#max “i always knew if i made it to F1 charles would also make it” verstappen

[letsplayeternity]

I honestly think Checo Perez did not think through his GP strategy. Sure, he arrived second, but this is what he has to deal with now. Is it worth it, Checo? Is it truly worth it?

[maxtermind]

my boy only breaks his favorite toys

★ : summary :: when he cheats on you ★ : feat :: max verstappen, lewis hamilton, carlos sainz, charles leclerc, lando norris ★ : genre :: angst ★ : word count :: 5k ★ : a/n :: please remember that all of this is fiction! anyway, enjoy the angst <3 cheating is not a slip up but a statement and i will not be writing a part 2 where they get back together :) as usual requests are open for other endings if you're interested (maybe she ends up with someone else on the grid to make it hurt more lol) ★ : gifs :: @\f1-stuff @\userhamilton @\slowestlap @\tyrannosaurus-maxy

Max Verstappen

Max and you had a pretty healthy work schedule. Thanks to your flexible remote work, you could travel with him and support him in person. But there were times when you were needed back at the home office but despite the distance, Max made sure to keep you in the loop.

From video calls, to texting whenever one was free, to random pictures shared, you were always pretty aware of what the other was doing. So imagine your shock when minutes after hanging up on a call after congratulating him on his win, you failed to get a hold of him before pictures of him started going viral.

But now, all of that seemed like a distant memory as you stared at the damning evidence on your phone. Pictures of Max, smiling and carefree, dancing with another woman in a crowded club, her arms wrapped around him possessively.

Your heart sank as you scrolled through the images, each one a painful reminder of the betrayal you never saw coming. And then, there it was, the blurry photo that confirmed your worst fears - Max and the other woman locked in a passionate kiss.

The world around you seemed to blur as well as tears welled up in your eyes, hot and bitter against your cheeks. Without thinking, you began to dial Max's number, your fingers trembling with a mixture of anger and desperation.

But each call went unanswered, each voicemail left unheard. With each unanswered ring, your heart broke a little more, until you could no longer bear the weight of your pain.

It was an hour later when you were in your bed, crying your eyes out when your phone finally lit up with Max's name, the screen casting a harsh glow in the dimness of your room.

As much as your head told you to hang up and let that be the final answer, you picked it up and whispered a low. ”Hi?” Your voice barely a whisper, choked with emotion.

”Y/N,” Max’s breathy voice came. It was enough to throw you off again and new tears gathered in your eyes.

”Where were you?” The words escaped your lips before you could stop them, raw with hurt and anguish.

”Baby…” Max's voice wavered, and you could hear the weight of his guilt in every syllable. It spoke volumes, you knew what had happened and he knew that. ”I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

Your chest tightened at his words, the pain of his deceit threatening to consume you whole. And then, without warning, a strangled sob escaped your lips, the sound echoing in the silence of the room.

You could hear Max's sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, a sound that only served to intensify your grief. But you were beyond caring about appearances now, your heart laid bare for him to see.

”I trusted you,” you choked out between sobs, the words a bitter indictment of the love you had once shared. ”Why would you do this to me?”

How could the man that made you feel like the only girl in the world for him do this to you? Did he even love you or was he just a really good actor?

Your voice quivered with pain as you struggled to maintain your composure,”You've broken me in ways I didn't even know were possible.”

Max's voice wavered as he tried to find the right words to express his remorse,”I never meant to hurt you, it was the biggest mistake of my life.” 

The life he has made sure he spent with someone not you. His voice cracked further and you realized that he was also crying on the other end. ”I can't bear the thought of not having you in my life.”

There was a long pause, as if Max was searching for the right words to say. But what words could possibly undo the damage that had already been done, the trust that had been shattered beyond repair?

Your words cut through him, echoing the pain he had caused,”Did… did you even love me, Max?”

”Of course, I love you!” He spoke, his voice carrying a sense of hurt. As if questioning the audacity to even ask that and that angered you. It made you so mad because this was on him. He did this.

”I wish I could turn back time and make things right, I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Max's breath hitched as he spoke before you could. The wounds he had inflicted too deep to be healed with a simple apology. ”I never meant to make you doubt my love for you.”

And as you listened to his voice crack with emotion, you knew that there was only one thing left to do. ”I don't even recognize the person I fell in love with anymore.” You whispered with finality, your voice filled with a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

Was this really the man who had promised you a future filled with a family and laughter? The man who just made your heart bleed out?

Max caught on and rushed to get the words out,”Please, Y/N, don't hang up. I need you more than ever, I love y-”

You hung up because how dare he say that after what he did. He called you again and again after that and if you weren’t half dying in your apartment, maybe you could’ve scoffed at how the roles were switched.

However, all you could do was switch off your phone and wonder how the man who once kissed all your scars better, could leave deeper ones in their place. Leaving you to do the work to mend them all alone.

Lewis Hamilton

It had all started the day you had foolishly decided to set up lunch to have the two most important people in your life, your bestfriend and your boyfriend, meet.

Lewis seemed genuinely enthusiastic about finally meeting the person who had been such a solid support in your life. Little did you anticipate that this innocent gathering would unravel into a scene of deception.

The signs were subtle at first. A quick exchange of numbers, a glance shared behind your back– easy to dismiss as innocent. But why would you look for such signs? When it included your most trusted humans on the planet?

But then came the slips, the accidental mentions of knowing each other's whereabouts better than you did.

”I don't think she'll pick up, she said she had an afternoon meeti-” Lewis caught himself on time before shrugging and ending with a: ”She posted it on her instagram, did you miss it?”

You laughed it off though it irked you. You were just glad that they were close before...

After an especially tiring day, you finally entered your house. Surprised to see the sitting room empty, where Lewis waits for you every time he's home early.

You sighed, instinctively petting Roscoe before moving inside the house. Desperate for a shower and clean clothes to get the day's stench off of you.

So imagine your shock when you walked into your bedroom,to discover Lewis and Rachel entwined in your bed, their bodies exposed and vulnerable. In your bed.

It took a second for you to process it while they both scrambled to get their clothes on. You just stared in disbelief while Rachel cried on the bed under covers and Lewis frantically wore his clothes while saying… something?

You felt like you were underwater for a second because you saw his mouth moving before his words started registering and tears started to pool in your eyes. The pain felt tangible, like a weight pressing down on your chest, as you confronted the unthinkable reality of their infidelity.

”Baby, let me explain. Ple- Please, this isn't what it looks like... I-”

You tore your eyes away from him before looking over at Rachel who was crying because she probably understood exactly what was happening.

You wanted to ask what exactly Lewis thought was going on but decided not to because your throat was closing up. The image of them together was burned into your brain. You just shook your head as tears fell from your eyes before turning around and walking out of the room.

As Lewis desperately jumbled to dress himself, his hands fumbling with buttons and zippers, he pleaded with you, his voice cracking with desperation.

”Y/N, please, you have to listen to me. This isn't what it looks like, I swear,” he implored, his eyes wide with panic as he reached out to touch your arm, but you flinched away as if his touch burned. Feeling disgusted and deceived.

”What do you mean it's not what it looks like?!” you finally managed to choke out, your voice trembling with damage and betrayal. ”I come home to find you two... in our bed, na- naked!”

Lewis's face contorted in anguish, his mind racing for the right words to say, but nothing seemed adequate in the face of your devastation.

”It's... it's a misunderstanding, Y/N, I promise,” he stammered, his voice strained with emotion. ”Rachel and I... we didn't plan for this to happen. It's just... things got out of hand, and we never meant to do you wrong.”

You shook your head in disbelief because you didn’t know what else to do truly, feeling as if the ground had been pulled out from beneath you. ”How could you do this to me, Lewis? I thought you… that you loved me,” your voice turned in a whisper.

All the times he had discussed the future rushed through your mind. He wanted to retire and repeatedly told you how he wanted to marry you. Your hands trembled as you suddenly remembered asking Rachel to be your bridesmaid.

Suddenly, the pressure on your chest got worse.

Lewis's eyes pleaded with you, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to find the right words. ”I don't know, Y/N. I don't know what came over me. I love you, you have to believe me. Please don't leave, we can work through this together.”

