#and after you saw what happened with daniel at mclaren
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The best thing that happened after this "hate" on Norris is people who respond to comments from Norris fans.
His fans write about hate and they are the ones who write and hate other drivers the most
About max that he should have a dnf or hit the wall and be paralyzed , they laugh that max's father beat him
About charles they laugh that his father is dead
About oscar just go to his insta and read the comments after Hungary and Monza or go to mclaren and read there, his fans even attack oscar's mother and his sister
How much they wrote about Daniel and made fun of his mental health
Even ocon, stroll, lewis hate, you can find hate from Norris fans for every driver
But when they "hate" Norris and people really laugh that he ended up from P1 to P6
This is a great outrage, and what makes me laugh the most are the posts of Norris fans who write that he gets hate in private messages... did he tell you himself that he gets hate in private messages? Are your voices in your head?
The best thing is that you can find a tweet on most Norris fans where they say that a given driver should die. I recommend going on Twitter because there are a lot of such responses to Norris fans you can have a good laugh
all the examples I listed in this post I saw with my own eyes today, people from every fandom pulled these things out in response to the cries of Norris fans to show them how they hate their drivers
#the post is meant to show the hypocrisy of norris fans🥰#to write such a post I was inspired by posts of Norris fans on tumbler#f1#formula 1#anti norris fans#oscar piastri#max verstappen#charles leclerc#esteban ocon#lance stroll#lewis hamilton#anti lando norris#daniel ricciardo
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nate saying red bull never really considered daniel to replace checo last year because they needed him to relaunch AT which, yeah okay but....will that be the reason they keep him there forever too.
ok but what advantage would there be to keeping him there indefinitely? i can understand keeping him there to launch the new team, i can understand keeping him there the full season to get them established (which would mean mid season swap, especially EARLY midseason swap is unlikely unfortunately 😔), but beyond that???
the only way i could really understand it is if they GENUINELY want two equally competitive teams on the grid, splitting their best drivers between the teams rather than putting them head to head. but there's an inherent risk there when the question becomes: so then who fills the second red bull seat? do you go a known but flop quantity in checo or an unknown quantity altogether in literally anyone else? 🤷♀️
#that just seems so foolish in my opinion#especially when we KNOW rbr wants to win wants to be the best wants to rack up as many 1-2s as possible#and after you saw what happened with daniel at mclaren#where if you believe the messaging coming out of rbr daniel was never the problem it was always pure incompatibility#do you want to take that risk on someone from outside your system with your notoriously difficult car??#especially when you've got someone you KNOW can deliver and would just be thankful to be there (at least for now) right fucking there#red bull redux#answered#anonymous
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F1 Drivers & Their Couples Halloween Costumes
: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, and Daniel Ricciardo
: Main Masterlist
: Author’s Note - Ik I’m a little late, but I had terrible migraine and just could not bring myself to finish this. But here we are! Here are some costumes I think that F1 Drivers will wear with their girlfriends
…
Max Verstappen
- Was absolutely against any stupid costume but the moment he saw this, it was over for him.
- For someone who was not interested in dressing up, Max took an awfully long time to make the cat’s head.
- Tried to show his outfit to Jimmy and Sassy……ya let’s just say, it did not go as well as he would have liked it to go 🤭
Lando Norris
- I mean….do I even need to explain this one???
- Lando was the one who came up with the idea (shocker)
- Put more effort and dedication into making the boobs than he does in race strategy! (He’d like to call this costume his life’s best work)
Oscar Piastri
- After rejecting several costume ideas (which included salt & pepper, socket & plug, jam & toast) he finally gave in to this costume (not that he had a choice)
- Decided to be Pete (totally called McLaren to get the orange hoodie set)
- Wanted to truly understand the essence of the character (spent 20+ hours trying to memorise the rap)
Charles Leclerc
- Honestly….even Charles has no idea why he suggested this costume.
- He wanted to do something fun….so he asked Arthur for help (this actually explains a lot why he was dressed like The Simpsons)
- This costume really grows on him, especially the headpiece (the expression reminds him of his years in Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz
- Tbh he has no idea what he’s doing! He’s just happy to be included.
- He doesn’t have many opinions about the costume; he just likes the fact that he gets to be close to his girlfriend.
- Gets so many compliments that he’s already started planning for next year’s couples costume.
George Russell
- Made a bet with Alex about who can become the most iconic Disney duo….hence Darla and Nemo 🐟
- Is more than happy to wear an orange wig, plaid skirt and glittery sweatshirt…🤨
- Even called Toto and asked him to play the dentist as a way to gain bonus points.
Lewis Hamilton
- He would rather die than be caught in these tacky outfits….which is why he found the best costume to wear!
- Got the suits custom made from the best designers (yes the alien is also custom made ���)
- Won the best costume award (are we even surprised tho 🤷🏻♀️)
Pierre Gasly
- Just don’t ask why….this is what Pierre came up with!
- Now you might think the girlfriend is dressed as the chicken. Well….YOU’RE WRONG!!!
- Pierre insisted on dressing up as the chicken (bonus: he even asked Yuki to dress up as a knife)
Alex Albon
- Made a bet with George and he knew exactly what he wanted to become!!
- Truth be told, Alex made one hell of a Vector.
- He was surprisingly good at putting on the bald cap for Gru….which makes you wonder this isn’t the first time he’s done this 🤔
Franco Colapinto
- He had no intention of dressing up but got invited by the other drives, so he had to come up with something QUICK!
- Voila! Did a quick google search and decided to dress up as the first thing he saw.
- Not the best costume but 8/10 for his efforts and last minute planning 🥉
Daniel Ricciardo
- Does this not look like a pose Daniel would 100% do!!!!
- He said #Green&Proud
- Tried a lot to convince Max to dress up as the donkey 🫏….ya it didn’t happen!
…
Tags: @wobblymug | @evasmlp | @ln8118 |
#f1#formula 1#f1 x reader#formula one x reader#formula 1 x reader#formula one imagine#f1 imagine#max verstappen x reader#lando norris x reader#oscar piastri x reader#charles leclerc x reader#carlos sainz x reader#george russell x reader#lewis hamilton x reader#pierre gasly x reader#daniel ricciardo x reader#franco colapinto x reader#alex albon x reader#max verstappen#lando norris#osacr piastri#charles leclerc#carlos sainz#george russell#lewis hamilton#pierre gasly#daniel ricciardo#franco colapinto#alex albon#halloween
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just pr I ln4
pairing: lando norris x ricciardo!reader summary: after being caught hooking up with lando, you both decide it would be good for your images to fake date. too bad you hate each other. notes: been loving enemies to lovers rn🫣 masterlist
f1gossip
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f1gossip New WAG alert? After a night of partying, Lando Norris was pictured kissing Y/n Ricciardo outside the club! Onlookers claim they then went home together after this👀 He was seen having a private dinner with another girl just a few days ago and rumored to have brought a different girl on his ski trip a few weeks ago.
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user lando is on a streak LOL
user this is so random?!? i was not expecting this duo but im here for it HAHA
user no cause she rarely attends races but when she does shes never seen with lando?😭
user omg he better not play my girl, I love y/n
user WHAT DOES DANIEL THINK OF THIS OMG
user I wanna read the family gc so bad...
user wait they would be so cute
user is he finally settling down omg
user I hope so, I lowkey see them together
user im here for it!! shes so much better than these other girls hes been seen with
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danny what. were. you. thinking. you're in so much trouble missy call me ASAP!!!
y/bff/n LANDO NORRIS?!?!? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM BEING A PIECE OF SHIT??? girl we need to debrief last night
lando norris we need to talk
Fucking fantastic.
Based on your notifications, you put two and two together and realized you were paparazzi'd with none other than the man you hated the most. You and Lando had a very complicated relationship to say the least. You had met when your brother, Daniel, joined McLaren and from the start he had given you the cold shoulder. You didn't know what you did wrong and tried to be kind to him, but after a while you stopped when he dismissed you like a child. You thought you would get along with him after Danny had told you about his interest in photography. You yourself were a photographer and decided to take the year traveling with your brother to capture some photos in F1, but you had figured the fame was getting to Lando especially after his breakup with his girlfriend. He was starting to bring different girls to the garage in every race and you would never see them again after.
You remember your last interaction with him in the McLaren garage in the final race of the '22 season was when the complicated part of your relationship began.
"What are you doing here, y/n? This is a place for serious professionals, not hobbyists."
"Lando, always the charmer. I'm here to photograph greatness."
"Greatness? You wouldn't know greatness if it lapped you on the track."
"Well, I'm pretty sure greatness doesn't come with an ego the size of your car."
"Watch your tone, y/n. This is a dangerous place, not a playground for kids."
"I can handle myself, Lando. Unlike some people, I don't need a helmet to protect my head."
Both your eyes were filled with hatred as they interlocked, each refusing to back down. As the race begins, y/n continues to snap photos, capturing Lando's intense focus and determination.
After the race, both Lando and Daniel were disappointed they were not able to get into the podium on their last race of the season. Your brother asked for some time alone so you approached Lando, camera in hand, knowing it would be the last time you were in the same garage as him.
"Tough race, Lando. I got some incredible shots, though."
"Don't patronize me, y/n."
"You know for what it's worth, I saw a different side of you on the track this season. It's like you're fighting not just against other drivers, but against something within yourself.
"What are you talking about?"
"I may be the younger sister of your teammate, but I'm not blind. There's more to you than the arrogant facade you put on."
After that conversation, you began seeing Lando less and less considering your brother was now racing in AlphaTauri and you were hardly at the paddock anymore. The few times you did see Lando, the tension had shifted into something different. But it was now winter break and you and Lando were both back in Monaco.
You had gone out last night and you did not believe your luck when you saw Lando in the same club with a smirk on his face. Determined to show you could rise above the tension, you decided to lose herself in the pulsating rhythm of the music. As you moved to the beat, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you found yourself face-to-face with none other than Lando.
"Surprised to see me, princess?" He looked at you with a mocking smile knowing the nickname would rile you up.
"Surprised to see you alone at a club and not wrapped up with some girl? Yes, actually."
"Didn't take you for the jealous type, I like it."
Against your better judgment, you found herself drawn into banter with him. The tension between you turned into a strange kind of chemistry as you exchanged barbs, each remark escalating in intensity. A few drinks were exchanged and you slowly began to lose your guard around him and eventually ending up on his bed that night.
You groaned at the memory of last night's mistake and decided it was best to text Lando back before anyone else to get your story straight. He quickly replied saying he was on his way and you began to straighten yourself up.
"You know usually when I hook up with a girl I don't see her the next morning. Consider yourself lucky y/n."
"Still arrogant as ever, even when we're both fucked right now."
"Well you're a little more fucked than I am really."
"Just get in here Lando." You opened the door to let him in and quickly shut it afraid you would be pictured together again.
"I've got good news for you sweetheart. My team has made a plan to sort this mess out."
"Go on with it. What is it?"
"Jeez feisty in the mornings, heh? But congratulations, you are officially my girlfriend, we've been dating for a few weeks now and have kept it under wraps to figure out our feelings for each other privately."
"A fake relationship? That's your solution? No fucking way."
Lando sighed and rolled his head back in annoyance. He knew you were immediately going to shut this idea down but he had planned what he was going to say beforehand and knew what to say to convince you.
"You think I want to do this? My team needs me to do this, I haven't exactly looked like a saint these past few weeks and hooking up with my friend's sister behind his back isn't going to make me look any better."
"And what's that got to do with me?"
"Well in case you haven't noticed, this doesn't look good on your part either princess. There's some hateful people on the internet already slut shaming you and saying you betrayed your brother. If we tell people we were already dating prior to these pictures, it lessens the hate. Not only that, are you really going to tell Danny you had a meaningless one night stand with one of his friends?"
You knew he had a point. Danny wasn't going to be happy if he found out about the brewing tension between you and Lando.
"Please y/n, the internet already likes us together. This would be good for us."
"Lando Norris saying please? Wow, never thought I'd see the day." You genuinely were shocked at his desperateness for you to agree, you didn't think about how this affected him as much it did you.
"Yeah, yeah. It's only for a few months then we could go back to pretending we dont exist to each other."
"Okay fine, just for a few months. And I'm doing this for Danny, not for you." You quickly agreed not really thinking it would be that big of a deal. Just a few posts and appearances together and this would be over before you knew it.
"I knew you'd give in." Lando gave you one of his infamous smirks and planted a kiss in the corner of your mouth. "Now come on we need some pictures to make this convincing."
And so it begins.
landonorris
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landonorris secrets out
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user OMFG
user im actually so happy theyre so cute😭❤️
user WHAT WAS DANNYS REACTION
yourusername 🧡
danielricciardo on the next flight to monaco btw. maxverstappen1 yourusername ooouuu you're in troubleeee user LMFAO MAX user WAIT DID DANIEL NOT KNOW???
danielricciardo 🫠����
user AHAHAH he doesn't seem too happy user 💀
user am I tripping or is he holding y/ns camera🥹
user it looks like the one she always has on her I LOVE THEM ALREADY
user my new roman empire I won't shut up about them from now on
user wasn't lando just with other girls?
user he can have female friends!! its not impossible
part two??
#lando norris x reader#lando norris imagine#lando norris smau#lando norris fanfic#lando norris x you#lando norris x y/n#lando norris#f1 x reader#ln4#f1 fanfic#daniel ricciardo#f1 imagine#f1 fic#mclaren formula 1#lando norris imagines#lando x reader#lando fluff
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For your halloween special, can i have all dressed chips, with a espresso Martini by max verstappen plssss
halloween menu - bakery menu
spooky scary post-halloween submission! thank you so much for the request. it has been fun to write this one, so i hope that you love it. i know that the spooky season is over, but we can probably have a little more halloween magic until christmas, haha!
all-dressed chips: "i'd propose right now. but not while you're wearing this." + espresso martini: dom!character served by max verstappen (formula one)
tags: smut/pwp, dom & mad!max, driver!reader, established relationship, car sex (sort of), fingering/clit teasing & oral sex (reader receives)
"you can't laugh at this." you said as you zipped up the driver's suit to your neck. you looked in the mirror before you shushed your teammate. you turned in the mirror a little, "oh he's gonna freak when he sees this."
daniel laughed into his fist and you shushed your teammate before you turned to him and away from the mirror. the driving suit was so much baggier than yours. especially in the shoulders and thighs. you knew that if the team found out about this, they would lose it.
they were very particular with where the drive suit of the great max verstappen was at all times. and currently it was on your body as you and your teammate rushed to his car before you ended up at a halloween party in austin.
to be a couple on two separate teams often led to a flurry of discussions and rumors. you had about four pregnancy rumors happen oven the course of the season. that didn't mention the three cheating rumors (that was your cousin that photo) or the five secret wedding rumors. you hated those ones the most because they always made it seem like your wedding choices were tacky.
but tonight, you were thankful there were no press members lurking around the house that was rented out by the mclaren team for the austin weekend. and since it was close enough to halloween, that meant the drivers and others could have a party. and while it wasn't a dress up party, you took it upon yourself to have the best costume.
your teammate, daniel, was dressed a cowboy. you even remarked, 'you might give me a run for my money tonight." as you looked in the mirror to see if your lip gloss was ended up above your lip. he laughed and the two of you got out of the parking lot before the gate to the track was closed.
-
at the house, you spotted max waiting outside with his arms crossed and leaned up against the gate. when he saw you get out of the car, he was instantly over to you. it wasn't until he got closer that he noticed that you were wearing his driver suit.
he laughed, "you look so amazing." he scooped you up in his arms and looked at you with a smile, "very authentic."
you giggled, "it's a red bull original."
max looked at you, "i..is that my suit?"
you nodded, "yeah, well worn today and everything." you felt max hold onto you a little tighter and you got your hands into the front of his t-shirt. you looked at him, "i wanted to be the best dressed."
he swallowed then laughed, "well, i think it's a mission accomplished." he could feel the swirl in his gut.
daniel piped up after he locked the car doors, "what about me, max?" he laughed, "i think i kill it tonight too, mate." then winked at his former teammate.
max laughed, "why did i have a feeling that you were going as a cowboy tonight?" then ushered you into the house against his worst judgement. the back of his mind was calling for him to stuck you in the backseat and make the car rock.
so much was covered, but to know that you were in max's gear turned him on. so the entire night his gaze was on you, his hand on your lower back and when he could, his lips on yours. a night of partying ended with max driving you back to your hotel room.
"show me what's under it? got my fireproofs on too?" he asked. his hand was on the zipper and trying to get it down while you drove him. you helped him and he caught a glimpse of your bra underneath.
"i'd propose right now. but not while you're wearing this." he laughed, "and not when there's a risk i'll crash the car." he did however snake his hand between your legs, "fuck, you're so warm."
you moaned as he managed to get under your panties and rub against your clit. the sensation made you jolt and he laughed.
"aw c'mon, my love. you're always so calm on the track? what's the problem now? can't handle a little fun?" it didn't help that the speed he was driving left after shocks through your body.
you were both on quiet back end roads in texas. no one around for a good while, so of course max could rev the engine a little bit while he stimulated your clit. the strength of a formula one driver was concentration and the ability to calculate many things at once.
for example max's rough thumb was against your clit, moving in motions that were making you a total mess in the car. his eyes were on the road and he was going over the speed limit so he could almost stimulate your achy sex. all while not crashing the car.
they could give him the wdc for that feat alone.
your heart was racing in your ears and your pussy soaked through your cotton panties. max knew if he smelled his suit the next morning, it was going to reek like your achy cunt. and he wouldn't mind racing like that.
"shit, max. ah." you groaned and you shifted your hips to get a better feeling of his rough fingers. you swallowed back a particularly loud moan to escape from your lips. you prayed, hoped that no one would find out about this. you didn't need that on the front pages.
"you sound so pretty when you're needy." he purred, "i love how you sound. i feel like i should spank you for stealing my suit, but stealing it is quite the feat i have to say. mmmm, pretty thing."
his words sent shocked through you as you felt the blush bloom in your cheeks with an erotic want. there was something about max verstappen that drove you insane.
eventually he pulled his fingers away from your soaked sex and licked the bit of wetness off his thumb and knuckle. he groaned a little before he pulled into a nearby closed gas station parking lot.
"get in the backseat." he said before he watched you scramble to the back and he followed after. he almost hit his head against the top of the sports car he was driving. you chest was heavy in the low light of the parking lot.
max tugged at the suit, almost ripping the zipper to get access to your soaked cunt. he pushed the crotch of the cotton panties to get access to your sex. you could feel everything tight as he was pulled, but max's tongue on your aching cunt made it all better.
his pace was messy with two of his fingers pushed inside of you for added pleasure. he was a messy eater when he ate you out and you weren't too sure how much time you'd have before someone drove by. the car rocked a little as he pleasured you.
