#he forgot his paddock pass again lol

[countingstars-17]

he won the idgaf war

[maemelany]

RACING HEARTS - Part I: Miami

Well hello, 

Life happened, and I didn’t write a fanfic in … three years, lol. 

I did write an actual book and will probably publish it sometime next year – but I needed a break from it. So here’s a small something (don’t know if it’s going to be a series, no promises here) 

Anyway, I’m back and enjoy

Mae 

Summary: y/n is an influencer who is doing very well currently. She has no interest in F1 and only watches races because her little brother is a huge fan. So when a sponsor offers her passes for the Miami weekend with Mercedes, she cannot refuse and decides to surprise her little brother. 

But will he be the only one to be surprised? 

Warnings: none, just fluff 

Word count: 3.2k 

Part II here

Friday Practice Sessions

It was hot. You expected the sun to be out because it was Miami, after all, and you were glad you went with that light summer dress you got gifted by a brand after the Paris fashion week a few months ago. 

The paddock was full of celebrities, some you recognized and had seen before, and others you were simply starstruck to encounter in such a casual environment. Especially since it was still Friday, not even the actual race day. 

Of course, the Miami F1 weekend was big, and getting paddock tickets was a big deal. And even if you suddenly forgot how lucky you were, your little brother was there to remind you.  

Of course, you worked hard to get to where you were now. A few years back, brands couldn’t care less about you. You had to work hard, take your content to the next level, and be consistent—all that while working two jobs to invest in what you knew you were born to do. 

And it paid off. You were still shocked when people you’d only seen on TV knew your name or actors you fangirled on started conversing with you in red carpet lines. 

But really, days like today were what you were most grateful for. The best part of your work was making the people you loved enjoy life, and your brother was ecstatic. With the big age gap between you, you hadn’t had many opportunities to bond. Your brother was eighteen years younger than you and was born after your mother remarried and finally found the happiness she deserved. 

You loved your brother more than anything, but he wasn’t usually the most talkative nine-year-old boy around. 

Maybe he’d talked more since you’d arrived in Miami than he had this entire year. 

But it suddenly stopped when you got to the sponsor’s hospitality suit. Your brother was speechless as soon as he saw the car on display. You found it funny, recording all his reactions to share with your mom later. 

“Y/n, this is crazy. Look how big the tires are!” your brother said, kneeling in front of the car. 

You laughed and nodded. It still wasn’t your scene, but he made it exciting to be there. 

The sponsor’s hospitality suit was something else. Honestly, you weren’t expecting that level of comfort. You had access to free drinks and personalized merch, and they even told you one of the drivers would give you a tour of the circuit later. 

“Do you think we’ll see Lewis today?” Your brother asked 

You chuckled. You may have been a novice in F1, but Lewis Hamilton, that was a name you recognized. 

Not only because he was your little brother’s hero but because you had seen him from afar a few times at events over the years. 

“I don’t think so, but we’ll definitely see him drive.” 

And, of course, you were wrong. 

About an hour after you made that statement, a few gasps, including your brother’s, distracted you from your phone, and you looked up. 

They were pretty far from where you stood, but you could see them. Lewis and George were there, all smiles and already talking to people. 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Y/n, do you see what I see?!” your brother cried out. 

You couldn’t help but laugh again. Your brother, who was usually so reserved, was so excited you barely recognized him. 

“Well, let’s go meet them before you pass out,” you said, taking his hand. 

You made your way to the small group around the drivers, waiting patiently for a chance to interact. You could tell your brother was getting more nervous, his gentle and timid nature taking over. 

It was George who noticed and approached you first. He shook your hand and nicely introduced himself to both of you. Your brother tried to keep it cool, only betrayed by how he squeezed your hand. It was only when he asked for a picture with George that things took a turn. 

“What tires do you think you’ll use tomorrow? Please don’t go for the hard again; your car is already lacking pace,” your brother suddenly asked. 

George looked surprised by the question, and you couldn’t help but laugh. Yep, the geek was back with a vengeance. 

