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holllandtrash · 1 year ago

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haunted | daniel ricciardo

pairing: daniel ricciardo x driver!reader (part 2 to fragile line)

Can't breathe whenever you're gone Can't turn back now, I'm haunted

you're racing. daniel isn't, but he's not gone either, is he? word count: 7.6k (im so sorry) warnings/tags: angst really, more incorrect f2 stats but whatever, time jumps again, platonic love all around, not as big of a rollercoaster as part 1 but just wait till part 3 lol

“Do you know?”

“Do I know what?” You asked, wondering why that was the first thing your teammate said when you opened the door to your flat.

Lando didn’t even bother with a ‘hey, how was your day, what’s up’, he was just straight to the point, only you had no idea what the point was.

He was still on a high after coming in second place the other day, so you let the impoliteness slide. Usually Lando didn’t look like a mix between a sweaty mess and a confused child, but you assumed he was like this because whatever was on his mind was important.

“You haven’t- did you-” Lando stammered over his words. “When’s the last time you checked your phone?”

You felt around in your pockets and glanced over your shoulder with a bit of a shrug. If you were being honest, you hadn’t looked at your phone in a few hours. Your morning was spent training and running errands now that you had some time and were home for a little while before the next race. You were still carrying a lot of energy after your successful finish in Silverstone that sitting still and scrolling through your phone was the last thing you wanted to be doing right now.

“Can you just find your phone, please?” Lando asked, because he didn’t want to be the person to break the news. He came over to talk to you, to walk you through it, to be someone to vent to if you needed it, but the last thing he wanted was to be the one to say it.

It took a minute, but you found it in your bedroom, the screen lighting up and vibrating with each notification. As you walked back towards Lando, you scrolled through them all, trying to see which was the most important.

Eventually, you landed on one from the official F1 app.

Daniel Ricciardo Replaces Nyck de Vries

Daniel Ricciardo was returning to the grid.

Daniel was coming back.

But did he ever really leave in the first place?

You hadn’t spoken to him since that day in Monaco, almost a year ago now. The day your relationship fell apart, crumbling to pieces around you.

You thought maybe, maybe, he’d call you before the next race or at least try to find you somewhere in the paddock to have a civil conversation but that didn’t happen.

Of course, neither of you had time for a conversation anyway.

Daniel released his video 24 hours before media day in Belgium, announcing he would be leaving the team. It broke your heart watching it in your hotel room, knowing he was only a few floors up and probably struggled to record it. You could picture him retaking it a few times, just to get the words right, his tone right. He didn’t want to paint McLaren as being at fault for this decision, even if that was the case.

If you weren’t the driver who was set to replace him, you would have been there in that room giving him encouraging nods and telling him to just speak to the fans. You would have been there when his head fell back against the wall in defeat, eyes closed as the weight of his unknown future crashed down on him. You would have crawled onto his lap and held him, telling him that another team was going to be desperate for him.

Instead you were in your own room, watching the video like the millions of other followers he had. The only difference was, none of those followers asked themselves if they were to blame.

It was just you, wiping the corner of your eyes and asking yourself if this was your fault.

Surely when your news dropped, people would start pointing fingers, people would talk.

Daniel Ricciardo trained her, they would say. He helped her get to this point and now she’s taking his seat.

They’d throw assumptions into the wind about how this was probably your plan all along.

It wasn’t, of course. Your plan was to get a seat in Formula 1 and see Daniel as friendly competition when you stepped onto the grid. You wanted to keep the support system alive when you moved up, knowing you had someone watching your back when you climbed out of the car. You wanted to be able to go home with him at the end of the night on Sunday and watch the race back with him, playfully critiquing each other's moves and ideally celebrating your victories, together.

You never wanted to leave him without a seat.

But part of you must have known he wasn’t driving next year, right? You never brought up the contract, he never talked about leaving, nor did he talk about potentially moving to another team, which seemed like something you’d talk to your partner about.

Daniel said nothing. You said nothing. And in the back of your head you knew he wasn’t signed to another team, you just didn’t want to accept it.

You didn’t want to admit that part of that was your fault.

Zak Brown put you in the worst position possible. He was giving you the chance to make your dream a reality, but in doing so, you were losing the one person who shared that dream with you.

It shouldn’t have been hard to put on a smile during that post-race interview in Spa. You finished second, your hot streak had continued despite the turmoil your heart was going through. So not only was the adrenaline pumping through your veins from the podium, but McLaren had decided that morning was the perfect time to announce you were replacing Daniel.

They didn’t word it like that, though. They just stated that you were to race for McLaren for 2023. No mention of Daniel, even if that was all anyone had questions about.

“Second place in Spa, how are you feeling?” The reporter asked as you struggled to get comfortable in the white leather chair, your trophy at your feet.

You weren’t surprised he, Richard from the official FIA reporting team, jumped directly to you, bypassing any questions for Liam Lawson who finished third. No one had yet to get a comment on your official move to F1, not having any time this morning since the news was announced.

“It's exciting, it’s good to be back as well,” you nodded, turning to Felipe on your right who nodded as well. “A break is always needed, but there’s really no better feeling than getting back behind the wheel.”

“You’ve never podiumed here before,” Richard pointed out, “There’s quite a difference in performance from last year to this year, we’ve all noticed.”

“Is there a question in there somewhere?” You laughed, not caring at all if it sounded forced, and you knew it did because Liam raised his hand to mouth to hide his chuckle and tried to play it off like he was just scratching his jaw.

“Well it’s just no wonder that McLaren has snatched you up for the 2023 season, with how much you’ve shown this year what you’re capable of. Care to comment on that?”

There it was. The first official request to talk about McLaren.

“I mean, we’ve all seen the news at this point,” another laugh but this time it was more out of discomfort.

You looked at Felipe, he nodded again but it was short and encouraging, silently telling you it was okay to take the spotlight even though it was him who had won this race.

You cleared your throat, thinking about what the PR team from McLaren told you. You’re focused on Prema. McLaren knows this. McLaren is supporting you while you finish your F2 season and by all means, shut down any topic regarding Daniel Ricciardo.

“Really, I’m just focused on finishing the season off strong with Prema,” you told Richard, feeling your smile start to slip because how could you be excited over that or a trophy when you knew what he was thinking and what the whole world was thinking.

You prayed he wouldn’t bring it up, but the media world was hell.

“And Daniel’s departure-

Liam promptly lifted the mic to lips, cutting off Richard before he could finish that thought. “We’ll all miss her, I think that’s safe to say. But maybe it’ll be a bit easier for the rest of us to podium when she’s gone.”

Quiet laughter spread through the audience and you just turned to Liam and mouthed a quick ‘thank you’. He didn’t say anything back, just dropped his head to your shoulder for a second and smiled, playing up the whole we’ll miss her statement. It wasn’t an act, though. Most of the guys you raced with had stopped you at some point this morning sharing their congrats and giving you a hug, telling you that you deserved that spot in F1.

Even Felipe said it and meant it, and he was on the fast track to win this year, also eyeing a spot in F1. You had a good support system in this series.

He dropped his head to your other shoulder and your lips fell into a playful pout, raising your hands to the sides of both driver’s faces. It made a cute photo. The F1 social media team really played into the love you had from your competitors.

You had a lot of support in the paddock, surprisingly, from other drivers.

Mick found you before his own race started. He was your first teammate during your rookie season in F2, it only made sense he was the first current driver to congratulate you.

“You deserve it,” Mick told you, arms tightly wrapped around your body as he gave you a comforting embrace that almost compared to the one you were craving from Daniel, but still something was missing.

Mick’s contract was up at the end of 2022, and no one knew where he was going but he assured you that no matter what, he’d be on your side.

You sort of interacted with Lando on Sunday after your feature race. When you passed him in the paddock, he held his hand out for a fist bump and gave you a wide smile. The cameras caught it, they caught everything apparently, and it was the first photo you saw on social media when you got to the airport late Sunday evening.

First of many celebratory fist bumps, McLaren’s caption said. It was a nice photo, truly.

Too bad the comments were anything but.

Not McLaren hyping up the fact that Danny’s girlfriend is replacing himIsn’t she only fourth in the driver standings in F2 lol We don’t want her we want the honey badgerEven worse when you think about the fact that they are literally in a relationship and she’s taking his seatNo class from any of them

No one seemed to know that you and Daniel were done, but how would they know? Your relationship was private, your break up would be too.

Your break up.

And then it hit you. Right there in the airport. After the adrenaline of a podium had worn off. After the excitement of signing with a new team had passed. After you were finally left alone after being surrounded by your team and drivers and press all day, you broke down.

It was embarrassing. The only saving grace was the fact that you were sat in the corner of the premium lounge, facing the windows, so at least no one could see you cry. You weren’t quiet though, you knew your faint sobs could be heard from anyone within a 3 metre radius.

And you knew how immature this was, crying in an airport. But when you felt things you felt them with every fibre in your being. You were overjoyed beyond words, shaking when you got first podium in F2, and then feeling that multiplied by fifty when you won in Monaco.

You were madly in love with Daniel, despite only dating for a year. It wasn’t young love, puppy love, a whirlwind romance, or any of those sappy headlines. You were head over heels, ready to spend your life with the man who lifted you up above the rest of the world. Who not only put you on a pedestal, but made sure other people did too. He was always in your corner, even before you started dating. He loved you long before you even realised you could also love him.

As an athlete, as a future world championship contender, as a friend, Daniel loved you.

The day you knew you loved him, you knew you were screwed, you both talked about the risks.

Fragile line, you called it, walking a tightrope, he joked. There was such a huge margin of error, so many things that could go wrong by falling in love with, not only a driver but the driver who mentored you.

The media would turn against you. Sponsors would shake their heads. Your future could have been jeopardised. You’d be labelled as a poor role model for girls in motorsport.

You walked a dangerous and delicate line with Daniel, but you didn’t think it would snap beneath your feet. You never thought you’d be the one to break it.