"fuck, ah, max." you didn't know this would've given him such a response. but, you loved it. you loved how his tongue felt against your achy cunt. you had been thinking about him during the party because he was in your space so much.
he groaned against your pussy, your wetness was up to his nose and almost at his cheeks. he went all in when it came to oral sex, that was why it made it so easy for you to climax because of him.
you moaned a little louder and held onto his hair for a moment as you felt the climax wash over you. the feeling hit you like a ton of bricks and it made you hot all over. you felt the fire in your gut as he made you feel on cloud nine.
"oh my god." you panted heavily as he smirked against your soaked pussy before he looked up at you. you could see the glisten of your wetness across his face.
"i'm not done with you yet. let's see how durable this suit really is." he chuckled as you heard the unzip of his jeans.
-
being in red bull's head office the morning after a party was never a good thing. it was a situation most tried to avoid being. but as you sat with daniel and max across from horner and mekies wasn't a way to start the morning.
"can we at least get coffee." you groaned.
"no." horner replied.
apparently max's racing suit went missing last night. only to be found in your hotel room this morning. daniel was in the office for abetting in the theft. you wanted to die when christian showed the three of you the pictures of the stains on the suit. daniel hid his mouth behind his hand, to not make a very funny (yet very mean comment). you pressed the heels of your hands into your eyes and prayed for a moment that you'd go blind.
"this will result in a fine and community service." which made the three of you groan. the media was going to have a field day with this one <3
#bunny writes#halloween bakery#halloween fic#reader insert#formula one imagine#formula 1#formula one smut#formula one fanfiction#f1 smut#f1 x reader#max verstappen x you#max verstappen x reader#max verstappen#max verstappen smut#max smut#mv33#mv33 fic#mv33 x reader#mv33 smut#mv1 smut#mv1 x reader#mv1#mv1 imagine#red bull racing
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fragile line | daniel ricciardo
pairing: daniel ricciardo x driver!reader
You and I walk a fragile line I have known it all this time But I never thought I'd live to see it break
what happens when the driver daniel falls in love with, ends up being the one who brings his career to a screeching halt? word count: 7.7k (im so sorry) warnings/tags: fluff-ish, plot with implied/very little smut, angst, mclaren danny, zak brown (gross), some incorrect f2 stats but whatever, time jumps, really just a lot of angst, its a rollercoaster
“What do you know?”
“What do you know?” Daniel repeated the question back to you, the emphasis making it clear as day that you both carried the same career-altering information.
His signature grin and comforting optimism were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Daniel’s expression could be described in a variety of ways. Solemn, disappointed, hurt.
“What was I supposed to do?” You asked, going straight to the defensive. You couldn’t be helpful in this scenario, you just needed to explain yourself. He wouldn’t understand it from your perspective, but you had to try.
“Not take the seat,” he offered a solution, as if it was that simple. “My god, I mean, they’re cutting my contract early, Y/N. For you.”
“For the sake of the team,” you corrected. You had no say in this. McLaren had plenty of driver options for the 2023 season. There were rumours of Daniel’s contract coming to an end a year early anyway, everyone heard them, everyone ignored them. The only thing that remained uncertain for a while was who would replace him should the rumours be true.
You.
“You don’t even like McLaren.” You told him, voice raising a little as if that helped get the point across. “You’ve struggled with this team since day one.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to stop racing.”
“McLaren is not the team for you and you know this.”
Daniel scoffed, eyebrows twitching, “Did Zak tell you to say that?”
It was a rhetorical question, but Daniel noticed the way your bottom lip quivered. He caught the way your eyes dropped from his, even just for a split second. There was something unspoken between you, something that weighed on your mind and Daniel stepped forward, wanting to know what exactly it was.
“Zak-” you started, reluctant to even say this. “-he doesn’t know I’m here. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to talk to you or anyone about it, not until your announcement comes out.”
Here meaning Daniel’s flat in Monaco. The place you spent more nights at than your own. You played it off by saying his view was better but that was such a bullshit answer. Daniel’s flat always felt more like home than yours ever did.
You had formally met the Australian driver a few years ago, but god did time fly. It was at a race in Monza. You could pretend you didn’t know the date but of course you did, you had it memorised. September 3rd, 2020. There was no way you could forget the day your life changed for the better.
Or possibly, for the worse. It was up in the air at this point.
You were new to the Formula 2 series. The only female driver on the grid as you raced with Prema alongside Mick Schumacher. F3 proved to be quite a successful stint for you and you had your eyes set on the coveted Formula 1 series. You wanted to be in the big leagues.
Daniel saw that. He saw how determined you were to not only make waves in Motorsport, but to make something of yourself. You trained just as hard, if not harder than the other drivers in the junior series and Daniel had seen that for a while. He was often surprised to see you at the hotel gym, already working up a sweat when he walked in at a little after 6am. He would be even more surprised when he saw you there in the evening when other drivers went and called it a night or even went and celebrated.
Your race weekends were the same as F1 weekends, but you just had limited ones. It was a shorter season, less intense, but whenever you were there. Daniel saw you. He saw you and he paid attention. He even rooted for you, very publicly as well whenever he could, despite the two of you never having exchanged a word.
The first time you heard about Daniel cheering you on was after the Monaco race, quite early on into your first season. You qualified 7th, not ideal for a track like Monaco where the opportunities to overtake were far and few between, but somehow you did it. And then you did it again. And you could say it was luck but it was really smart strategy and an insane amount of driver skill that had you finishing fifth. In Monaco.
Those were Daniel’s words. He was asked pre-race if he watched the F2 run and he said of course. He said he “wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” wanting to see what you could do this weekend.
“It’s not luck, she’s incredibly talented,” Daniel had told the Sky Sports reporter. “She’s doing big things in the series, and I’m rooting for her. Truly. It’s rare a driver comes around with such raw natural talent, where you look at them and you know racing’s just in their blood, but it’s in hers. I would love to see her in Formula 1 one day.”
You watched that interview clip about twenty times. Daniel Ricciardo, the Daniel Ricciardo who had won Monaco a few years back, was complimenting you. He was rooting for you.
It wasn’t until Monza, nearing the end of your season that he finally approached you.
“I want to work with you,” Daniel said, straight to the point. You were in the middle of stretching in the hotel's fitness centre. It was only Thursday, the race weekend itself had barely started but Daniel knew he’d find you in there.
You pulled your airpods out and looked up at him in the mirror, “You what?”
“I want to work with you,” Daniel repeated, this time sitting down on the floor next to you. He kept your stare in the reflection. “I’m not a trainer by any means, but I want to work with you. I want to see you in Formula 1.”
You were flattered, honoured really, but you didn’t know what that entailed. “Work with me how?”
“Well, regular fitness training for starters,” he said. “But managing, really. I want to help you with everything that it takes to move up. Media training, mental preparedness, finding sponsors, getting you in touch with the right people. Let me help you, Y/N.”
You weren’t sure what brought this on. Part of you was convinced it was because he knew this would look good on his behalf. If you did make it to Formula 1 and Daniel’s name was attached to yours, he’d look like a genius. A hero. He would be known as the first person from F1 to publicly support you.
But that wasn’t what it was at all. When you agreed and accepted his help, you soon came to learn that Daniel didn’t want to be in your spotlight at all. He found the opportunities that you needed and then stepped back. He didn’t mention to the media at all that he was helping you, he didn’t see a need to. He saw your potential and he truly wanted to help you make something off.
So there he was during the off season, meeting you in London where you resided. He trained with you, set you up with the right people, did weekly check-ins, he really was like a sort of manager.
He was there during pre-season testing the following year, literally. He stood in the Prema garage like he was just another member of the team. No one really questioned it, not when you said he was acting as a mentor to you. Everyone loved Daniel’s presence there and he was told he was welcome whenever.
He was there during race weekends whenever he could find time in his own busy schedule. He was never there during the actual race, needing that time to prepare for his own, but he always watched from his drivers room or had someone in his ear updating where you were and what was happening.
He was there in Silverstone, when you crashed during Saturday's Sprint Race.
It was one of the last sessions of the day, Daniel had already finished qualifying and he was standing in the back of your garage, arms crossed over his chest, eyes glued to the screen.
He was the first voice you heard when you spun, losing the breaks in mere seconds and all you could do was brace yourself for the impact of the barriers.
“Tell me you’re okay.” Daniel’s voice came through your radio. Not your engineer, not your team principal. Daniel. “Say something, sweets, tell me you're okay.”
Sweets, he called you. But only ever in private, or in front of close friends. What started as a joke when you complained about him not having any sweets in his flat the first time you visited in Monaco, stuck.
But everyone had access to the team radios. It could be heard by other engineers, other teams, fans even and those watching at home should F1TV choose to broadcast it.
Of course they did. They aired the exchange for everyone to hear and it spread like wildfire. It was all anyone on social media could talk about.
“Say something, sweets. Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” you sputtered out, hands shaking as you unclenched them. It was an instinct to pull them off the steering wheel and tuck your arms to your chest, physically bracing where you could.
“Good,” Daniel breathed out a very obvious sigh of relief. “Good.” He paused, and then with a quiet chuckle added, “What the fuck was that then?”
You laughed in response, needing the humour at such a traumatic time. You had crashed before, but this was a bad one. You didn’t even need to step out of the vehicle to know you were lucky to not feel any immediate injuries, but there was a ringing in your ear and the adrenaline was preventing you from really understanding the damage your body had sustained.
It wouldn’t have helped, though, to have gotten an earful, not like it was your fault anyway. It also wouldn’t have helped if you were asked again and again if you were okay. The more people asked, the more stressed you would grow. Daniel knew you needed a bit of lightheartedness at this time.
“No brakes, Danny,” you answered through a soft laugh.
“That just sounds like an excuse to me,” he muttered, the sarcasm evident even through the crackling radio.
“Are you going to continue to question my driving abilities or are you going to send medical out here to help me?”
That whole interaction went viral. From the radio message, to the clips of Daniel accompanying you to the medical centre, to the photos of the two of you smiling in the paddock despite the bruising on your body, the concussion you were diagnosed with and the instruction from the doctor that you were not stable enough to race on Sunday.
Which sucked, to put it plainly. But you were with Daniel. He made the situation bearable. With his arm around your shoulder, he walked you to the car at the end of the day, having waited with you the whole time.
People speculated, of course. Questions were asked.
Why was Daniel Ricciardo paying such close attention to you? Why did he get over the radio when he crashed? Why did it sound so flirty? Had he been in your garages the whole time and no one noticed? Was he a mentor? A friend? More?
You had put out a statement when you got to the hotel, thanking everyone for the kind words and well wishes. You shared that you would not be driving on Sunday and you also shared that you were thankful for the support of Daniel Ricciardo, your mentor, who reminded you that even the best of the best crash out sometimes.
Mentor, you publicly called him That’s what he was, right? Or trainer. Or Manager. Or friend, really. There were a lot of words to describe his relationship to you.
People online didn’t believe it. They thought there was more because, who looks at each other like that if they’re not fucking?
But you weren’t. Honest to god, that line with Daniel was never crossed. You never even considered it. Always content with his companionship and his advice, you didn’t want anything physical or romantic.
At least, you thought you didn’t.
Daniel dragged you into his room instead of letting you go up to yours because you were under strict instructions to not be left alone for the next twelve hours should the concussion worsen.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, handing you a glass of water. “I know I joked over the radio, but I was worried. It wasn’t a pretty crash.”
“Are any crashes pretty?”
He sat down next to you, closer than normal considering when he rested his arm over the back of the couch, his fingers were within the distance needed to play with the strands of your hair.
He sucked in a breath through his teeth, “I guess it depends on the driver. I make the crashes pretty.”
The comedic gasp you let out as you clenched your chest had him laughing.
“Daniel Ricciardo, are you calling me ugly?”
“Don’t twist my words!” He exclaimed, eyes squinting as his smile widened. “I said I was pretty.”
You hummed, “You pretty much said I made the crush ugly.”
“I didn’t say you were ugly,” Daniel playfully tugged on a strand of your hair. “You’re not- I mean, you-”
And then the humour faded. He met your eyes, his hand fell to your shoulder. He was still smiling but it was the sort of gentle smile one wears when they figure out the answer to a question that had been eating at them for a while.
Something clicked for Daniel. At this very moment.
He wasn’t going to let it escape him.
“Pretty doesn’t do you justice,” Daniel told you, voice lowering. “You’re breaktaking, Y/N. On the racetrack, at home, at events, you put everyone around you to shame. And it’s not- it isn’t just your appearance, it’s you. Everything about you. Your heart, your charisma, the way your eyes light up when you smile but only if you’re talking to people you like,” he chuckled, having experienced it first hand and having seen the way you don’t look nearly as pleased when someone you dislike approaches you.
You were speechless, though. Frozen where you sat as this admission came out of seemingly nowhere.
And Daniel was attractive, that was an undeniable fact, he was everything anyone could ever want in a man. But you never allowed yourself to look at him the way other people would. He was your trainer, manager, mentor, friend.
You had no words to explain the way he was staring at you now. Nor could you explain why it made you feel more alive than driving a racecar at inhumane speeds ever could.
Daniel took another breath, eyes never leaving yours. “You are unlike anyone I have ever come across and I know, in my lifetime, I will never find someone who could ever compare to even a fraction of who you are.”
There was no way you could continue to be just friends after those words passed his lips.
You kissed him. You had to. It wasn’t like there was anything you could say that would match what he had already said, nor could you even find the words.
You kissed him and Daniel pulled you onto his laps, your legs moving to straddle either side of his hips. His hands roamed your body, sliding up the Prema shirt you still had on as your tongue roamed every possible inch of his mouth.
His hand gripped your waist, rolling you over top of him so you could feel in a matter of seconds how this conversation had now taken a turn. His cock started to harden, constricted by his pants, but you still felt it underneath you each time he shifted, each time you grinded against him.
When you reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, Daniel leaned back, both of you taking that second to catch your breath and question if you were really going to do this.
“Is this a mistake?” You whispered, your thumb gently tracing over his lips. Your working relationship was perfect. This could ruin everything. You had fears, doubts, worries. One night could lead to dozens of complications.
But Daniel shook his head and all of those thoughts vanished.
“No,” he said, sounding so sure of himself with that one syllable. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life but you are not one of them.”
That was the only validation you needed. You kissed him again, more lust, more passion, than before as Daniel stood up, carrying you towards the bed at the back of the room. He dropped you down on the edge of it, smiling at the squeal that escaped your lips.
Daniel wanted to worship you every way he could. He was gentle with you, with your body, as he dipped his head between your thighs, making you feel a wave of euphoria that no one had ever brought you too before.
It wasn’t until you were begging for more did Daniel realise he didn’t need to be gentle the entire night. He slid two fingers past your folds, lifting his head and hovering his body over yours, wanting to feel your desperate breaths hit his face as he rapidly thrusted his digits in and out of you, your walls clenching around him.
When he attached his lips to that spot on your neck, his teeth pressing against your skin, you saw stars. Daniel’s motions didn’t let up as you came around his fingers, loving the way your legs shook and how you dragged your hand through the hair on the back of his head.
He was cautious about doing anything else, knowing you were injured, he didn’t want to overstimulate you or cause any more pain.
But you needed him. You reached for the zipper of his pants and tugged it down, telling Daniel you wanted this, as if the way you looked up at him didn’t already make that perfectly clear.
He was careful when he entered you, patient. The tip of his cock slid past your folds slowly and he kissed your collarbone so gently you almost didn’t feel it as you adjusted to his size, quiet moans emitting from the back of your throat.
He had praised you before, but only ever at the race track, so there was something so familiar yet so foreign about the way he whispered against your skin. It lit a fire within you.
“You take me so well, sweets,” he fought back a groan as your walls tightened around him when you clenched your legs. “So good for me.”
It was safe to say the dynamic between you two changed after that night.
Daniel adored you already, admired you greatly for your achievements and growth in the sport. But now he fought with himself every weekend, knowing that he couldn’t touch you how he wanted. He couldn’t show you the attention he so desperately wanted. He couldn’t kiss you when you got that podium in Belgium, despite finding a way to sneak out of the pre-race duties for a second to run to the barrier to be there for you with the rest of the Prema team.
Whatever was going on between you, it was unlabelled and it was private. The rest of the world didn’t need to know you were sleeping with the man you looked up to, the one who helped you become a great athlete in such a short period of time.
People continued to speculate. You were private, sure, but you weren’t overly careful.
You were seen landing in Monaco over the summer. You were spotted hanging out with Daniel on plenty of occasions. Even though you kept your hands off of each other and refused to act like anything more than friends out in public, you were different when you returned after the break. You both were. Everyone noticed.
Daniel was, if it was even possible, happier. And you were less stressed it seemed. While you were still fighting a constant battle of being the only female in F2, it no longer seemed as heavy because the weight of it wasn’t just on your shoulders anymore. Daniel was there too.
It wasn’t just physical, what you had. The emotional connection you shared was undeniable. Daniel was always there for you, and you, him. During the bad days, the good ones, and everyday in between.
When you finished the season 5th in the drivers championship, the only person you wanted to celebrate with was Daniel. He was so proud of you. He watched you go from finishing 13th last year to 5th. He played a huge part in that, but when you tried to tell him that, he only brushed it off, saying that it was all you, he was just happy to be there for the ride.
It was his idea for you to test drive for McLaren at the end of the year, too. ‘We’ll get you in a real F1 car’ he said. And you didn’t question it when the offer was brought forward to participate in a few practice sessions. It was exhilarating and terrifying and you cried tears of joy when you stepped out of his car because this was what you dreamed of. Driving a Formula 1 car.
Now you just needed a permanent seat and Daniel wanted that for you too. He was your biggest supporter, and you only grew closer as the days went on.
You met his family over the holidays. He spent New Years Eve in London with you.
When the season started again, he spent more time with you and Prema. When there were no scheduled F2 races during F1 weekends, you accompanied him in the McLaren garage.
At this point, quite a few people knew you were together, or at least they assumed it.
You didn’t post about it, you didn’t want to, you didn’t need to. Daniel didn’t need to show you off, nor did you feel obligated to let everyone know you were with him. What you had was private, it was sacred, it was only for the two of you.
But of course whenever you had a good performance, whether it be from a practice session, qualifying or a race, he’d share your celebration picture to his Instagram story.
“Would you ever do a shoey?” Daniel asked you one Tuesday night, zooming in on a photo of you, more specifically on the smile on your face as you clenched your second place trophy from Imola on Sunday.
You rolled your eyes but the smile was impossible to hide as he came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, tugging you into his chest.
“Next time you win,” Daniel suggested with a laugh. “I expect a shoey.”
“I’m not Australian.”
“You’re dating one, sweets.”
