STREETS -
act one chapter twenty-five.

liked by: aliciahugo, alex_albon, nyckdevries, mercedesamgf1, nicholaslatifi, lilymhe, nadiacanswim and 17,187,276 others.

williamsracing: alicia's favorite moments from this year on film!

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userone: the lack of the trumpie in this post is how i knew it was alicia's favorites😭

usertwo: announce her for next season, please and thank you!
williamsracing: announcement coming soon...🤫
usertwo: if it's not alicia, i don't want it btw

nadiacanswim: look at us, so cute in the shallow end of the pool!
aliciahugo: teach me how to swim AND then we'll go to the deep end
nadiacanswim: i tried to teach you and you NEARLY drowned me
aliciahugo: the keyword is clearly, NEARLY

userthree: who is nadia and why is she telling me she can swim
nadiacanswim: i'm that annoying voice over alicia's radio 🤓, plus alicia can't swim
aliciahugo: @nadiacanswim stop telling people 😭

nyckdevries: glad to see small de vries making the cut 😁
aliciahugo: of course you did small de vries, i've missed you my favorite dutchie 🤍

logansargeant: something is missing from this dump
aliciahugo: you're right! i didn't get any pictures of waffle!

maxverstappen1: why am i not your favorite dutchman?
aliciahugo: you should be asking yourself why you thought you were?

lilymhe: my gorgeous gorgeous girls!!!
alex_albon: thanks so much!!!
aliciahugo: @nadiacanswim awkward...

roscoelovescoco: wheres is rosecoes and waffles?
aliciahugo: don't test me today

mercedesamgf1: 🤓🤓🤓
aliciahugo: toto, babe, what are you doing here? - probably georgie russell right now
georgerussell63: stop!

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aliciahugo: this year, i carried around a disposable camera around every track i had the opportunity of driving around. to me, these pictures will always be special. they are of the people i've connected with, the people who never underestimated me (even you, george)

these people are the people i have endless thanks for and can only hope they will continue to support me, no matter what. much like i hope you can support me in my future endeavors (no matter what they might be)

alex, george, lily, lewis and jost: i don't think there will ever be the words to describe how much love my heart holds for each of you. it's not often i express how grateful i am for each of you but i truly am. this season has been short, but i have managed to make friends for life. friends i will never ever forget wherever i am. and jost, my formula one career began the moment you decided to call me instead of someone else. thank you.

williams and i are still a team, while the future has not yet been announced for their second seat, i support them. this is a family to me. no matter how dysfunctional the press likes to make us seem.

and to all of you, who supported me or didn't support me: you only saw my capabilities for half a season and even then, i hope i impressed you. that maybe now, you'll turn on the w series and decided it shouldn't be going bankrupt because there is true talent within every single one of those girls. i hope i changed your mind. i hope i proved you wrong.

to those who did support me, who cheered my name when others didn't, who held those ridiculous cardboard cut outs of my face, i simply have one thing to say to you: thank you. while it is short, i'm sure it expresses my gratitude. there are no words to describe it.

i've had the best year of my life. thank you.

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userone: uh. why do i feel like this is goodbye. take this back alicia. TAKE YOUR CRYPTICNESS BACK.

hug0boss: this is NOT a family, I LIED. i can't wait to be free
alexthegoat: excuse me?!!?!
hug0boss: kidding!

usertwo: i ain't reading all that

userthree: hold on, i need my tissues

userfour: i don't think you understand, i can't lose this inspiration, man. i didn't even like f1 before alicia joined but, then she started driving and i thought that maybe there was some chance i could one day 💔
aliciahugo: you will, my love! you have to believe that you will first, you have to be determined to get here and not let anyone stand in your way 🤍

georgerussell63: i'm actually glad you didn't use any polaroids of me tbh
aliciahugo: oh, they were actually tragic. i thought the alex pic would be better for your self-esteem

roscoelovescoco: we loves you, alicia!
aliciahugo: i love you too, roscoe (lewis)

alex_albon: licey, i can't wait for us to spend the next full year together. 🤍
aliciahugo: me neither 😁🤍
userfour: @williamsracing and you want to take this away from me?

lilymhe: i'm so glad alex brought home a stray that day or i'd never have met the love of my life.
aliciahugo: you're literally the cutest, i love you.

userfive: don't be idiotic, williams. do not let her go.
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aliciahugo: these are my girls. who have been at my side, seven days a week for be past four months. i really couldn't of done it without them.