So yes, you were full on sobbing in the airport as you waited to board your flight to Amsterdam.

“Pretty sure podium winners aren’t usually this distraught.”

You heard the British accent and immediately sat up, wiping your eyes and sniffling to at least try and make it seem like you weren’t crying. You turned your head and watched as Lando sat down next to you on the dark blue chair, resting a leg over his knee.

You didn’t say anything, you just stared at him, worrying that if you did try to talk, all that would come out would be more cries.

Lando reached into the front pocket of his backpack and pulled out a travel size pack of tissues, tossing them to you without so much as a word. He waited a few minutes as you composed yourself, using some of the tissues and pocketing the rest for later.

“You okay?” Lando asked, sounding concerned for your well being because he had a point, podium winners aren’t usually this distraught.

“Am I okay?” You repeated back followed with a playful scoff. “Do I look okay?”

“You look awful.”

“I feel awful.”

Lando nodded, clearly unsure what to do in this situation. His current teammate, his friend, was leaving at the end of this year and his new teammate, a girl he had barely had 5 conversations with, was having a breakdown in the airport.

Lando, whether he liked it or not, knew he would be caught in the middle of whatever this mess was for the next few months or so.

He knew you and Daniel were an item. Daniel told himself shortly after Silverstone, and only because Lando had asked, simply curious.

“You and Y/N,” he started off, hesitantly, seeing the two of you interact much more flirtatiously then you had before. “You two are..” he didn’t know how to word it.

Daniel just winked, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

That pretty much confirmed it. And then when you started showing up in the back of the McLaren garage during race weekends, Lando sort of accepted it, quickly getting used to seeing you around.

You were always friendly with each other, but your attention was always on Daniel, too. Lando saw the way you were quick to rush to his side after a difficult race. How you were the first one Daniel looked for when he stepped out of the car, eyes searching the sea of orange for you. Lando heard the way Daniel talked about you, the way he praised you, telling everyone who would listen that you deserved a spot in Formula 1. That man had a note saved on his phone of your stats, race wins, qualifying times, records broken, all of it.

Daniel loved you. Everyone who knew him saw it, and Lando was no exception.

So one could imagine the uncertainty he felt as he approached you in the airport. Surely you and Daniel weren’t together anymore, right? Or were you somehow going to work through this? Could you work through it? Taking his seat?

Lando, like everyone else, was dying to know.

“Has he said anything?” You asked him before Lando had a chance to get a word out. That question alone confirmed that you and Daniel weren’t on speaking terms at least.

“About you?” Lando asked and when you nodded, he saw the devastation hit your eyes as he shook his head. “Honestly he wasn’t very talkative today, left right after the post race stuff.”

“How is he?” You then asked. “Has he- is there any word on him finding a seat next year?” You pulled your knees up to your chest, staring hopefully at the British driver.

It pained Lando to shake his head again, “Not yet, but it’s still pretty early. I’m sure he’ll find a seat.”

You nodded, praying that Lando was right. When you dropped your chin to your knees, averting your eyes when you felt the tears well up again, Lando’s chest grew tight. He felt bad for you. This was a hard position for you to be in.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Lando assured you. “Danny’s one of the best there is, but the results just aren’t there. Zak didn’t see any point in continuing if it’ll just end up being more of the same.”

Lando tried to be encouraging, really, and you were thankful for that, but he got the hint after a while that you just didn’t want to talk about it. Before leaving you alone, he gave you his number and told you that if you needed anything, to just reach out.

You were always friendly with Lando, but that was the start to your friendship.

It was Lando who shared your picture when you claimed first place in Zandvoort, celebrating your success with a cheeky caption stating how he better see you bring the hot streak to McLaren next year. He was the one who interrupted your post-race interview in Monza, spotting you in the paddock being interviewed by Will Buxton. Lando, despite needing to follow his own pre-race schedule, came and draped an arm over your shoulder and playfully interrupted whatever Will was trying to say.

“Look at that,” Will laughed when you struggled to shake Lando’s arm off of you, “Future teammates. Lando, how excited are you to be working with this incredible talent next year?”

“Oh extremely excited,” Lando answered, leaning into the mic gripped between your fingers. “She won’t be able to keep up with me though.”

And that it was it. He ruffled his hand through your hair and took off again.

He checked in on you between races, whenever a new headline was trending, whenever someone from social media had the audacity to compare yours and Daniels stats and pin you against each other as if there wasn’t already enough you were struggling with.

Lando didn’t want you to come into the new season already feeling defeated. He was still friends with Daniel, he always would be, but he had a kind heart. He wanted you to know that he wasn’t on anyones ‘side’, but more importantly, he saw you as a driver, as his next teammate. He didn’t see you as Daniel’s ex who was now stealing his seat like half of the world did.

It was also his car that you drove during the practice sessions in Austin and Abu Dhabi. Lando happily stepped aside for you, giving you a supportive pat on the back and strategically blocking your line of sight towards Daniel as he got ready for his sessions as well.

You still hadn’t spoken. You hadn’t even looked at each other. You tried, honestly, to catch his eye but he refused to even glance your way. He was in and out of that car so quick, finding any excuse to leave the garage while you were there.

It hurt. You knew his mind was made up. He was upset, he was hurt, he wanted nothing to do with you and seeing you in his garage sent him spiralling.

All you saw was Daniel turning his back on you, but what you didn’t know was this situation was giving Daniel constant headaches. He couldn’t look at you, the girl he loved, and watch you climb into the McLaren knowing that you’d be doing that throughout the entire next season and he wouldn’t.

All he ever wanted was to see you in a Formula 1 car, but not like this.

You stood in Lando’s side of the garage during the last race. You wore your McLaren jacket, you had the orange headphones on as stared up at the screen. Your back was towards Daniel’s car, so you missed the way he did actually look at you. It pained him to see how well you blended in with the team, his team. He almost told himself it looked like you belonged there, but he quickly put his helmet on and climbed into his car, gearing up for the race.

He finished 9th. Lando finished 6th. And with that, the season ended.

Daniel was done.

You watched him celebrate with those closest to him. You stood off to the side and thought about how if things were different, you’d be clinging to him, sweaty race suit and all, waiting to congratulate him in your own way back at the hotel. You would tell him you loved him, that he didn’t need McLaren. You’d joke and say that you two could form your own team, because that’s what you should have been till the end, a team.

But that wasn’t the case anymore. McLaren was your team now.

It was only a matter of days until Daniel spoke to the media about his departure.

“I can’t speak ill of her,” Daniel said, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. He knew that coming on this podcast that he’d be asked about you and your contract. He was advised against it but the second his working relationship ended with McLaren, he agreed to talk, to share his side.

“But she’s the one who took your seat,” Jaycee so politely pointed out. “As happy as I am to see a female in Formula 1, it’s bittersweet knowing a driver such as yourself is left without a spot.”

Daniel sighed into the mic in front of him, “McLaren handed her her dream on a papaya platter and she grabbed it. I think a lot of drivers would do the same in that scenario.”

“But it stings a little more, doesn’t it?” Greyson, her co-host asked. “Because you two were-

“Friends, yeah,” Daniel interrupted. “Yeah we were close.”

“You mentored her,” Greyson pushed for more of an admittance as to what their relationship was. “You were seen with her and the Prema team during a handful of weekends. She even said you were her mentor.”

Daniel naturally hesitated, “I saw her potential early on and I wanted to help her grow. I really did want to see her in Formula 1, despite what anyone says about the situation she’s an incredible driver.”

“Everyone who follows Formula 1 knows you have a strong connection,” Jaycee said, subtly trying to pry for more as well. “After her Silverstone crash in 2021 you were in her garage. And then you were seen in Monaco together a few weeks later. You two weren’t just friends in the paddock, you worked closely together outside of race weekends too-

“Did your girlfriend take your seat or not?” Greyson blurted out, earning a glare from Jaycee on his left, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He wanted to know, the whole world wanted to know what was going on between you and Daniel now that you were signed for McLaren.

And you had to give props to Daniel, he played it off about as smoothly as he could.

“McLaren sees more potential in her than me,” he said, still smiling because that’s who he was. A people pleaser, always grinning, always a breath of fresh air. “If they can give her what they promised me, then that’s good for all of them. Do I like how the situation went down? No, but that’s the reality of Formula 1. You’re not safe unless you’re winning and I wasn’t winning.”

“And your relationship-

“She doesn’t need a mentor anymore, does she?” Daniel asked, disregarding any ideas of the two of you dating. “She made it to Formula 1. That was what she wanted. I wish her well.”

That was the closest thing to confirmation of your break up that anyone would get.

And the interview ended shortly after that, doing wonders on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You listened to it also, just waiting for Daniel to say something horrible but of course he didn’t. That wasn’t him. He was the good guy. He was the hero. He got you to Formula 1 and was holding his head up high, wishing you well and thanking McLaren for the last 2 years.

You wished it ended there, the conversations surrounding you. It should have ended there.

But fast forward to the awards dinner at the end of the year, just shortly after the last race of the season.

You sat with your mum at a round table with Felipe and his partner and few other people involved in Formula 2.

You had finished second in the standings, not first like you had dreamt of, but Felipe told you that first place in the championship would come in F1, don’t worry.

And you weren’t sure who had made the seating chart, but from where you sat, you could easily see Daniel at his table, only a few metres away from your own. He sat with some of his friends and some people from his personal team. He was also purposely avoiding looking in your direction, knowing that if he did, he’d be making eye contact for the first time in months.

He’d see your stunning features and bright eyes standing out among the rest. He’d see the low cut, thinly strapped black dress, showing off the collarbones he used to mark with his lips, the trail between your breast and down to your navel that he used to make with his tongue. If he looked at you, he’d think of all the ways the night would have ended if things were different.

If he looked at you, he’d be reminded that the girl he loved was the one who broke him. He’d be reminded that as hurt as he was by your actions, by taking his seat, he couldn’t forget the memories you made, the moments he shared, the way he used to admire you.