You never actually discussed what you were. The term boyfriend-girlfriend seemed so childish. Dating was, in a sense, accurate, but again, there were no labels. He had your heart, you had his. That was the only thing that mattered.
“The world doesn’t know that,” you pointed out.
“They kind of do,” Daniel kissed your cheek, giving your side a squeeze as he stepped aside to help you prepare dinner.
You weren’t even sure when you fell into such a domestic lifestyle but there you were, practically moved into Daniel’s place in Monaco at this point and he was at your side, chopping carrots for the salad while you prepared the chicken breasts.
“A shoey would confirm it,” you glanced up at him, but the smile on his face told you he wasn’t completely against the idea.
Daniel stepped behind you, fingers playfully pinching your waist, “Just think about it. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I just reckon it would be entertaining for everyone.”
He didn’t bring it up again, not even when you got third in Spain and didn’t do it. It was your first time getting a back to back podium since you started racing and of course it was something to celebrate, but the idea of a shoey made your stomach churn. You weren’t sure if you were ready for the world to know about your commitment to Daniel.
You walked a thin line, being with him. And while you enjoyed every possible minute spent with him, you knew the world was cruel. The second you officially went public, you’d lose respect in the motorsport industry.
The only female F2 driver dating an F1 driver? How scandalous.
Despite the rumours, the correct rumours, you were still in a bubble with him. You could pretend you were just friends, close friends. The tabloids had nothing to go off except your polite interactions and maybe a little too friendly smiles and so what if you were there in the McLaren garage cheering him on?
You were his biggest supporter and he was yours.
But it didn’t help that while your performance was improving, his was rapidly declining. While you had less races than his, already your stats were better. You qualified in the top 5 for the first three races. You finished second in Imola, third in Spain, already better than how you started the season last year.
Monaco was next. Daniel loved Monaco, you both did. Everyone did, it was the pinnacle of Formula 1.
It was unfortunate that your weekends ended up so drastically different.
Daniel qualified 14th and then finished 13th. He wasn’t proud of it, but he did his best to hide his disappointment for you, especially since you were starting on the front row, P2, for the feature race.
And somehow, you won.
After trailing behind Drugovich for the majority of the race, you were starting to believe you would finish behind him too. And you probably would have, had there not been a safety car almost six laps after he boxed for fresh tyres, giving you the advantage of newer tyres and less wasted time. It was a strategy your team was banking on, waiting for a safety car. It was risky, but it paid off. Overtaking was nearly impossible with Formula 1 cars, but you had a better chance in your series and somehow, by the grace of god, you did it. You pulled ahead and swiped the lead from Felipe.
You made history that weekend. The first female F2 driver to not only podium, but to win at Monaco. You gripped that first place trophy so tight your hand turned red.
Usually, F2 didn’t draw nearly as big of a crowd, but this weekend was different. Everyone was a fan of the series after that performance, a fan of you. You saw people in the crowd wearing Red Bull gear, Ferrari merch, McLaren hats, and they were all applauding you.
Of course, you were blown away by the support. Hearing your national anthem play was an incredible sound. There were tears in your eyes and your entire body was trembling, yet somehow you managed to find Daniel. Right in front, with your team.
He was so proud of you.
Despite his shitty qualifying, despite knowing he had such a low shot at earning points at his race that was in just under an hour, he was there for you. You couldn’t tell if he was cheering the loudest, or if you were just so prone to finding him in a crowd that you couldn’t process anything or anyone else.
You weren’t sure what came over you, but once you grabbed the champagne bottle, you found yourself taking your shoe off as well. As Felipe and Théo started spraying their bottles in celebration, you poured the bubbly liquid into the sole of your racing shoe and lifted it up to your lips, pointing directly at Daniel who couldn’t believe what he was watching.
It was rancid, as you figured it would. It was champagne out of a sweaty shoe, you knew it wouldn’t taste good, but it was a shoey and it was for Daniel. Felipe patted your back, laughing at your reaction and muttering something about how Daniel would get a kick out of that.
He was right, but Daniel wasn’t the only one who found it entertaining.
Your name was once again trending following the Monaco Grand Prix. Not Checo’s, even though he won the F1 race. Your name.
Not that you really cared that night. How could you care about what the internet was saying when the man you were with told you that he loved you for the first time? Nothing online mattered, not when Daniel took your face in his hands and told you he was madly in love with you. He was proud, he was happy, he was in love.
And you knew you loved him too. You had known this for a while. Monaco was just the perfect time to say it.
After going about as public as you could without physically coming out and saying you were dating the Australian driver, Monaco was the perfect place to tell him you loved him. You were on cloud 9, you were making history, you were in love.
You continued to deny, or at least ignore, the rumours that followed, still. You both did. You were in love with each other, not the whole world. Things would get complicated if you announced you were dating. You were vying for a Formula 1 seat and you wanted it without Daniels’ influence.
But at the following race in Baku you were asked similar questions.
“Your shoey last week, did that have anything to do with Daniel Ricciardo being there to cheer you on? You two have gotten pretty close in the last few months, he’s one of your mentors, isn’t he?”
You shifted your weight to one leg, wondering what the fuck kind of post-qualifying question that was. You had just completed three back to back podiums, you were on a hot streak now, starting third at this next race and the reporter only cared about what happened at the podium celebration last weekend.
“Sorry, did you have a question about this week's race?” You asked, and when he stammered over his words, you just nodded and walked away, a tight smile on your face.
Daniel’s conversation went a bit differently.
“Y/N’s shoey last week, we all saw it. Was that your influence?”
“Yeah I never thought she’d actually do it, it was sweet,” Daniel laughed. “It was great though, I happily pass the tradition onto her.”
“She’s really come along in Formula 2 since she started back in 2020, do you think she has what it takes to be Formula 1’s first full-time female driver?”
“Absolutely,” there wasn’t a shred of doubt or hesitation. He was happy to talk about you, to explain to the rest of the world why you were up and coming and should be taken seriously as a real contender for a Formula 1 seat. He probably would have continued on if his PR rep hadn’t pulled him away, reminding him of other duties.
The next few races were similar to your first ones. A couple more podiums, some outstanding qualifying sessions, more history being made. Your phone was blowing up weekly, everybody wanted to talk to you now and you knew Daniel had something to do with it. Him constantly sharing the faith he had in you did wonders for your reputation.
You might have been on top of the world, but you were well aware you were alone up there.
Daniels’ performances were anything but newsworthy. He had gotten a few points in Austria and France, but nothing to be extremely proud of, especially when he compared his 9th place finish at the Red Bull Ring to your first place podium, making it your second one this season.
He never let his disappointment for himself and McLaren stand in the way of your achievements. In fact, you didn’t often speak about the races when you were together. You were aware Daniel was having issues with the team, with Zak, with the car, but he didn’t want to weigh you down with his own problems, even though you assured him time and time again you could handle it.
Really, if Daniel had come to you with his struggles, you would have thought twice when Zak Brown approached you prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix. You probably would have slammed the door to your drivers room in his face if you knew how Daniel was being treated at McLaren.
But Daniel held his cards close to his chest while Zak laid his all out on the table.
“If a spot opened up for you,” he said, after spending the last ten minutes talking about the rich history of the team and praising your accolades. “Would you consider it?”
It wasn’t an official contract, just the start of a conversation that could lead to one.
Of course you thought of Daniel. And Lando, having grown close with him simply through Daniel.
“For 2024?” You asked, knowing both of them were set to continue driving through to at least the end of 2023.
“No,” Zak shook his head. You didn’t like how harsh his tone had turned, having no remorse for what he was about to say. “Daniel’s contract would be ending early.”
You leaned back in your chair, fingers tapping the table as you tried to recall Daniel ever telling you that he was leaving McLaren. “Is he- he wants out?”
“It’s mutual,” Zak assured you. “He knows we can’t give him the car he wants and unfortunately, he’s not delivering what we need. We had high hopes with Daniel, but the working relationship isn’t what any of us thought it would be.”
It’s mutual. Those two words was all it took to convince you that Zak Brown and Daniel had already had a conversation about this, about terminating the contract a year early.
It didn’t help that Zak brought up your test sessions in the McLaren from last year, pointing out that you had better times than Lando, even. He went on to praise what you were doing this year at Prema and said, multiple times, that you would be an asset to McLaren should you choose to go that route.
And who were you to turn that down?
A team principal of a Formula 1 team wanted to sign you. Was it unfortunate that it was Daniel’s seat? Yes, obviously this situation was less than ideal, but he wanted out. You were convinced he wanted out, that he was done with McLaren. A 45 minute conversation with Zak Brown convinced you of that.
You should have been wary when at the end of the conversation he said, “Don’t tell anyone about this, yet. You know how the public can be, let’s just keep this to ourselves for the meantime.”
“But I can talk to Dan, right?” You asked.
Zak knew you were dating Daniel, it was a little harder to hide that from his team than it was the rest of the world. Maybe that’s why hesitated before answering, knowing that keeping a secret, something as big as this, from a partner had the potential to cause chaos.
But he shook his head, “Between us, yeah?”
And you listened to him. You wanted that Formula 1 seat so of course you followed orders.
You desperately wanted to talk to Daniel about it, but you knew you couldn’t. And either he sensed that something was off, or he was dealing with his own problems again and wouldn’t share, you really couldn’t tell when the summer break started and things just seemed…different.
You didn’t go to Monaco for starters, even though Daniel invited you to. But there were so many meetings with Zak and the board at McLaren that it made more sense for you to stay in London for the start of the break.
Daniel didn’t call as often and you wanted to give him space, knowing that this break was probably needed for him. You expected he was out with friends, letting loose, getting the weight of a horrible season off his back even if just temporarily.
The plan was to go to Monaco for the last week and a half and then travel to Belgium together. You had to delay that plan, however, when Zak called you and said it was official.
The 2023 seat was yours.
You wanted to celebrate, with Daniel, but how could you celebrate with the person you were replacing?
It was strange that Daniel had said nothing to you about leaving the team during the summer break, especially since Zak had said time and time again they were on the same page, that Daniel was ready to leave. The only thing that crossed your mind was he was given strict instructions to not say anything to anyone either, at least until McLaren went public with the news.
But with it being official, with you having just signed on the dotted line, you were tired of keeping it to yourself. You may not have been able to share the news with anyone else, but you had a right to have a conversation with Daniel about it.
You didn’t know how he would react. Surely he’d be happy for you, right? You were getting a seat in Formula 1, something that both of you desperately wanted to happen. And again, you were under the impression the departure from McLaren was mutual. He would be happy that someone he loved was taking his seat, right?
Right?
You had to tell yourself that the entire ride over to his place. You unlocked the front door to his building and took the elevator up to the fourth level. You didn’t think to knock, knowing he never locked it when he was home so you pushed open the door and stepped in, your suitcase trailing behind you.
You were happy to see him. He was always a breath of fresh air, despite the odd distance between you, you still loved him. You always would. He muted whatever was playing on the screen and stood up from the couch when he heard you walk in.
Usually, Daniel would greet you with a kiss.
Usually, he’d be smiling so hard his jaw would be hurting.
Usually, he was happy to see you.
You left the suitcase by the door and met him halfway, only he stopped walking when there was about a foot of space between your bodies. To you, it felt like you were still miles apart.
“Do you have something you want to tell me?” He asked, arms crossed over his chest.
Your heart sank.
You had convinced yourself, Zak had convinced you, the whole back of house team had convinced you, that Daniel was aware of this upcoming change. That the termination was mutual. You taking his seat might have been a surprise, but it was never supposed to be a blindside.
“What do you know?” you asked.
“What do you know?” Daniel repeated the question back to you.
You were both fully aware of the exact same information. Daniel was leaving. You were taking his seat. Only, you had been informed this much earlier than he had.
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Not take the seat,” he scoffed. “My god, I mean, they’re cutting my contract early, Y/N. For you.”
“For the sake of the team,” you said and then added, “You don’t even like McLaren. You’ve struggled with this team since day one.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to stop racing.”
“McLaren is not the team for you and you know this.”
Daniel scoffed, eyebrows twitching, “Did Zak tell you to say that?”
“Zak-” you started, finding it difficult to hold his stare. This wasn’t the Daniel you knew. “-he doesn’t know I’m here. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to talk to you or anyone about it, not until your announcement comes out.”
He rubbed his hands over his face, taking a few steps away from you. It hurt, watching as he tried to physically distance himself from you. Like being in too close of proximity would set him off.
“I struggled with the team, yes, but I’m not ready to give up racing. You have now left me without a seat.”
It was easy for Daniel to blame you, you were standing right in front of him. You were quite literally the driver set to replace him.
But the real villain was Zak, for not having opened up this line of communication earlier. For making you believe everyone was on the same page. It was Zak’s fault for rushing to end the contract with Daniel instead of putting in the effort to work with him. He saw the shiny new toy that was you, that Daniel helped create, and he wasn’t going to let someone else take it first.
Daniel wanted to blame himself too, but he wouldn’t let himself think about that until much later. He was the one who did everything he could to help you grow in this sport. He was the one who introduced you to Zak and the rest of the McLaren team. He was the one who got you in the car for the practice sessions, his car. Foreshadowing at its finest.
“You are unbelievable,” Daniel spoke quietly, heated with anger but his words were like ice as they sunk deep into you. “After everything I’ve done to help you for you to betray me like this, I just- I don’t think-”
You knew where this was going and you wanted to put a pin in it before he could finish any of his thoughts.
“Don’t finish that sentence, Daniel,” you whispered. “Please. Please, we can figure something out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” his mind was made up. “You took my seat.”
“Wouldn’t you rather it me than someone you don’t know? Someone you don’t trust?” You tried to turn this around, have him look at the positives, if there were any. “Daniel, everyone on the grid loves you, you’ll find a new team. One that helps you grow and get to where you want. McLaren isn’t that, we both know it.”
“I think you should go,” was his only response.
“If I hadn’t signed that contact, someone else would have,” you pointed out, grasping at straws here, painfully honest straws, but straws nonetheless. “Piastri, O’Ward…McLaren had options, Dan. Aren’t you at least happy for me that I out-qualified all of those guys?”
Daniel actually laughed, “You want me to be happy for you? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Dan-”
“Leave.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You need to,” he was stern. He was angry. He was done. With you, with the team, with everything he used to love and cherish. He was done.
You thought you knew Daniel. You thought you knew how this conversation would play out. You figured it would still be rocky, but god you now realised how naive you were to believe you could still make things work.
“I love you,” you told him, because what else could you say except remind him that you were so hopelessly in love with him, that he was all you would ever want in life.
Except, that wasn’t exactly true, was it?
You wanted a seat in Formula 1 too. You just never thought you’d have to sacrifice one dream for the other.
Daniel’s stare was cold. He only looked away for a second to nod his head towards the door behind you, “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have done this.”
You stepped forward, desperate at this point because how could he do this? How could he throw away what you had, over a seat?
Or was it you, who had ultimately thrown away what you had when you sat down with Zak Brown all those weeks ago?
It pained you to think about the strong possibility of that being the case.
“I’m sorry,” you whispered, because you were. You were sorry about how this turned out, how he was betrayed, how this was coming to an end. You grabbed hold of your suitcase and nodded, backing up towards the door, “I really am sorry, Dan.”
He didn’t believe you. Why would he? In his eyes, Formula 1 was more important to you than he was. A career decision that benefited you, but ruined him, mattered more than your relationship. It was a bold move, a cold move, one that you didn’t think would lead to this.
Neither of you could have predicted this. On September 3rd, 2020, when Daniel first said he wanted to work with you, neither of you thought it would end like this.
Just as you grabbed the handle of the door, Daniel opened his mouth, wanting to get the final word in. And you really wished he hadn’t because those final words destroyed you.
“I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, but I never thought you would turn out to be one of them.”
You said nothing. You walked out of that Monaco flat with your head low and your heart even lower. You couldn’t even be excited about the next season, or the remainder of this one where you had the potential to finish in the top three.
You weren't happy, you were empty, you were defeated. And painfully so, you were also still in love.
Despite what was said, you knew it would take a while to get over Daniel. He was your rock for so long, he was always there for you and even though he could disappear without so much as a second thought, your feelings couldn’t, the memories couldn’t. It would take a long time until you felt whole again.
You didn’t know it yet, but the decision to take that McLaren seat would haunt you as you moved forward in your career.
This was not going to be the last time you ever saw Daniel.
part 2 haunted
#daniel ricciardo x you#daniel ricciardo x reader#daniel ricciardo#daniel ricciardo one shot#danny ric#dr3#f1 one shot#f1 fics#formula 1 x you#daniel ricciardo imagine#daniel ricciardo au
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My love, is mine all mine - Max Verstappen x Norris! Reader x Charles Leclerc Part 1
Plot: Norris' Twin sister is also a driver in the 2021 line up and is in her rookie era. Not only do the commentators struggle to now talk about the pair in the race, but they also struggle to talk about talent. What happens when two drivers find her eye-catching.
A/N: A lot of back story explaining the 2021 season so far!
"So when we talk about the Norris twins, obviously due to Y/N being female it has pushed her career back further than her brothers, where she is debuting into McLaren alongside her brother we will be able to see a real test of talent"
"Yes i think it will be really interesting to see them both in the same team competing against one another while still driving for that same team. They have very similar driving styles and I can imagine them helping one another out when it comes to pole positions and keeping both of them within the top ten for points" Jenso replies to Nico.
This was from an interview at the start of the 2021 season, just before your first race in Bahrain. When Zac Brown reached out to you, you were more than happy to take up the offer. Being able to not only race alongside your brother once again but by being his team mate as well had you so excited for the season.
Bahrain went really well, Lando being in his 3rd year of Formula 1 and within the same team now felt comfortable in his car, and it had the pace this year and he came P4, you had some difficulties where you weren't fully used to the difference in the F1 car, compared too your old F2 but still managed to wrangle 6 points for the team in P7.
Imola came after a larger break where you and Lando got to travel home for a few weeks before and check on everything in the MTC before travelling to Italy. Lando got a podium in P3 and like the interview had said, he kept enough of a time gap to help you defend of the two Ferrari's behind you. You came P4. To say that Charles wasn't happy with this, as you knocked him down a place was an understatement.
Portugal was the week after and you travelled straight there, sightseeing with your brother, Daniel, Carlos and Charles. You would often leave them in bars and clubs and find yourself in cafe's and museums. Portugal wasn't as good as a race as you could have hoped, but even with car issues you still managed to get points in P9, while your brother came P5.
After this race, where you went straight to Spain, you started to get home sick. Only having your brother by your side as your parents and other siblings couldn't come out for the last few races due to their own busy schedules. Spain was an incredible race for you making you feel better for the next week ahead. You came P4 managing to overtake Charles on the last lap, which again heavily annoyed him, and very nearly catching up to the Mercedes in P3 while you left your brother in the dust in P8.
