PlanetF1: "The decision to promote Dakota was premature": Red Bull's Helmut Marko on sister-team's pit crew  chief amid Bahrain failure.

March 21, 2022 

Skahir, Bahrain

Speaking to press outside the track in Sakhir, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who also advises for sister team AlphaTauri, hinted that he doesn't support Franz Tost's decision to promote McManus at her grandfather's request.

"She's too young, and doesn't have even a quarter of the experience that her grandfather possessed." Marko stated. "In my opinion, the decision to promote Dakota was premature."

This comes in the wake of a confirmed offer from McLaren for McManus to work as a pit crew chief for the British team. When asked about McManus' performance today, McLaren Racing team principal Zak Brown stated that he believed the mechanical failure was  a perfect show of why Scuderia AlphaTauri was no longer a good fit for McManus.

Dakota McManus has yet to comment on her contract situation and the lack of faith her parent company seems to have in her, only stating that the team "[does not] know what happened."

2022 Season

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN

SUNDAY NIGHT - RACE DAY

As soon as the team got to the hotel, everybody scattered. Pierre was in no state to talk to anybody, and left the rest of the group in the hotel lobby without a word, leaving Dakota with a simple clap on the shoulder. 

Pierre Gasly had always been like that, but it still stung to watch him go. Dakota had always internalized failure.

Yuki squeezed her hand. "Are you ready to head upstairs?" There was worry in his eyes. 

Everybody on the team knew hoe personally Dakota took failure. It was during her second season with Toro Rosso where Danill Kvyat had first raised the alarm, concerned for Dakota's physical health after the dismal race results took a toll on her mental well being.

Of course, that was all before Danill took a third place podium in Germany, finally giving the mid-field team something to celebrate. But since the Russian driver had brought it up, Jake Volkov and Graham McManus had kept a close eye on the girl, making sure she was okay.

"I'll be fine." Mac gave Yuki a quick kiss on the cheek. "Go upstairs and take a shower. I'm just having a few drinks with Fernando. I need his advice about the McLaren offer."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, Yuki." She held his hand tighter. "But I can;t keep going on like this. I really thought this was going to be our season."

"It's only been one race."

Dakota was barely listening. She checked that car five times before letting it out on the track. It had been fine in the practice sessions, fine in the qualifier. So why now? 

"I guess. At least Red Bull got what was coming to them."

Yuki laughed before kissing her again, running the pad of his thumb over Dakota's sculpted cheekbones, sadness evident in every pore of her skin. "Don't drink too much, okay? You'll call if you need anything?"

"Yeah. I love you." She said quietly, pulling the driver in for a hug, resting her head against his. 

Yuki always had a way of making Dakota face her feelings, but he never invalidated them. However small the issue, he was always there to listen. Yuki knew that she would come to him when she was ready to talk.

The hotel bar was just like any other hotel bar Dakota had been in: unremarkable. At a table in the corner, members of the Haas F1 Team were rejoicing. and rightly so. Since Kevin Magnussen had returned to the team, Haas were scoring points. They had finished their first race in the points, and had even finished ahead of Yuki.

They finally had something to celebrate.

"Dakota!" Mick shouted form his seat at the booth, lifting a shot glass in the air. "Come drink with us!"

"God knows you need it." Kevin added. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Why does everybody in the paddock need to know my damn business, Mac wondered internally, taking the shot from Mick and downing it in one gulp before locking hands with Kevin in one of those awkward bro handshakes.

"Good race, K-Mag." She said sincerely. "If anybody can bring Haas back from the brink, it's you."

Guenther Steiner laughed, clapping Kevin on the back. "Don't we know it."

Guenther Steiner had always been Dakota's biggest supporter. At first, the Austrian had terrified Dakota with his brash, often brutally honest personality. But when rumors started flying about the teenager from Queensland who was starting to work around the paddock, naturally people got interested, including the crew on Drive To Survive. Around the middle of the season, her grandfather had started taking her to press conferences and media days, where she met Guenther. The Haas boss had always been in her corner, her biggest advocate in the media.