But his words fell on deaf ears as you turned away from him, the pain in your heart too raw to bear. ”I trusted you, Lewis. I trusted both of you,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the pounding of your heart.

As you moved towards the door, every step heavier than the last, Lewis's voice trembled with desperation, his hands reaching out to grasp yours, pleading for your attention.

”Y/N, please, don't leave,” he begged, his voice cracking with raw emotion. ”I messed up, I know I did, but I love you. Please, let me make it right.”

You paused, the weight of his words pressing down on you like a suffocating blanket. ”How can you say you love me after what you did?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper, thick with pain.

And with that, you turned away, leaving behind the shattered remains of the life you had once shared, the echoes of Lewis's pleas fading into the emptiness of the night. Swearing to never put your trust in anyone else ever again.

Carlos Sainz

You had sworn off of relationships for so long after your last one that it was honestly a miracle, as your friends and family put it, that you agreed to go out with Carlos. But he was the perfect gentleman to you. The person who gave you hope for a better future. Giving you hope that maybe all the ‘cheesy’ discourse was for you too.

He knew how you were hurt the last time and reassured you about how special you were to him and how you were always enough. Enough for him.

It slowly became a running joke once you guys hit the two year mark. You were finally at a stage where you had a loving partner that you could trust blindly.

So to say that you were blindsided would be an understatement…

Your fingers trembled as you scrolled through Carlos's phone, your heart racing with each new message that appeared on the screen.

You never thought you'd be the type to snoop, but the nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach had become too much to ignore. He was so distant lately and so secretive about his phone, it was slowly killing you.

There it was, undeniable proof staring back at you in blue and white. Messages from an unknown number, filled with suggestive language and promises of secrecy. Your breath got caught in your throat as you read through the damning evidence, your heart sinking with each word.

‘Hey babe, can't wait to see you tonight ;) xoxo’

The message hit you like a punch to the gut, your mind reeling with disbelief. How could Carlos do this to you? You thought you had something special, something worth fighting for. But now, all those hopes and dreams lay shattered at your feet.

You tried to push down the rising tide of emotion, to find some innocent explanation for what you were seeing. But deep down, you knew the truth – Carlos was cheating on you.

When he emerged from the bathroom, you were waiting for him, phone in hand and tears in your eyes. And as you looked into his eyes, you knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

”Carlos,” you whispered, the weight of your words heavy in the air as he stepped into the room, his tousled hair and relaxed demeanor a stark contrast to the turmoil raging inside you.

You weren’t really sure why you weren’t screaming and thrashing things around already. It was like you were frozen on the spot.

”What's wrong?” he asked, concern etched into his features as he took in your tear-streaked face and the phone clutched tightly in your hand. Though, when you looked at him, all you could see was how he was your everything. How you had given him your everything.

And you still weren’t enough.

You struggled to find the words, to articulate the emotions coursing through you. ”I found... I found something on your phone,” you finally managed, your voice trembling with emotion.

Carlos's expression faltered, his eyes flickering with uncertainty as he took a hesitant step closer. ”What do you mean?” he asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.

You took a shaky breath, steeling yourself for the confrontation to come. ”Messages,” you began, your voice barely audible as you held up the phone, displaying the incriminating evidence for him to see. ”From someone... someone you've been seeing behind my back.”

Carlos's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the screen, his hand instinctively reaching out to take the phone from you. ”Y/N, I swear, I can explain,” he stammered, his voice tinged with desperation. Why was he reaching for the phone and not your hand?

But the words fell on deaf ears as the full weight of his betrayal hit you like a ton of bricks. ”Explain?” you echoed, your voice trembling with disbelief. ”How can you even explain this, Carlos? How could you do this to me?”

He reached out to touch you, to offer comfort or reassurance, but you recoiled, the sting of his infidelity too raw and painful to bear. ”I trusted you,” you choked out, tears streaming down your face as you backed away from him. ”How could you-”

Can love like this be lost too? You’ve been on your knees begging the universe to grant you one love that wouldn’t be snatched from you. Thinking all your prayers had been heard only for him to do it too.

Carlos's expression crumbled as he watched you retreat, his own anguish mirroring yours. ”I never meant for this to happen,” he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. ”Please, Y/N, give me a chance to make things right.”

As Carlos pleaded with you, his words heavy with desperation, you couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt. His promises of love and devotion clashed with the evidence on his phone, leaving you torn between the man you thought you knew and the painful truth staring back at you.

You met his gaze, seeing the desperation etched into his features as he struggled to make you believe him. ”Can you hear me?” he implored, desperation lacing his words. ”You are always enough for me. Please, you have to believe me. I love you more than anything, Y/N.”

His words pulled at your heartstrings, the sincerity in his voice almost convincing you to give him another chance. But deep down, you knew that trust once broken was not easily repaired.

You met his gaze, feeling the weight of his plea bearing down on you. ”I hear you,” you replied softly, nodding through your tears, your voice tinged with sadness. ”But it's not that simple, Carlos. I want to believe you, but...”

Carlos's grip on you tightened, his body pressing against yours as he sought solace in your embrace. ”Please, don't leave,” he whispered, his voice filled with desperation. ”I'll do anything to make this right, to prove to you that you're the only one for me.”

Tears welled in your eyes as you pulled away, the pain of betrayal still raw and agonizing. ”No,” you murmured, your voice barely audible above the sound of your breaking heart. ”You did to us. You made me believe… I'm leaving. This is goodbye.”

With that, you turned and walked away, leaving Carlos standing alone in the wreckage of your brutally murdered relationship.

Charles Leclerc

You had rushed back home because for the first time in what feels like forever, your boyfriend was back home. Charles was a man of many charms. Despite being with him for so long, he still had you blushing and getting butterflies every time he was around.

He was busy when you got home so you decided to wash up but as you paced back and forth in the living room, your heart racing with anxiety, you didn’t know what to do to figure out what exactly Charles was doing.

Charles had been on the phone for what felt like hours, his voice hushed but urgent as he spoke to someone on the other end of the line. Normally, you wouldn't think much of it, but something about his tone tonight had set off alarm bells in your mind.

You tried to focus on a book, anything to distract yourself from the gnawing feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach. But every word you read seemed to blur together, your mind consumed with worry.

Finally, you couldn't take it anymore. With trembling hands, you set the book aside and made your way to the kitchen, where Charles was still on the phone.

”...I can't risk it tonight,” you heard him say, his tone strained ”She's coming home soon, and I don't want to risk it.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words. Who was he talking about? And why did he sound so nervous?

Curiosity getting the better of you, you crept closer, straining to hear the other end of the conversation.

”...I know, I know,” Charles continued, his voice growing even more frantic. ”But I can't keep doing this. It's not fair to her, and it's not fair to you.”

Your blood ran cold at his words. What did he mean, ‘not fair to her?’ And who the fuck was he talking to?

Before you could process it all, Charles abruptly ended the call and turned to find you standing in the doorway, your eyes wide with shock and hurt.

”Y/N,” he started, his voice wavering as he took in your expression. ”I... I didn't realize you were there.”

You struggled to find your voice, your mind racing with a thousand questions. ”Who were you talking to, Charles?” you managed to choke out, your voice barely above a whisper.

Charles' eyes flickered with guilt as he shifted uncomfortably under your gaze. ”It's... it's nothing, Y/N,” he stammered, but you could tell he was lying. ”Just a friend.”

But you weren't buying it. Not after what you had just heard. ”A friend?” you repeated, your voice rising with anger and hurt. ”Is that what you call my replacement?”

Charles' face paled at your accusation, his eyes widening in shock. ”Baby, it's not what you think,” he protested, but you could hear the desperation in his voice. He looked so scared, as if he knew he was gonna get caught up into lies.

”Then what is it, Charles?” you demanded, your voice trembling with emotion. ”Enlighten me.”

He hesitated, his gaze flickering away from yours as if unable to meet your eyes. ”It's... it's complicated,” he finally admitted, but his words offered little comfort.