There was another break after this race, you and Lando both went home you saw Max and his girlfriend who you'd missed dearly and your family, then Charles had invited you and Lando to come spend some time on his yacht in Monaco with his younger brother who you knew of from the F2 garage when he'd been invited to come watch.
You had been nervous for the race in Monaco, it was a difficult track and so far, you hadn't been in a position where you hadnt gained the team points. However Monaco was clearly not your race, from the mixture of your nerves and car issues you came P12, while you brother stood on the podium, in P3.
The next week in Azerbaijan went so much better, with Max, and both Mercedes not having pace, you'd managed some effortless overtakes and insanely quick pit stops. You'd had a second pit stop and was on fresher tires that your brother so you were behind him, you were flying and going much quicker than him but your engineer didn't want you to go for the overtake.
You did anyway against their advice, pushing until you were behind Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, you went for a cheap move that you knew was safe but would have him fuming in interviews afterwards until you were up alongside Pierre Gasly, you were P4 and he was P3, driving alongside him you couldn't tell who went over the checked flag until you heard from your radio engineer that this was your first podium win.
You cried... of course you did. But this was the start of a rocky patch for you and Lando, he was fuming at you the minute you got out of your car. You were asked not to go for the overtake but you did anyway. He was yelling in your face angrily, taking away the beaming smile.
Lando hadn't realized you'd got your first podium, he was just angry that you'd bumped him down a place. You looked upset on your podium, a sad smile as you raised you trophy, stood up there with Sergio and Sebastian. They'd both given you a hug trying to cheer you up having seen on the TV what happened with you and Lando.
"Well done on your win Y/N" a voice startled you as you turned to your side seeing Max Verstappen stood there congratulating you.
"Thank you. I'm sorry about the DNF, France will be better next weekend for you I'm sure" you smile, a light blush held on his face.
"I'm also sorry about how your brother reacted. I've been in this sport for 6 years now and as a word of advise sometimes you have to go against what your team ask of you, you gained more points for the team today than you would have if you did stay put behind your brother. So take it as not only as a win for you but a win for McLaren as well" he smiles before pulling you into a comforting hug. His words had really hit you, nobody had said that to you today, but then again Seb and Checo probably didn't here the opposing radios yet as they'd been on the podium with you.
"Thank you, i really needed to here that Max" you smile genuinely.
"Hey, that overtake was so risky!" a voice shouts over, and thundering footsteps stand behind you.
"Huh?" you'd asked looking over your shoulder, Max's gaze following yours.
"Charles, leave her alone!" Max says with pointed eyes at the Ferrari golden boy coming close to you.
"No, she needs to stop doing overtakes like that at the last minute. They are dangerous and have no thought behind them, you even put your own brother at risk today because she can't listen to her own team" he yells his exaggerated hand gestures going everywhere.
"Her overtakes today was phenomenal. She just got her first podium, her brother has already spoiled that don't make it worse by being a prick" Max says, but Charles is fuming and too far gone that the stuff coming out his mouth is there from pure anger.
"She shouldn't have even had that win today! It's not fair, she shouldn't even have that seat!" he exclaims, Max gasps and you look down.
"Charles!" he exclaims, but before you can hear anything else you are out the door running towards the McLaren motorhome. You packed up your stuff saying quick apologies to the engineers who would take anything you left behind. You didn't have a car here so you walked from the track to the hotel, a few people spotted you but thankfully didn't interrupt seeing the tears streaking down your face. They must have seen both Charles and Lando yelling at you today.
You booked a flight to London for that night, you had your bags packed and sent to the airport before you had Seb offer to drive you to the airport.
"Thank you Seb, I really appreciate it" you smile, looking down at your phone. It rung with Lando's icon popping up. You pressed decline and put your phone on do not disturb.
"It's okay. I saw the videos of Lando and Charles with you surfacing. I'm sorry" he admits, rubbing your shoulder, as you turned to look away from him so he couldn't see the tears coming down your face.
In no time you were at the airport, you'd thanked Seb who promised he'd see you in France and asked you to let him know when you were safe and home.
You sat in the airport alone, your covid mask on, but you knew people still recognized you as you went through security and waited for the plane where they would take pictures of you. Some even came up asking for pictures or signing their merch, but where it was so late there wasn't too many that it alarmed you or security.
When you landed in the UK, your dad was right there pulling you into a hug, cussing his son out saying how he should have been there to celebrate the win. You cried to him, telling him about how shit you felt after what Lando and Charles had said.
"Lets go home" he says rubbing your shoulders.
As you both walk into the house, you can overhear you mum and younger sister on the phone to someone.
"No mum, I just want to know if she's home safe" you hear your twin's voice across the phone.
"Look hunny, your dad's gone to the airport but I don't know if he's got her yet. She's upset though Lando" you hear your mum reply.
"I know, and I know its my fault, i didn't realize she got the team more points because she overtook Charles and Pierre. I didn't get to apologize because she left right after the race"
"Because you were?" his mother pushes and he groans.
"Mum"
"No Lando where were you"
"At the club"
"Yes you were at the club, celebrating while your sister was packing her bags in her hotel room crying her eyes out because she gets her first win in F1, and her brother cant even congratulate her and watch her podium with the rest of their team? She'll see you in France but for now she needs some time alone" you mother rants at him.
"Arghhh that boy Flo, can you believe him. When i next see him, i swear to god!" she exclaims and you and your dad finally make yourself known.
"Hey guys!" you try to smile, but it doesn't reach across your face like they are used to. Flo immediately runs up to you pulling you into a hug. You started to cry into her again, before Cisca, your mother and father all join in the hug.
"Come, we'll order your fave tonight as a treat okay?" your mum guides as she sits you down at the table.
Taglist:
@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover
#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#formula 1 x you#formula 1#formula one#formula one fanfiction#charles lechair#charles leclerc#charles lecrelc x reader#charles leclerc fanfic#charles leclerc fic#charles leclerc imagine#max verstappen x you#max verstappen#max verstappen imagine#max verstappen fanfic#max verstappen x reader#lestappen
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She…What? Chapter Five
Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Daniel ricciardo x Reader
Daniel finally talks to Oscar and Lando just can’t help but put his hands on her
2.1k words 18+
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
Oscar couldn't move, he knew he should have, maybe run to Lando say what he saw. No that would be extremely selfish to ruin his night. Something was pulling Oscar in and keeping him there. He shouldn't be watching his friend's Girlfriend getting railed by another man, and he most certainly shouldn't be squeezing his cock at the sight. Twice tonight she's gotten him hard and yet this time he had no problem with it. He was pulled back to reality upon feeling his phone vibrate in his back pocket. It was a message from Lando asking where he was. He looked up one more time before turning away, hoping he'll remember the image of her tomorrow.
She awoke with a pounding headache the next morning, naked in Daniel's bed. "Morning Darling." He grumbled, pulling her closer to avoid the light from the open curtains. She moaned quietly pushing her head further into his chest, not wanting to wake up quite yet. "No, hurts too much." She never really knew her limit when it came to anything so trusting her with alcohol could be dangerous, especially when she wakes up hung over. "I know love." Daniel whispered sweetly, playing with her hair before reaching for the nightstand, grabbing water and some ibuprofen. Daniel didn't drink too much last night, he didn't feel like he deserved it. They continued to enjoy the others company for a while, waiting for the pain killers to kick in. "So, last night, what happened with Lando." Daniel said, lying back with a smirk on his face. "Wow you really are interested in your friend's sex life, it's almost like you want to fuck him yourself." She laughed, finally sitting up as he rolled his eyes. "Well, he blindfolded me, tied my wrists and make me watch him fuck me in front of the mirror, you know, the usual." She laughed, looking for any item of clothing she could used to cover her chest.
"Can we talk about something more serious?" Her head turned fast at his question, chest filling with worry. "Always." She whispered, coming back to him. Daniel let out a large sigh before beginning to speak. "So you remember Oscar seeing us last night?" She nodded slowly, knowing this could be a problem for his career, if Oscar decided to be really petty it could go all wrong for Daniel. "Why didn't you tell me you were sleeping with him." He said with a pointed tone, she was not expecting such an aggressive start to the day. "I'm not now, nor was I before. We agreed that if we were to sleep with anyone then we'd consult each other first... What's happened?" Her hand made contact with his chest, feeling the rapid heart rate. "I saw him in the elevator before I went to the club yesterday, and I may or may not have started on him. But he was still nice to me after and I feel like a bit of a dick. But then he saw us and well, he was getting off on it. No one normal would do that unless they were involved before, and I know for fact that I wasn't sleeping with him." First he was jealous of Lando and now Oscar, he was going a bit too far after being the one to suggest this relationship. "Maybe he's just a pit of a perv because I promise you I've not had any form of sex with him, or frankly even had any contact with him." She elaborated, swinging a leg over Daniel's lap. "Then why was there a McLaren hoodie with the number eighty-one on it in you're room?" He said clearly still annoyed. "Because, Lando was walking around the paddock hard and Oscar was being kind by giving him the hoodie to cover up. Lando left it behind the first time I gave him a blowjob. You can ask him you're self." She spoke quietly with her arms crossed over her chest. "No I believe what you're saying it just hard for me to adjust. That's no excuse but it's the reason. I needed to shift the blame from myself. But that's wrong of me. I'm sorry Love." He muttered the last part into her skin, running his hands over her hips. Guilt quickly consumed him.
"Would you be okay if it happens in the future because I have a feeling either Lando will ask for him or he'll come directly to me." She asked worried it could end badly. "Not really. If I'm honest, I'm still kinda mad at him. I know, I know he's not done anything but still. I just don't know about him. It's different with Lando, I'm actually close with him you know...Let me sort some things out with him first. Then we'll see." He said, chest puffed out slightly. Her nerves eased slightly as she grabbed his jaw, kissing his lips softly.
"You know what I'm like...I love to tease my men." She giggled out, receiving a harsh smack on her ass. "Don't start. You know what I'm like, I'll punish you." He said in a low voice, pulling her up so she was in his lap." You know I'd like that, Danny." She was quick to start grinding down, moaning quietly. "Darling, we can't. We have to be out of the room in half an hour." He groaned desperately wanting her. "Fine." She huffed rolling off of him, looking in his suitcase. "You were fucked twice yesterday and that still wasn't enough, need me to get you off again. Truly insatiable." The Australian laughed, bringing his hand behind his head, letting a sigh escape his lips. "You've never complained." She muttered, throwing a shirt at him. "I could never, I love watching you cum. Although it's not fair that women can have multiple orgasms and men can't. Otherwise you'd be on my dick a lot more." Her only response was a quick laugh as she grabbed his things, placing them neatly in his suitcase. "As much as I love seeing you like this, you need to put some clothes on. My room is a mess and we need to go soon." She stated, pulling Daniel from under the covers.
They walked rather quick towards her room, Daniel's hand around her waist as they made their way through the hallway. After struggling with the key to the door she rushed towards the bed. Daniel was quick to follow, deciding it was best to help her gather her things. "Woah, you didn't tell me you bought this." He stated dumbfoundedly, holding up a slick red vibrator. "I have to keep some tricks up my sleeve." She grabbed the silk from the floor and folded it quickly in her hands, placing it gently in her suitcase. "Oh, you weren't kidding about the blind fold. You really did have fun yesterday." He laughed tapping her ass before walking around the room, noticing the infamous McLaren hoodie. "You still have this?" She looked up briefly before zipping her last bag up. "Yes, I've not had the time to give it back. Lando was supposed to take it back to him the other day actually." She grumbled to herself, headache coming back. Daniel carried the hoodie in his left hand while guiding her out of the room. "Let's get you something to eat, it should help." They left the room in silence and headed towards the lift, she hugged him close as the dizziness set in. "I'm going to take this back to Oscar, gives me an excuse to talk with him." Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders. She smiled before replying, "I'll walk there with you, I want to speak with Lando, see if he even alive."
They walked back into the paddock late in the afternoon. Daniel needed to speak to his team about the race the day before as well as speak with Oscar. They made way to the McLaren hospitality and waited for the drivers to come out. Lando was first to make an appearance, coffee in his hands, trying to stay awake. "Hey Lovely." He whispered out, kissing her cheek. "You alright mate?" He turned to Daniel with a puzzled look. "Yeah, I'm good, you good to speak later though? The usual?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow. Lando nodded, slipping his hand in hers. "Can you do me a favour? Send Oscar out here. I need to talk to him." Lando nodded once more, guiding her into the building. It was a general rule that other drivers were not allowed into another team's hospitality. "Hey Osc, Daniel wants to speak with you outside." Oscar was shocked, that much as clear from his face.
If Daniel was concerned about him telling the media about what he saw that was understandable, but realistically he wasn't going to say anything, no matter how much Daniel disliked him. He was nervous walking through the door, he didn't know what to expect. The first thing Oscar noticed was his hoodie in the hands on the other Australian. "So...What did you want to talk about?" His nerves were showing, Daniel handed to top to him before speaking. "Mostly what you saw last night." Oscar cheeks pinked at the thought, if he was being honest, he masturbated in the morning thinking about her, he wanted to be the one making her moan. "That's fucked up man. You cant do things like that to your friend." He was almost furious that how casual Daniel was making the situation. "Hold on, it's not what you think...Lando knows." Daniel rushed out, pulling Oscar to the side, hopefully avoiding the listening ears of everyone around, Oscar let out a quiet and confused 'what?' before letting Daniel speak again. "Look, we have a pretty odd relationship. We were guess together first and I suggested that she start seeing Lando as well." Oscar's jaw dropped midway through the explanation. "She was with Lando the day you gave him you're hoodie, and that may have caused some temporary problems between us. You know, communication is pretty important in this kind of relationship. Well what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for talking to you like that yesterday, you didn't deserve that." Daniel averted his eyes, felling slightly embarrassed. "Thanks, sorry I just don't really know how to react. I understand why you're so mad though. Technically I did take your seat and caused a multitude of problems for you, so it's alright."
"I do have a few questions if that's alright." Oscar stated, pulling the hoodie over his head, quickly realising it didn't smell like him or Lando. Daniel nodded quickly, looking around. "So is this some kind of open relationship or is she...you know... a prostitute?" Oscar cringed using that word but anything else sounded too vulgar. Daniel laughed loudly, head falling back slightly. "No she's not. We aren't really together either. It's complicated. But yeah, I think open relationship is the best way to put it." Oscar nodded, finally understanding, although he with still on edge around him.
At the same time, Lando was quick to pull her into his drivers room. Kissing her neck as soon as the door was closed, she moaned quietly, knowing there was still plenty of McLaren employees in the building. "Missed you." He mumbled into her skin. It was when Lando woke up to an empty space on his bed he realised how much he craved her presence. "You were with me last night." She giggled, feeling him sucking on the base of her neck. He wanted to tell her she was all he could think about, he wanted to say that she was consuming him, but he just couldn't, he didn't know how. "Doesn't mean I don't miss you." She tugged on his hair lightly, wanting to look at him. "I have a little proposal to tell you about." Lando moved back, pulling her to sit on the bed with him. "Daniel and I have talked about it and of course I need to speak with you as well. What about bringing Oscar in on this?" Lando didn't speak for a while, and it concerned her very much. "I mean, I don't really mind. It doesn't affect me too much." He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. Not really seeing how this was supposed to bother him. "Don't tell him about it though, I want to see how he reacts to being told about our relationship. I'm not sure whether he will ask you or me about it first." She said, lifting his shirt up. Lando made haste in pulling it off, reaching for her top. "Definitely ask me...Now come on, take your clothes off."
Chapter Six
#f1 x reader#f1 smut#f1 x reader smut#f1 fanfic#f1 imagine#f1 fic#lando norris x reader#daniel ricciardo smut#lando norris#oscar piastri x reader smut#oscar piastri 81#oscar piastri x you#oscar piastry#oscar piastri x reader#lando norris x female reader#lando norris x reader smut#lando norris x you#lando norris x y/n#lando norris smut#lando norris imagine#daniel ricciardo x female reader#daniel ricciardo x reader smut#daniel ricciardo x you#daniel ricciardo x reader
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Not How it Started
Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist
Pairing: Single mom!female reader x Lando Norris
Warnings: Fluffy,
Summary: It started with a runaway kid, your runaway kid, but it ended with you being happy and a mom again.
Requested: NO / yes
2022 - Singapore
Taking a 7-year-old to a night race wasn't the best idea, but it was for your birthday, your 23rd birthday, which was September 30th.
Having been to Grand Prixes before, with and without your son, you knew the relative gist of what was going to happen, and your son loved the fast cars as you did, something you had inherited from your own father.
Your son, Langley, had wanted juice, so you turned your back for 2 seconds just to pay and grab the drink. When you turned back, your son was gone.
While you weren't alone, you still didn't trust people with your son, except your father. You were waiting back where you were before, your son had wanted to go with you rather than stay with his grandfather.
But you weren't alone. You had two of your friends, one who was your best friend, and you did trust her with Langley, and the other you didn't trust and was supposed to help you if needed, but she also disappeared.
In a panic, you turned around in a full circle, yelling his name, calling for him to come to you. You raced around the Paddock, and then you returned to your spot and told your father and best friend, both getting in on the search for your son.
You quite literally ran into a member of security for the actual garage of McLaren in your search, and when the guard saw your fear-stricken face, he questioned what was wrong, and you told him that you turned for a second and your son was gone.
The guard radioed more security and asked for a photo, which you showed him, and when more security came and saw the photo just minutes later, you also went back to searching for your son.
If it hadn't been for this fear for your son, you would have been more excited to see Max Verstappen or Daniel Riccardo.
There was the threat of a thunderstorm; you didn't want your son to be in the cold or in the rain.
Being the nice people they are, Max and Daniel helped you search for your son, not leaving you alone, just in case something happened to you in your search.
Daniel saw Lando coming over to the three of you before you did, a kid in hand with him, and when your son saw you before you saw him, he yelled out to you.
Your head whipped around, and you ran over to Lando and your son, pulling the 7-year-old close to you and squeezing him impossibly tight to your body.
"Langley, you can't leave me. I thought something bad happened to you." You said as you looked him in the eyes after pulling him back from you a little before you pulled him back into your embrace.
You picked up your son and looked to Lando and the other two rivers who helped you, "Thank you, I now have to go find the security personnel for McLaren to tell him to call off the search. I really can't thank you enough."
Lando nodded and gave you a bag, "Your son may have won a few hearts over in McLaren."
You nodded and took the bag with a smile as your son tucked his head into your neck.
Daniel and Max nudged Lando in the ribs with their elbows, making him grunt a little.
"Let me help you find them, the security guard. Make it easier."
You nodded at Lando's suggestion and followed him toward McLaren.
2025 - Silverstone
You stood mostly hidden in McLaren garage, your now 10-year-old son, and with your now 2-year-old daughter as of July 5th, she was tiredly being held by a baby carrier, resting comfortably for both you and her, given your rather pregnant belly with twins.