He didn’t love you anymore, though. He couldn’t. He forced those feelings out, replacing them with regret for ever deciding to help you because if he hadn't helped you, it wouldn’t have been you that took his seat.

So Daniel looked at the stage, his friends, his food. He didn’t look at you.

He didn’t even look at you when you walked up to collect your trophy, choosing that moment to be the perfect time to walk up to the open bar. He ordered a few more drinks and a shot on a whim, downing it back before walking to the table, 2 freshly poured glasses of rum and cokes in hand.

Daniel got drunk that night. He didn’t mean to, but it helped him deal with all he had going on. It was a good way to end the 2022 season, to put it behind him. You, McLaren, all of it.

Someone should have stopped him when he noticed you about to leave at the end of the night, a white coat draped over your shoulders. That should be my blazer, Daniel thought, thinking of the countless nights he had given you his jacket for warmth.

You were in the middle of a conversation with someone from Prema when you felt a tug in your arm. When you looked up and saw it was Daniel who was pulling you off to the side, your heart sank. There were no butterflies anymore, just a lot of anxiety and guilt eating you from the inside.

You could tell he hadn’t thought through what he was going to say. For a split second, his gaze was soft, almost like he thought about congratulating you for a successful season. For a moment, proud Daniel was back and for a moment, you got your hopes up. Maybe this line you broke could be fixed.

It was a bad sign when his eyes grew cold, features hardening along with them. This man, who was all you wanted, stared at you like you were a stranger, and maybe you were now.

He opened his mouth and the room around you fell dark and quiet. It was your mind playing horrible tricks on you, putting a spotlight in this moment in time so it would haunt your memories after tonight. You knew the earth was still spinning, that people around you were still moving, but you couldn’t trust anything, frozen in this space with Daniel.

“I hope you’re happy,” Daniel spoke softly, but his words cut through you like a knife. If someone told you that your heart was bleeding, you’d believe it. That’s certainly what it felt like.

He didn’t want you to be happy. He didn’t want you taking his seat. He didn’t want to see you live out his dream. He put on a beautiful charade for the press, but deep down you knew, he saw you as nothing more but a mistake. He no longer wanted you to succeed, despite telling the world he wished you would.

"Daniel-"

You automatically reached for him and he flinched backwards. It hurt, seeing him react how he was. He didn’t want you touching him, he just wanted to get one more word in, wanted you to know that he was still bitter and would be for a while.

You stood there and watched him walk away, haunted by the pain and broken trust in his eyes, a look that would become burned into your mind during your restless sleeps.

And then there was the week where you just didn’t sleep. The week after Daniel’s contract with Red Bull was announced.

He wasn’t driving with them, but he wasn’t leaving Formula 1 either.

He’d still be around the paddock during selective race weekends. He’d be there, putting on a show for the fans because everyone loved him. Everyone wanted him on the grid, and if he couldn’t race, at least he was still there in the garage as a reserve driver.

The same excitement couldn’t be said for you.

Despite forming a close bond with Lando really early into the pre-season, it helped that he was only two years younger than you, you were not met with open arms and loud cheers.

You had some supporters, a lot actually, but nothing compared to Daniel’s fans. You were pulled alert and critiqued for every move you made. You could understand the questions that circulated when you didn’t even finish the first race in Bahrain, retiring early because of an engine problem. Did Zak really make the right move by replacing Daniel with you? What could you bring to the team if this was how you started the season?

But it was the talk about what you did off the track that really got to you. You didn’t care if people weren’t a fan of your driving, you knew F1 fans had their favourites and you knew you weren’t everyone’s.

However social media had a way of spinning everything. You lost count of the ridiculous rumours. Apparently, you were now replacing Daniel with Lando because that playful interview you did talking about red flags in relationships really gave away the fact you were sleeping together.

Oh you were also sleeping with Mick Schumacher, because you had a thing for reserve drivers, it seemed. And the way he found you after your second race without points again in Saudi Arabia made it so obvious that you were with him.

And you couldn’t forget about how big of a bitch you were, choosing to not acknowledge Daniel in Australia when you walked past him in the paddock. It was his home race, he was the reason you were even racing, and you couldn’t even stop and give him a smile?

These rumours were truly getting annoying.

Of course, you couldn’t come out and tell people that Lando was seeing someone because it was so new and private and not your story to tell. No one cared that Mick was your teammate at Prema in 2020 and you guys had always been friends. No one would believe you if you said that you didn’t even see Daniel in the paddock, being too engrossed in your conversation to notice that the Australian was walking past.

You grew to hate seeing him during race weekends.

It was a constant reminder of what could have been.

What if you had waited a year and signed with McLaren then? Would Daniel still hold this hatred towards you if his contract played out like it was supposed to?

What if you signed with a different team like Williams instead, and someone else replaced Daniel? If Oscar Piastri had taken his spot, would Daniel be this resentful still to see you driving? Or would he happily walk by your side in the paddock, him in Red Bull polo, you in your Williams racing suit? Would he have accompanied you during the race weekends when he didn’t have Red Bull duties?

Was there ever a scenario where he stood in your garage and watched you race? Cheering you on, despite what place you finished? Despite where he was in his own career?

Or was that just a far fetched dream?

Because let’s face it, if Daniel was still racing this year, it would be hard to support you and focus on his own season. How could he be happy if he DNF’d and you finished in the points? How could you be happy if the media would say that you were only using Daniel to get ahead?

If you had signed for Williams and Daniel was still replaced, it would be difficult for him to watch you race, to watch you do what he loved. How could he be in your corner when he no longer had a corner of his own to stand in?

Maybe you were doomed from the start. Fragile line, you said. How true that was. It was always going to snap.

You heard through the grapevine that Daniel had said you taking his seat before his contract was even up was the worst thing you could have possibly done.

Was that in regards to McLaren? To your relationship? From a sportsmanship standpoint? You had no idea. You just knew Daniel wasn’t impressed that you were racing and he wasn’t.

You hated seeing him during the few races he attended. You were petrified to run into him in the paddock, in the pit lane, in the hotel for christ sakes, you didn’t want to see him. At one point, you were desperate for even just a smidge of attention from him and now you felt sick whenever you heard he would be in attendance.

You went five races in a row without scoring any points. You could practically hear Daniel’s smug expression when you crossed the finish line each time. He was probably eating this up, knowing you were the one struggling now.

The only difference was, you didn’t have him to turn to after a shitty run in the McLaren.

Lando tried to be helpful, but he was struggling too. People called the car a tractor and honestly, so did you and Lando in private. You had a group chat with your personal trainers and the four of you called yourselves the farmers. The jokes made and lighthearted conversations shared were the only silver linings during this depressing start of a season.

Monaco was better, sort of.

You finished 10th, so at least that was a point under your belt.

But Daniel was everywhere.

He loved Monaco, he lived in Monaco, of course it was no surprise he was there that weekend.

You found yourself jogging past his flat the Thursday before the race, and you didn’t do it on purpose but it was the same route you had taken all of those times you had spent days on end at Daniel’s. Sometime he joined you for those morning runs, sometime you’d return and he was making breakfast.

But you came to a stop on the opposite side of the street and stared up at it, recognising his balcony instantly. You saw the plant in the corner that you had given him a few months into your relationship and despite him claiming he wasn’t a plant guy, he managed to keep it alive.

Your heart felt heavy. All you wanted was to knock on his door and be welcomed in with wide arms and that stupid smile of his. You wanted to not feel anxious when you saw him in the paddock. You wanted to not be holding your breath every time you got out of the racecar, wondering what Daniel thought of your run.

You were simultaneously on edge at all moments while also still dying to make him proud. You didn’t think that would ever go away.

Even during the weekends he wasn’t there, you were looking over your shoulder constantly. Even if you knew that he was on the other side of the world, he was still on your mind. He haunted your thoughts from the moment you walked into the garage to when you got out of the car at the end of the race weekend.

Lando called you out on it that Thursday in Silverstone.

“You’re in your head,” he told you, seeing how your main focus wasn’t racing, it was Daniel. You were unsure what he was referring to though and Lando just rolled his eyes, “Well actually, Daniel’s in your head. And he’s keeping you from being the driver I know you can be.”

That was all he said on the topic.

And he was right.

You were so worried about Daniel. About what he would think of your races. About trying to avoid him during the weekends he was there. About still trying to make him proud but not too proud where he resented you more for taking his seat. About the hundreds of scenarios that could have happened if you had made a different choice.

Because of all of these thoughts, that seat at McLaren was still very much Daniel’s. You allowed it to be.

You needed to stop telling yourself you took his seat because that’s what it would always be then, his seat. Lando stood up, patting your knee after dropping those few words and you decided right then and there that it was your seat.

You wouldn’t let Daniel haunt you anymore.

And qualifying was where this new mentality really showed.

You were buzzing with energy when your engineer told you that you had gotten P3 and were starting on the second row for tomorrows race. You climbed out of the car in parc ferme and ran directly to Lando. He hugged you, he was proud of you.

“That’s the driver we all know,” Lando said when he pulled his helmet off. His hand was on your shoulder, both of you were wearing identical smiles of pure joy. “Where the hell has she been all this time?”

You didn’t even have an answer, too excited about what this meant for you, for the team. You post-quali interviews went by in a blur, your hands were shaking the entire time. You blacked out during it, still trying to process the fact that you had finished third in qualifying, but you did remember Lando reaching over at one point and dropping his hand to your knee. It was polite, it didn’t mean anything more than a playful stop shaking you’re making us all look bad, but god did the media run with it.

You didn’t let anything on social media get to you, telling yourself that you had to stay focused for the race. In fact you even gave your phone to your trainer, Oliver, asking him to take it for the night and to just wake you up in the morning.

And Oliver was a good trainer, he had also become a good friend since you joined McLaren so you trusted him with your phone.

Which meant he knew your password.