”There's nothing complicated about cheating on someone you claim to love.” You were trying to compose yourself, not show him how deeply his words had cut you but your hands were trembling and your voice was cracking. Face pale and eyes glassy.

Charles winced at your words, his guilt written plainly across his face. ”You’re the only person I love,” he insisted, his voice barely above a whisper. ”It's just... things got out of hand.”

You felt like you had been punched in the gut. How could he stand there and try to justify his betrayal? How could he expect you to forgive him after this? Why the fuck was he the one looking distort?

”I trusted you, Charles,” you choked out, tears welling in your eyes. He shouldn’t be expecting you to treat him as a victim too when he was the one guilty. ”I thought we had something special.”

Charles' expression softened, his eyes brimming with remorse. ”We do, Y/N,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. ”I love you, more than anything. Please, you have to believe me.”

But love now felt like a distant memory, tarnished by his infidelity. ”How can I believe anything you say after this?” You scoffed bitterly. Angry at yourself for crying in front of the man who has probably been sleeping with someone else for months now.

Charles reached out to you, his hand trembling as he brushed a tear from your cheek. ”I'll do anything to make it up to you, Y/N,” he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. ”Just give me a chance to prove it.”

You whispered, your voice heavy with resignation,”There are no second chances for cheaters.”

Lando Norris

Because of multiple torments inflicted by past lovers, you were always resistant to fall head first in any relationship. Hesitant to give your heart knowing recovering was going to be the absolute worst.

Comes in, Lando. The man who broke through all your barriers, took down the walls you put around yourself and had you love struck in a matter of time.

For a moment, everything was amazing. He was the best person you could've asked for. He looked at you as if you put the stars up in the sky.

Who could've thought?

Who could've thought that the same fucking man would have you breaking down at a family event in front of everyone.

The room buzzed with conversation as you sat at the dinner table, trying to ignore the growing tension in the air.

Lando's hand found yours under the table, his thumb tracing soothing circles on your palm. ”Are you okay?” he whispered, concern etched in his voice.

You forced a smile, nodding faintly. ”Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed,” you murmured, hoping to brush off your unease. Why was everyone looking at you with such pity?

But Lando's gaze remained fixed on you, his eyes searching yours for any sign of distress. ”You know you can talk to me, right?” he said softly, squeezing your hand gently.

Before you could respond, a sudden hush fell over the room, drawing your attention to the commotion across the room. You followed Lando's gaze, your heart sinking as you saw him make eye contact with one of your cousins, their faces morphing as if they were having a whispered conversation.

”What's going on?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper as dread coiled in the pit of your stomach.

You have seen this scene before and you did not like where this was going. Feeling overwhelmed, you got up and excused yourself from the table. Slightly glad to have Lando do the same.

This was all a confusion. You repeated in your head before standing outside the venue, away from distressed eyes and hushed gossips.

Lando's grip on your hand tightened, his expression unreadable as he turned to face you. ”I... I need to talk to you,” he said, his voice strained with emotion.

Your heart plummeted as you watched him fidget, every step feeling like a weight bearing down on your chest. ”What is it?” you asked, your voice trembling with apprehension.

Lando hesitated, his eyes darting away from yours as if unable to meet your gaze. ”I... I don't know how to say this,” he began, his voice faltering.

Just then, your cousin appeared at his side, her expression a mix of guilt and defiance. ”Y/N, we need to talk,” she said, her voice tinged with remorse.

They exchanged another glance and something in your mind stopped working.

Your breath caught in your throat as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the truth hitting you like a sledgehammer to the chest. ”No...” you whispered, the word barely a breath as tears welled in your eyes.

Lando reached out to you as you took a step away from them, his voice a desperate plea. ”Please, let me explain,” he begged, his eyes brimming with regret.

But you pulled away, the sting of deceit too raw and painful to bear. ”Not you too,” you choked out, your voice breaking with emotion. ”How could you do this to me?”

There were no answers, no explanations that could erase the pain of their breach of trust. They both just watched as you started crying softly. Apparently everyone in your family knew too.

As tears welled in your eyes, Lando's pleading voice cut through the air. ”Y/N, please, just give me a chance to explain.” His hand reached out towards you, but you recoiled, his touch now feeling like a betrayal.

”Explain what?” you retorted, your voice laced with disbelief. ”That you cheated on me with my cousin?”

Lando's eyes widened in panic but instead your cousin's voice broke through the tension, filled with regret. ”Y/N, I'm so sorry. It was a mistake, it shouldn't have happened.”

Anger surged within you at her words. ”Sleeping with my fucking boyfriend was a mistake?” you shot back, incredulous at the audacity of her apology.

Lando stepped forward, his expression a mix of remorse and longing. ”I never meant to cause you any pain, Y/N. Please believe me,” he pleaded, his voice trembling with emotion.

Your trust had shattered along with your heart. 

His voice quivered as he spoke again, desperation lacing his words. ”I love you, Y/N. I made a stupid mistake, but it doesn't change how I feel about you.”

But love now felt like a distant memory, tarnished by their adultery.

”If this is love, I want no part of it,” you declared, your voice filled with anguish. Knowing deep down that you meant it.

Your cousin reached out to you, her eyes brimming with tears. ”Y/N, please, you have to understand...” But understanding felt beyond your reach, lost in a sea of pain and betrayal.

”Understand what?” you cried out, your voice breaking with emotion. ”That my own sister betrayed me with my… my boyfriend?”

Lando's plea echoed in the air, his voice thick with desperation. ”I'll do anything to make it up to you, Y/N. Just give me a chance.”

But the chance had already been squandered, lost in the wreckage of their infidelity.

”You had your chance, Lando, and you blew it.” You wish you could be angry and put them to their places but your chest was hurting so much that it was almost dizzy.

You felt sick and on the verge of passing out.

”I'll do anything to make things right, Y/N. Just tell me what to do.” But there was nothing they could do to undo the damage that had been done, no words or actions that could mend the broken pieces of your heart.

They have insulted you in front of your whole family.

”There's nothing you can do to fix this, Lando. You've ruined everything,” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper as you turned away, the weight of their betrayal too heavy to bear.

As you walked away, their voices faded into the background, drowned out by the deafening roar of your own heartbreak. And as you stumbled out into the night, the stars above offering no solace, you vowed never to let anyone break you again.

( writing masterlist \ main masterlist \ drop a request ) ©maxtermind // do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platforms.

[starkwlkr]

I LOVE YOUR CHARLES FICS ESPECIALLY THE RUBY ONES OMG! This might sound strange, but could you write one where Y/N gets tired of the paparazzi and tries to physically fight a reporter? Kinda like the björk reporter incident in the 90’s. I wanna hear Charles and ruby’s reactions!

that’s my wife! | charles leclerc

charles: you know the only reason i got married was so i could yell that’s my wife whenever i wanted?

also i made it SLIGHTLY different so instead of fighting the paparazzi, mama leclerc throws hands with toxic f1 fanboys 😍

Y/n always hated paparazzi, it was no surprise. She knew from the start of her relationship with Charles that she would be photographed whenever they stepped out. She knew what she was getting herself into when she started dating Charles and she tried to ignore it. It worked for a couple years and then Ruby and Mathéo came along. Being a mother changed Y/n. She was more protective of her children and husband.

When she wasn’t in the paddock, she was back home in Monaco with the kids and Pascale. The wag pages updated on where she was and some fans would try to find her.

During the week that Charles was away, Y/n was out with the kids in sunny Monaco. Ruby needed new school supplies and Y/n needed to buy Mathéo new clothes so she took both of her kids to the store. Charles has told her many times to at least have someone with her when she went out, but Y/n didn’t think it was necessary.

“Maman! Can I have this one?” Ruby pointed to a pink backpack that was on a window display.

“You already have a backpack, my love, we are only buying items we need like journals and books for you and new clothes for Théo, okay? And maybe we’ll get ice cream after. How does that sound?” Y/n asked the little girl, who seemed bummed that she wasn’t getting the pretty pink backpack she saw, but cheered up when her maman mentioned ice cream.

Ruby held onto the stroller as the family of three walked the sidewalk to the nearest store that sold school supplies. That’s when Ruby noticed a man pointing his phone at them. She wondered why and asked her maman.