Maybe it was George’s face or your loud laugh, but something caught Lewis’ attention, and he stared in your direction before approaching. 

“Y/n?” Lewis said, now, close to your small group 

George raised an eyebrow. “You guys know each other?” 

Lewis did not break eye contact with you and nodded. “You can say that we’ve bumped into each other before.” 

You bit your lip. You wished he had forgotten that. It was the weirdest exchange you’d ever had. You did talk to Lewis once in New York. The event organizer had introduced you, and Lewis was a sweetheart. He was all smiles and shook your hand. He had introduced himself in such a humble way as if half the world did not know who he was. 

But when it was your turn to introduce yourself, things went wrong. You couldn’t pinpoint what destabilized you so much, his angelic face or how he looked at you, but you mumbled something you weren’t sure he understood and then said the most cringy thing ever. ‘I love your dog’

The awkward gene was either running in the family, or there was something about F1 drivers that brought out people's weirdness. 

“I didn’t think you’d remember that,” you finally said, blinking a few times. 

“Oh, I do remember,” Lewis said with a mischievous smile. 

Your brother squeezed your hand, reminding you that people were still around you. 

“Oh, and this is my little brother, y/b/n. He’s a huge fan of yours,” you said 

Lewis kneeled in front of your brother to be at his height. “Nice to meet you, y/b/n. I’m Lewis.”

Your brother frowned and looked at Lewis, then the hand that he was reaching out to him.

Watching your baby brother meet his idol was the funniest thing, and you took out your camera to record it. 

Your brother finally shook Lewis’s hand, telling him how much he loved him. 

“Aww,” you whispered, watching the interaction from your camera lens. 

Lewis looked up at you and smiled before focusing again on your brother. He spent a good ten minutes talking to you both, answering every question your brother had, and even laughing with you at the odd ones your brother shot his way. 

“Lewis, we have to go.” a man approached you and said 

Lewis finally stood up and looked at you with a huge smile. You could feel your cheeks getting warmer and tinkling. Lewis was hot, making it even more destabilizing because he wasn’t even trying. His natural charm and kindness were already enough, but his looks were just a bonus - A bonus you weren’t complaining about. 

“It was really nice chatting with you. And I can’t wait to compete against you in a few years, big guy.” Lewis said 

Your brother frowned. “I’m still karting; you will be gone by the time I’m in F1.” 

Lewis laughed, not at all offended by your brother taking things so literally. 

“I’ll try to wait for you.”   

He smiled one last time at you before saying goodbye. 

None of you said a word for a few minutes. Both of you sinking in what had just happened. 

“Lewis Hamilton is a cool guy,” your brother finally said 

“Yep, he is,” you said, chuckling. 

Your brother had explained what would happen today, but you did not pay attention to his explanation. But now, it suddenly felt more interesting than you thought it would be. 

The cars were fast—faster than on TV, and nothing compared to the many karting races you’ve watched your brother run. 

“And they do that for hours on Sunday?” you asked 

“Yep,” your brother said, a massive smile on his face. 

You could tell he was imagining himself in one of those fast cars one day. And you promised yourself to do whatever you could to help him achieve his dreams. 

Lewis did great during the practice sessions, at least according to your brother's detailed commentary when you asked him if he enjoyed his day.

You were about to leave the paddock with your brother when you heard someone shout your name. 

You turn around to find a man running after you. You frowned, trying to remember if you knew him but couldn’t remember ever meeting that person. 

Still, you stopped, waiting for him to reach you. 

“I’m so sorry for screaming like that. I’m Jamie, I’m on Lewis’s PR team.” 

“Oh, okay…” 

You weren’t sure what to say or why someone from Lewis’ team was looking for you. You patiently waited for the man to catch his breath and tell you what was happening. 

“Sorry… you two walk pretty fast, you know,” he said, chuckling 

He then handed you two yellow passes. You were even more confused. 

“These are VIP tickets for tomorrow and Sunday. Lewis wanted you to have it.”