So when he saw your phone light up that night with a text from Daniel, Oliver panicked. He knew the right thing to do would be to just leave it alone, you’d see it in the morning. You’d see the message. The short but seemingly sweet;

P3, nice job

But a text like that would send you spiralling and you didn't need that before one of the most important races of the season for you, Oliver knew this. He knew you were supposed to be getting over Daniel, he knew how much the Australian just being in the paddock messed with your mind. He knew you had to focus on racing.

There was so much uncertainty with the text. Was this him extending an olive branch? Was he genuine, or was this supposed to be taken with a bit of salt? Oliver could read it both ways. Either Daniel was truly happy for you, or this could be dripping with sarcasm. P3, sure, but remember who’s seat you’re in.

Oliver decided to delete the text. There was no trace of it when he handed the phone back to you the next day.

Maybe that was for the best, no one knew.

All you knew was you were starting third today.

All Daniel knew was you had ignored him, and now you were walking right past him down the paddock, side by side with Lando as you talked about today’s race. Daniel turned his head and saw the two of you, drawing his own conclusions.

Whatever was going through his mind, one thing seemed certain. You didn’t need him anymore. You had the seat, the team, someone new supporting you, why would you still need Daniel?

You went about your day, the same pre-race rituals. Lando checked in more than normal, it was an exciting day for both of you, but he knew he was also a good distraction to keep your mind off of Daniel, he knew you would be struggling to keep from thinking about him.

“It’s you and me,” Lando told you right before the race. “It’s our day, yeah? We’ve got this.”

Lando was in your corner. You were in his.

Which meant you were there to celebrate after the race when he took home second place. You had claimed fourth, which was also something to be proud of, and you were, but you were also craving that podium. You could almost taste it, it was so close.

“Next time,” Lando assured you, having full confidence that you’d be holding the trophy at the following race. He handed you a bottle of champagne, telling you to drink up and enjoy and for once, you did.

You were happy. You finally felt like you could accomplish something amazing at McLaren, despite the horrible start. Lando had gotten a podium, yours was coming, you could feel it.

You didn’t think about Daniel at all that night. It was the first night in a long time where you didn’t see his face when you closed your eyes.

And you would have loved to keep celebrating after that night, to keep the high of Lando's podium and your 4th place finish last until the next race, but all good things must come to an end.

You stood in front of Lando now, unsure how to take the news about Daniels’ return. Were you allowed to be happy for him? Of course you wanted to see him in a seat, this was the ideal situation, both of you driving this season. What would this mean for the two of you moving forward?

But he had done the exact same thing you had done by replacing a driver before their contract was up.

Daniel made you feel awful about that decision and now here he was, making the exact same one. He was no better than you. He was no hero, he wasn’t the good guy. He was a driver, desperate for a seat, as were you. As was every single person wanting to race in this series.

You were on the same playing field now.

He was going to be at every single race for the rest of the season, as a competitor on the grid. Something you once dreamt of, both of you dreamt of, was finally coming true.

But that’s all he would be. A competitor. Another driver. Another car to overtake. You always thought that when this moment came, you’d still be a team when you left the track at the end of the day and that just wasn’t the reality you found yourself in.

“He’s back,” Lando said, hands shoved in his pockets trying to gauge your reaction.

Daniel was returning to Formula 1, but you knew he was never actually gone in the first place.

He was in your thoughts, your dreams, your memories, he was everywhere all of the time. Even when you crossed the finish line in Silverstone, there was still a part of you that was wondering if Daniel was watching. As much as you tried to avoid him, your eyes still scanned every single crowd for him.

And now you didn’t need to look anymore.

part 3 gone

----

taglist: @yunnie-f1 @torossosebs @whatthefuckerr @jspitwall @oconso @tsarinablogs @landowecanbewc @somanyfandomsbruh @christianpulisic10 @storminacloud @sunnytkm23 @formula1mount @azxulaa @icarus-nex @spideyspeaches if i forgot someone im so sorry

#daniel ricciardo x you #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo #danny ric #dr3 #f1 fics #formula 1 x you #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo au

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astonmartinii · 1 year ago

Text

first impressions matter | george russell social media au

pairing: georgerussell x reader

george is meeting y/n's dad for the first time and all hell breaks loose

yourusername

liked by georgerussell63, mickschumacher and 31,634 others

yourusername: pops finally had the time off from his busy busy life to visit his one daughter (he was only in a good mood cause verstappen won)

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username wait ur telling me george's gf is a max fan

yourusername i am a george fan first and foremost but my dad is staunchly orange army... it's a point of contention

georgerussell63 can't wait to see you guys soon!

yourusername i miss you baby i'll be back in a couple days

username WAIT george hasn't met papa y/ln yet?

landonorris he's too scared

georgerussell63 wrong !! falsehoods !! he's a busy and important man

alexalbon you had your blood pressure tested after talking to him on the phone ...

liked by yourusername, landonorris and 501,761 others

tagged: georgerussell63, maxverstappen1

f1: these two line up 1 and 2 in baku, who do you think comes out on top in the first corner?

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username wait isn't y/n's dad here this weekend? george better back off if he wants to live

landonorris i just sit back and observe

alexalbon i got $20 on george getting dumped this weekend

danielricciardo yeah i back this

username y'all see george's face when he realised he'll actually have to not hit someone ?

yourusername i have faith, proud of you georgie

georgerussell63 thank you !! finally someone believes in me in this comment section

yourusername any bullshit with max and my dad said he'll disown you before you can even join the family

maxverstappen1 i just watched him fall to his knees (say hi to your dad for me)

f1teaspill

liked by 12,566 others

f1teaspill: it all went off after the sprint when george russell and max verstappen came together, do you think george was being a "dickhead"?

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username get me a netflix camera in the y/ln household stat

username i was sat in the same grandstand as y/n's dad and that man actually nearly fainted

username i can't be the only one thinking that you guys are all just being a bit dramatic like people can separate sport from their own personal lives

username was george in the wrong? who the fuck cares i love the drama

username you guys know y/n wouldn't joke about the situation if it was really that deep

yourusername

liked by alexalbon, lewishamilton and 41,778 others

tagged: georgerussell63

yourusername: favourite boys in the whole wide world

view all comments

username i hate the way any joke in this sport immediately has to become an attack y'all hate fun

georgerussell63 was a pleasure to finally meet the man, the myth and the legend

yourusername welcome to the family georgie xx

username this is so so cute y/n is so lucky !!

alexalbon get in there russell always knew you could do it

georgerussell63 you literally asked me for my car collection in my will before i left for dinner

alexalbon is the offer still open?

georgerussell63

liked by lewishamilton, yourusername and 712,458 others

tagged: yourusername

georgerussell63: i think i finally passed the family initiation

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username now see why did y'all try to ruin this, this is cute as shit

username peep the signed max pic in the back though orange army stay winning

yourusername the pasta won him over i think

georgerussell63 i think it was much more than that

username now what does this mean....

username they know something we don't and i don't like it

yourusername

liked by f1, maxverstappen1 and 101,564 others

tagged: georgerussell63

yourusername: now we've all finally gotten round to meeting we can officially announce that the russell-y/ln family is about to get just a little bit bigger x

view all comments

username OMG DAD!GEORGE INCOMING

landonorris congrats you two

maxverstappen1 congratulations !!

username i cannot express how much i am not chill about this

alexalbon bagsy god father - congratulations xx

username the way they kept it a secret so long so they could tell y/n's dad in person

lewishamilton looking forward to meeting the little one

note: this is a real random one but lol i found it fun - also thinking of making one of those "buy me a coffee" accounts if anyone wanted to nice a struggling student xx

#f1 imagine #f1 x reader #f1 instagram au #f1 x you #f1 #george russell instagram au #george russel imagine #george russel x reader

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mecachrome · 8 months ago

Text

landoscar ao3 stats — 2023 overview

notes

retrieved ~sometime in march 2024

methodology: scraped metadata for every fic in the landoscar tag and...... that's it. however one important constraint is that all temporal data is date updated (not posted), so the above timeline isn't exactly a true representation of fic growth but rather how many fics were last-updated at that time. of course this is still its own reflection of fandom health in a way since dead fandoms don't update old fic but well... it's just not quite the same!

this is just info about general trends, fic content, tags etc... so nothing about kudos/comments or any authors specifically

i decided to focus solely on fics last-updated in 2023 (unless otherwise mentioned) because i wanted a tidy set that i can maybe compare & contrast in a year's time, because i expect a lot of details to look different then (tho as stated above this set isn't exactly static... 🤷‍♀️)

ngl i had to re-scrape a bunch of times because i forgot about it for like 3 weeks and then there were 100 new fics 😭 so if there are some minor discrepancies across the post it's because of that halfskh.

also i wanted to include more global comparisons (aka how 814 stack up against the f1 rpf tag in general), but this is also considerably difficult in some contexts since i can't exactly scrape 31,000+ fics can i... or i didn't even want to entertain the thought of trying to do so!!!

why did i do this? who knows.

anyway here's some viz T__T

ship growth

as evidenced in the opening graph, landoscar have been a very fast-growing ship over the past year — although interestingly enough they didn't really start growing substantially until july / the ~better half~ of the 2023 season. here are two views showing their "growth" (by date updated) alongside two other ships on the fringes of the f1 rpf top 10 (sebchal & galex):

landoscar are very much on-track to surpass them and officially enter the top 10 soon, likely before mid-april ❗️ :o

ship characteristics

onto the ship content — another thing i was mildly curious about was how landoscar differs in certain areas from other f1 ships, or the f1 rpf "global" average you could say. for example, here's a breakdown of rating popularity in their ao3 tag:

seeing as explicit is their most common rating, and that i don't necessarily expect this to be true for all ships/fandoms, i compared these percentages with the general f1 rpf tag to see whether some ratings are more commonly represented in 814 fic than average, which produced interesting results:

do lando ships simply skew more HornyTM in general? is it oscar? a secret third thing??? who knows... actually i think it would be fun to do more analysis in this direction but that can wait for another time!!!