“Let’s go inside, quickly.” Y/n told Ruby as they finally made it to the store.

“Why is he staring?” Ruby stared back at the man and even stuck out her tongue at him when he wouldn’t stop recording.

“Don’t pay attention, Ruby Jules. Let’s go.” Y/n grabbed Ruby’s hand.

“I don’t like him, maman.” Ruby whispered.

“I don’t either,” Y/n sighed as she started her shopping. But the man, who was still recording, decided to make her day worse.

“Tell Charles that Max is the better driver!” He was clearly trying to get a reaction out of her. “Fuck Ferrari!”

And suddenly, Y/n had so much anger built up in her that it made her snatch the phone from the man’s hands and throw it as far as possible. It practically landed on the other side of the shop.

“What the fuck!”

“Don’t ever disrespect my husband like that. Have the day you deserve, shithead.” Y/n turned the stroller holding a sleeping Mathéo and grabbed Ruby’s hand. “Fuck you.” She pushed past the man as she exited the shop.

As the mom had her back turned, Ruby stuck her tongue out again at the stranger.

“And then maman said a bad word and we left! But the phone flew so far and the man looked like he was going to cry!” Ruby said enthusiastically into the phone. Charles was still gone, but news spread of the incident in the shop. Most people were defending Y/n’s actions since the man was clearly harassing the family.

“Really? So maman almost made a grown man cry, that’s my wife!” Charles laughed. Before talking with Ruby on the phone, he had gotten the full story from his wife.

“That’s my maman!” Ruby yelled.

[f1girliefics]

F1 Drivers when Someone is Flirting With Them - Preferences

Max Verstappen, Danniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz x Reader

Warning: Smut

Scenario: You were out with your boyfriend, having an amazing time at a club when suddenly a girl came up and started flirting with him, right in front of you.

She was clearly a bit drunk, so you tried to be nice and tell her you are his girlfriend, but she didn't listen.

She kept on flirting no matter what he said, suddenly, she turned to you and complimented your dress.

"I also love your make-up. Is your lipgloss Fenty?"

"No. It's his cum." you replied with the most serious expression.

Max Verstappen

He was in the middle of a sip from his drink and he spat all of it out on the floor.

Both of them were too speechless to say anything, so you took the opportunity.

"This is the part where you leave." you said and the girl quickly nodded and left.

Max watched you as your eyes followed her before you turned back to him and he still couldn't believe what you just said. 

"You are something else." he said as he finally laughed along with you.

"You know I was half joking, you can make it true." you suggested and Max didn't need to be told twice as he dragged you back to your hotel room.

Daniel Ricciardo

He would laugh so loud everyone could hear it even with the loud music playing in the club.

He would laugh for so long, that the girl had to leave due to her embarrassment. 

"Lipgloss? Really?" he asked as he still laughed, it made you smile.

"Well, she wouldn't leave." you shrugged your shoulders as Daniel finally stopped and gave you a big kiss.

"She left now." he whispered into your ear.

"Looks like we are wearing the same brand." you said as you ran your thumb over his lips and laughed.

He soon followed with a roll of laughter. 

Lando Norris

Lando was about to say something when you spoke up.

What you said shocked him.

You were always so innocent and cute around him and everyone, so this was completely unexpected.

But he loved this side of you as well.

Completely unexpected, but he liked it very much.

You smiled at him so innocently and he wondered how could you just say that and then go back to being so nice?

"She annoyed me." you admitted and Lando nodded.

"She was annoying. Thank you for making her leave, I tried to push her but-"

"I saw, she just didn't get it... stupid bitch." you whispered the last part and Lando looked at you surprised.

"You have quite the mouth on you."

"Yeah, well I don't want anyone stealing my boyfriend..."

"Is that why you would wear my... hmm on your lips."

"I think we have done more... interesting things before."

"We have... we for sure have." he laughed as you smiled.

He knew you were no innocent little girl, but something about you talking like that really got his imagination flowing.

Oscar Piastri

Speechless.

Absolutely stunned.

Doesn't know what to do or say.

Zero clue.

The girl just awkwardly left as you smirked, making her finally leave.

You looked back at Oscar who was probably having a mental breakdown in complete silence right about now.

"So, I was thinking we could go to my parents for the summer." you said as you took a sip from your cocktail.

He finally came back and shook his head with a smile.

"How do you come up with this stuff?"

"What? Plans for the summer?"

"No... your lipgloss."

"Well, she was about to put your head straight into her boobs, so I had to say something."

"I love you."

"Love you too, Oscar."

Carlos Sainz

It actually took him a moment to fully process what you just said.

The girl was long gone, you drank another cocktail when he realized what just happened.

"Why would you use it as lipgloss?" he asked and you almost laughed at how late he was to the party.

"Well... why not?" you shrugged and laughed as he smiled, eyes still filled with confusion.

You had to explain to him later that you only said that so she would leave, you didn't actually have any lipgloss on.

He still wouldn't fully get it. But now the image of his cum on your lips couldn't leave his mind.

Charles Leclerc 

His eyes went wide as he held his laughter in, but he failed.

He actually turned to the girl and said, "This is your sign to move."

And she did, fast.

Charles smiled at you as you watched the woman leave.

"I love you so much." he said and you smiled at him. "You and your dirty mouth."

You laughed as he leaned in for a kiss.

A/N: Shoutout to CupcakKe's Squidward Nose lyrics when she said "So can I wear your cum as clear lipgloss?" for the inspo.

[moviecritc]

after midnight ⋆ lestappen

pairing: lestappen x driver!reader

summary: charles doesn't want to accept that he has feelings for both of max and you

word count: 1.8K

warnings: making out, grope? (idk how to saying in english, but in spanish would be meter mano o manosear)

masterlist | wattpad | letterboxd

part 1 | part 2

Max and Y/N had once again achieved a 1-2, it was the third consecutive race they had achieved this result.

Everyone was cheering their names, and then there was Charles. He had managed to finish third because George DNF'd on the last lap and he took his place in the race.

Charles had always felt a mixture of envy and admiration for the Red Bull duo.

Envy for their driving style and tactics to win all the races and admiration for their personalities. Max stood out simply for being himself, calculating and fierce both on and off the track, his blue eyes sent shivers down Charles' spine. Even more so when he saw him without the fireproofs.

Y/N was slighty warmer than him, but still he feared her, with a somewhat rebellious driving style, Y/N had won the championship last year and was fighting for her second. She was much more open than Max and she was the one who humanized the team, separating her person from her race number very well. Most of the time she was Y/N L/N, when she got into the car she was simply the 1. It was impossible not to fall in love with her, from the moment she joined the competition she had become the girl of the paddock, the representative of all women in motorsport, and she wore it with pride. She has collaborated to form the F1 Academy, has financed dozens of girls to make a place for themselves in the sport and now she was forming her own F1 Academy team with Rare Beauty as a collaborator. She was an ambitious, determined, and also beautiful woman, Charles had found it impossible to resist her.

The most surprising thing was how well Max and Y/N got along off the track, they lived relatively close in Monaco and there had been several times when they had been seen having dinner together. Most of the people said they only had common friends, a few said there was something more than friendship.

The chemistry was undeniable, Y/N brought out the best side of Max in interviews and Max knew how to stop Y/N when she talked too much.

Charles knew the podium was going to be uncomfortable, Max and Y/N celebrating their victories and pouring champagne on each other, and Charles just being there, knowing that neither of them cared at all about his P3.

Surprisingly, Y/N approached him and patted him on the shoulder as she congratulated him, but immediately Max once again drew all of Y/N's attention by soaking her with champagne. Charles drank from his bottle as he watched Max half-kneeling and Y/N pouring champagne from her bottle into his mouth.

That scene caused Charles a strange sensation. Seeing Max like that, slightly kneeling with his hair and suit dampened by a mixture of alcohol and sweat. Y/N with the glow of victory in her eyes and her suit adapting to the curves of her body.

There was something so sexual about that scene that it overwhelmed Charles. His attraction to Y/N he had assimilated, with just a couple of words he knew she would be the woman of his dreams. The problem was that when he was with Max that feeling doubled. The idea of ​​not being a spectator anymore and being with both of them made his heart race.