You watched as your now husband of Lando Norris led the final laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix, with fresher tires with about a 6 second lead on Max and Oscar in 2nd and 3rd.
You rubbed your hands together as Lando started his final lap, the gap between 1st place and 2nd growing as Max battled it out with Oscar.
You celebrated in joy as Lando passed the finish line in first place.
You follow everyone else to where the cars are. You are let through to the front as Lando parks behind the first-place spot.
A quick weigh-in and he makes his way over to you after taking his helmet off, Oscar has also come over to you to help hold your son after he was weighed in after pulling into the 3rd place spot.
Lando took your daughter from you and kissed you, cameras catching the moment from every angle, Oscar putting your son down next to Lando to go to the end-of-race interview before the podium.
The team helped you through the brocade to the side with your husband, Oscar, coming back when Lando took your rather now clingy daughter with him to do his interview.
He also took her and your son to the podium with him, getting them off the platform and down to you before the bottles were popped.
For the other interviews and debriefs Lando had to do, you went to his driver's room with your kids, your daughter sleeping, and your son definitely exhausted.
A/N: Please vote in this week's polls. All are linked through each other here(P1)
Tags: @poppyflower-22 @samantha-chicago @barcelonaloverf1life @tallrock35 @ellen3101 @hellothere9597
If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you. If you are striked through, I don't know if you want to be tagged, but just let me know if you want me to continue or stop
#ln4#f1#lando norris#formula 1#mclaren#lando norris x reader#lando imagine#lando norris fanfic#lando norris fluff#lando norris imagine#lando norris x oc#lando norris x you#lando x reader
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Rose gold chains, ripped lace - D.R. #3
Sugar Daddy!Daniel Ricciardo x Fem!Reader
Warning(s): 18+, implied sexual content (Putting this in here as a precaution), spending excessive amounts of money, Age Gap (Reader is in her 20s, Daniel is in his early 30s), leaving the morning after
A/N: This time it's from Daniel's POV. It's a continuation from Headcanon Three, but a little deeper into what Daniel is thinking about while all this is happening. I promise this will have a happy ending, eventually.
Words: 1.5k
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Daniel had made his peace about his time at McLaren, it hadn't been good for him so much so that he ended up firing his manager and losing Michael as a friend. Then just before the announcement of his contract coming to an end happened, you had come into his life.
It felt like after so long there was someone who prioritized him as much as he prioritized others.
He had been careful that first year because he didn't want to lose what he felt like he had with you. He never pushed you, and as he felt his feelings grow he knew he couldn't keep this up forever.
He had fallen for you, hard. And he didn't feel like he could tell anyone about it.
Scotty knew him too well, and after that dinner had asked Daniel how long you had been together and why he was only meeting you now. Daniel had been vague in his answer, said that it had only been a year and he wanted to make sure that it would last this time. He was sick of jumping into something only for it to fall apart.
He didn’t want to tell his best mate that he had fallen in love with the woman he was paying to spend time with him. It would be too messy and Scotty wouldn’t understand.
So Daniel ended up talking to Christian about the possibility of being the 3rd driver for Red Bull. He knew he wouldn’t be racing but he would be back around the guys and doing media. While Daniel was away he still made sure to text you, send you flowers, and the times when he didn’t have media duties, he would find a way to spend time with you.
He told himself that it was for the best, you wouldn't think that anything had changed between the two of you.
Sitting in your new apartment with you made him feel like he wanted to have this all the time. It felt like he finally knew what it was like to have someone to come home to.
While he was away he started to pick out gifts that were a little bit bolder than jewelry, handbags, and flowers. He started small with shoes, getting you a pair of Louboutins in your size.
Months after that the boxes that arrived at your door got bigger, always with a handwritten note from him.
There was a big event going on in Monaco with some of the drivers, Daniel had invited you and when you said that you could come he was ecstatic.
He had booked a hotel room just outside of Monte Carlo for you, and on your first day there took you shopping for a dress to wear to the event.
The whole night that you were together, you didn't make it seem that you didn't fit in with everyone in the room. You were polite to everyone, and extra polite to all of the servers.
Spending the evening in Monaco with you had been everything Daniel wanted it to be. You danced, ate, and drank the night away together. Daniel's town car took you back to your hotel before you invited him up to your hotel room.
Daniel didn't want to think anything of it at first, from the moment he saw you in that dress all he could think about was what it would be like to finally take things further.
The little fleeting touches you always shared were no longer enough. You gave him a drink and ended up talking for a while, and he just watched you. Saw the way that you walked around the luxury hotel room with ease.
You went to change out of the dress and heels and Daniel stayed on the couch taking deep breaths and talking himself out of his thoughts.
Don't do it, mate, you're paying her to spend time with you. It wouldn't be right. He thought before he heard the door to the adjoining bedroom open. There you stood in a black nightgown that he probably bought you, he had seen the La Perla charge on his credit card a week before the trip. $900 dollars well spent if you asked him. It was a damn shame that he couldn't take it off you.
"Want another beer?" You asked walking over to the couch.
He just shook his head no. He had barely drank from the bottle that was on the coffee table.
You had poured yourself a glass of Champagne that had been complementary to the room before putting your feet on Daniel's lap. He couldn't help but feel awkward around you, normally he could be pretty smooth with women. Even as he joked with you you would laugh at what he was saying his eyes kept traveling to your legs or your lips as you talked.
Feeling your hand on his thigh made his mind snap out of whatever he was thinking about. He wanted to ask you what you were doing before he saw a small smirk spread over your lips.
When your lips met, Daniel knew he had officially stopped thinking. He knows this song and dance. His hands go to your thighs, pulling at the fabric of the nightgown as you grind into his dress pants.
His lips fall to your neck, leaving kisses and bruises that your Dior makeup wouldn't fully cover the next morning.
Daniel's white button-up shirt ends up on the floor just outside of your bedroom. He pulls the dress off you before you let out a laugh when you land on the mattress. He'd never heard a more perfect sound in all his life.
"Look at my fucking girl." He praises you as you lay on the bed, him kissing up your neck before tearing your underwear in two. The scraps of fabric were eventually discarded onto the floor.
He has to have you, he's tired of waiting. As you dig your fingers into his shoulders he can tell you are too. He wants to know how much. How long have you wanted him? Since the moment you met? Since he flew you to Italy?
"Daniel," You purr into his ear.
Everything after that moment is a haze, the white sheets against your skin, him telling you how good you are for him. Daniel had never spent that much time touching, caressing, and taking his time with one woman in his life.
By the time he had pulled away from you, he wasn't sure if he would be able to let you go in the morning. His eyes felt heavy as he lay back against the pillows. Daniel felt you settle in the bed against his side. The light press of your hand against his chest made it easy for him to drift off.
Daniel ends up waking up a few hours later. The sun peeks in through the window. He looks at you still asleep, the sheets pooled around you both.
He shouldn't have slept with you. It wasn't right. He had done the one thing he swore to himself that he wouldn’t. He had taken advantage of you.
He moved to get out of bed and immediately looked for his underwear. He found them thrown half hazard by the dresser, he picked them up to put on before he was eye line with a tray that held your jewelry, all pieces that he bought you. He looked back at you, seeing a pair of Cartier earrings peaking through the strands of your hair, with a thin rose-gold chain around your neck.
Sure, he was in love with you. How your laugh sounded, the delicate feel of your hand holding his, how your eyes sparkled in candlelight. The feeling of home that he got walking into your apartment that he only felt when he was on the farm in Perth.
He saw you shift in the sheets, letting out a small groan in discontent as you settled yourself further into the pillow that he slept on. God, were you cute.
He let his eyes start to scan around the room looking for a notepad or something close. He couldn't be here when you woke up. He couldn't hear that you regretted last night.
He would leave you a note, and then call you once you were back home, without him accompanying you back to your apartment like he originally planned.
He redressed in his clothes from last night. He looked everywhere and couldn't find his white dress shirt anywhere in the room. If you found it somewhere, he could get it from you, if you ever wanted to talk to him again.
He moved to walk out of the room but stopped momentarily hearing, "Daniel?" Slip from your lips. He took a deep breath and then opened the door leaving you alone in bed.
God, did he fuck this up. Why had he let himself give in? He knew better.
Taglist: @hc-dutch, @taylorslovesswifties13, @cixrosie
#SD!Danny Ric Series#daniel ricciardo imagine#daniel ricciardo x you#daniel ricciardo x reader#dr3 x reader#dr3 imagine
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Hi! can you write with 28 and 48 from the smut list with daniel ricciardo 🥵 thanksss
send in a prompt + name
28. "each of my thoughts about you are improper”
48. “be a good girl and spread your legs”
.
Daniel had always been young and immature at heart.
It was what he was known for being around the paddock. He was hyper and fun and sunshine personified, and he had a smile that was contagious and a laugh that made everyone’s heart a bit lighter.
He was a fan favourite. He was a fucking good driver. He was a great friend. He was a brilliant teammate.
Daniel Ricciardo could do no wrong.
But it didn’t fucking feel like it when he was crushing after his friend—his friend who was younger than him. Significantly enough for him to wince at his own thoughts about you.
He met you during his years with McLaren, through none other than his teammate (who you were closer in age too, not that Daniel liked to think about it).
He felt guilty.
He felt guilty because he had hundreds of other girls throwing themselves at him but all he could see was you. He felt guilty because you saw him as a friend and yet every moment he spent with you, his thoughts were anything but platonic. He felt guilty because he fucking revelled in the bad date stories and the flukes whenever you told him because it meant he could keep pretending.
He felt guilty because he knew there was nothing actually holding him back from saying something to you other than his own self-sabotaging thoughts that he was too old for you. Too old to be chaining you down.
But it was funny how feelings can change in a split second, how decisions he had mulled over for months he spent silently pining after you could be gone with a snap of his fingers when he stood by the Red Bull garage, brown eyes glaring at the young Ferrari intern that was making you smile and laugh.
“You gonna say something or you just gonna keep glaring?” The Brit asked from his side, something quite like amusement shining in his eyes.
“Shut up,” Daniel muttered with an annoyed sigh.
“You know, that could be you if you just—”
“Not happening, Lando. Drop it.”
“I don’t know,” Lando said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I think you’d be surprised by her feelings for you.”
That’s not what was holding him back though.
But Daniel pushed it to the back of his head. He shoved it down and locked it away in that chest where all his other thoughts about you remained, and he honestly thought that was enough. Until later that weekend, the paddock found themselves celebrating in a local, exclusive club and that Ferrari intern was all over you again.
“Dance with me!” Daniel yelled over the music, uncaring of the man beside you. He just wanted to get you away. No, he needed to, for his own sanity’s sake.
You didn’t get mad though, not at all. You just smiled brightly and took his hand without a single care in the world.
And it was all too much. It was all far too fucking much to have you pressed up against him, your arms around his neck and his hands on your waist and you were so close he could smell the hints of vanilla in your perfume.
And Daniel Ricciardo knew he was a fucking goner.
He revelled in the choked gasp you let out as he leaned down, pressing his lips against yours as the music in the club boomed around you both. He could have drowned in the way you touched him, the way your hands fisted the material of his shirt before tangling your fingers in his curls. He could have imploded at the way you happily sighed his names between kisses, body melting against his own and lived up to the thousand-and-one fantasies he had about this exact moment.
“I never thought you’d do it,” you admitted to him, lips brushing against his as you spoke, just loud enough for him to hear over the music. “I thought you only saw me as—”
“Each of my thoughts about you were improper,” he admitted in a rough voice, hands squeezing the fat on your hips. “Every. Single. Fucking. One.”
And then your eyes sparkled with a mischief he knew would be his demise.
“Wanna share those thoughts, Ricciardo?”
Daniel was a gentleman, through and through. So even if it killed him and tested his patience to levels he didn’t know existed, he refused to fuck you in some shabby bathroom where a line of other clubbers would be waiting outside. Instead, he grabbed your hand and hauled a cab and muttered the name of his hotel before pulling you into a searing kiss.
The box of thoughts and fantasies didn’t just open—it fucking exploded.
The hotel door had barely closed before his fingers were fiddling with the ties at the back of your dress, tugging on the material until it was lying abandoned on his bedroom floor. His face was nuzzled into the crook of your neck, whispers of filthy promises fanned across your skin as you stumbled towards the plush bed and fell back against the mattress.
“You look like a fucking dream, darling,” Daniel murmured as he glanced down at your body with hooded eyes, his fingers working quick to undo the buttons of his shirt before they fell to his belt.
You flashed him an innocent look. “How often were you dreaming about me, Danny?”
“Far too fucking much,” he groaned as his hands gripped your ankles, pulling you down the mattress and closer to him. “You ain’t getting out of this bed anytime soon, not until I’ve had my fix of you.”
Your thighs clenched together in anticipation. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he repeated in a low voice before squeezing your ankles. “Be a good girl and spread your legs f’me, and keep them there until I say so, honey.”
Daniel was a good driver and a good friend and a good teammate. He was a good person and a good human. So really, it only made fucking sense that he was a goddamn good time in bed too.
Your hands gripped the sheets as he kneeled on the floor, head ducked between your thighs and tongue merciless as he brought you to your first orgasm. You thought your nails were going to rip through the fabric when he pinned your hips to the bed, keeping you in place as his tongue continued. You were tugging on his curls and letting his name bounce off the walls as he made you come for a third time, arms wrapped around your thighs to keep you close to him.
“You were fucking made for me,” Daniel moaned in a heavy sigh as he gripped the base of his cock, stroking himself a few times and tapping his tip against your clit until you whined underneath him.
“Please,” you said in a breathy voice. “Please, I need you.”
The muscles in his stomach tightened. “My girl needs me?”
“So bad, Danny,” you whined, cheeks burning as hot as the rest of your body.
“Never gonna deny my girl,” he murmured as he finally sank inside you, slow and steady as his fingers intertwined with yours and he fucked you like he had all the time in the world. Because when this man was around you, time and work and life didn’t fucking exist beyond these four walls.
Daniel revelled in the way you dug your nails into his shoulders and raked them down his back. Daniel revelled in the way you clenched around his cock when you felt yourself closing on another orgasm. Daniel revelled in the way you were nothing but an incoherent muttering mess, saying his name like a mantra as he fucked you.
And after fucking you until you swore you saw stars blurring your vision, Daniel revelled in the way he pulled you into his arms as you soundlessly slept, knowing full well you were his and only his from now on.
.
#daniel ricciardo#f1#formula one#daniel ricciardo x reader#daniel ricciardo x you#daniel ricciardo x y/n#daniel ricciardo one shot#daniel ricciardo fic#daniel ricciardo smut#f1 x reader#f1 x you#f1 x y/n#f1 one shot#f1 fic#f1 smut#formula one x reader#formula one x you#formula one x y/n#formula one oneshot#formula one fic#formula one smut
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Hey Jaimie, I just wanted to come on here and say thank you for all your contributions to the DR3 fandom. Whether it’s fighting for Daniel’s rights on Reddit or posting all the latest news, you’ve become somewhat of a lifeline for me. Your highlighted articles are my favourite to read, because it keeps me up to date with everything that’s happening. I truly hope you know how appreciated you are here, and I hope that the community that you’ve built here stays around for a long time, despite the recent news. Thank you for your dedication and positivity. Take care!
Hey, I know you sent this earlier today and I'm sorry it's taken me a while to reply, but I wanted to sit down and write a proper response. Getting this message was genuinely so lovely and I can't tell you how much it meant to me to hear that my tumblr has been able to be a positive place for someone 💞
I know I've very rarely been super personal on here, but this sport and this fandom has come to mean a lot to me, so I wanted to use this moment to express my gratitude to the dirlies (gn) and this community.
I was first introduced to F1 through friends while I was living in Europe in 2019 through DtS. I knew from the first moment I saw Daniel he was my favourite. I was immediately enamoured by his vivaciousness and that unabashed joy for life that exudes from every fibre of his being. But I was busy studying overseas and just didn't have the time to be fully bitten by the F1 bug.
I came home at the beginning of 2020 and between the pandemic, lockdowns and my personal life going toooootally to shit I was in a pretty bad place. And it was after a few months of struggle and wallowing that somehow my youtube algorithm landed me on a video of Daniel. I was hooked and very quickly worked my way through highlights, interviews, social media clips, all the funny videos, then each race highlight video as it came out in 2020, which led into every single WTF1 podcast (🙃😂) from 2020. The amount of google searches I did trying to learn all these racing and engineering terms and technical phrases I hadn't come across before (I distinctly remember googling what "box, box" meant because I had no effing clue what it meant 😂). I read every article I could about the upcoming season and the insane hype of Daniel going to McLaren (🙃🙃🙃) and can remember that first FP1 session in Bahrain I ever watched live.
I kind of stumbled onto tumblr via reddit. As I'd been learning about and becoming obsessed with F1 and Daniel I'd made my way onto the F1 sub, and for a long time I could be found on there first learning, and then discussing (and then later arguing for and defending Daniel lol). And I think it was as reddit started becoming more and more anti-Daniel that I started spending more time on tumblr.
For a long time before I joined tumblr I lurked, reading so many of all of your wonderful posts and opinions and seeing all the beautiful and creative fics and art. The mclaren hate blogging era was some of the best (and worst) times and some of the masterpieces on here in defence of Daniel and his career are so iconic and I have referenced their points/stats/quotes so many times in defence of Daniel.
I was a bit scared to fully join tumblr and start posting but I felt really quickly welcomed into this community on here. None of my friends IRL are remotely interested in F1, and so getting to talk about it here with all of you has been such a blessing (and I think my family are probably incredibly grateful that they don't have to listen to me talk about F1/Daniel quite as much as before 😅).
I just wanted to say how incredibly grateful I am to have gotten to experience the last few years with all of you on here. It hasn't always been easy and it's been a rollercoaster - that's for fucking sure - but the highs have been SO incredible. Daniel brought so much happiness and joy and laughter into my life at a time when I really, really needed it and seeing the outpouring of love for him on here the last few days has been beautiful, despite the heartbreaking circumstances.
I don't know what the next few months will look like without Daniel in F1, but I'll be sticking around for sure. I know I'm not always the best at replying to messages or inboxes (I blame my ADHD) but I'm always here for a chat and my messages are always open💞
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Forever Irresistible [5/5] - Lando Norris
Lando Norris x Fem!Reader
written by alocon
Summary: Despite all hope, Lando never lost his feelings for his best friend's twin sister. However, he still hadn't acted on it. Well, that was until the party, which led you two into a long-term secret relationship
Warnings and Tropes: Fluff, implied smut (no actual smut though), final part
[Part One Here] [Part Two Here] [Part Three Here] [Part 4 Here] [Masterlist]
Irresistible - LN4 x Fem!Reader
“Can we get lunch together tomorrow to talk? Just me and you?”, the 12 words which had been absolutely overwhelming you for the past hour. Rather than give you an idea about what your brother wanted to talk about, Max had instead left you with an ominous “could go either way” message.