in the first picture, on the left, you meet my trainer, charlotte. who has made countless efforts in attempts to teach me how to swim and failed countless times - but, she's good at cooking so, we let it slide. (charlotte also has to deal with waffle behind the scenes, so i have to be nice to her)

in the middle of the first picture, is my media officer, summer. this woman has faced many challenges since i was signed to her and deserves countless holidays after all the press i manage to serve up. (maybe a pay rise @williamsracing)

and in the final picture, you may have already seen her, is my engineer, nadia. that annoying voice you sometimes hear over the radio, playing with my feelings as she tells me to guess my final position. (p-fucking-five by any chance?)

these girls have been at my beck and call. they've defended my name as it was dragged through the mud. my dog loves them, i love them. and they deserve more credit than i could ever give them. they are my girls, forever and always. ❤️

it would be unfair not to mention the man who has supported me all my life. and while i don't feel comfortable posting his face on social media, i know mandy will show him this and he will laugh and call me a sentimental fool, no doubt. but, my dad has been my rock - all my life. he's dealt with all my tears, my boy troubles, the awkward conversations.

he's my number one fan and i will be ever-so-grateful that he built my first kart and forced me onto that track while most boys laughed and jested. your troublemaker loves you, she thanks you and can't wait to come home to you and play a game of snap (that you will most definitely cheat at)

thank you all.

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userone: we haven't even raced yet and i've cried several times
usertwo: if she does donuts with alex and george i'll die

mandohara: he did, in-fact, call you a sentimental fool but can't wait for a game of snap. he'll call you soon, sweetheart ❤️
aliciahugo: thank you mandy, we couldn't do it without you either 🤍

userthree: who is mandy. why am i crying? what have you done to me?
userfour: @userthree the name mandy o'hara relates to elderly care giving, according to google

summer_media: can't wait to spend a whole season wiping your name clean!
aliciahugo: we're going to have fun!

userfive: they seem so sure she'll be there next year which fills me with so much joy you don't understand
aliciasburneraccount: i'm a good liar

nadiacanswim: i feel so privileged, i've been posted twice🤓
aliciahugo: you forced my hand.

charlottetrainsalicia: my cooking isn't just good, it's astronomical
aliciahugo: sorry chef charlotte.

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THOSE LIGHTS TURN RED FOR THE LAST TIME AND SHE THINKS, and she thinks real long and hard, she thinks what could I have done better?

Is it doubt? Is it the feeling of failure? Is it the words of harsh critics imprinted into your brain as you count down the seconds until the lights drop and you set off to race for what could well be the final time.

Oh, who was Alicia Hugo kidding? There was no chance she finds a seat. Whether that be reserve or first team. There's no chance on earth she finds one this late.

Maybe that was another thing Williams had stripped her of.

They took her practice sessions and handed them to someone who wasn't even half as talented as her (George's words, not hers!) They gave her hope and stripped her of it in the background. The stripped her dignity as they continually proceeded in discussions with Logan Sargeant while promising her a fair chance at a seat next year.

Was it naïve to believe that someone in the sport could tell the truth?

Of course it was. It was Formula One after all.

What is this sport without rule rewriting, lying and cheating?

The lights aren't red anymore. And suddenly the silence around the track cleared up as the engines rev and all cars leave their starting positions.

And for Alicia Hugo, it feels as though the curtain has fallen for the final time. This is final showing, all that awaits is the encore.

But, there's always something about the final showing. Do you know what it is?

People believe the final showing to be the most lively. The most entertaining. The most powerful.

And you best believe that Alicia Hugo wasn't leaving this sport with a boring race. Good God no!

Alicia Hugo wanted the curtain to close as she heard the cheers and shouts for her to come back. She wanted roses thrown at her as she exits stage right.

Normally, Alicia Hugo doesn't get what she wants. But, I promise you, this time around she does.

Jenson Button was an ambassador for Williams Racing and he had never hated the team so much. Today, he had learnt of their plans for the future. And he absolutely despised them.

He was currently sat in the commentators box, the cameras focusing on the nonexistent battle at the front of the field. Where, Max raced off into the distance while the others merrily followed on after him.

Not much was happening in all fairness. The grid was being particularly boring.

The other commentators were talking but he didn't feel the need to comment. (Jenson also swore that if he started talking, he may let William's big secret out of the bag)

The other commentators in the room seemed pretty sure of themselves when they discussed that Alicia Hugo was definitely going to Williams' driver next year, that Logan Sargeant would be pushed aside for the future.