After finishing all the interviews, Y/N approached Charles. "Hey, we're going to get a drink, wanna come?"

Charles blinked. "Me?"

He pointed to himself, surprised by the invitation and interaction. In all those years he had hardly ever spoken to Y/N, except for business matters, which made her even more ethereal.

Y/N laughed in a natural way and brushed her hair away from her face. "Sure. Max and I usually have a drink with whoever comes third, and today it was you." By the way she said it, it seemed like it was already a routine. "So? Do you feel like it?"

"Uh, yes, yes. I'd love to," he nodded, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"Great!" she said with a smile. Charles was impressed by her constant naturalness. "We'll get dressed up and then see you at the club."

Y/N gave him a squeeze on the shoulder and left the paddock with Max, who had been present throughout the conversation from a prudent distance.

At the after-party - for lack of a better term - there were many people from Red Bull, too many, and Charles felt like an intruder. He locked eyes with Y/N, who gestured to him as soon as she saw him. She was at a table almost in the center of the place with Max, some friends, and Lando Norris. That guy was always everywhere.

"Charles! Come here, come on. What do you want to drink?" exclaimed Y/N.

Charles approached, somewhat impressed by all of this. Y/N made room for him next to her and instead of fist-bumping, she gave him two kisses. Max, on the other hand, stretched his arm over Y/N to greet him and then left his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to his chest. Y/N didn't mind.

"P3, huh? That was very good," commented Max.

Y/N groaned immediately. "We always talk about races, let's talk about something interesting."

"Isn't Formula interesting?" Max spoke, tilting his head.

"Not with you," said Y/N.

They all laughed and Max made a face.

Y/N once again focused all her attention on Charles, he noticed how Y/N's heel was circling around his calf.

"What about your love life, Charlie?" she asked, without hesitation.

The nickname caught Charles off guard, and even more so the question. If she was asking, it was because she cared.

Max clicked his tongue, telling him he didn't have to answer.

How was Charles going to explain that every time he had felt some sexual desire it had been because of her and her teammate? "Boring," he ended up saying, with a slight frown.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, almost disappointed. "How can it be boring? You're too handsome for your love life to be boring."

Charles lowered his gaze with a silly smile, noticing that Max hadn't stopped looking at him, as if he too were expectant of the answer.

"Don't listen to her, Charles. She rambles when she's drunk," commented Max, rolling his eyes a bit.

"And you get a thousand times more boring when you drink," Y/N gave Max a pat on the thigh, too close to the crotch for some to think.

Y/N drank from Max's gin and tonic and relaxed against his chest because no one was starting a conversation. She quickly got bored and looked at Max with a pout. "Will you dance with me?"

"No," he replied immediately.

"You asshole," Y/N wasted no time. "Charles?"

Charles looked up from his drink. "Huh?"

"Let's dance," she didn't even ask, she got up and pulled Charles' arm while flipping Max off before heading to the dance floor.

Charles knew she had only pulled him to dance to mess with Max, but that moment was like living a fever dream. The music hardly had any lyrics, it was pure beats on instruments. Y/N pressed her body against his in time with the music, so much so that sometimes it seemed like she was rubbing against him.

"You have beautiful eyes, Charlie," Y/N said, getting close to his ear so much that he could almost hear her saliva. She put an arm over his shoulder and kept dancing.

"Thank you," he replied, not knowing what else to say.

Their faces were getting closer and closer, while both could feel Max's gaze on them. When their noses brushed, it was Y/N who stopped, looking at him for a few seconds. She removed her arm from Charles's shoulder and bit her lip, as if she were nervous.

"Hold on, I have to talk to Max," she declared, before leaving the dance floor, leaving Charles stranded and confused.

He returned to the table, not knowing what had happened, but Max and YN were no longer sitting there. Lando pointed in the direction they had gone. He found them leaning against the door of what seemed to be a private room in the club; for a moment, he thought they were arguing because of the tone of their voices, but as he listened to the conversation, he began to feel chills.

"You like him too," Y/N insisted. "Deny it. Deny that it doesn't turn you on when you see him in the fireproofs."

"Damn, yes. But it doesn't matter, I've already told you he won't want to," Max grumbled, with a distressed expression.

"You don't know that," Y/N clenched her jaw.

"He's very uptight, and insecure."

Those two words echoed in Charles's head. Insecure… he knew he was, but he hadn't realized until now that other people might notice it.

"Max, I really want him," Y/N complained. "Just imagining him watching us fuck already turns me on, imagine with us in bed." She pressed herself against Max's chest, with a grimace.

Charles felt an instant satisfaction knowing that they also fantasized about him, at least he wasn't the only weird one. He thought about the possibilities of joining the conversation, or just letting them know he was there.

"Are you Charles Leclerc? Can we take a photo?"

Before Charles could react, Y/N and Max peeked their faces around the door, her with a little smile and him slightly nervous. It was an awkward moment while the fan took the photo, but when he left, both Max and Y/N were looking at him with crossed arms and feline eyes.

"How long have you been there?" Max questioned, raising his eyebrows. He thought his friendship with Charles was going to become quite awkward after that.

Charles didn't waste time. "I… I want to,"

Max and Y/N looked at each other, with a devilish smile.

"Really?" confirmed Max.

"Yes,"

Max didn't need anything else to pull him into the room and close the door behind them. Surprisingly, Charles and he were the first to kiss while Y/N watched them. Then Y/N attacked Charles's lips at the same time as Max left marks on his girlfriend's neck. Being in the middle of the two was too much for her; having so many hands on her made her messy. Eager for more, she pulled Charles's hand towards her inner thigh. He stopped at that exact moment.

A feeling of guilt, almost shame, overwhelmed him. The other two noticed it and stopped as well. "Is something wrong?" Y/N placed her hand on Charles's thigh, but that only made him stand up as soon as he felt the contact.

"I can't…" Charles didn't finish the sentence. "I better go."

[vivwritesfics]

I have an idea!! Hufflepuff!Lando but with scary Slytherin!Gf privileges Or Slytherin!Max with Hufflepuff!Gf who has scary dog privileges

You have in a Harry potter x f1 chokehold

-🐮

(when i reopen my inbox i'd loooove for more of these requests) (also, for anybody called ingrid im sorry)

YOU GET BOTH!! Starting with the max one:

Jos Verstappen was infamous in the wizarding world. He'd killed an insane number of witches and wizards and tried to kill little Charles Leclerc, the chosen one. But Charles was the reason that Jos had lost all of his power.

One day after this, Charles started Hogwarts at the same time as Max Verstappen, the son of the man that had killed his parents.

Max's welcome into Hogwarts was as expected. They fucking hated him and they weren't shy of hiding it. For his first few years at the school it sucked, but Max got used to it. Let them hate him, he realised. He couldn't give less of a shit.

But there was one person that didn't hate him. She didn't treat him like the monster his father was, the monster he probably was too. She made him feel ordinary, normal. And he loved it.

He loved her.

She skipped into the hall without much of a care, typical Hufflepuff of her. She didn't got to her table, didn't join those at her house table. Instead she went over to the Slytherin table. The other Slytherins didn't much like it, but Max didn't care. If his girl wanted to sit with him, she would.

Nobody would dare stand up to him.

"Hey, Maxie," she said as she slipped into the seat beside him. She kissed his cheek and began reaching for food.

Max wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "Are you watching the match tomorrow?" He asked her as she began eating.

She nodded her head and swallowed her food. "Can I borrow your scarf?" She asked. There was no way she was missing a chance to watch Max and Charles race each other for the snitch on the quidditch pitch.

"Of course," Max said and kissed the top of her head again.

They ate together before she had to run off for herbology and Max had charms. She ran after Lando Norris as she saw him walking off and linked her arm through his. "Bob," she said as they headed off to herbology.

"Ingrid." Her name wasn't Ingrid, just like his name wasn't Bob. But they were just their silly little names for each other. "How is the Slytherin boyf?"

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Boyfriend, not boyf," she said as he led the way. "He's okay, though. He's looking forward to the match tomorrow."