similarly i also wanted to see which ships are the most "public" on ao3, as in have the highest share of fic that isn't user-locked... i will refrain from peppering in my feelings about the 4th wall too heavy-handedly but i was curious to see whether some sort of perhaps... er, generational gap (?) of sorts between ships that are more public vs. not could be identified. however i don't pretend to have any takeaways from this LOL i conclude absolutely nothing. (for ref landoscar is currently 72% public, vs. a global avg of 63%)

note that this graph is current stats, not filtered for 2023

looking at relationship tags, i also wanted to know whether landoscar suffer noticeably from Second-Ship Syndrome, so i tallied the first-tagged ship of every fic to find out. i know this doesn't necessarily mean that it's always the "main" ship but it's a good enough approximation. the results were quite positive!

filtered to top ships with count of >1 only

i then also calculated the number of ships tagged for each fic to discern the profile of multi-shipping in 814 ficdom; i did have to do a little bit of string standardization (all instances of implied / background / hinted collapsed to hinted for simplicity's sake + removal of other redundancies), but otherwise i left everything mostly untouched.

as you can see, landoscar also have a fairly promising amount of OTP: TRUE fic:

by the time you get to the fics with 10+ ships tagged, landoscar are less likely to be the primary ship, which makes sense just on a basic statistical level... this is also a very small sample size though

i also lazily tallied the 10 most common ships that weren't NOR/PIA or NOR & PIA to diff their shares of the 814 tag vs. of the general f1 rpf tag, to see which other pairings are more represented in the 814 tag than on average (because lestappen are the most popular by pure count but this is also true of fandom in general, so it would be a misrepresentation to say that their popularity is out of the ordinary):

maxiel's gap isn't really that surprising since i think that, generationally, in terms of when both pairings were teammates there is quite a gap; with carlando—actually let me tally this again but including all instances of "implied" and "past" as being part of the same ship, since that's how ao3 tag-wrangles as well:

Aha ! obviously as a direct ship there is competition between 814 and other lando or oscar ships, but this difference is somewhat less pronounced once we include all formats. tbh none of this really means anything but i thought i'd add it anyway... (it's also very possible that there are several errors in this, in which case my b 😔)

before we move on to additional tags, there are a few more basic characteristics of 814 fic we can calculate. i realize i never offered an overview of Super Basic Stats, so here are a few:

plus, looking at word counts, here is a distribution of those in 2023-updated fic, which shows that a majority of 814 fics were under the 5k mark:

85% of landoscar fics were under 10k & nearly 97% under 25k

i don't really have any reason to believe that landoscar's wc stats differ significantly from average ? so this is kind of just Data To Have Data, and it most likely reflects normal ao3 trends in general... but i thought i'd include it anyway because i already made it lol. similarly, here are word count distributions but stratified by rating:

& same info but heat map view:

i feel like this is also probably something you'd find across fandom in general — that gen fic is likely to have a higher share of under 1k works, since Building Up to sexual content often takes... Literal & Metaphorical Foreplay ! and the longer a fic is the more opportunities an author has to include a sex scene or other explicit content (ofc, not necessarily just porn but also graphic violence & so on). but i thought this was fun to visualize haha

additional tags & aus?

back in my old f1 rpf stats post, i made a table comparing fluff/angst "ratios" (not exactly a direct ratio because of how tag wrangling works, but an approximation) of the most popular f1 ships, and now that landoscar are somewhat popular i thought i'd first do an update:

also current data, not 2023 to make things easier

just like before, simi are one of the most fluffy ships and brocedes are by far the most angsty, but it's interesting to see 814 also extremely high up on the charts, with far and away the lowest % of angst. will be exciting 2 see how that holds or changes as the seasons progress !

finally, i also wanted to do a bit of au/additional tag analysis because you can kind of see this when you use additional filters on ao3 but the previews are limited and get bogged down by the prevalence of *checks notes* Fluff, Angst, PWP, Anal Sex and what have you. which are nice stats to have and all but what of the rest !

disclaimer that the set for these tables is a biiiit outdated because by the time i'd wrangled everything i was like I Am Not Changing It Again. unfortunately i clean my data with shoddy queries and regex functions in googsheetz...

there were 48 tags with at least 10 instances from 2023 fics, shown below, with ones that are (some ~vaguely) nsfw in red just to kind of get a rough sense of which tags get commonly used in M/E fic:

getting a bit too much into small sample size / specific fic territory so if you're an author i sincerely apologize for that... do not mean 2 put u on blast... TT__TT but i also tried to tally the most popular aus people write for 814, which is a bit dubious because people tag in really different ways and i had to accommodate for a lot of string formats but ... it's close enough ! (?)

i feel like this is very little interesting info but idk what else to add so i will stop here for now... well!!! if you made it to the end i hope u learned something or even vaguely enjoyed reading T__T and most of all thank you :')

#*s #landoscar #in a sense 😔#tfw don't have a tableau license so i live life on the edge across multiple unsaved desktop public files......#if ur interested in anything specific pls lmk before my computer inevitably Dies and deletes everything...!#this is so useless nsdflshdfh. Anyway

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charles-leclerc-official · 8 months ago

Note

Hi!! I hope you’re having a good day, just wanted to let you know I really love your race analysis!! I was wondering if you have any tips for newbies for analyzing races? I’m just getting into f1 but I really want to be able to understand the races and you always have such great insights! 🫶

Ah thank you so much! It means so much to hear that <3

So here are some easy first steps(I have listed all links and resources at the bottom)

Re-watch races/take notes: It can be very easy to get caught up in the emotion of a race if you are watching live. Re-watching after you've had your emotional reaction helps you see what actually happened from a less clouded lens. This may sound silly but seriously it makes a big difference(and you can tell so many analysts do not do this)

Watch free practice and qualifying: Not everyone does and as we've seen a lot about a race can be determined in free practice. Especially take note of what the drivers are telling their team as feedback on the feel of the car over the radio. This is really valuable information.

Play around on F1 Tempo - this is one of my favorite websites, lets you see the telemetry from races and also qualifying and free practice. Just mess around comparing laps and understanding how the site works. It may look scary but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. It's really fun!

Don't expect to be an expert on everything: I'm obviously way more dialed into everything going on at Ferrari with their car development and drivers than say Haas. So focus on the teams and drivers you care about, don't think you need to do it all at once.

I know this doesn't sound like much but it seriously will get you started, most people(who claim to be analysts) don't even do this much, they watch the race and call it good(and that is totally valid by the way, this post is if you really want to dig into analysis).

These next few tips are if you want to get even more involved ↓

5. Learn some of the basic parts of an F1 car: You don't need to learn all 20,000 that Williams has on their spreadsheet, but familiarize yourself with the major components of an F1 car and their general function.

6. Research track characteristics: Every track is different and that always plays a role in analysis. The Formula 1 website has a tab on the race schedule where you can learn about a track, it's a good overview of what a track is like and gives some helpful stats.

7. Learn tyres: knowing tyre compounds, their functions, and how track conditions affect them makes a big difference. When I started watching F1 at first I was always confused by why cars were behaving a certain way, then I learned about tyres and a lot of things started to make sense. It's a really important part of in depth race analysis in my opinion.

8. F1 race visualizer: helps you look at positioning so you can see lap by lap replay for the ordering of the track. This is really helpful to see overall track shifts, and also to see who was behind or ahead of who and for how long.

9. Watch onboards: obviously during the broadcast we are only ever shown a fraction of what happens in any given race. I always watch Charles' onboards. And if there is a moment I really want to see I can go check onboards. So if for example I want to see what happened with Logan's race, they don't show most of that, but I can see everything through his onboards if I need.

10. Follow sources reporting on current developments in your team of interest: these will keep you up to date with what is going on with the car on the technical side. You can see what the team is saying about the development direction etc. What to follow really depends on your team.

I'd say these are good first steps to take to feel more informed about a race and what's going on at a particular team. This is probably "beginner" and "intermediate" tips, and I advise starting slow if you are brand new. Practice forming your own opinions and making your own observations. It can take a little bit to get the hang of so remember to be kind to yourself and don't expect everything to make sense overnight.

If anyone wants I can also make advanced analysis tips for those interested.

The important thing is that you are learning what you want and having fun with it!

Also obviously I am here if anyone has any questions <3

Resources F1 tempo - for race telemetry data Formula 1 race visualizer - for field placement lap by lap Formula 1 track info - Info and data on any given track in the F1 calendar (Monaco for example)

#luci answers #race analysis educational post #I need to come up with a tag for educational posts like this #sorry it took me so long to answer anon <3

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kingofthering · 1 year ago

Text

☼ main tags : all gifs - drawings - icons - motogp posters - tiktoks - wallpapers + fave of mine

☼ series : drivers/riders parallels - every rosquez podium - favorite friendships - favorite helmets - important wins - pantone edits - random motogp things (gayest motorsport) - riders as cards - watching old moto races - zooms

☼ seasons journal pages : f1 2024 - motogp 2024

☼ documentaries : fabio quartararo : a date with destiny - hitting the apex - marc marquez : all in - there can be only one - unseen

☼ single posts : fabio’s hairstyle evolution (2019-2023) - marc & vale at the same age - valentino’s hair evolution - 2024 motogp grid birthdate timeline + races memo

☼ writing : all (here) - ao3 - moodboards for my fics - prompt fills

☼ aus : 2021 honda vale - cat marc au - fake dating rosquez - forced coming out au - healing power vale - hockey au - mabio reporter au - rosquez tv thing - single dad vale - tattoo artist bezz - vampire au - vr46 marc - wr universe

☼ recs : all favorite motogp reads (2023) - everything I enjoy

☼ primers : carc - mabio - tom/fabio - emilio alzamora’s brief implication in fabio’s career

☼ lists : marc documentaries - motogpblr creators (in big need of an update) - motogp races recs - getting into motogp : where to start - motogp : where to watch

☼ stats : all - wordpress blog - motogp 2023 season

☼ surveys : f1 fans & their origins - f1 rpf (results) - motogp rpf (results)

