Sometimes you need to be loud before it can be quiet
Summary: Everyone has their breaking point, even prefectly fine media trained drivers. Especially when people start asking dumb, sexist questions.
Pairing: driver!reader x f1!grid, but mostly Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, Lando and Charles have a bit of a guest appearing
Wordcount: 1.2k (she is a shy shorty, please be nice to her)
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“My next question is for (Y/N): What do you want to be perceived as?”
Everyone in the post race press conference halts in their movements. (Y/N) blinks once, twice before she clears her throat and gets closer to her microphone. “I’m sorry, can you please elaborate on that? I fear my English is failing me to comprehend what you just said.”
The reporter is not hesitating, jumping into his explanation right away, as if he had chosen the words he wanted to say beforehand. “Well, you participate in a male dominated sport, being currently the only female on the grid line up. You are never seen in typically female clothing. You even wore a suit to the last FIA gala. We have yet to see you in makeup outside of festivities. That’s why I am asking what you want to be perceived as. A man? A woman? Or something in-between?”
Silence has never been so loud. Nobody really knows how to respond to such an audacity.
(Y/N) pulls her microphone another bit closer before murmuring into it: “I rather be not perceived at all. Thank you for the question, I wanted to clear that bit up for quite some time now.”
Her answer brought a booming laughter out of the one and only Daniel Ricciardo, effectively breaking that spell of awkwardness that has been cast over the room by Mr Audacity. Everyone relaxes and joins in the laughter.
As the media representative is about to call onto the next journalist, Max asks a question. “Can we all answer this? Because I want to make it clear, I identify as a problem and want to be perceived as that.”
“Yeah”, Daniel interjects,”of course you do. I want to be perceived as a menace to human kind, please. What about you, Lando?”
“Number 1 Fish Hater, certified and trademarked already,” he answers with a cheeky smile.
Charles breathes “I’m a hot mess” into his microphone before the media representative is able to call onto the next person.
The following race weekend the drivers stand in the media pits with their PR managers, hopping from interviewer to interviewer like at a speed dating event.
“-overall I would say we have a good pace. I’m confident in the team to help us through this race in spite of the unpredictable weather conditions this weekend.” (Y/N)’s answers the usual questions that are thrown at her after sessions.
The journalist smiles at her. “I am sure of that. Now, onto my last question: Last week you have been asked what you want to be perceived as and you never really answered that. Why is that?”
(Y/N) throws a not amused look towards the woman. “I didn’t feel like it. I didn’t want to answer a question that is just a poorly disguised attack towards my femininity. I can like fast cars and dress however I want without having to answer something like that. I’m secure enough in my own gender identity as a woman to be able to express myself in all the ways I want without having my actions impede on my identity or expression of my gender. I will put on a dress when I feel like it, I will get the brushes out for a glam makeup when it is convenient for me and I don’t have to do ‘typically female’ things just to please the public opinion.
Instead of going around and judging, just work on why you have this urge to comment on my expression of gender in the first place, because your insecurities surrounding my gender don’t look cute on you.”
After that (Y/N) is practically dragged away from the media pit by her PR manager, who probably already has a headache thinking about the mess that will follow on social media and certain online magazines.
But the few drivers who stood around them, having media duties to follow themselves, just stared impressed and with deep respect after the young woman. She usually is softer spoken and obviously went through bootcamp media training. This was the first time they witnessed speaking her true mind in an interview.
Back in her driver's room, where she gets ready for the debrief, (Y/N) realizes the kind of mistake she just made.
Her little outburst will definitely get more of a reaction than it would if a Max Verstappen would have said something along these lines.
Before her inner eye she sees the headlines. Something about women being too emotional for motorsports. Her being too young, too hot headed, too much of everything and somehow not enough of everything.
The team will replace her, the negative PR not leaving them any other choice. The pressure on them is too much, they already took a big chance on her by giving the driver a seat in Formula 1 in the first place.
With the news of her sudden contract ending, at least one news outlet will write “The little experiment failed”, paving an even more difficult path for other women trying to prove themselves in motorsports.
And all that just because she wasn’t able to let this stupid question roll right off her back.
A sudden knock on her door breaks (Y/N) free from her downward spiral of thoughts. Max enters the room with Daniel on his tail. “This was amazing. How you told this interviewer off on life camera? And her face? After you went out, we just had to clap. It was so cool. You were so right, too. I’m so proud you finally spoke your mind. The audacity of these people.”
It seems like Max doesn’t need to breathe, judging from his rant.
Daniel has a much softer approach. He puts a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. “I hope you know that you had to say that back there. Even if you are ‘only’ a rookie this season, the questions you got the last couple of weeks were anything but ok or nice. Sometimes you need to be loud before it can be quiet.”
(Y/N) shoots him a thankful smile, squeezing the hand on her shoulder with her own. “You are right. It was just a bit overwhelming at first. But I can see the appeal now. I think I have to take a few classes with Max, because the concept of saying what you think got a new fan and that’s me. It’s the best thing I have done in the context of handling media duties.”
“No, you won’t do that”, (Y/N)’s PR manager stands in the doorway, probably to fetch her for the debrief. “In this case it was a good thing to do. Important, too, of course. The fans are eating this up on social media. They already made edits with the clips. But I don’t get paid what Max’ or Lando’s managers get, so you will return to your media trained good girl roots.” With that (Y/N) gets pulled out of the room by her. Max throws her a subtle nod, to which she smiles.
Sometimes you need to be more than the good girl, especially if it’s for your own sake. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of the story of another media-nightmare-driver.
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hello hello i just read meine perle and it is the best thing i’ve ever read on tumblr and i just want to give you my biggest thanks and appreciation for delivering such a well written fic of konig!!! i will never be able to get over octo!konig he’s going to haunt all my dreams. it was such an amazing read it felt as if i was there experiencing everything and i held my breath unknowingly when they were escaping from the lab??? can’t believe i get to enjoy that piece for free it feels like premium content. what was you thought process if you are happy to share it?? or was it like im gonna pump out a 25k words after seeing that fanart because im so so inspired and ideas are just pouring out of my brain rn??
anyways thank you thank you thank you again!!!!! hope everythings well for you!!!!
okay hi first of all ily ily ily thank YOU for taking the time to send this you got me smiling goofy fr <3 <3 💗💞🩷🩷💗
i cannot BELIEVE y’all are still snacking on Meine Perle u lil freaks 😏😏
it was absolutely 100% inspired by Numelu’s brilliant fanart and i’m sure it would not have been a fic i created otherwise. i had such a blast writing that fic and tbh i’ve always struggled with motivation when it comes to hobbies so i am forever grateful for @numelu and their undeniable talent, and for sparking in me that excitement to create.
that fic was originally supposed to be a smutty little one shot but apparently i’m a ho for the drama of it all and it absolutely ran away from me. i think i remember making a post at some point that was like “this was just supposed to be smut but it’s at like 15k words and they still haven’t even boinked yet” lmaoo
thanks for ask-in sweet anon 💗💞💕💗💞💕
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