief engineer and my direct boss. While he hasn’t quite voiced his opinion in my presence, I get the impression he’s not happy with my hire.
I have to assume I was the most talented strategy engineer to apply for the job. Ultimately Michel made me the offer, but Hendrik has been dismissive of me this entire first week I’ve been part of the team.
I have a lot to prove and I’m more than ready. I’ve been working my entire life for this opportunity. There are not a lot of positions available for women in motorsports, but I’ve got all the credentials and experience to do this job well.
My interest in racing started as soon as I could walk, my father being the chief of the pit crew for Union Jack Motorsports. I got both my undergraduate and master’s degree from Imperial College in London in mechanical engineering with a focus on optimization theory, regression analysis and statistical models. My dad calls me “The Brain” and I’ve used that part of my body to excel in this world. After graduation, I secured a position as a junior strategy analyst at Bauer Performance Racing, an FI2 team based in Vienna. I worked my way through the ranks by demonstrating the ability to make quick, data-driven decisions under pressure, which is the crux of what a strategist does. In only three years, I became the lead strategy engineer for Bauer, helping them to secure multiple wins and a Driver’s Championship.
Michel reached out to me about this job, and I jumped at it as fast as possible.
Luca Moretti finally speaks up. He’s the technical director for the team, second-in-command only to Michel. He’s made a few comments here and there, but he seems objective. “The truth is, it’s going to be a burden to relocate to Pittsburgh. We not only have to worry about enticing people to make the move, but there are logistical hurdles, given the lack of a test track. Regardless, it’s not our decision and we better start wrapping our minds around it.”
Michel huffs in anger. “We don’t have to wrap our minds around it. We are the essential members of this executive team and without us, Brienne doesn’t have anything. We hold the power, and I say we insist on keeping the core team in Guildford.” He sniffs almost imperiously. “The nerve of her summoning us here to Pittsburgh as if we don’t have more important things to be doing with the race in Jeddah just a week away. We’re trying to get Bernie up and ready to take Tomas’s place and we’re here wasting time with this… this woman who thinks she knows racing.”