You see, it seemed like he was coming around after that family dinner, when he asked you to message him, but no. He instead expressed that he would not be talking to you for a while to work out how he felt about it. It's fine, you thought, a while may only be a couple of weeks. However, he instead decided that “a while” would be at least 8 months. That being said, it was now the day before you and Lando would fly out to Austin for the COTA grand prix. You would be meeting up with Max for breakfast instead of lunch and then would go straight to the airport to what might possibly be one of your favourite tracks. The atmosphere was great, the racing was fun, and there was only a tiny chance that you would manage to walk around the paddock without Daniel or Logan putting a cowboy hat on your head.
A lot had happened after the 2024 season. Lewis had, of course, gone to Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg had left Haas, leaving an empty space that Checo filled in. And he had done surprisingly well, scoring Haas’ first ever win. By the power of magic? Who knows but that man had become a hell of a good driver to be able to do that. To bring a tractor to 1st takes some skill, especially with 2 Red bulls, 1 Mercedes and 1 Ferrari still in the race.
Daniel had taken the Red Bull seat, of course, and Yuki was next in line for it. Liam had taken his place in AlphaTauri. Mercedes had seen a new addition to Formula One, with Frederik Vesti taking the Mercedes seat. It was meant to be Mick but after his Le Mans win, he realised that maybe he preferred world endurance a little more. Carlos had obviously left Ferrari with the addition of Lewis. However, instead of joining another team, he left F1 for a season to rally with his dad and would be driving again in 2026 when Valtteri was planning to do a Kimi and go do another type of racing for a couple of years. Other than that, the grid had remained the same. Max in Red Bull, George in Mercedes, Charles in Ferrari, Lando and Oscar in McLaren (Lando had signed a contract until 2027), Fernando and Lance were still in Aston Martin and were rocking it, Lance having got his first win and Fernando his first in like 10 years in 2024, along with 2 more for his collection. Pierre and Esteban still drive for Alpine, Nico for Haas, Zhou for Sauber, and Alex and Logan for Williams. Logan had done really well, too. He got a couple of podiums the previous season.
Lando still hadn't got his first win. Lots of podiums, but no wins. However, that was hardly his fault. The Red Bull, as per, absolutely ripped.
Walking into the café, you were nervous. You had no reason to be, realistically speaking. Lan had proven to you that he had absolutely no intention of leaving you because of Max, as he had proven over the past 2 years and a few months. You saw Max already there when you arrived so you took a seat at the table with him. It was mostly quiet until you both had ordered your breakfast and drinks, after which you finally spoke up. “Why have you called me here, Max? After not speaking to me for like 8 or 9 months.”
“I miss you. I miss being your twin, having you to look up to and doing dumb stuff together. I miss being the iconic non-driver grid duo. I-”
You cut him off. “Max if you're going to tell me that and then say something about me breaking up with Lando, I will leave. I will walk out of the door right now.”
“You don't need to do that. I just miss you. If you and Lando being together makes you happy, which it clearly does, then maybe I was overreacting.”
“Maybe? Max, you told him he had to choose between me and you,” you said as you took a bite of your food. “You shouted at me for being with him. Made comments about how it wouldn't last because he doesn't love people. But he loves me. He has for years. And I love him. And I just want that to be okay for someone.”
Max nodded, understanding completely why you were upset with him. He looked at you, waiting a few moments before speaking. “I accept the relationship, just so you know. I think… I have for a while, it just upset me a lot that you didn't think that you could tell me for over a year so I freaked out.”
“I think freak out is an understatement, there. Now if that's all, I have a plane to catch.”
“Wait,” he said, placing his hand on your arm to stop you leaving straight away. “It sounds silly but there is a type of counselling/therapy for family members who want to repair their bonds. I've been going to individual therapy for a year, maybe we could give at least one session of the family therapy a go, see if it helps?”
You sighed, mentally weighing the pros and cons. “Okay. One session and we will see where that takes us. I seriously have to go though, Lando is here to get me.”
You stood up, quickly paying for both of your meals despite your brother's objection. You gave him a hug before you left. COTA here we come, you thought.
The journey to America was on a private jet with some of the other drivers. Lewis had, ever so sweetly, invited you and Lando on his jet along with him (obviously), Charles, Arthur (who was racing this weekend as Charles had badly sprained his wrist the previous day but still wanted to watch his brother drive), and George. The plane ride was great, as always, you all talked and played games, you humbled your boyfriend in many games of Uno and Mario kart, you and Lewis caught up, you and Arthur gossiped, overall, it was a great plane ride.
“And Lando Norris wins the United States Grand Prix!”
You don't think you'd ever cried as much in your life as you had watching your boyfriend cross the finish line. He had tried every single race and finally, for the first time, he had come first after so much bad luck.
As the checkered flag waved and the roar of the crowd filled the air, Lando stormed across the finish line, the first-time winner of a Formula One Grand Prix. He could hear cheers through the radio from his pit crew, him equally excitedly screaming back. The euphoria of the moment engulfed him, but as he slowed his car to a stop in the pit lane, his mind was consumed by one thought: he had to find you.
In the midst of the chaos and celebration, Lando’s heart raced with anticipation as he tore off his helmet and looked towards the crowd of people waiting for him. He spotted you in the crowd quite quickly, your eyes filled with tears of joy and excitement. He didn’t hesitate to make his way to you, embracing you and lifting you off of your feet and over the barrier that separated you.
"I did it! I finally fucking did it!" Lando whispered, his voice trembling with exhilaration as he buried his head into your shoulder.
Your smile was bigger than he thought he had ever seen before as one of your hands gently played with the curls in his hair. “I knew you could do it, Lan. I’m so so proud of you,” you whispered back, your words filled with unbridled happiness as you gently rocked you both back and forth on the spot. You placed a kiss to the side of his head as you felt his tears soak through your shirt. You didn’t care, though.
In that moment, amidst the chaos of victory, the blaring of the engines, and the cheers of the crowd, you and Lando found solace in each other's arms. Your love had weathered the turbulent journey of a competitive racing world, and now, in the exhilarating embrace of a triumphant win, you both knew (or more proved to those around you) that you were destined to conquer any challenge together.
As you stood together, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of victory and the warmth of love, Lando realised that this moment was not just about his first win; it was about sharing it with the person who had been his unwavering support for years, his pillar of strength, and (by far) his biggest fan.
“Am I even allowed to be over the barrier?” You inquired quietly as Lando stayed attached to you.
“I don’t know… or care.”
“Well, put me back over, you have to hug the rest of your team and go do your interviews.”
He groaned. Very dramatically. “I don’t want to, I want to stay with you.”
“I’ll be here when you get back, darling.” You looked at him as he sighed before lifting you back over, placing a long kiss to your lips and celebrating with his team before doing his interview. The second he was done with all the podium and media obligations, though, he was dragging you back to the hotel, wanting to cuddle before you all went out to party in the evening.
Once inside the hotel room, you kissed him. His arms travelled swiftly back to your waist, guiding you backwards as he kissed back, you soon feeling your back touch the door as he crowded you against it. You deepened the kiss, hearing him groan softly as he pressed his body closer to you. His hands started to snake under your McLaren polo that you had “borrowed” from him the day previous, placing themselves on your bare waist. Your hands were in his hair, gently tugging at the curls every so often, making him let out quiet but obscene noises as you kissed. He then started moving you again, this time towards the bed.
“Are you going to sit there and continue to eye fuck me, Lando?” You asked as you adjusted the bottom of the dress that you had just changed into for the party.
He leant his head back on the wall behind the bed. “I can't help it. You look amazing.”
You chuckled, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his forehead. He responded by pulling you onto his lap. You looked at him, seeing the familiar look in his eyes. “Don't start this again, Lan.”
“Why?”
“We have a party to go to. Wait until later.”
He sighed, pulling you closer into a hug. “You're the most beautiful person in the world, you know?”
The party went as normal. You and Lando both didn't drink much but everyone else did. As usual, there was a lot of chaos caused - mostly by Max, Checo and Daniel, you were convinced that Charles would end up with alcohol poisoning with the amount that he and Lewis drank together, and Logan, Oscar and Fred almost burnt the place down.
Everything seemed (almost) perfect as you laid in bed, in your boyfriend's arms, having just celebrated his first win. Neither of you were asleep yet. Lando could tell because your breathing pattern was different when you slept. Whilst running his hand through your hair, he took in the atmosphere. The way that you softened into his embrace, the little snores you did when you slept, every little thing you did reminded him of how much he loved you.
“Marry me.”
“What?” You said, head instantly snapping up towards your boyfriend.
He was already looking at you. “Marry me.”
You sat up, him leaning over to switch the bedside lamp on. He returned to look at you, holding a ring in his hand. You were dumbfounded. “Lan.”
He looked into your eyes, placing his forehead against yours before beginning to speak, softly. “I don't want you to think this was the spur of the moment. This sounds silly but I've had this ring for like a year and a half. I've just been waiting for the right moment. And this feels like the right moment. If you don't want to, or feel it's too soon, I completely get it. But if you do, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He smiled, genuinely, watching as a tear fell down your face. “Please don't cry, it's okay.”
“Yes.”
“Yes as in yes you'll Marry me or you think it's too soon?” He asked, voice soft as he felt a glimmer of hope in his chest
“Yes, as in yes, I will marry you, Lando.”
Now everything was perfect.
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youruser: My boy won his first race finally!! So so proud of him, so here's a Lando appreciation post ❤❤
tagged: landonorris
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landonorris: I love you xx
youruser: I love you too xx
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landonorris
liked by youruser, mclaren and others
landonorris: Soulmate appreciation post because she's not the only one allowed to be sappy on the main. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this beautiful woman ❤❤
tagged: youruser
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youruser: You're stuck with me now x
landonorris: Wouldn't have it any other way x
mclaren: Congratulations!! Welcome to the McLaren family officially (although you were already in it to us), future Mrs. Norris
youruser: My favourite sm admin, thank you x
-The End-
-Word Count: 2,230 (ish)-
Hi, Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this mini series x If anyone has any requests for one-shots, possible series, etc about drivers, please feel free to request. You can do so by clicking on my profile and there should be a requests/questions box. Have a good day x Alocon
#f1#fanfic#formula 1#lando norris#lando norris x reader#lando norris imagine#lando x reader#lando#ln4 x reader#lando norris mclaren#lando norris x you#lando norris fanfic#lando norris fic#ln4 one shot#ln4#ln4 imagine#ln4 fic#ln4 fluff#mclaren f1#mclaren#lando norris one shot#lando norris fluff#ln4 x you#ln4 x y/n#ln4 fanfic#ln4 mclaren#mclaren formula 1#mclaren racing#f1 fanfic#formula one
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would you be so kind as to write a ❤️ fic for Danny! {first kiss / realisation}
love you 😘
So this got a little out of hand oops
I don't wanna look at anything else (now that I saw you)
Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x reader Words: 1186 Warnings: none
---
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” Lando said as he fell in step next to his teammate. They were on their way to a debrief after the last free practice session ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. It hadn’t gone the way he had hoped, Daniel knew he could get much more out of the car.
“Because I don’t,” Daniel said, although it came out like a question, brows knitting together in confusion. The comment had caught him off guard, mind still occupied with the car’s performance. Lando looked at him, studying his face for a second or two before deciding that Daniel was, in fact, not pulling his leg.
“Could’ve fooled me,” he replied, making Daniel stop in his tracks.
“What- hey wait up! What do you mean?” Daniel asked as he caught up.
“Just saying, you could’ve fooled me with the way you look at her,” Lando commented breezily with a shrug, “Is she single then? She’s cute.”
Daniel felt like his world was spinning. How had he been looking at her? She’d been his best friend for nearly a decade now after having met during his first year at RedBull, surely Lando was just referring to that. Although that didn’t explain the sudden feeling of absolute dread at the thought of Lando dating her. Why did he feel so strongly about her dating his teammate? Or anyone else for that matter? Come to think of it, Daniel had never liked any of her boyfriends.
“I- I don’t know,” Daniel muttered, mind still reeling, “but I doubt she’d date a teenager.”
Lando punched him in the arm. “I’m almost 21, hardly a teenager.”
Normally Daniel would have made a quick remark back about how he was barely old enough to legally drink in America and probably still didn’t have pubes, but Lando’s comments had sent his thoughts spiralling.
+
Daniel had almost forgotten about Lando’s observation when he walked down the stairs of the McLaren motorhome after the debrief with the engineers until he spotted her in the lounge. It wasn’t hard; her mint green hoodie stood out in the sea of orange and black. He watched her chat with Carlos, who was undoubtedly waiting for Lando, her laptop abandoned on the table in front of her. She had made herself comfortable on one of the cheap couches, knees pulled up and her hair was now tossed in a messy bun. Daniel couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he saw her throw her head back with laughter at whatever silly story Carlos was telling her and giving Lando a quick hug when he joined them. He loved watching her being so carefree, her laughter had easily become his favourite sound. But that didn’t mean he had feelings for her, it just meant she made him happy. So happy in fact it was nearly impossible to picture life without her. Daniel swallowed hard as his heart dropped and a realisation hit him, the feeling not too dissimilar to a car hitting the wall: Lando was right.
It had him rooted to the spot as he kept looking at her. How had he been so blind? She had literally been there right in front of him all those years. Perhaps he had just chalked it up to their friendship; whenever he was single, she wasn’t –and vice versa. All he knew was that at some point she had become his serenity amidst the chaos. When had that changed?
It wasn’t until his race engineer clapped him on the shoulder on her way out that he realised he’d been standing there for a good few minutes. He slowly made his way over to where his friends were sitting.
“Hey Danny, Carlos invited us to join him and Lando for dinner, what do you say?” she asked, looking up at him with a smile as he stood in front of her.
“I- I think I’m in love with you,” he blurted out instead of answering her question. The whole group was quiet for a moment as they waited for what was going to happen next. Daniel could feel panic rise in his throat as she just stared at him, mouth moving but not making a sound.
“Sorry, I-.. I did not mean-.. Forget I sa-..”
Before he could finish any of his sentences, she had gotten up from the couch, and pressed her lips against his as she stood on her tiptoes, taking hold of his sweatshirt. Her move caught him by surprise, a startled noise dying on his lips as his brain caught up with what was happening and he rested his hands on her waist, kissing her back.
“Finally,” she whispered as she pulled back.
“Wait, finally?” Daniel asked, confusion replacing some of the worry.
“Danny, I have been in love with you since your win in Monaco. Seeing you on that stage, soaked in champagne and living your dream.. That’s when it hit me,” she all but whispered. Daniel was dumbfounded at her revelation. He remembered that day vividly, that win feeling especially sweet after what had happened two years prior, he could still taste the champagne and hear the crowd if he closed his eyes, could still picture the way she had looked at him squished in between RedBull pit crew members, eyes brimming with love and pride, a smile so wide even his cheeks hurt as he reciprocated it.
“You-.. But that was in 2018,” he said, shock evident in his voice. She nodded, eyes meeting his’ as she fidgeted with the drawstring of her hoodie.
“The timing was just never in our favour so I tried to move on, tried to get over it for the sake of our friendship.”
Daniel rested his forehead against hers as he let her words sink in.
“I am such an idiot,” he whispered.
“You are, but you’re my idiot,” she whispered in return. Daniel felt his lips tug up in a smile at that, at being called hers.
“Told you,” Lando said, a smug grin on his face as he looked up at his teammate from his spot on the couch. Daniel rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop smiling, an arm wrapped around her.
“And you owe me a fiver, mate,” Lando continued as he fell against Carlos’ side. Carlos chuckled, shoving him playfully.
“How about I pay for dinner instead?”
Lando pretended to think for a moment. “Yeah, sure. But no sushi!” Carlos laughed and got up from the couch, causing Lando to fall down.
“I mean it Carlos!”
“Congratulations, mate,” Carlos said, clapping Daniel on the shoulder as he ignored his former teammate who continued to protest from the couch, “love looks good on you. Both of you.”
“Thanks man,” Daniel said, looking down at the woman at his side who grinned back at him. This somehow felt even better than winning a trophy. The high of winning a race was always fleeting; it would only last until the next one came around. But Daniel knew with a certainty that this high would last a lifetime.
I had so much fun exploring the dynamics between Daniel and Lando, and Carlos and Lando. Hope I did this justice babe!