The confusion was only growing now. Why did Lewis want you to have VIP tickets? Weren’t the paddock tickets already VIP ones? This day, this sport was only getting weirder by the second. 

Jamie must have spotted your confusion because he proceeded to explain what the tickets would allow you to do. Basically, they would allow you access to the garage, the cars, and the Mercedes team during the races. 

“Sick!” your brother said, excited. 

You thanked him and returned to your hotel, wondering why Lewis gave you the tickets. 

Once in your hotel room, you kept thinking about it. You decided not to read too much about it and to accept that it must be a kind gesture to your little brother. Lewis must have seen how passionate he was about F1 and what a gift it would be for someone like him to watch the races up close, next to the people who actually made it happen. 

It had to be why because you refused to believe it could be more. You refused to believe it could be about you. 

You decided to share some content on your social media to change your mind. After all, that was why you were offered the tickets in the first place. 

You went on Instagram, ready to share more about the day on your feed, but you couldn’t help but go on Lewis’s profile. You had a huge smile when you saw his latest post, a picture of him and Roscoe entering the paddock earlier today. 

You were about to leave his page when something odd caught your attention. It said follow back, not just follow. You went blank for a few seconds before realizing what was going on. 

He followed you. It couldn’t have happened a long time ago; it had to be today. So you scrolled through your notifications and found it. He did start following you today, and just like that, your mind started spiralling again. 

You followed him back but did not say anything. Again, you preferred to avoid any assumptions. 

Saturday Qualifications

It was very hot, just like the day before. But there were more people today, as the qualification sessions were more entertaining and significant. 

Your brother was super excited about seeing the actual racing cars and being able to touch them. He even knew some of the engineers’ names and couldn’t wait to meet them. 

When you arrived at the Mercedes motorhome, Jamie met you, the same guy who gave you the tickets the day before. He gave you a small tour of the place, and your brother took pictures of the most basic things. 

You passed George’s room, but he was busy, and you couldn’t say hi. But when you were in front of Lewis’s room, you found yourself hoping you could see him. Just to thank him for the tickets, you told yourself. 

“Look who we’ve got here. Hello guys,” Lewis said when he saw you 

He gave your brother a fist bump before turning to you. Suddenly, you didn’t know what to do, give him a fist bump too, or just wave or… 

You didn’t have time to overthink it as Lewis pulled you into a quick hug. It wasn’t that deep; it could even be classified as a half hug, but still, it was enough for your heart to miss a bit. 

You could feel his toned arm around you and how he smelled so good. Again, your cheeks were starting to betray you, so you looked down. 

“Thank you for the tickets, Lewis. Y/b/n is never going to forget this weekend.” 

“I’m happy he’s having fun. I hope you’re having fun, too.” 

“Oh, I am. Not gonna lie, I’m not the big fan here; he is,” you said, pointing at your brother, who was now talking with an engineer. “But it’s growing on me. I don’t know if it’s the special treatment or the actual driving, but I like it,” you said, laughing. 

Lewis was still looking at you; his smile didn’t move. It only became more mischievous. “We can test that theory right now.” 

Something told you the driver was up to no good. “I’m not sure I like this look, Lewis,” you said 

He laughed this time. His laugh was just contagious. 

A few minutes later, with a few waivers signed and a helmet on your head, you were inside a car with Lewis on the other side. 

“Did I mention that I don’t like speed? I did, right? I barely passed my driving license; I don’t even like cars,” you mumbled as he started the engine. 

The people outside were laughing; even your brother was laughing outside, recording it all. Everybody found it funny, but you didn’t. 

“Please don’t go too far,” you said, turning to face Lewis 

He had that smile again. The one that clearly stated that he was up to no good. “Now, where would be the fun in that?” 

You didn’t have time to argue as he started the car. The sound alone made you scream. He was fast. You could feel your heart beating; it felt like being in the front row of a roller coaster. 

“Oh my god! Lewis!” you screamed again as he took a corner at a speed you couldn’t comprehend. 