☼ predictions : f1 2023 - f1 2024 - motogp 2024

☼ polls : favorite fabio hairstyle - favorite rosquez podium - f1 polls - motogp polls

☼ reading : being marc marquez : this is how I win my race - fabio quartararo : l'ascension d'un prodige - marc marquez : l’amour du risque

☼ 2024 season digital journals : f1 - motogp - formula e - everything about journals - etsy shop

☼ games : all - connections games - join my motogp fantasy league

#summary page

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ummick · 9 months ago

Text

mick schumacher is interviewed about his decision to join wec and what challenges he'll face during the season [part 1/2] - 2024 (transcript under the cut)

Interviewer: "When did you have the idea of moving to the WEC with Alpine?" Mick: "The idea arose to basically understand, okay, what can I do to go back to racing? And there were a few options and I think they were probably limited down to around three options, which was one, Super Formula, and Indycar, or you had WEC. And I think that for me the choice of going with WEC was very simple because I still wanted to have that connection to Formula 1, with Mercedes, but also now, because I'm racing with Alpine in WEC, I do have that connection to Alpine in Formula 1, too, right? So to be able to have that connection with both is a great thing, and again, I think that for me racing in such prestigious races as let's say the Le Mans 24 Hours, it's a great, great positon to be in and a great place to also show your potential." Interviewer: "And have you already thought about Le Mans event? Are you excited about one of the most important races?" Mick: "Yes! I don't really know what to expect, so I also don't go in with any expectations. I'll literally just let myself go with the flow, let's say, and see how it goes, because from everybody I've talked to, they say it's the most insane event that you'll ever go to. So yeah, I'm very excited for it. It's ten days of pure racing and pure motorsport, and can't wait to start in it." Interviewer: "Okay. Have you already done a few tests with the new car? Is correct?" Mick: "Yes, correct." Interviewer: "And which are the biggest differences between F1, WEC, if you try to…" Mick: "I think a lot of the underlying systems in the car are very similar to what we have in Formula 1, actually, so a lot of the, let's say, energy management, how the differential works, how all those tools work… So also engine braking, traction control… Well, obviously traction control is very different compared to Formula 1, but all of these key elements are very similar, so in terms of mindset and in terms of approach, I feel like I'm in a good position because I already understand most of those systems. In terms of car behavior, we're talking about a car which obviously weighs a lot of kilos, like we have 1,030 kilos empty on the stats, so if you put a driver and you put fuel into it, it makes the car at least two, three, maybe 400 kilos heavier, compared to a Formula 1 car. On top of that, our aerodynamics are a bit different. I think they're more considered, obviously, as a low-drag setup and just trying to account for as much air through the car, as opposed to make the car as loaded as possible. A Formula 1 car is obviously extremely loaded. You have a lot of downforce, which obviously equally has a lot of drag.

So there's some differences, some similarities, which means driving approaches are also different. You have to be a bit more cautious. You have to be a bit more, let's say, pro-active with working the car, 'cause obviously if… Let's say, once a car goes sideways, it's a lot of momentum, it's a lot of weight that carries the car towards the outside, which means that, yeah, driving style and let's say what you have to think about whilst driving is a bit different, compared to Formula 1." Interviewer: "Okay. And what do you expect from your first race in WEC?" Mick: "I don't know. I don't know what to expect. My goal is to finish the race. I think that in endurance, from everybody that I've talked to, is the key element. You wanna finish the race, you wanna see the checkered flag, 'cause that's the only way you will eventually win a race. For us, also with all the new setups and all the new kind of build that we've done, for us is really gonna be important to just have a clean event, a clean race, and a clear strategy on what we wanna do during the event. And I think that that's gonna be… Once we get close to our testing days, once we get close to Qatar, as well, all of that will be put in order so that we have clear targets, also from each individual what we need to do and how we need to work together." Interviewer: "And from your point of view, which could be the most difficult races in this season?" Mick: "The one race with the most, let's say, uncertainty around is always gonna be Le Mans. You've heard it so much, and all the other racetracks are pretty much Formula 1 circuits, so I know these tracks. For me, I don't think that's gonna be a big issue. Le Mans, on the other hand, is such a prestigious and such a difficult event, with conditions changing within the second. It could be one side of the track you have blue skies, on the other side of the track you have down under 'cause it's raining out buckets, so I think that that's, for me, gonna be the biggest challenge, is to understand and survive Le Mans." Interviewer: "Okay, okay."

#mick schumacher #f1 #formula 1 #wec #fic ref #fic ref 2024 #not a race #2024 not a race #pre-season #pre-season 2024

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chussyracing · 10 months ago

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f1 related news, facts and plain speculations collected over the past few days

Estrella Galicia cimes back to McLaren and their all other sponsors after the relationship with Ferrari ended to make space for Peroni (who came from Aston Martin sponsors pool)

There are more and more speculations about Alex to Ferrari and from what I understood, Spanish media aren't very happy about that or about articles written about Charles and his reported contract

There are rumours of Prema expanding into Indycar (which I think could be beneficial as some of their drivers are already a part of the series nowadays)

Steiner confirmed he couldn't even say goodbye to the team and thanked them in a live interview with Autosport 2024

Formula E chief said Formula E has its door open for Checo and that he talks to him all the time (rip Checo Perez)

Aston Martin hires Andor Hegedus as Senior Project Designer (he previously worked with RBR and they say he was important for RBR pit stop strategies, so a pretty big name in the game)

Doriane Pin signed to drive in F1 academy for Mercedes but from my understandment she will also be in F4 UAE (and stays part of Iron Damen drivers)

Juju Noda will race in Super Formula

McLaren archived all of their posts (I found reports saying it was up to 10k posts) and started a "whatever it takes campaign" whatever that could mean with today's date being teased (Rebrand? Car launch confirmation? Black livery?)

Toto Wolff extended his Merc contract for 3 more years (including 2026)

Leo Turnini apparently claimed that Ferrari's target for 2024 is to win 5 races

Alan Permane that used to be Alpine's Sporting Director is said to join Alpha Tauri/Racing Bulls

Speaking of Racing Bulls, their new name should get announced with the car launch (and we have most car launch dates confirmed by now)

Mercedes invested more into pit stops equipment over the winter break, because after a few dominant years they fell behind in pit stop stats

Speaking of Merc, they sim driver Anthony Davidson claimed that w15 finally feels like a car after what they had for two years

Formula E is back and I beg everyone who watched the race in Mexico with striking 3 official overtakes to not get discouraged it is nawttt always like this

Speaking of FE, Jake Dennis came to say that RB20 is extremely fast car in the simulator and other teams would need to find over 1s per lap to get close to them

Emily Prazer will step up from the role of LV gp Chief Commercial to the role of Chief Commercial Officer of F1 (Brandon Snow previously was in that role but left last year) and it's seen as the reward for successful campaign she prepared for LV (also she has a lot of experience so props to her)

Gwen Largue (Merc young driver academy boss) said that despite Este being in Alpine and faithful to the team, it's in fact Merc who "continues to manage his career"

Crofty claims Este told him Alpine 2024 car is "a little bit slow" before Christmas, because he has been testing it in the sim since September

From fan's point of view: did you know Lewis is apparently allergic to dogs whicb he admitted to in the interview with puppers?, USA figure skating pair Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker stepped away from competing from the rest of the season but shared a programme they trained that feature's Charles' AUS 23, there's Fight AIDS Cup in Monaco on 22nd January (aka next monday) with Princess Stephanie's team against Prince Albert II.'s team and considering Charles was there last year I expect him to participate again

#let's not get into the lando nasty rumours that are apparently making rounds on twitter #f1 #e #gossip night

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raapija · 8 months ago

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Yes Logan could have got P12 and Q2. He got the exact same placing in FP2 that Alex got in FP3. Also didn't total a car on his way there

well, not exactly the same, half a second in practise and more than a second in qualifying speed. Practise really doesn't show true speed, so they shouldn't be compared anyway, but I get your point

On a really good day, Logan could pull it off, but realistically Alex is better in quali speed than him, so better chance at a good starting position (even one racepoint could mean tens of thousands of money in sponsorship bonuses, which is very important for a small team like Williams)

My opinion on this is solely based on speed, stats and experience! I'm not saying Logan is a bad driver, but he's been in F1 for ONE full season, so he is not as skilled and adaptable as Alex. He still has a lot to learn, and I hope he can keep driving to improve! None of the 20 drivers are bad, they are the 20 best in the world and Logan's one of them

#ask #logan sargeant #alex albon

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herohimbowhore · 8 months ago

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On This Day in F1: March 9th

Present: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

History: 2003 Australian Grand Prix

On March 9th, 2024, the second race of the season occurred. In its 4th running, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix had its first repeat winner with Max Verstappen taking the chequered flag first.

Notable moments of the race included:

Kevin Magnussen's 20 seconds of penalties and his defense that allowed teammate Nico Hulkenberg to pit for new tyres and remain in the points.

Daniel Ricciardo's very long pit stop

Ollie Bearman's great race where he scored points on debut and is currently P10 in the F1 standings while remaining dead last in F2.

On March 9th, 2003, Formula 1 was in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

Australia was the opening race of the 2003 season and the debut of new rules following Ferrari's dominant 2002 season.

Michael Schumacher put his Ferrari on pole position, but he did not go on to win the race or finish on the podium. Schumacher missed the podium by approximately 3 tenths.

Instead, the podium consisted of:

David Coulthard in P1, taking his 13th and final victory in Formula 1

Juan Pablo Montoya who finished P2 after starting in P3

Kimi Raikkonen took the final step of the podium after starting in the pit lane

Of the 20 entrants, only 11 finished the race with Jos Verstappen down 1 lap from the race leader.