The Venn diagram of f1 fans and Taylor Swift fans is a circle. Like I don't know what to tell you
#f1 fanfic#daniel ricciardo x reader#daniel ricciardo fluff#daniel ricciardo imagines#daniel ricciardo fanfic#daniel ricciardo oneshot
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big reputations - part eight
series masterlist // previous // next
charles leclerc i've decided that this week i will be driving like a menace.
daniel ricciardo i see track terror is making a comeback this week.
max verstappen no more inchidents please.
charles leclerc mate let it go already. it's been over 10 years.
max verstappen admit you pushed me into that puddle and i'll let it go!
oscar piastri i see why the entire internet is convinced you two are secretly dating
charles leclerc excuse me? max verstappen they're what? sabrina carpenter lestappen is lestappening
daniel ricciardo to be fair, they think k-mag and nico are in love with each other, have been since the whole 'suck my balls' thing
daphne jones didn't we have this conversation already?
max verstappen that was in the other group chat
sabrina carpenter YOU HAVE A GROUP CHAT WITHOUT US? THIS IS TREASON!
oscar piastri OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
charles leclerc THIS IS TREACHEROUS!
daphne jones oh grow up, it was started before you three were even in the picture. we don't use it much these days.
sabrina carpenter good. otherwise i'd throw a fit.
max verstappen don't you always?
sabrina carpenter i will make your life miserable verstappen
max verstappen you already do by existing every day.
lando norris MR. RICCIARDO ARE YOU OR ARE NOT A MASTERMIND?! THE TWITTER GIRLIES WANT TO KNOW!!
daniel ricciardo the hell are you talking about lando?
pierre gasly so you saw the same twitter thread i did?
max verstappen i completely forgot daphne had performed at the 2016 austin grand prix.
lewis hamilton huh that did happen
lando norris DANIEL ARE YOU A MASTERMIND?
logan sargeant was going to ask why but then i realized what the song is about.
mark webber i don't get it? what's the song about?
oscar piastri forgive him, he's uncultured.
mark webber that's it, no more sabrina time for you. oscar piastri sabrina said you can't separate siblings. tell him charles! charles leclerc yeah! what she said! lando norris wait a fucking minute, are you all together right now?
carlos sainz is that family thing working for you guys?
max verstappen it actually is. you should've seen the group chat after texas.
max verstappen on second thought maybe not. daniel ricciardo yeah, that's not a good idea. oscar piastri things were said by sabrina. charles leclerc well when you say it like that you make it sound bad. nothing bad was said, they're being dramatic. although, she might be in love with fernando daniel ricciardo you do remember the spa inchident don't you? alex albon they call him fernando rizzlonso
lando norris renamed daniel ricciardo
mastermind hilarious lando. truely.
lando norris you never confirmed or denied it. i took matters into my own hands.
pierre gasly question for sabrina, how does one get a song like nonsense written about them?
sabrina carpenter what an odd question pear gasly, i'd say by dating a singer? which is better for me because that way i can steal your girlfriend with no obstacles.
aelx albon she's a menace.
max verstappen THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING!
oscar piastri it's not that great of a song. i don't get the hype?
sabrina carpenter added one person
sabrina carpenter oscar's been disowned. he didn't know the words to love story.
charles leclerc max doesn't either?
oscar piastri what the hell are you talking about sabrina?
sabrina carpenter i saw that mclaren video.
daphne jones it's one song sabrina, let it go. this is not going to turn into another spa situation.
yuki tsunoda excuse me while i go scream into the void
logan sargeant wait for me! lance stroll and me!
lando norris daniel probably
sabrina carpenter lando with all of his teammates
lando norris man fuck you sabrina
carlos sainz what's the spa situation?
daphne jones you don't want to know, trust me. oscar piastri for your sanity, you don't want to know. daniel ricciardo please don't get her started again.
sabrina carpenter mr. sainz, you truly do not want to get me started. as i said before, i may not have been present for spa but i can and will bite ankles for oscar.
mastermind so who's free to go to daphne's concert in argentina on the 11th?
lando norris SIGN ME TF UP!!
yuki tsunoda I'M IN!
alex albon depends, can i bring lily?
mastermind of course! - sabrina mastermind that's my wife! - sabrina
logan sargeant ready to dance along to the fearless era
mastermind bold of any of you to think you have a choice. I EXPECT ALL OF YOU THERE! - SABRINA
mastermind love the name btw - sabrina
charles leclerc to quote sabrina, "i expect ass shaking for vigilante shit."
oscar piastri dear i god i hope none of you do that.
lando norris well now i'm going to.
sebastian vettel well she's certainly something.
max verstappen she's a menace.
lewis hamilton huh, sounds like someone back in 2016 to 2018. max verstappen YOU TAKE THAT BACK! lewis hamilton i don't think i will
mastermind JUSTICE FOR ABU DHABI 2021 - SABRINA
oscar piastri she just likes to stir the pot.
mark webber sounds like someone else and the infamous alpine tweet.
oscar piastri okay, that was one time.
esteban ocon argentina right before vegas? doesn't seem like a good idea to me but i'm in.
lando norris BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!
jenson button so is daniel dating daphne or not?
mastermind that's a secret i'll never tell - xoxo gossip girl.
alex albon something is brewing i can feel it.
taglist: @glow-ish @agustdpeach @msolbesg @spilled-coffee-cup @1nt3rnetgf @six-call @smol-scream @fernandoswarcrimes @arieltwvdtohamflash @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @chiliwhore @tygecjjd @cataf1 @nothaqks @caipng @nataliambc @formulaal @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @hobiismyhopeu @melissayalene @nikfigueiredo
strikethrough means i couldn't tag you
¡leclerc-s speaks! i’m back for 2024! i tried something different for this chapter and i think i liked it so i'm going to change it for all of the other parts, which is going to be a bitch because it's gonna take forever. it's also not that big of a change but i think it makes a difference.
¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet. enjoy!
#leclerc-s#big reputations series#daniel ricciardo#daniel ricciardo x female oc#formula 1#formula 1 fic#fanfic#fanfiction#f1#f1 smau#f1 social media au#f1 instagram au#f1 fic
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long live | daniel ricciardo
pairing: daniel ricciardo x driver!reader (epilogue to fragile line)
long live the walls we crashed through i had the time of my life with you long, long live the walls we crashed through how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
time passes and feelings may fade, but the memories never will word count: 7.7k (im so sorry) warnings/tags: time jumps like always, angst and heartbreak but it's not all sad this time, or is it?
four years later
“Daniel Ricciardo, 2025 Formula 1 World Champion, The Honey Badger,” James Hinchcliffe put his arm around the fellow commentator, “Tell us what you know.”
“What I know, Hinch,” Daniel repeated, taking a dramatic look up towards the clear sky. “What do I know?”
They didn’t need to act like they were friends for the camera, James and Daniel had grown close in a short time, ever since Daniel put down the helmet and picked up a microphone, Replacing the racing overalls with a suit and tie. He had the personality to be a motorsports commentator. No one was surprised when he was announced as Sky Sports newest reporter following his Formula 1 retirement.
And James, a fellow retired driver himself from the IndyCar side, a Canadian with the humour and the banter that could keep up with Daniel, they were truly one of the best duos when it came to motorsports broadcasting.
They weren't often together, though. Daniel stuck to Formula 1. James was a regular for IndyCar. There were only a handful of races where they came together and the Indianapolis 500 was one of them.
They were a comedic duo last year at the 2026 running, it only made sense to bring Daniel back again this year.
“Who’s your money on?” James asked. The question was innocent enough, proposed to most people who didn’t have an association with any team.
Daniel had his answer. Before the race weekend started he had an answer. Before the season started he had an answer.
But he hesitated.
Or, maybe froze was a better word. Daniel froze when he dropped his gaze from the sky and looked further down the pit lane. They didn’t plan on standing a few slots away from the number 6 car of Arrow McLaren, but that's where they found themselves.
Daniel froze when he spotted the familiar face sitting on the bench in the pit wall, looking at the data on the screens and nodding along with the engineer as he spoke. Daniel froze, because even though he knew exactly who was driving that car, he still wasn’t prepared for what he would do when he saw the driver.
When he saw you.
You guys had agreed, long ago, that there would be no more interactions. That your careers, your lives, would be better if the other stayed as far away as possible.
Daniel knew that even now, four years later, he had no right to talk to you, to talk about you. He knew that at this point, it was for the best that ties were still cut, that the conversations didn’t happen. It had been over a year since your last interaction, he was in no position to change that.
And he tried, desperately, over the years to follow the rules you agreed on. You as well kept your distance, you had to.
But you were only human. There had been a few slip ups over the years.
For the remainder of the season, after the Austin race, you both had stuck to your word. You stopped giving the world the moments they were waiting for. You refused to interact with each other, you forced yourself to stop caring.
It grew easier with time. The 2024 season was challenging in itself, but with Max and Daniel fighting amongst each other in a league of their own, you knew you couldn’t fight them in a McLaren. All you could do was make the most of what you had.
Lando and you had a strong opening those first few races. McLaren was third in the constructors for a short time until other teams started to catch up, filling in the holes of their designs.
You quite literally didn’t have time to care about Daniel when you were so focused on the rest of the grid, your actual competition. Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin even. Your upgrades were no match with theirs and by the end of the season, it was disappointing to look back without a podium to reminisce on. Lando scored two, one in Spa, the other in Singapore. You did well, but not well enough to bring home a trophy.
2025 was…different.
In many ways. Firstly, the McLarens showed consistency as the season continued. You and Lando were always top contenders for points.
Secondly, Daniel was giving Max a run for his money. He had a bit the year prior, but this season was far more competitive. You, like everyone else, was dying to see who would pull through and score that first place trophy at the end of the day, but you had to hide your desires for it to be Daniel.
You still hadn’t spoken. You had successfully veered away from any accidental interactions. His name stayed out of your mouth and at this point, everyone on the grid knew there was a disconnect. You both had gone out of your way, this year and in 2024, to assure there would be no media appearances together, no driver conferences, nothing that the online world could twist.
But you couldn’t do anything about still being happy for him. That would never go away. You would always want Daniel to succeed. You just couldn’t be watching the screens when he podiumed. You couldn’t go out with him and the others to celebrate. You couldn’t wish him a congrats in passing like Lando could if you were walking down the paddock.
Daniel felt the same. While the love was gone, there was nothing he could do about those proud moments. He wanted you to make a name in this sport, to make history. He wanted you to be someone and even though he once wanted to be at your side while you planted your roots, he couldn’t.
Except that one time when he physically was at your side.
There was a mistake in the media pen scheduling on that Thursday in Miami. From what you knew, Daniel was supposed to be in the press conference and you’d be one of the ten unlucky few that had to stand under the Miami sun in the football field, talking about how you were looking forward to this race when in reality you personally thought this was the worst race on the calendar.
But it was too hot to complain about anything other than the heat and how you needed to change shirts as soon as the media pen segment was over because the breathable material of your papaya polo was anything but breathable.
You had barely stepped into the roped off circle to join the other drivers when you heard your name being called. Glancing over your shoulder, it took a second to realise that the call was coming from a young girl running in your direction. Her paddock lanyard flailing over her shoulder as she sprinted, one hand held onto her McLaren hat so it wouldn’t fall off.
“She can’t be here-”
“Piss off, she’s fine,” you weren’t even sure who you interrupted, but you didn’t give the risk of a reprending a second thought as you stepped forward to meet the young fan.
She was small, and you weren’t a professional when it came to guessing the ages of kids but you would put her somewhere in the range of six and eight. Maybe?
You knelt down to be more at eye level, “Hi darling, what’s your name?”
“Cara,” she answered, slightly out of breath. There was a gap in her teeth from where she must have just lost one, but it didn’t affect her grin at all.
“Hi Cara,” you smiled at her, only then noticing she wore a shirt with your last name on it. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw an older gentleman running towards her. “Is that your dad?”
Cara looked and then nodded, but she didn’t care that she had completely abandoned him and given him a heart attack. “I saw you last year here. You finished fifth, my dad took me to watch. He says you- he says that you’re the only girl driver.”
“I am the only girl driver,” you confirmed, pouting slightly. You brushed your hand over her shoulder to smooth out the material of the shirt, “That should change soon, don’t you think? All of these boys need to be put in their place and I can’t do it alone.”
“I can join,” Cara suggested. The carefree optimism was a rare sight at one of these race weekends, but you admired it in Cara. She was too young to know the difficulties of being a female in this field and hopefully by the time she grew up, there were less walls for her to climb over, just doors to open.
“You can join,” you nodded at the idea, laughing slightly, mostly because her dad had caught up to her and he was more out of breath than she saw. You smiled at him but looked back at Cara, “Do you race?”
“Yes!”
“No,” her dad answered, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Not yet, at least. We’ve signed her up for karting this summer, we’ll see how it goes.”
“I can already tell you’ll be a natural,” you told Cara. Watching her face light up was probably the most rewarding feeling you’d get all weekend.
“I want to be like you. I want to win races, I want to win a championship!”
“You know what Cara, I can’t break every record, being the first girl driver. So I’ll save the championship one for you, how about that? I want to see you become the first girl to win the championship.” You gave her arm a squeeze and then stood up, turning your focus to her dad.
He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring and although you couldn’t make assumptions that he was single, the greying hair at a fairly young age and the bags under his eyes told you that he was mostly likely the main caretaker for Cara.
“She’s got dreams,” you said.
He nodded, but smiled proudly, “That she does.”
You didn’t want to speak negatively about this industry in front of Cara, you didn’t want to crush her dreams, but you also didn't want her to grow up and be hopelessly disappointed either.
“It’s not easy for girls in this sport,” you told him. “But if she’s serious, if both of you are, look into working with Mary from Victory Speedway, located out in Tampa. She’s got contacts with F1 Academy as well. They’re goal is to make it easier.”
“Thank you,” he nodded, holding out his hand to shake. “And thank you for talking with Cara. Both of us are big fans, you truly are inspiring.”
You chatted for a bit longer, ignoring Oliver who was at your side reminding you that you had media duties. They could wait. A photo with the girl that seemed to be your biggest fan and maybe one day your predecessor, couldn’t wait.
No one really heard what you spoke about, the other drivers had their own obligations in the media pen.
Daniel, though, he listened.
He was standing right near the entrance when Cara had run up. He had watched you bend down to chat with her, making her a priority opposed to the reporters. He was less than two feet away as he overheard your conversation and when you turned around, ready to get the media day over with, you met his eyes.
For the first time in a long time, you didn’t look away.
Daniel wanted to tell you he admired that conversation, the hope you installed in the young fan. He wanted to tell you that you made a great role model, for not just girls but all aspiring drivers. He wanted to say a lot of things to you.
He settled on a question, “You’re not trying to win the championship?”
This was the first time you had spoken in months and it wasn’t even in private. It was quite literally in front of cameras, reporters, people with audio recording devices and microphones. You opened your mouth slightly only to lock up, giving him an apologetic look because you both knew better than to be having any sort of interaction.
You turned to face the first reporter, ignoring Daniel’s question completely. He just nodded to himself and walked to his own spot, keeping you in the corner of his eye.
This young reporter, though, was also curious, having overheard what Daniel asked.
“You’re not vying for a championship? Does Zak Brown know this?” He asked with a soft chuckle.
You shrugged and gave him a smile, “I mean, every driver's dream is the championship, but it’s not my goal currently. Your goals can, and should, be different than your dreams. And yes, Zak knows this, don’t you worry.”
“Your goal then, what is it?”
You inhaled, thinking to yourself for a second, “I’ve got a few and I have a good team supporting me while I work towards them. First would be to make as much history as I can, set as many records while I have a spot in Formula 1 and then I want to help other female drivers break them.”
“You want your records to be broken?”
“If it means getting more females into Formula 1, then yes.”
Daniel, who was in the middle of trying to listen to the reporter in front of him, smiled as he heard that. It was a very you response. He leaned forward, gripping the railing a bit because he completely misheard his own question and needed him to repeat it.
“And your other goal?” The young reporter asked you.
Your lips curved into more of a devious smile, deciding to keep that one close to your chest. “Do you have any questions about the race this weekend? Or are you trying to write a biography on my life?”
Daniel was dying to know what it was too. He spent the rest of that media session racking through the memories of you, there were a lot, trying to think if you ever had that conversation. You must have, right? So why couldn’t he remember?
When all of you made your way out and back to the paddock, Daniel ignored the voice in his head telling him to just let it go. He completely drowned it out as he jogged up to your side, refraining from reaching out and brushing his hand over your elbow to grab your attention. Instead he just said,
“Hey.”
You glanced up, instinctively stepping to the side as you walked to put more space between your bodies.
“Hi,” you breathed out, pulling your eyes off of him and on the Red Bull motorhome that was coming up. This conversation would be short, he’d have to go back inside. You’d be fine for ten seconds, right?
“So what-” he cleared his throat. This shouldn’t have been awkward but it was. After so long of not even glancing at each other, there were new lines painted between you. Daniel didn’t know how to navigate them, and honestly, neither did you.
“Triple Crown, Dan,” you answered, knowing that's where he was going when he opened his mouth.
The Triple Crown. Monaco. Indy 500. 24 Hours of Le Mans.
He took a second to process that goal, not having expected it in the slightest. When he nodded, you could see the hurt in his eyes, only there was less pain and more distance. He didn’t know you like he thought he did.
“I never knew you were aiming for the Triple Crown.”
“You never asked.”
He had trained you, helped you become the best athlete you could be. He had introduced you to the right people. He acted as a mentor, but the conversations you had about racing were limited. There was a lack of communication in that sense because why bring work home with you?
But that was the wedge driven between you. Had you talked about racing, contracts, your futures, you would have never found yourself in that McLaren contract scandal that ultimately broke you two up.
He nodded, because what else could he say to that? You gave him a soft smile and told yourself to keep walking, to move to the other side of the paddock as Daniel headed into the Red Bull motorhome.
You don’t interact again until Monaco. Daniel now knew winning this race meant more to you than others. Winning this would be one third of the Triple Crown checked off and as much as he was gunning for the podium, thankful for his P2 starting position, he saw that you were starting fourth and took a breath of relief. You had a shot.
Daniel wasn’t sure what came over him when he saw you in the paddock after qualifying. Maybe it was because you not completely shutting him down in Miami gave him a strange surge of confidence to approach you again, or maybe it was because he was ignoring all the voices in his head to just keep walking. Whatever it was, Daniel saw you chatting with a member of Sky Sports and as he walked passed, patted your shoulder in a congratulatory manner.
You paused whatever it was you were saying and turned in his direction, just in time to see him give you a smile and a thumbs up as he continued on his way. You returned it, but that small interaction had you stumbling over your words for the next two hours.
Not because you were smitten, you were past that. You didn’t look at Daniel anymore and lose your train of thought, you didn’t get lost in a daze and allow everything else to fade around you.
But he didn’t seem to let go of you completely yet, and you could work with that. You could be civil. You could be neutral during race weekends, as long as it didn’t go further than the friendly smiles and minimal chats.
It shouldn’t have been hard to keep the conversations short, you hadn’t actually had anything meaningful to say to each other in over a year. When you ran into him after the race on Sunday, after he claimed the title of Monaco Grand Prix race winner for a second time, you should have just said congratulations and kept walking.
But Daniel saw you as he was propped up against the side of the Red Bull motorhome and then he stood up straighter, almost inviting you to walk up to him. There were no cameras around anymore, the majority of the paddock had gone home so you felt safer, sort of. If the world hadn’t lost their minds at the clip of him patting your back yesterday, you could talk to him now.
The Red Bull engineer he was with said his goodbyes and smiled politely at you as you approached, stopping at a safe distance.
“Another Monaco win under your belt.”
“So it seems,” Daniel tried his best to not look too proud of himself. You could see his dimples poking through. You wanted him to not be holding back, you missed his grin but gone were the days when he didn’t have to refrain with you.
“You deserve it,” you nodded, glancing over your shoulder out of habit. You were scared of any stragglers with iPhones, but no one around seemed to care that you and Daniel were talking. You were drivers, it shouldn’t have been a strange sight.
“You deserve it,” Daniel playfully shot back. “I mean, I couldn’t just hand it over this year though, despite your Triple Crown goal.”
“Oh but next year? You’ll let me have it then?” You asked, eyebrows raised. It was a joke, a small tease, but Daniel’s smile slipped and you caught it. You caught it and you stepped forward, hand flinching because it would be moments like this where you’d want to reach for him but you couldn’t do that anymore, could you?
Daniel tensed. Now it was his turn to look anxiously around, “I might not-” a sharp inhale passed through his lips, “Yeah I might not be here next year.”
You scoffed because that idea was preposterous, “Oh shut up.”
“No it’s true,” Daniel said, but his smile told you that he wasn’t sad about it. “You know how your goal is the Triple Crown?”
“Yes.”
“Mine’s the championship, sweets.”
You weren’t given an opportunity to react to the nickname because he continued on explaining without missing a beat. Either he didn’t see the way saying sweets affected you or he didn’t even notice he said it because even after all this time, it still came naturally to him.
