Today was the day. Kasumi's first race as a Formula 1 driver was finally here. The atmosphere was nothing like she had ever experienced before. The crowd that was present for this race had nothing on anything she'd seen in other series as well. She knew that all eyes were on her and the 21 other drivers on the grid. "Comm check." Her engineer piped in, "Welcome to our first race in Formula 1. Take it easy on the start, and settle down into your rhythm. Keep it clean." Claire said on the radio, as Kasumi was glancing around her cockpit. If it wasn't for the fact that adrenaline was coursing through her veins and her heart pounding so loudly that she could practically hear it in her head, she would've fallen asleep. As tight as these cockpits appeared to be, the position they were in were comfortable enough to warrant some drivers falling asleep. 

Soon enough, the entire grid packed away and off everyone went on the formation lap. Kasumi was directly behind Hugo, and stayed behind him as the cars paraded around Melbourne. Every once in a while, Kasumi weaved left and right to get some heat into the tires. The last thing she wanted to do was to start the race on cold tires. If she wanted an opportunity to score Valkyrie's first points in F1, then a good start was the first step toward doing so. Pacing behind Hugo, Kasumi's breathing was slowing as she got into the zone. Nothing else but the road ahead of her as she finally made her way around the last chicane.

Lining up in her spot, Kasumi held the clutch paddle and pressed on the throttle as she watched the lights. Watching the lights intently, she watched them stack -- and then fall as she released the clutch pedal and let the car launch forward. Gingerly applying the throttle, Kasumi went up the gears, every gear prompting more throttle input as the tires established traction. She found herself weaving to the right side of the track, close to the pit wall as she and presumably Hugo overtook a few cars just off the line. Right now was a drag race to the first corner, and Kasumi found herself jockeying for the corner with a car next to her as the braking point quickly came. Practically standing on the brakes, Kasumi beat the car next to her for the dominant position, and ended up in front through the initial chicane. "Great move, Kasumi. Keep it up! Pick your shots." Her engineer piped up, as she left the initial chicane and headed down the next straight.