"Has anybody given you anymore shit for being with him?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"They always give me shit, Lan," she muttered as they walked into Professor Vowles class. "Don't say anything to Max. He'd only lose his shit."

And he would lose his shit if he knew that other students still harassed her for dating him. He'd seen it once before, and he had lost his shit. It was enough to scare the other students away, especially when he was around.

But then when Max wasn't around, the bullying started up again. It fucking sucked, but she tried to not let it get to her.

And then one day, Max saw it.

She was sat on the fountain, waiting for him when they approached. A group of slightly younger Gryffindors. They hated Max more than anybody. "Oh look," one of them shouted. "It's the Verstappen shagger."

She ignored them, turned the other way to look for Max. "Oh, come on, sweetheart," the one at the front of the pack shouted after her. "Just admit it."

"Admit what?" She found herself spitting.

"Admit that you're with him because you're scared of him."

Suddenly, her fist flew out, striking the first Gryffindor on the cheek. "Fuck," she gasped, immediately pulling her knuckles into her chest, cradling them. The Gryffindor stumbled back, clearly surprised.

This was the bit that Max saw. He walked out of the castle just in time to see her fist make contact with the Gryffindor. Instantly Max ran over. "Hey!" He shouted, his voice deep. The Gryffindors immediately looked over, their eyes going wide. "Get the fuck away from her!" He shouted.

The began to scarper, but Max chased after them. "Max! Wait!" She cried as she grabbed a hold of his robes.

He was practically foaming it at the mouth as he turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I hate them," he seethed as he pressed his nose against her hair. "I hate all of them."

"It's okay, Maxie," she whispered as she reached up to run her hands through his hair. "Don't give them any more fuel."

She felt him relax against her. But he kept his arms wrapped around her, squeezing her tight. "They all expect me to be like him that they won't give me a chance to be myself. What if they're right, though? What if I'm destined to be a monster like him?"

"Maxie," she whispered and moved out from beneath her. But she still kept his arms around her. "You're not him and you'll never be him," she said. "You're Max. My big, scary, Slytherin boyfriend Max."

[saintescuderia]

pancakes (pt. 3)

AKA - the story of how the naive australian rookie befriended the gym junkie F1 hospitality worker with the shoe collection - and inadvertently broke the grid's most treasured and unspoken rule: you don't go for y/n.

series masterlist here :) // the pancakes recipe here :)

A/N: don't come for me. i love daniel. it's all for plot. (also, if the timeline seems odd it’s bc creative liberties have been taken 😌)

P3 - stairmaster endurance

As you walked down the steps to the Drivers Gala in your stunning red dress, you were unaware how one Ferrari driver couldn’t take his eyes off you. Looking at you smiling elegantly to one of the reps who greeted you, Charles realised just how much of a mistake he had made. Carlos was at his side, saying something that was back ground noise. All Charles could focus on was you. Your flowing hair, your eyes glinting in the light as you smiled your beautiful smile at whoever was talking to you. You always spoke with such passion. Charles always loved that about you. He would always love every little thing about you—

The alarm went off. 

You blinked and stopped the timer notification that essentially shook you out of the deep rabbit hole of F1 fanfiction you had found yourself falling into. Closing the purple app, you wondered why you still remained on Tumblr even after the 2013 hype of it died and everyone shifted to Twitter. Let alone the fact that your Tumblr had become your closeted way to fangirl about the sport you had dedicated your life to.

Then again, what were you to expect? The algorithm clearly picked up on your interests. That or the government was listening in and knew that Formula 1 was your day-to-day. That would explain how, one day, you were simply scrolling through the random, niche memes and BAM! You were met with the completely random gif-set of Arthur Leclerc and Oscar Piastri sat in an interview for Prema. 

It had caught you off guard, seeing that come up on your phone screen. It had also been a while since you had seen Arthur. For the whole duration of that single and endless moment, you didn't know how to react.

So your thumb double tapped the screen.

And maybe it was your fault for liking it, for encouraging the algorithm. But you could’t help but smile at the gif of Arthur confident and proud of his 18 hour screen time. That boy had no filter and never gave a fuck about the social norm. That and he often just didn’t read the room. Even after all these years, and his climb up the motorsport ladders, that youthful element about him had remained. It made you smile. You always liked that about him.

However, with that gif-set came more stuff. Innocent stuff. More F2 bits - you really missed those boys - and then everything else. Funny bits of Max at Red Bull. Carlos and Lando. All the Guenther Steiner moments. It was a little weird to be liking gifs of a team principal, you were well aware, but if anything it just made you feel proud of how far the German-Italian had come.

Back in the old Red Bull days, Guenther would always tell you about his dreams of directing his own team. It was nice to see him finally achieve that. It was also an endless source of amusement for you.

For example: the day Kevin had shattered the door.

When it happened, though, it was definitely not a laughing matter. You had been just finishing up the lunch service at the Haas motorhome - making sure to pack up some food for the drivers and mechanics who still were in a meeting - when you had heard the loud noise. Mack, the sous-chef, had stopped and looked at you with wide eyes.

You had both exited the kitchen to walk out to the main space of the motorhome and see other Haas employees equally as confused and whispering. Not getting a clear answer, you patted Mack on the shoulder and returned to the kitchen to finish plating up Kevin and Romain’s lunch for later. 

Fifteen minutes later, however, and you had gotten your answer when Guenther stormed into the kitchen fuming. “He does not slam my fucking office door! What am I going to do? Call Gene and tell him his drivers are some fucking idiot babies?!”

You had simply stared at him, blinkingly.

Guenther had then spied a plate of food sitting on the bench. “That fucking driver doesn’t deserve any of your fucking food!” And he picked the plate and dumped plate with its contents in the bin.  

“Guenther," you had began in a calm voice, "that was my lunch. Kevin’s plate is in the fridge.”

“Well eat his fucking food! Or—" Guenther reached into his pocket and pulled out a credit card and slammed it onto the table in front of you. “Go to a fucking five star hotel and have lunch there on that fucking idiot baby's pay.”

And the two of you had actually done so.

Even after he calmed down, Guenther had been adamant to take you to lunch which, admittedly, wasn't the most odd thing ever. Guenther was removed enough from all the driver drama and you had known him a for long time. You were the reason he had helped in the debut in 2016 anyway.

Still, no matter how Guenther Guenther was, Kevin was still a driver. You knew how it might look.

Said driver, however, had thankfully just dismissed it when you offered to pay him back. "Make me those mini pizzas next time you're with us and we're good."

And so when you clocked on this morning to see you were covering Haas, you immediately smiled and went to make good on your promise to K-Mag.

You always loved working in the Haas motorhome. If only half the stuff you saw Guenther did and said ended up in gif-sets on Tumblr.

Pushing yourself off the stool, you pocketed your phone and grabbed the oven mitts to pull out the mini pizzas. You had made extra for the engineers since there was an issue with Nico’s PU and knew they would be up late working on the engine. It wasn’t a secret that your pizzas were a coveted snack, being low-carb and high protein enough for even the drivers to consume. You were half expecting Fred Vasseur to pop in and steal some. He did love these pizzas. Any time you were stationed at Alfa Romeo, it was a guarantee you would be making them at his request.

Though, now Fred was moving to Ferrari. So you weren't sure if he was still going to be nice to you. Mattia Binotto had always treated you like the fucking plague.

"Ah, Y/N. For fuck's sake!" You heard the German accent and felt your mouth curve up into a smile as Guenther arrived on scene. He was dressed in the Haas gear for 2023, lanyard around his neck. "You still here running the coffee when you can beat any of these idiots in the car."

You gave him a fake two finger salute. "If I drove, no one would stand a chance."

"Well maybe you could help us score some fucking points." Guenther said. Immediately, he got down to business. "Harry Kane did well last night. Scored two fucking goals."

You snorted. One of the many reasons you and Guenther bonded so well was that you one of the few people amongst this Paddock that took football seriously. Almost as seriously as Formula 1. Almost.

"Didn't see it." You said, shaking your head. Bundesliga was lower on your list of priorities when it came to games. You only paid attention to the German league when it came to teams making it into Champions League. Besides, Guenther should’ve known what game you were watching last night. Still, you reminded him. "The Reds were playing."