“There’s a clause in my contract,” he said. “If I win the championship this year, we can renegotiate. I can leave, I can- I can retire. The way I want to.”
You didn’t know how to process this.
Daniel belonged in Formula 1. He fought so hard for his seat, he was a mess when he was left without one and now there was a chance he’d be gone?
And even though you were only eight races in, already he was leading the driver standings over Max, not by much, but he was. There was a strong possibility Daniel could take the championship home at the end of the season.
You couldn’t say what was on your mind. You couldn’t say, selfishly, I hope you lose the championship. You couldn’t say that it was impossible to imagine the paddock without him because even those few months when he wasn’t racing, he was still there.
“We’ve still got a few months to go,” Daniel’s voice broke you from your thoughts, trying to move to a brighter note because that’s just who he was. “But this could be good for you. You’ll have a real shot at winning Monaco next year. But I mean- you technically already won Monaco.”
“That was F2.”
“I think it still counts.”
“I think I’ll win it again, just to be safe.”
Daniel liked that response, he liked how confident you were that the win was coming. He nodded and he really would have liked to talk to you more about this, about his potential leave, about your success, but when he was called from across the paddock you didn’t hesitate before saying goodbye. The conversation was long enough.
Things seemed lighter between you after that.
You didn’t stop yourself from being visibly happy when he was doing well. You laughed if you overheard the stupid shit he said in the paddock. You didn’t make a big deal about it when you two were signed up for the same press conference session. Granted, you still sat on complete opposite ends of the couch, but you sat there with a smile because you liked hearing Daniel talk about the lead he still carried in the standings.
Spa was the turning point for you two.
While you hadn’t taken any more steps beyond paddock conversations and friendly interactions, what was Daniel supposed to do when you both ended up on the podium together? Him on top, claiming first, you right next to him on the second step?
You both held back when you climbed out of the cars. He opted for a friendly pat on the back even though he wanted nothing more than to bring you in for an embrace. You had podiumed once already this season, but not with Daniel. You stood between the two Mercedes drivers back in Austria but now you were there, with Daniel at your side, both of you beaming.
You were proud of yourselves. You were proud of each other.
Both of you had dreamt of this moment, standing next to each other on the podium. You still remembered that conversation years ago, trying to imagine what it would be like to hear the cheers for both of you.
‘You’ll have to do a shoey.’
‘Only if you win. I’m not doing one if I win.’
You had shared this dream when you were in love and even though that wasn’t the case anymore, the dream was still very much alive. Because of that, it almost didn’t feel right.
It felt sort of unfulfilling, despite you being handed a heavy trophy.
But this was a moment that you would remember for the rest of your life. All of your accomplishments were held very close to your heart but this one meant more than you could put into words.
Hands shaking, crowd going wild, you were on top of the world and you were standing next to the man you used to be in love with. You glanced to the side to watch him, not able to stop yourself from smiling wide and then wider still as he held his head high like a hero.
Daniel was larger than life.
He always would be.
You tried not to let yourself think that this might be the only chance you’d get to stand here with him. This win only pushed him further ahead in the championship and you were, seemingly, the only one who knew this year would be his last if he ended up winning.
You had to hold onto this moment. It wouldn’t come again.
To everyone watching at home, this was the start of a new age with you and Daniel. Fans could see the way you two interacted, the sheer joy you had for each other, something they hadn’t seen since you still raced in F2.
To you, this was the beginning of the end.
Finally, you and Daniel were getting to a place where things could be good and in a few short months, he’d be gone.
You couldn’t think about it more, not when you felt champagne being sprayed in your direction. You were late to the game and popped yours after Daniel and Max had, but you still joined in with the celebration.
You laughed when Daniel took his shoe off and poured some of the bubbly liquid into the sole. He laughed when you refused to drink it, both of you ignoring the fact that if you were still in love, if you were still together, you would have done the shoey with him.
Daniel was content with the nod. He knew you were happy for him, the same way he was happy for you. But neither of you could show it the way you wanted to.
The championship win was decided at the second last race of the season, Qatar.
You didn’t have a good weekend, and you knew this. You took responsibility for the poor qualifying, the bad performance, for all of it. But you were distracted, unable to keep yourself from thinking about Daniel because if he won this race, he won it all.
And then he’d walk away.
You were conflicted. You wanted to see Daniel take home the win but selfishly, you wanted him in Formula 1. You always wanted him in Formula 1.
So when he crossed that line, ahead of Max, ahead of the rest of the grid, when he did celebratory donuts and stood on the podium with his chin held high, you stood on the sidelines and ignored how you used to wish for a day like this, wished for a day where he would be crowned the Championship Winner.
Daniel Ricciardo. 2025 Formula 1 World Champion.
It had a nice ring to it.
That’s what you told him that night when you were out at dinner and saw him sitting with a few members from his team just a few feet away. You weren’t surprised to see him at the establishment, it was exclusive, it was way overpriced and it was where many drivers went prior to going out and partying.
You avoided his eyes that evening, scared that if you’d meet them you’d be forced to accept the reality that he really was leaving. At least, you know, if you didn’t look at him, you could live in your own little world where he wasn’t gone just yet.
You were genuinely annoyed when you bumped into him after leaving the toilets. The hall was dim, narrow and there was quite literally nowhere for you to go when he turned the corner and stopped walking when he saw you.
“Hi,” you swallowed, anxiously smoothing out the skirt you wore, even more anxiously trying to avoid his eyes.
“Hi,” Daniel slid his hands into his pockets. His Enchante shirt clung to his skin due to the heat, but you told yourself you weren’t allowed to look at the way his little curls stuck to his forehead.
“You, um-” you held your hand out. “Congratulations, really. Daniel Ricciardo. 2025 Formula 1 World Champion. It’s got a nice ring to it.”
He laughed and nodded along, “Yeah, yeah, thank you.”
When he leaned against the wall, you realised you were stuck. There was no getting out of this conversation. No escaping this reality.
It didn’t help that the rest of the dining room faded behind him. The people, the sounds, the light, it was just Daniel.
Just Daniel and just you.
How it always should have been.
How it would never be again.
You opened your mouth, intent on saying something else about his win but all that came out was a shaky breath and a choked back sob that triggered the tears you didn’t even know were building. It was quiet, but it was desperate and it was painful and Daniel didn’t hesitate before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into his chest. Your cries were muffled against his shirt and Daniel stroked your back and then your hair, holding you tight against him.
You were happy for him, really. If anyone deserved this win, it was him but god you were devastated because up until now, you didn’t realise you still held this much love for him. Up until now, you didn’t realise that even after everything, you still needed him.
You needed him.
“What am I going to do without you on the grid?” You asked, your voice was already quiet but it was even more so muffled as you spoke directly into his body.
Daniel chuckled, it vibrated through his chest. “What you’ve been doing this whole time, sweets. You’ll make history. You’ll put the rest of the guys in their places. You’ll be the driver I know you to be.”
It took a few seconds, maybe a few minutes actually, of just standing there and crying into his chest until you snapped out of it. You weren’t dating anymore, your conversations now didn’t last longer than five minutes, it was embarrassing to be losing it in front of him, because of him.
You stepped back and wiped your eyes, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t- I just-”
“I’ll miss you too, Y/N,” he breathed out.
You nodded, because if you tried to say anything else you would be crying again. Daniel held his finger up and walked into the toilets to grab some tissue for you. It took another minute for you to be able to trust your voice again.
“I can’t believe you’re really leaving,” you dabbed at your cheeks, knowing you’d have to go back to the hotel to fix your make up before going out again.
“I’ve got things lined up,” Daniel shrugged.
“Care to share?”
He tried to hide his smile and failed miserably, “Just don’t be surprised if I show up at the track next year with a microphone instead of a helmet.”
That was about as much he would say as his deal with Sky Sports wasn’t yet official.
But now you felt more like an idiot for crying about him leaving if he wasn’t even actually leaving. You’d still see him. He’d still be around. You could work with that.
Daniel could still be proud of your accomplishments, even if he was on the sidelines.
He was, however, a little conflicted when you won the last race of the 2025 season.
You made history in Abu Dhabi. The first female driver to win a race. This was a wall you had spent years trying to crash through and now there you were. On top of the podium, on top of the world as confetti fell to the ground around you, champagne sprayed in all directions.
This was your moment.
Your win, your first win and all you wanted was Daniel up on that podium with you. As happy as you were to celebrate with Max and George, you couldn’t deny something was missing.
Because you really could never cut yourself off from Daniel completely, could you? You could try, you could attempt to distance yourself, you could stop the interactions and you could tell yourself you didn’t care but you were right that day you told Lando that Daniel was your missing piece.
So it made sense that you were at a bit of a loss for words when he showed up at your hotel room that next morning.
You invited him in, despite being slightly hungover. He didn’t care that your clothes were spread all throughout the room, but he did smile at the sight of your trophy on proud display on the table before you had to give it to your engineer for safe travels.
“So this is it,” you sighed, sitting down on the far side of the couch. Daniel sat down as well, the opposite side, arm stretched along the back of it.
“This is it,” he agreed.
“When does the news drop?”
He clicked his tongue, “Tomorrow.”
“Who’s replacing you?”
“Not sure,” he scratched the stubble along his jaw. “My guess is Lawson or possibly Palou.”
You sat in silence for a while, thankful that it wasn’t uncomfortable because it easily could have been.
But you both grew this season.
You could both admit now, being in love and being drivers was an unattainable dream.
But you could be drivers and you could still have love for each other.
You reached across the couch, a gentle smirk playing on your lips as you nudged his arm, “So what are you going to say about me?”
Daniel dipped his head back and laughed, “What do you mean?”
“You know,” you shrugged. “Like when you talk about us drivers on Sky Sports. What are you going to say about me?”
“I’m going to say that not only did you steal my seat, but you stole the glory of my last race by winning.”
You rolled your eyes, recognizing the sarcasm but you were thankful his words weren’t malicious anymore, “I thought we were past this. I didn’t steal your seat, Dan.”
“No, but I don’t think I can joke about it on air so this is my last chance.”
You reached behind you and grabbed one of the throw pillows, smacking it against his chest. You chose to look at this playfully, instead of it as the inevitable end.
And Daniel needed a second to think about your question anyway, so the joke was just a way to stall. Honestly, he was a little surprised that he hadn’t already thought about it considering you were on his mind more than you should have been.
He cleared his throat and adjusted himself on the couch cushion. You could see that he was struggling to come up with a good response and you didn’t mean for this. You didn’t want him to think he had to choose his words carefully.
“Hey,” you whispered, shifting closer to him, “Promise me something.”
You met his eyes, his dark brown eyes that once had such a strong hold over you. You looked at him and remembered why you fell in love with him in the first place. In this moment, it was hard to remember why you ever wanted to stop loving him.
Had you stopped loving him? Did that day really come?
You could have love for someone and not be in love with him anymore, but you didn’t think you’d find yourself in a position where you had to differentiate between the two. You thought, you knew, you would always be in love with Daniel that to sit here and think that maybe, possibly, you didn’t anymore, felt like a betrayal.
He was supposed to be the one that stood by you through it all. The good, the bad, the wins, the losses. It wasn’t supposed to end with you two sitting on the couch and admitting that this truly was over.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this, but you always knew it would.
Fate stepped in and whether you liked it or not, it was forcing you into a goodbye, into an acceptance that your lives would no longer be intertwined, that you couldn’t go back to the way things were.
“Anything,” Daniel spoke softly. Maybe one day he would have said, I’d promise you the world, if you asked, but that seemed a little too forward for the moment.
“Be honest, Dan,” you told him, your hand finding his over the edge of the couch. Your thumb brushed against his fingers and both of you fought the urge to just connect them further. “Tell them my name, but tell them how I got to Formula 1. Tell them it was you, that you helped me pave the way, that you helped me make a name in this sport. Don’t just point to the pictures of me, point to the ones of us. Now that you’re done with racing, I don’t care about the assumptions, the rumours, any of it. Tell people how it really was you and I, how we were the team that should have been, that never was, please, because even though I know-”
You paused, taking a second to swallow the lump at the back of your throat. You glanced at your hand and maybe it was you or maybe it was him, but your fingers started to interlock. Your eyes stayed glued to the touch as your last admittance filled the air between you.
“I know I could have made it to Formula 1 without you, but I can’t put into words how thankful I am that I didn’t have to.”
Daniel nodded, because he agreed with you. He knew you could have gotten here without him but he too was grateful he was by your side for the start of it. He agreed that you two really were the team that never was but should have been. He nodded and agreed that he would say all of those things.
But you knew that he wouldn’t.
Those words were for him, not the rest of the world.
He would tell people that you shined on top of the podium. He would say that the crowds went wild, louder for you than any other driver.
And he would never say that he had any part of shaping your career. Despite you knowing he did, despite the whole world knowing he played a detrimental part, Daniel didn’t hold onto those connections when you went on to race in 2026 and he stood in the commentators box.
He stayed neutral, surprisingly.
It helped that he didn’t interact with many drivers or if he did, it was never you. He did talk about you, but only about your performance on the track. His colleagues knew not to bring up your past, not when the only thing that mattered was how well you were doing in the present.
He had some thoughts when you announced you were making the switch to IndyCar at the end of this season, but mostly because you made that announcement before the Monaco Grand Prix, before you claimed the win you were chasing, before you could check off one third of the Triple Crown.
He wanted to pull you aside and question why you were making this choice but he couldn’t. He also couldn’t call you out publicly on air like other reporters had.
All he could do was hold his breath after you qualified P2 in Monaco. He sat on the edge of his seat, struggling to do his job, struggling to commentate on the race because the second you made the move to overtake Max and it worked, Daniel had to leave the room.
He had to leave because he knew that if you kept the lead, if you won, he couldn’t celebrate the way he wanted to with cameras on him. Instead, he watched from the privacy of a separate media suite. The broadcast was a few seconds delayed but at least he was able to cheer and be visibly proud of you and not have to hold back when you crossed the line ahead of Max.
You won the Monaco Grand Prix, in a McLaren of all cars, and now he knew what you were gunning for next.
The Indy 500.
Signing that Arrow McLaren deal ended up being the right move after all.
“Who’s your money on?” James Hinchcliffe asked him as they stood on the pit lane where the teams were preparing for the greatest spectacle in racing. The question was innocent enough, proposed to most people who didn’t have an association with any team.
Daniel had his answer. Before the race weekend started he had an answer. Before the season started, he had an answer. Despite knowing you were still far from winning the Indy 500, his money would always be on you.
You looked up from where you sat on the Arrow McLaren bench and you smiled at him.
You were having a pretty good season, for a rookie. With O’Ward and Rossi as your teammates, you knew you couldn’t compare, but they were good people to have on your team, in your corner. They helped you, guided you through the shift from Formula 1 to Indy and you could be proud that in a grid of 26 drivers, you were 11th in the standings.
“Not betting on anyone, James,” Daniel answered, but his eyes were still locked on you and his smirk said otherwise. “It’ll be a good race.”
He could say your name, he wanted to. But Daniel stayed as far away from your life as he could because you decided on it a long time ago and nothing that happened since told him that you’d be going back on that decision, that you wanted him back in your life.
He might not have been a driver anymore, but you still were. So he was content with being civil, neutral. He was fine with the friendly smiles and if an old photo of the two of you circulated every now and again, well, he didn’t hate it.
He sat with the rest of the Indy commentators during the race. He shared his honest opinions throughout and he, along with the other reporters, praised Alexander Rossi for taking home his second Indy 500 victory, eleven years after his first.
But that was not the Arrow McLaren driver he wished was celebrating in Victory Lane.
Daniel waited until his job was done, but he knew he had to find you before the day ended. He wanted to congratulate you on finishing twelfth. That was something he was proud of and he hoped you were as well.
It would only go up from there. The Indy 500 was still an achievable goal.
He found you in the paddock. It wasn’t hard. You stood out, even in the crowd of people. He waited off to the side and watched you take photos with young girls, young fans that resembled that one girl in Miami, all of them looking up to you and thanking you for paving the way for them, for other females in motorsport.
It was by chance that you looked over your shoulder and saw Daniel standing there. He nodded, wordlessly assuring you that he could wait, to take your time with the fans.
He ended up waiting almost fifteen minutes.
Eventually, you started to approach him. Daniel stood up straighter, having been leaning against the Penske trailers until you were done. You still had your racing overalls on, but unzipped and hanging loosely on your hips. The black fireproofs under the papaya looked good on you, but Daniel hadn’t let himself appreciate your appearance for years, he couldn’t start now, even if he really wanted to.
“Hey,” you called out when you were only a few steps away.
“Hey yourself,” Daniel chuckled. When you finally stood in front of him, he was sort of expecting to see a sliver of defeat, but you were happy. You may not have won the 500, but you had a good run and there was always next year. Plus, you still had the rest of the season to finish. The season wasn’t over, you could still make history in this sport.
You crossed your arms over your chest and glanced around, jaw clenched until you finally worked up the courage to meet his eyes.
“So,” you inhaled a breath. “You’ve got some time on your hands now that you’re retired, right?”
Daniel wasn’t sure where this was going but he laughed and nodded, “Somewhat, yes, but I do still work race weekends.”
“But Monday through Wednesday?”
He pondered it for a second, just for dramatic effect. “I’m fairly open.”
You nodded, hoping for that answer.
If you were being honest with yourself, this was a conversation you wanted to have with Daniel since he announced his retirement almost two years ago, you just never knew what the outcome would be.
You felt a bit safer now, knowing that he was based out of the UK and your races were only North American. If he hated where you were going with this, well, it was rare you’d be crossing paths so soon afterwards.
You just had to blurt it out.
“Ever thought about being a trainer?” You asked. “Or a manager? Mentor even? You know- my last mentor walked out on me-”
Daniel cut you off with a booming laugh, “Walked out? Really? Is that what you tell people?”
Him playing along with your humour felt like a weight off your shoulders, “Only if they ask.”
Daniel, finally, didn’t have to refrain himself anymore. He felt confident enough to drape his arm over your shoulders and walk with you down the paddock. For once, he didn’t care if people looked or recorded and secretly, he hoped they did.
All he wanted was to be at your side. All he wanted was for the world to know he was proud of you, that, if you asked, he’d be back in your corner.
And you were asking.
“So you need a mentor?” He repeated. “A trainer?”
Your hand slipped around his waist. It was natural, comforting, right.
“Well, I need to win the 500 eventually and then I need to get into Le Mans. I can’t do it alone.”
Daniel looked at you, wearing that stupid grin you missed so much even if you had memorised it the first day you met. You missed him, despite hearing his voice on the broadcasts and seeing him in the paddock. You missed him, he was your missing piece after all.
Daniel looked at you, and you knew, you weren’t alone.
__________________
the end ♡
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