Some important stats from this race include:

The first time that Michael Schumacher missed out on a podium since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix

The first time that neither Ferrari finished on the podium since the 1999 European Grand Prix

The end of Ferrari's streak 53 consecutive podium finishes

The podium domination by Michelin tyres (Coulthard and Raikkonen's McLarens used Michelin tyres, as did Montoya's Williams) for the first time since the 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix

The first time that no car using Bridgestone tyres finished on the podium since the 1998 Italian Grand Prix

_____

Previous: Mar. 8th - 1998 Australian Grand Prix

Next: Mar. 22 - Australia Day 1

On This Day in F1 Masterlist

#on this day in f1 #formula 1 #f1 #f1 history #2003 australian grand prix #david coulthard #michael schumacher #ferrari #mclaren

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nitaekook · 16 days ago

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Slipstream

by nitaekook | 3/? | NR | 9,987

As Akaashi prepares for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he struggles to maintain focus in the face of Bokuto's carefree, magnetic presence. Determined to ignore the mechanic-turned-rival who's occupying far too much space in his mind, Akaashi finds himself pulled deeper into the mental rivalry than he expected.

Chapter 3 - Driven to Distraction

The days following the race in Bahrain were supposed to be a fresh start, a chance for Akaashi to reset and focus on the upcoming weekend. But instead, they blurred into a haze of restless nights and endless hours spent trying—and failing—to get Bokuto out of his head.

Akaashi had always thrived on structure. Racing was about precision, about following the right line, about perfecting every corner, every millimeter. But since that first race, everything felt off. It wasn’t the pressure—he knew how to handle that. It was something else entirely. Someone else.

He caught himself staring at his phone more often than usual, his thumb automatically scrolling through his social media feed. It had started with him keeping up appearances—managing his online presence like the PR team had drilled into him—but it had turned into something else.

Somewhere along the way, his fingers had begun hovering over the search bar, typing out a name that wasn’t his own.

Bokuto Koutarou.

Akaashi told himself it was just to monitor the competition. He needed to understand the narrative, to see what the media was saying about the other driver who had somehow managed to steal the spotlight. But what had begun as professional curiosity had spiraled into a nightly routine. He wasn’t just checking up on Bokuto’s racing stats anymore. He was scrolling through Bokuto’s Instagram, watching the flood of photos and candid posts that seemed to capture the man’s endless energy and carefree charm.

It was ridiculous. Bokuto shouldn’t be taking up this much space in his mind. Akaashi had more important things to focus on. He had to be ready for the next race.

Still, here he was again, staring at a freshly posted selfie of Bokuto in the garage, leaning against one of the cars, grease streaked across his jaw, wild hair pushed back with that usual grin of his. Bokuto wasn’t just enjoying the spotlight—he was basking in it.

Akaashi scowled at the screen, his heart racing faster than it had during Bahrain’s final laps.

Why does this bother me so much?

With an aggravated sigh, he threw his phone down onto the couch beside him and stood, pacing the length of his apartment. His mind felt like it was spinning in circles, tangled in thoughts that refused to settle. It was just one race. There were plenty more to come. He could still show everyone what he was capable of.

But it was as if Bokuto had lodged himself in Akaashi’s head, as unshakable as a shadow on his heels. Bokuto had come into the world of F1 like he had nothing to lose, like he wasn’t afraid of what the media or the other drivers thought of him. That carefree attitude… it was infuriating.

And yet…

Akaashi shook his head, trying to push the thought away. The more he dwelled on it, the more he found himself spiraling down a rabbit hole he had no business entering. He was a professional. He had a race to win.

But as the days crawled closer to race weekend, Bokuto’s presence—both online and in Akaashi’s mind—only seemed to grow.

Race weekend arrived faster than Akaashi expected, and before he knew it, he was in a cramped room surrounded by other drivers, all seated around a long table, their team principals scattered across the room. The drivers’ meeting before each race was a necessary part of the process, a chance to review safety protocols, track conditions, and any last-minute rule updates. It should have been a time to settle into the rhythm of race day, to focus on the details that would matter in the car.

But Akaashi wasn’t focused.

His gaze wandered across the room, catching sight of the other drivers. Some were slouched in their chairs, bored expressions on their faces, while others whispered in hushed tones with their teammates. And there, a few seats down from him, was Bokuto.

Akaashi’s jaw tightened as he watched the older animatedly talking to his team principal, laughing like they were discussing something trivial, not the high-stakes world of Formula 1. Bokuto’s carefree nature grated on him—how was he so relaxed? Didn’t he understand the pressure, the intensity, the consequences of every decision on the track?

Akaashi forced his eyes back to the front of the room as the meeting dragged on, the officials going over technical regulations and track specifics. He should have been listening. He should have been absorbing every piece of information like he always did. But his mind kept drifting.

Every time Bokuto so much as shifted in his seat, Akaashi found himself glancing over, annoyed by how easy everything seemed to be for him. He could hear Bokuto’s voice, low but excited, as he asked questions about cornering techniques, about tire management, about fuel efficiency. The kinds of questions a rookie would ask.

Akaashi could feel his irritation bubbling up. This was Bokuto’s first time on this track, and yet he was acting like he already belonged here.

When the meeting finally ended, Akaashi was the first to stand, eager to escape the room. But as luck would have it, Bokuto was right behind him, and before Akaashi could even make it to the door, he felt a hand clap him on the shoulder.

“Akaashi!”

The voice was too cheerful, too loud, for the environment, and Akaashi felt his muscles tense.

“Looking forward to this weekend? Should be fun, huh?” Bokuto’s grin was wide, his golden eyes bright with excitement.

Fun. There was that word again. Akaashi bit back the retort bubbling on his tongue.

“It’s not fun,” he said, barely masking the edge in his voice. “It’s work. It’s the most important race of the season.”

Bokuto blinked, his grin faltering for just a second before it returned in full force. “Right, right. I get that. But come on, it’s not just work, right? I mean, you have to love it to be this good. And you’re good, Akaashi. Really good.”

Akaashi stared at him, caught off guard by the unexpected compliment. His mind scrambled for something to say, something to cut through the tension he felt building inside him, but Bokuto was already moving past him, waving over his shoulder as he headed toward his team.

“Good luck, man! See you out there!”

Akaashi stood frozen for a moment, watching as Bokuto disappeared into the crowd of team members and officials. The easy, friendly tone, the casual wave—none of it made sense to him. Bokuto wasn’t just unbothered by the pressure; he thrived on it.

The media circus was the next part of the day. Akaashi hated this part—the interviews, the press conferences, the same questions over and over. He had learned to smile politely, to give the scripted answers his PR team had drilled into him, but today, he couldn’t seem to shake the irritation that had been building all morning.

The lights were bright as he stepped onto the platform, the cameras flashing in rapid succession as the reporters leaned in, eager to get their sound bites.

“Akaashi, how do you feel going into your second race of the season?”

“Do you think this race will be a chance to redeem yourself after Bahrain?”

“Any thoughts on the competition, specifically Bokuto Koutarou’s performance?”

The last question made his stomach twist, but he kept his expression neutral. His team had warned him that Bokuto would be the media’s darling for a while. “The mechanic-turned-driver.” It was a narrative too good to pass up.

Akaashi plastered on a professional smile. “I’m focused on my own performance. Every race is an opportunity to improve and show what I’m capable of. As for the competition, there are a lot of talented drivers out there, and I’m ready to compete with the best.”

It was a well-rehearsed answer, and the reporters didn’t push further. But the irritation lingered, the tension coiling tighter with every mention of Bokuto’s name.

As the interviews continued, Akaashi couldn’t help but overhear Bokuto’s session nearby. His voice was unmistakable—loud, enthusiastic, brimming with that same energy that had been buzzing around him all day.

“I’m just here to have fun, honestly! I’m learning a lot, and I can’t wait to get back on the track!”

Akaashi’s jaw clenched. Fun. Everything was a game to Bokuto. This was Formula 1. There were millions of dollars on the line. Championships. Careers. It wasn’t a playground.

By the time the interviews wrapped up, Akaashi was more than ready to head back to his hotel and get away from the noise. But as he walked past Bokuto, who was still laughing and chatting with reporters, he felt the familiar irritation flare up again.

Why can’t I stop thinking about him?

The days leading up to the race in Saudi had been a blur of media obligations, sponsor events, and technical meetings, but now, standing in the paddock of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Akaashi Keiji was supposed to feel focused. The air was cooler now, the sun having dipped below the horizon, and the floodlights bathed the track in an otherworldly glow. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was unlike any other race—high-speed, high-risk, with the narrow streets of Jeddah pushing drivers to the limits of control. Precision was everything here. One mistake, one fraction of a second too slow or too fast, and the walls were waiting.

Flawless. That was how Akaashi needed to be.

He paced near the Keiseki Racing garage, helmet in hand, feeling the tight coil of tension in his chest. He had shaken off the last remnants of Bahrain’s sting—or at least, that’s what he told himself. He had to. There was too much riding on this. The whispers of nepotism still followed him, even after a podium finish in his debut. Second place hadn’t silenced them. Only a win would.

But every time Akaashi closed his eyes, he saw him.

Bokuto Koutarou.

It didn’t make any sense. He was supposed to be past this, past the frustration of Bahrain. And yet, as he watched his crew make final adjustments to the car, his mind drifted again to Bokuto—the reckless mechanic who had somehow managed to claw his way into the upper ranks of F1 without the years of training or refinement that Akaashi had undergone. He was unpredictable, raw, and worst of all—he made it look easy. Like it was all just a game.

Akaashi ground his teeth, shaking his head as if he could physically throw the thought away.

Focus.

He moved toward the car, already feeling the weight of expectation settling on his shoulders, when a familiar voice cut through the noise of the paddock.

“Akaashi!”

He tensed, the sound of his name spoken with far too much enthusiasm. Akaashi turned, and there was Bokuto, bounding over like this was some casual get-together and not the high-stakes world of Formula 1.