“So, do you like the sport more now?” he asked you, smiling 

“Hell no, this is madness,” you said, relieved as you could see the garage getting closer 

“Wrong answer,” Lewis said, accelerating again and missing the stop line. 

“Lewis!” you screamed, but he had found it amusing because he went even faster, something you didn’t think was possible at this stage. “Oh my god, I’m so going to die.” 

He laughed. “No, you’re not. I’m a seven-time champion, remember?”

“Eight. My brother told me eight.” You said, knowing exactly what you were doing. 

“I knew I liked you for a reason,” Lewis said, laughing 

In the end, you did three laps. The last one was the worst. You screamed so much Lewis couldn’t stop laughing. It was pure chaos. 

When you got out of the car, you immediately removed your helmet and turned around to Lewis. 

“You do that for a living? Are you okay?” you asked 

He laughed again. “This doesn’t even get close to the feeling you get in the actual racing car, you know.” 

You turned around to look at your brother, who was still recording. Suddenly, you were happy that he was too young to have the same experience. 

“And you want to do that later too? You want to drive like a crazy person for a living?” 

He just nodded as if it was the silliest question ever. 

You spent another hour with Lewis and the crew, talking about the car and watching them prepare for the qualifying session. 

Even when the atmosphere got more serious, Lewis was still pleasant, talking to you and making you feel included. He took the time to explain some basic things. Things that your little brother did not have the patience or time to explain to you. Y/b/n had found a spot close to the pit wall and was too mesmerized to pay attention to you. 

You watched as Lewis and George completed their laps. The team seemed pretty happy with the final results. While they did not get pole position, Lewis ended up P3 and George P5. That was good enough, considering how they started the season. 

Race Day

Your brother was awake before the sun even rose. He sang in the shower, repeating every five seconds that it was race day like you didn’t know. 

He would make you hate the sport at this pace instead of liking it. 

Y/b/n insisted that you both wear some Mercedes merch you were gifted the day before, and of course, no was not an answer he was willing to take. 

So you ended up in the garage, wearing a white Mercedes t-shirt with George’s 63 in the back. 

The atmosphere was different; it felt electric, and you liked it. You couldn’t experience backstage that way in any other sport.  And it didn’t hurt to have Tom Cruise next to you, making jokes and chatting as if you were old friends. 

“Now, that’s offensive.” 

You recognized Lewis’s voice before you even turned around. He was already in his race suit, sunglasses on. That man knew what he was doing for sure. 

It took you a few seconds to remember what he just said. You asked what he meant, and he removed his sunglasses, using them to point at your t-shirt. 

“After the thrills I gave you, you’re rocking George’s number on your back? I’m offended, y/n” 

You laughed and explained yourself. “There was no way I was wearing that purple sweater under this heat, Lewis. It was the only white t-shirt my brother was okay with me wearing.” 

“So you would have worn mine if it weren’t for the heat?” he asked, smirking. 

Again, you could feel your cheeks betraying you. But you didn’t back down. You stared right at him and nodded. “Yes, I’m more of a 44 girl.” 

“I like that,” Lewis said, smiling at you. 

As much as you wanted to ignore it, you couldn’t. It was there. You liked the smiles, those little stares, and the attention Lewis gave you. At this stage, it was pure attraction; you didn’t know him that well, but the little you had seen only made you more attracted to him. The way he was always laughing and how he treated your brother and his team. You wouldn’t say no to getting to know him better.

You watched the race, finding yourself rooting openly for him and celebrating with the team when he finished at the second place. 

You watched him celebrate with his loved ones; the champagne part was definitely your favourite. Nobody told you that you got to see hot, sweaty men - especially Lewis - pouring champagne and getting champagne poured at them. 

A sight for sore eyes indeed. 

Things got hectic after the race. Between the interviews Lewis had to do, the other people he had to meet, and the flight you had to catch as your brother had school the following day – you didn’t have time to say goodbye. 

It felt unfinished. You wished you had time to talk more, but you were still happy you and y/n/b got to experience that. 

You were already in your seat on the plane when you got the notification from Instagram. You couldn’t help but grin as you read it.