He rolled his eyes, though unsurprised. "Of course you're going to watch English fucking football."

"Hey, only because of Salah.” You reminded him and hit your chest proudly, “I gotta represent."

"That much is fucking obvious." Guenther said. One of the many reasons you liked working in Haas so much was that it was by far the most relaxed garage out of them all. For example, you hadn't yet taken off the hoodie you wore which had, on top, the number 10 Liverpool jersey. It looked unprofessional, having a t-shirt over a jumper like that, especially mixed with the headscarf you had tied on your head like a durag, but Guenther couldn’t care less. If anything, he was probably just offended at your choice of EPL team.

“United is fucking Red.”

"Ah, Guenther. You know my heart really lies." You reminded him.

Your uncle, with his love for football, had brought you up following the iconic Real Madrid. He literally visited the hospital with a teddy bear and Bernabeu membership, adamant he would get his newborn niece into the sport. No matter what.

From the moment he found out your number one team, Guenther was salty. “Los Blancos.” He scoffed. “The fucking villains of football." He came round to see the circular pieces of bread covered with sauce and an array of different toppings. Guenther picked one up - and immediately dropped it. "Fuck!"

"It's hot." You said, dryly. You took out another tray and set it down. You closed the oven door and turned it off. You flipped the towel over your shoulder as you watched Guenther now at the sink, running water over his burnt fingers.

"You don't fucking say." Guenther blowing on his fingers.

“Stop being a baby.” You laughed, bringing up your hands to your head to fix your headscarf.

Guenther ignored that comment. "Fred fucking loves these things. Don't tell him you made them. I don't want him in here stealing them."

You said nothing and turned around to pretend to busy yourself with the trays of mini pizzas. It was best to just remain quiet sometimes. Bahrain testing had kept everyone occupied and at that start of the season F1 Hospitality were usually running around after Stefano Domenicali and the FIA Co. for last minute set up. It was only into the race calendar that Hospitality were eventually went around to the teams.

So, no. You hadn't seen Fred. You hadn't seen anyone. You were just grateful that your first race of 2023 was in the safety of Haas. Nico and Kevin were older and, therefore, a little more out of it when it came to driver drama. If they knew anything, they were old enough to be mature about it.

Though, that couldn't be the same of others from their generation. You were already losing sleep from the feelings that arose from seeing Daniel in Red Bull gear. It didn't help that the last time you two had spoken, things hadn't exactly been civil.

You were on the stair-master. The clock on the machine read 37:48. The sweat was dripping off you.

Your grey jumper had darkened in shades, wet from the sweat. You kept your hands on your head as you stepped and stepped and stepped and stepped. Angsty rap music blasted into your ears. Tinnitus was likely to worsen, but you would take that over the shit storm that was currently breaking all over the Paddock. 

I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press statement late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract for Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year. 

Oscar hadn’t even yet joined Formula 1 and he was already stirring trouble. That was a problem. For you. You were supposed to lay low. The whole point of this was to lay low and not drawing any attention to yourself. The agreement was that you could still be there if only in the role of Hospitality. 

And the idiot had tweeted that and then, ten minutes later, decided to follow you.

How he even found your Twitter was surprising? It wasn’t very personal - your profile picture was solid black - so no fans would be able to recognise you. But the Paddock? The FIA and your bosses? They were raising confused eyebrows that Oscar Piastri would drop that bomb and then follow you.

You could already imagine what Otmar was going to say. God, the 2023 season hadn’t fully started and you were already dreading walking into the Alpine home. And then Jos Verstappen was rumoured to be attending more races this year and who could forget about Daniel coming back to Red Bull? The universe apparently needed to give you some character development, it seemed.

Your legs ached, begging to stop. Your mind thought about pressing the red emergency button, to just end it. But you knew better. You knew this was all a mind game. Pain is an allusion. Keep going. Shit hurts but you push through. Keep going. Keep going. Keep fucking going. It's what you always told yourself. It's how you got yourself through everything. It's how you'll get through all of this. If you can push through the pain of the stairmaster, then you can push through the pain of anything. You had learned that pain was temporary and it was just a mind-game. You could always go longer than you thought possible. You just had to keep reminding yourself of that fact. So, right now, it was just practice. Each step you took right now was practicing the endurance of pain from this stairmaster fucking filling your legs. If you could get through this, you would be able to handle any drama in the future.

Unfortunately, drama walked through the door before you could make it through the current pain of said stairmaster.

Daniel Ricciardo stormed into the Driver’s Only Gym, knowing all too well that this was where you would be. He had been the one to tell you about this fucking place in the first place. Before everything, you had always loved working out and exercise was part of the reason you two ended up as you did. Now, you didn’t have the luxury you did before. You didn’t have the lanyard.

So, now, you had to workout in the shadows.

That didn't mean Daniel didn't see you. Didn't hear you. Didn't know what you were doing every single day of every weekend the both of you avoided each other at the Paddock. He knew you still wore your sneakers according to the race location. He knew you still wore headscarves when in the Middle East and covered your tattoos when in Japan. He knew you still avoided Charles just he like he knew you still avoided him. He knew you.

So Daniel knew you woke up at 4am every day to work out. And after Zak Brown told him the news, he spent the night dealing with his spiralling career through a bottle of Jack Daniels. Then he had the idea to come out from the four walls of his hotel room and see you.

Because Daniel knew you had made your pancakes for the rookie, that fucking Oscar Piastri. And Daniel was one of the few people who knew, who fully understood just what that meant to you.

Drunk and emotional, Daniel planted himself right in front of the stair master. He stared at you, caught like a deer in headlights and got right to it.

“You must be fucking happy.”

It was the first time he had directly spoken to you in five years.

So it took you a second to process what was happening.

Daniel Ricciardo was right here, in front of you, at 4:50 in the morning as you sweated your body weight out through the repeated steps you took on the machine.

Suddenly you were aware that you had rolled yourself out of bed with a little less motivation than the norm. You had been extra tired, hitting snooze more than twice. You hadn’t washed your face and you wondered if Daniel would be able to spot the stain of egg yolk on your hoodie. It had been some time since he had been this close to you and you were in bike shorts and currently on a bulk. Suddenly, you wished you were on a cut. Why did the one time he came this close to you had to be so big and puffy?

"Excuse me?" You found yourself saying, shifting one headphone off your ear. “Can I help you?”

"Did you know?" Daniel asked. He didn't give you a chance to respond. "Of course you fucking did."

Without even thinking, you pulled the red plug your mind had obsessed over and jumped down. The pain was already here so there was no point going through any more than necessary. You looked up at Daniel, panting. He, too, was exhaling a little heavier than normal. Too angry and, judging by the smell of his breath, drunk to be stable.

There was no point lying to him. Aside from the fact that Daniel was emotionally charged (and drunk - and he got super passionate when he was drunk) you knew he would immediately pick up on it. You don't spend three years with someone and not know them like the back of your hand. And, unlike him, you can safely say that you hadn't really changed since 2018. If you lied, he would know.

"I signed a NDA, Daniel." You said simply, walking to your gym bag sat on the red bench. You picked up your bottle to take a sip, your throat dry. You tried to keep yourself calm and not shaky. Do my legs look too big? God, Please don’t let me smell like BO. Your thoughts were still running rampant. Despite the extensive cardio, your body was buzzing from the anxiety of having Daniel so close.

Daniel. To think you had once been so deeply in love with the man stood before you.

"Fuck off." He spat. You recoiled. "No one gives a shit about that."

"I do." You said, trying to keep your voice from growing small. "Sorry I care about my job."

Daniel let out a sardonic laugh. You braced yourself, knowing what was to come. You had experienced this many times before during your fights. "What? Making coffee and fucking washing the dishes? Yeah, great job you got there, babe."

"Don't call me babe." You spat back. "And can you not be a dick for two fucking seconds, Daniel."

You said it. His name. When was the last time you had said it? It made you both take a second to process what was happening, to acknowledge how long it had been since the two of you had actually spoken to one another, how long since you had addressed the other as a human being that actually existed.