He wanted to laugh in their faces and tell them how wrong they were.

He wanted to laugh in Williams' face and tell them how stupid they were.

"Ted, can you tell us what is going on down there at Williams?" The voice of Crofty finally rung out in his ears when they mentioned the team Jenson had begun to hate.

The man in the pits cleared his throat as his cameraman focused on the faces of Nadia, Charlotte and Summer, who had never looked so happy to see their girl driving off after the others.

"Crofty, Alicia Hugo is creating the performance of a life time. All while the cameras have been focusing on Max Verstappen at the front, she has closed a two second gap to Gasly, with little to no DRS, she then proceeded to pick him off while chasing down the other alphatauri of Yuki Tsunoda."

"And let's not forget her brillant start where she immediately overtook her teammate, Alex Albon, leaving him in the dust as she moved to pick off Sebastian Vettel and Esteban Ocon."

"Someone check that car! She's on fire today!"

Light chuckles filled the room as Ted came off air and Crofty immediately turned in Jenson's direction. "Jenson, any news on when we can expect a Williams driver announcement?"

Don't fuck it up Jenson.

"Tomorrow, definitely. Williams are very sure in their decision and that's good for them." He nodded slowly and it was clear that his tone implied he didn't agree with their decision.

Was there anyone who would be pleased with Williams after this?

We've already compared Alicia to a play today, and hopefully not a Shakespearean tragedy. But, what if I compared her to an artist. Painting a canvas with all the tyre tracks she's left behind, they're apart of history until they wash away.

She's an artist. She paints a legacy behind her, even if she doesn't realize it. She opens a new pot of paint every race and finds a new muse at every track.

Alicia Hugo has a whole trail of messy paint behind her but it didn't matter because it was art. It was her story. It was the legacy she began the day she stepped out onto a karting track.

The paint fell onto the concrete of the karting centre in Spain when she was merely a youngster, who had maths homework to cry about. The young girl would've rather, in that moment, have been at home completing her algebra homework instead of being in the cold, with only a thin coat to warm her up.

But then her dad smiled. And her engine spluttered and before she knew it she was off.

And to her, she wasn't driving because of the petrol, her car continued to move because she had never felt anything like this.

She had never felt so scared, yet so alive. She had never felt so out of control, but so powerful. She had never felt adrenaline like it.

And it was an addiction, sparked at a young age. With no escape, and she never even wanted one.

Suddenly, maths homework wasn't that important. Getting her hands dirty and trying to find a way to improve her kart was the only thing that mattered.

The boy and girls laughed when she said she wanted to be like the greats of motorsport. They laughed in her face and claimed she would never succeed. Never-mind succeed, they never even thought she'd step foot onto a real track.

And yet, here she was. The artist at her canvas for the last time. Trying to create a masterpiece, one no-one had ever seen.

She was good at that.

Creating new art. One that at first glance you think: that isn't right. Or, maybe at first glance you even think it's a little ugly. But, then the paint dries and you look a little closer and think there's potential within - that this could be something great.

Sometimes even the greatest artists don't get enough paint.

And they run out before they reach their full potential.

I don't know how we got to the topic of paint. And at this rate it feels as though I'm writing everything and anything because it doesn't feel real that Alicia Hugo is coming to the end of a career short lived.

The more I write, the more we ignore what is forthcoming.

But, the truth is, all good things come to an end - no matter how short lived.

You cross that finish line and think you'll be filled with relief. You think that a sigh will escape your lips and you'll finally let your shoulder sag as you let your hair down.

You'll feel accomplished. You'll think you did everything you could.

The problem with that was only crazy people could leave this track today and think they did everything right.

Alicia Hugo crosses the finish line. But she does not sigh in relief, she does not let her shoulders sag or let her hair down. Her car slows as she trundles her final lap around Abu Dhabi.

She watches the flurry of Red Bull employees, and the plethora of red that floods through the fences. The cheers that aren't for her but for the more successful drivers, further up the grid who go on to receive trophies.

Sure, she envies them. But, she loved her Williams. It was a shitbox at times but it was her shitbox.

It was her first car.

You always love your first car. I couldn't tell you why but you just do.

She rounds the first corner again and still can't help but think that she could've done it better.

There was a crackle in her radio, making her jump. She'd been so engrossed in her final showing that she almost forgot she wasn't alone.

She had even forgot about the live audience that had yet to throw their roses.