Akaashi forced himself to remain calm. His eyes flicked up, taking in Bokuto’s usual disheveled look—his wild hair still pushed back by a headband, a bit of grease smudged on his cheek. Carefree, Akaashi thought, feeling the tension build in his chest again. How could Bokuto be so at ease, as if none of this weighed on him?

“You ready for this?” Bokuto asked, his grin impossibly wide. His voice carried that same unshakable optimism that Akaashi found infuriating—and, annoyingly, a little magnetic.

Akaashi gave a short nod, trying to keep his voice even. “I’m always ready.”

Bokuto’s grin didn’t falter. In fact, he seemed even more enthusiastic. “Awesome! You know, I was thinking… we should grab dinner after the race. Talk strategy.” He shrugged, completely casual. “Get into each other’s heads a bit. Might be fun.”

Akaashi blinked.

Dinner? Strategy?

Was he serious?

The absurdity of the offer hung in the air, and for a moment, Akaashi didn’t know how to respond. Racing wasn’t a casual conversation. You didn’t sit down with your competition and share strategies over dinner. This wasn’t some friendly weekend activity. It was a battle. The entire point was to beat the other driver, not swap notes on how to do it better.

His pulse quickened, though he couldn’t say if it was from irritation or confusion at the suggestion. What kind of driver offers to discuss strategy with their rival?

Akaashi narrowed his eyes, struggling to regain control of his spiraling thoughts. “I don’t discuss strategy with the competition,” he said, his tone clipped, hiding the fact that the offer had rattled him far more than it should have.

Bokuto just laughed, undeterred by Akaashi’s cold rejection. “Fair enough! Maybe next time, then.” His grin remained wide, as if the idea of being rivals hadn’t quite sunk in. “Anyway, good luck tomorrow, Akaashi! Let’s make it a good one!”

With a quick wave, Bokuto turned and jogged back toward the Vetra garage, his energy as uncontainable as ever.

Akaashi stood there for a moment, rooted in place, still processing the interaction—or, rather, the lack of interaction. Dinner? Strategy? Bokuto was acting like they were friends or something, like the competitive fire burning inside Akaashi was one-sided.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Akaashi’s hands clenched at his sides, and he felt the annoyance bubble up again. How could Bokuto be so calm, so unaffected? He had just waltzed by, offering casual dinners like they weren’t about to go head-to-head on one of the most dangerous circuits on the F1 calendar.

It was maddening.

Akaashi took a deep breath, trying to push the entire exchange out of his mind. He needed to focus. The race was tomorrow. He couldn’t let Bokuto’s carefree attitude get under his skin.

But even as he turned back toward the Keiseki garage, Akaashi couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, Bokuto was already in his head.

Akaashi had always been flawless in qualifying. It was where he thrived—where his meticulous nature, his precision, shone the brightest. In the controlled environment of a time trial, with no one else on the track, he could push the car to its limits, find the perfect line, shave off fractions of a second with each lap. He had never let his emotions bleed into his performance.

But today, something was different.

The roar of the engine surrounded him as he sped down the Jeddah circuit, but his mind was anywhere but the track. Bokuto’s words echoed in his head. Dinner. Strategy. Why had that thrown him off so much? He should have dismissed it, brushed it off as Bokuto’s usual casual attitude. But instead, it had stuck with him, like a splinter lodged deep under his skin.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, jaw clenched as he pushed through the first corner. The car was responsive, every movement under his control, yet his mind wasn’t in sync with the machine like it usually was. He downshifted into the next corner, his braking just a fraction too early, losing precious milliseconds.

Focus. Focus.

The words repeated in his head, a desperate mantra, but no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept drifting back to Bokuto. That damned grin. That reckless, carefree attitude. And the fact that, despite everything, Akaashi couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As he approached the next corner, his thoughts spiraled out of control. Why is Bokuto getting to me like this? Why was it so hard to block him out?He had always been able to compartmentalize, to push away distractions, but Bokuto was different. Bokuto had this energy that was impossible to ignore, an intensity that pulled Akaashi in even when he didn’t want it to.

And then it happened.

He misjudged the apex of the corner. His car slid just a little wide, the tires screeching as they struggled to find grip. It wasn’t a major mistake—he recovered quickly—but it was enough. Enough to throw him off his rhythm. Enough to cost him valuable time.

By the time the qualifying session ended, Akaashi found himself in P12. It was a disaster by his standards. He had started P8 in Bahrain, and even then, he had been unsatisfied. But P12? It was unacceptable.

Akaashi’s fury boiled over the second he pulled into the garage. The car hadn’t even come to a full stop before he ripped off his helmet, tossing it aside as he stormed out of the cockpit. His crew watched in silence, knowing better than to say anything when their driver was this angry.

He had screwed up. He had let his focus slip, and now he was paying the price. The whispers would start again. The media would latch onto his poor qualifying performance, and they’d say it was because he wasn’t ready, because he didn’t deserve his seat.

And then, to make matters worse, there was Bokuto.

The mechanic had qualified P9, three places ahead of Akaashi. And he was celebrating like he’d won the damn race.

Akaashi stood near the edge of the paddock, seething as he watched Bokuto pull off his helmet, a wide grin plastered across his face. How could he be so relaxed? So carefree? Bokuto had no right to be so comfortable.

Bonus:

Bokuto slid into the cockpit of his car, the familiar hum of the engine building beneath him as his team worked around him, tightening straps and making final adjustments. The energy in the Vetra garage was always electric before qualifying, but Bokuto’s mind wasn’t entirely on the session ahead.

Not after what had just happened in the paddock.

He grinned to himself as the memory of his conversation with Akaashi replayed in his mind. Dinner and strategy. Sure, that’s what he’d called it, but even Bokuto wasn’t fooling himself with that excuse. He just wanted to get to know the guy better. Akaashi was intense, focused—so serious all the time. There was something about that which drew Bokuto in, something that made him want to see what was behind those sharp, determined eyes.

It wasn’t about racing. Not really.

The last few straps were tightened, and Bokuto was locked into the car. He grabbed the steering wheel, his fingers curling around it, but his thoughts still drifted to the idea of sitting across from Akaashi at dinner. Just talking, maybe joking around a bit. Dinner wasn’t that big of a deal, was it?

A crackle came through his earpiece as Konoha, his team principal, spoke up from the pit wall. “Bokuto, everything’s set. You’re good to go for qualifying. Just waiting for you to get out there.”

Bokuto flipped on the radio, his grin widening. “Yeah, yeah. I’m ready. But guess what?”

Konoha’s response came back after a beat. “What? Did you finally decide to take this qualifying session seriously?”

“Better. I asked Akaashi if he wanted to grab dinner after the race,” Bokuto said, his tone way too casual for what he was implying.

There was a pause. Then another. Bokuto could almost feel Konoha’s confusion through the radio. “Wait… you asked Akaashi—” Konoha’s voice crackled, incredulous, “—to dinner?”

Bokuto laughed, leaning back slightly in the seat as he continued. “Yeah! I figured we could talk strategy or something. You know, loosen him up a bit. He’s always so serious, like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Thought maybe dinner would be good for him.”

This time, Konoha’s response was immediate—and filled with disbelief. “Bokuto. You realize Akaashi’s your competition, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Bokuto replied, still grinning. “But we’re racing together. What’s wrong with getting to know the guy? Maybe we could learn something from each other.”

Another pause. Then, Konoha let out a long, exasperated sigh through the radio. “You… idiot.”

Bokuto blinked, his grin faltering slightly. “Wait, what? What’d I do?”

“You asked your rival to dinner. To discuss strategy.” Konoha’s voice was flat, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You don’t ask your competition out for dinner before qualifying! Or at all! Are you trying to give him a mental edge or something?”

Bokuto frowned, finally starting to see why Konoha was reacting this way. “I wasn’t handing him my playbook, man. It’s just dinner.”

“No, it’s not just dinner. It’s you, being a moron, inviting the one guy who’s gunning for the championship harder than anyone. You’re making it sound like you’re trying to be best friends with him.”

Bokuto opened his mouth to protest, then hesitated. Konoha wasn’t entirely wrong. He’d been thinking about Akaashi way too much since Bahrain, and the truth was… it wasn’t really about strategy. Bokuto was intrigued by him. He wanted to know more about the guy behind the helmet, behind that intense focus.

“Okay, fine, maybe it wasn’t about strategy,” Bokuto admitted, his voice softer now, but still with a hint of his usual playfulness. “I just thought it’d be cool to get to know him better, that’s all. He’s… interesting.”

“Interesting?” Konoha repeated, his voice deadpan. “You think Akaashi’s interesting, so you’re asking him to dinner… during a race weekend?” Konoha sighed again, clearly trying to process the situation. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re supposed to be focusing on qualifying, not trying to flirt with the guy who’s trying to beat you.”

Bokuto let out a nervous laugh. “I wasn’t flirting. Was I?”

Konoha was silent for a moment, then replied, “Yes. Yes, you were.”

Bokuto slumped slightly in the cockpit, realizing just how badly he’d fumbled the whole thing. “Well, he didn’t say yes, anyway.” He could hear Konoha muttering something under his breath through the radio, but Bokuto continued, “I dunno… he’s just so serious all the time. I thought maybe I could get him to relax. Maybe see him smile or something.”

“Oh my god, you are trying to ask him out,” Konoha groaned, his voice full of disbelief. “Look, I’m gonna give you some advice here: stop trying to date your competition. Focus on the race. Otherwise, Akaashi is going to walk all over you while you’re busy dreaming about dinner.”

Bokuto’s grin returned, even as Konoha’s exasperation filled his ears. “Alright, alright. I’ll focus. No more dinner talk.”

But as the crew gave him the final all-clear to head out, Bokuto couldn’t help but think back to the way Akaashi had reacted. The moment he had mentioned dinner, Akaashi’s whole demeanor had shifted—he’d gotten flustered. And something about that, about getting under Akaashi’s skin, made Bokuto even more intrigued.

This isn’t over, he thought to himself as he pulled out of the garage, the roar of the engine rising around him.

I love Bokuto more than life.

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