"I'm sorry your race ended like that, kiddo." Guenter began, pulling Dakota in for a hug. "You deserve better. Don't listen to what Marko is saying, yeah. He's just making himself look like a fucking wanker."

Dakota cracked a smile. "Yeah, yeah. P and Yuki don't know he said that, though. Knowing them, I think they'd march up there and fight him, especially given Pierre's history with Red Bull."

"You know if Helmut has an opinion, then it won't be long until Horner voices his."

Christian Horner. The bane of Dakota's existence. He had never liked Dakota, and had been critical of her place within the Toro Rosso garage in the first place. The Red Bull principal had even once gone as far to say that there wasn't a chance in hell that she would ever be promoted to Red Bull Oracle Racing, the biggest of the Big Three teams. Not that she'd ever want the spot after what had happened to Daniel, Pierre and Alex.

"And when he does, we'll be there to put him in his place." Mick reassured, placing his hand over hers. Mick Schumacher knew all too well the pressures of the sport, the media constantly tearing him apart for not matching up to his father's impossible legacy instead of treating him like his own person.

"I'd offer you a job at Haas, but I would be wasting your potential." Guenther remarked. "Do yourself a favour, Dakota, and consider the McLaren offer."

"I am thinking about it, don't worry. I want to talk to Fernando, though. I need his old Spanish wisdom."

She met Fernando Alonso at the bar, both of them taking hard plastic stools next to each other in the purple neon lighting. Immediately after ordering, Dakota slumped in her seat, reastinher head on Fernando's shoulder. As the elder statesman of the group, Fernando had become the disappointed father-figure amongst the younger drivers, as well as Dakota, who found that despite some of his questionable choices on and off track, the Spaniard gave good advice when she needed it the most.

"You know better, Dakota." Fernando chided. "Don't let Marko get to you. It's all noise."

"It's not just Marko, though. Now every forty year old man who has never lead a pit crew in his life thinks he has an opinion on my place in the sport. The ESPN commentators certainly don't disagree. Fucking Americans. They should keep their noses out of our good European sport."

Fernando chuckled. "There's the Dakota I remember." The bartender placed two glasses of red wine in font of the duo. "You're putting yourself through hell by staying, you know that?"

Dakota sighed, reaching for the wineglass. Her contract expired at the end of the season, the length mostly guaranteed by Christian and Marko's lack of faith in her despite delivering satisfactory results during her first season on the job. She knew that RBR were keeping her on a short leash, making sure she never got comfortable at AlphaTauri for too long. 

Sending the message that she was replaceable.

"The season has only just started, 'Nando. So many things could happen between now and Abu Dhabi. I want to think that's it's just a rough start, especially since our pre-season went so well. When I drove, the car sliced like a knife through butter. We can't fly back to the factory to fix this shit, there's not enough time before we need to be in Jeddah, which means we need to have whatever part is fucking wrong needs to be something that we already have, or I'll be grovelling at Horner's doorstep, which is the last thing I want to do."

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Dakota. I trust that you're going to do what you need to do to find yourself. You got into the pit crew game young, so you're lucky. You still have time to find your niche."

"I want out from under Red Bull's thumb, believe me. But I can't leave AlphaTauri. They're my family. I can't leave P, either. He won't say it, I think he's scared of depending on someone this much again after Anthoine, but he needs me, Fernando. And what about Yuki? I love him. I love him so so much, and what if moving to McLaren puts that all at risk, huh?"

Fernando patted her on the shoulder. "You have until the end of the season, right? By Silverstone, you'll have an idea of how the Constructors is going to play out. And I don't think Pierre is going to stick around there forever. He's impatient to get into a bigger team. Don't sell yourself short out of loyalty. They'll understand."