"I've, truly, got no words, Alicia." Nadia voiced.

A camera zoomed in on the engineer, they had a moment or two before they had to go back and wait for Sebastian Vettel but for this moment, they could hit pause on Max Verstappen's celebrations.

And they could focus on a team that jumped around their garage, trying to find their own small bottles of champagne to celebrate.

It was at that moment Alicia heard cheers. Cheers from the crowd that mixed with the garage going crazy. And in that moment, she saw George Russell behind her and then he pulled up next to her, signaling to the large striped area part of the track - where they were free to do donuts.

She followed after him but still remained largely confused on what everyone was cheering about, "What's going on?"

"You're fucking amazing, do you know that!" Summer's voice came onto the radio, "P4, Alicia. P-fucking-four."

"Hey!" Nadia shouted right into the mic, "That's my job!" She cleared her throat as Alicia and George came to a standstill, waiting for one final person, "P-fucking-four, Alicia! You're insane. There's no words right now. Okay? But when you get back here, we're going to celebrate!"

She nodded. Not sharing half the enthusiasm they possessed. It seemed as though she was elsewhere.

They were used to her screaming and how they had to cover their ears at this point. Yet, the screams never came.

Only a timid request, "Is there any way I can talk to Alex?"

Nadia and Charlotte exchanged glances as the engineer began to set up her girls wishes, "Yeah, hold on a second, we're putting you through."

Just as she heard a click, Alex pulled up to his friends awaiting.

George was so impatient he hadn't wasted another  second before engaging in a round of donuts, of course making sure he was a good distance away from Alicia - the last thing he needed today was to punt into her.

Alicia smiled under her helmet as her and Alex joined in making donuts. She knew the positions they had aligned themselves in. It was something that had promised to do many moons ago.

And she knew that the cameras would be able to pick up the perfect penis that was now painted onto the side of the Abu Dhabi track.

(You've got to let the artist work, am I right?)

"Alicia!" Alex sung through his radio, "I'm so fucking proud of you, you know that right? And your dad, he's going to be so proud. And Nadia! Oo! Lily and Jost."

"You're fucking amazing, licey. I don't know what to say!" He gushed.

And Alicia sighed.

"You're the bestest friend I ever had, you know that right?" (Sorry, Carlos. But at least this one never pushed her into the barrier) "And, I think the world of you, Alex. There is no-one I would rather have spent the past four months with. You've been the best teammate and the best friend anyone could ever offer me."

He nervously chuckled, "This sounds awfully like a goodbye."

"I promise, it isn't." She laughed. And it was real. It was uneasy, one that clearly screamed: 'I lied to your face as I crossed my fingers behind the steering wheel'

"I'm just...I'm over the moon, Alex. That I got to share this with you, that I'm fucking-p-four, I could cry!" There it was. That glimmer of happiness as she conversed with her best friend.

"Don't cry!" He immediately exclaimed. "You cry, I cry!"

Sky Sports stopper showing whatever else had to be said of the two best friends, after all friendship wasn't the meaning of the sport (not to the commentators, at least)

But, to Alicia, this sport gave her friendship. It gave her more friends than she ever thought she'd have. It gave her life more meaning than circles that go round in odd shapes and interviews that make your head spin.

Friends are the one thing she never expected to make in formula one. After all, she was the girl laughed at, pushed, heckled at.

There were no friends for her. (Except Carlos)

She thought this sport was all about racing. She thought it's sole purpose in life was to hear the cheers of the crowds as your engine roared.

But it was so much more than that.

Formula One was a spectacle. It was a show. And every Friday - Sunday, we sit down as it's viewers. We applaud, we try and guess the upcoming part, we spot the villain and the hero.

And when the curtain falls you wait in anticipation for the next showing, that could have a totally different outcome.

Except, Alicia Hugo knew that the curtain fell and for her it would never rise again.

The curtain fell on Alicia's Hugo final showing, and now we wait for the crowd to throw their roses.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
i don't even fucking know how we got onto paint but we're just going to move on 😭

we have all survived the first act of streets, if you survive the second act we will count ourselves lucky! it's going to be a journey! and i cannot wait.

and let's not talk about how unrealistic it is for alicia to get p4, okay? she was a woman on a mission!

you all deserve lots of hugs and kisses for making it here, you've experienced my writers block, some of my longest chapters and most of all my stupidest plot lines. but you did it and on the way you left amazing comments, you voted and you read my book. and that is more important than anything to me, thank you 🤍