In that moment, Daniel finally seemed to lose a bit of anger and, instead, show a glimmer of vulnerability. "I lost my seat. I don't know what I'm going to do."

You looked down at your shoes at show of helplessness. New Balance 350s. Red and yellow. They had been on sale. You liked them for stable LISS circuits but hated the colour way. Now, they were the most interesting thing to look at.

Everyone knew that Daniel Ricciardo was always all smiles and that, no matter what, he was optimistic. Happy. He never showed any weakness.

Except, you had seen him when the smiles fell away and the laughter died. In the safety of your private hotel rooms and Daniel could just be, you saw him vulnerable, you saw him hurt, you saw him stress, worry, cry, swear and be open to how he was really feeling. Like right now.

“Daniel I—“

"You didn’t even think to fucking tell me."

You looked up at the change of tone and how he was frowning-- no, sneering at you. This made you change and any remorse, any pity, you felt for the man in front of you immediately vanished. You weren’t in a hotel room. You were in the gym. And it had been five fucking years.

"Are you fucking blaming me right now?"You snapped back. "What the fuck do I owe you, exactly?"

"I’m the reason you’re here!"

By now, your heart was racing. And not from the exercise. This, this was it. You finally had your moment to say it.

"Yes, exactly, Daniel. You’re the reason that I am, as you said, making coffee and fucking washing the dishes! If it weren’t for you, we both know where I would be right now. But you got fucking scared of Max and blamed me for it!"

This hit a nerve. "I was not scared of Max! I outperformed Max!"

"Yes, on the weeks I fucking trained you!"

"Fuck me,” Daniel was shooting straight daggers at you despite the wry grin on his face, “do you really think that was all you?" 

You put your hands on your hips and squared up to meet his eyes, narrowing your own. "Considering how your teammate took me on as a trainer and then became the number 1 driver, yes, I will take some fucking credit for that." Daniel's face dropped when you said it. And you knew it was a low blow, but you couldn't help the words before they tumbled out from your mouth. "The world’s fucking moved on from Monaco 2018. Maybe you should too."

"Fuck you!" He shouted.

"Fuck you!" You shouted back. You grabbed your phone and found yourself tapping onto a recent chat and speedily composing a text. You hated how your fingers shook. You also hated how you were texting for help.

"Well, clearly you haven’t moved on from Monaco if you’re bringing it up." Daniel said, no longer shouting, but his tone still as icily. "You’re going to be mad about that until the end of time?"

You closed your eyes and willed your eyes not to think of the image of him with her, the pain you felt walking in and seeing that. Instead, you opened your eyes and stared him dead in the eye and spoke as calmly as possible.

"Jos Verstappen will be coming to the races more often this year. That means I won't be able to work in the Red Bull garage. If I'm at AlphaTauri, do not fucking come."

Daniel ignored this, undeterred. Instead, he kept grinning down at you thinking he found something. "You seriously aren't over it, are you?"

"No, the memory of you putting your dick into another woman still keeps me up at night." You rolled your eyes despite how it still did admittedly hurt. You pretended it didn’t and hoped he believed it. "Please stop thinking so highly of yourself. Remind yourself of why you're here, right now, talking to me."

Daniel's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to say something but the sound of the doors opening had him closing it. You grabbed your gym bag and finally made a move to turn around and escape the gym.

Ignoring the looks of one very confused Carlos Sainz as you breezed past him.

"I have to go deal with idiots who can’t tell me what’s wrong with the engine." Guenther said. You had brought forth two plates and slide two pizzas onto each.

"Here. For you and Nico." You said, knowing Nico would join the meeting about his car. "I'll bring a tray in a little bit for the rest of the engineers."

"Make me and Nico some coffee, please." Guenther said, taking the plates. "And pour in some fucking whiskey." You laughed and watched him disappear down the hallway of the offices set up. Haas' lack of financial support meant their motorhome was mediocre at best. Still, you loved being here more than anywhere else. It was the safest, really.

Wiping your hands on the towel, you went outside to where the coffee cart was situated. Another example of Haas' lack of funding was needing a Formula One coffee cart and not having an in house machine like everyone else did. You went about preparing the coffees like how you knew Nico and Guenther liked - as well as making yourself one while you were at it.

"No Real Madrid today?"

You found yourself jumping at the familiar Spanish lilt of the other Ferrari driver. Carlos Sainz was someone you never really paid any close attention to. He wasn't close enough to either Daniel or Charles' circles to ever have been on your radar. He had left Red Bull before you did and since he was Ferrari associated, it meant you never really had much to do with him.

Still, he was pleasant and nice. He always had been. He was one of those drivers that if word had spread to him - and it was very likely that it had - he didn't show it. Or care enough about it. Any time Carlos saw you around the Paddock, it was with a warm smile and a quick small-talk question about your thoughts on Real Madrid's latest match. But that was really ever it.

Until that time he had walked in at 5am to see you and Daniel Ricciardo screaming at each other.

"Uh, no. Liverpool was playing yesterday." You said, wondering if he knew you also cared about the Scouse team. Admittedly, you didn’t have the same love for them as you did for the Spanish legends, but you couldn’t have Egyptian heritage and not care about Mo Salah.

"You're Egyptian, no?" He asked. You focused on frothing the milk, unable to really look him in the eyes so soon after this morning.

"Yes." It was there in the mix, yes, but you really weren't up for explaining the complicated heritage of your ethnicity this morning. Looking at the milk circling in the silver jug, you realised your face was heating up. You were slightly surprised he even knew you were Egyptian in the first place. Unlike with Guenther or the splattering of other football fans in the Paddock, you and Carlos only ever had brief snapshots of Real Madrid small talk.

Still, this wasn't an odd conversation, you had to remind yourself. You were talking about the one thing you and him ever talked about. But, again, this was after Carlos had walked in to see you, a Hospitality worker, arguing with a driver.

"Please don't tell anyone about me being in the gym." You finally said, turning off the frother to gently tap the metal jar against the bench and settle the bubbles in the milk. "I could get into a lot of trouble since it's only for drivers."

Carlos waved a dismissive hand and shook his head. When it was clear he wasn't going to, you breathed a small sigh of relief. But then he leaned against the cart and you felt yourself starting to get anxious again. There was a quiet moment for a second as your poured the latte for Nico. Carlos' eyes followed your hands.

"I will say something if Ricciardo upset you." He said in a quieter voice.

You immediately shook your head and finally looked him in the eye. "Please don't. There's enough complication with... everything." You finished lamely.

"So I've heard." Carlos said.

You looked away. He knew.

"So then you'll know I don't need anymore complications." You said through gritted teeth, hating very much the confirmation that word had spread about what had happened.

"You haven't done anything wrong, though."

This caught you by surprise. It was the first time anyone - or, at least, a driver - had said those words to you. At the start, everyone had immediately pointed fingers at you. You were shunned and blamed. Some saw your position with the Formula One Group as part of Hospitality too light a punishment for what had happened. For the longest time, it was the confusion as to why everyone had reacted that way that did that hurt you. You hadn’t thought you had done anything wrong. Not really. You struggled to understand why no one else saw it that way. Least of all any of the drivers that knew what had happened.

Hearing Carlos say that really threw you for a short second. Carlos even caught it. He said your name and you finally looked up at him when you heard him say your name.

"Sorry it’s just - uh, Carlos, man.” You laughed a dry laugh. “You're probably the only driver who thinks so."

"I'm not." Carlos crossed his arms. "I might be the only one who has said so, but if I've understood correctly... then I'm not."

You looked down at metal jug in your hand with the extra milk you had frothed for yourself. Suddenly, you didn't feel like any caffeine. Your anxiety was already through the roof.

"Do you want a coffee?" You asked, sounding, again, very lame as that was your response to Carlos' comment.

The Spaniard looked back down at the spoon and jug in your hands. He nodded. "Have you had one already?" You asked. He shook his head and so you went about pulling down another paper cup to make his piccolo.

"You remembered." He said, laughing slightly.

"First coffee is a piccolo. Second and third are black." You recalled his order. Carlos smiled at you as you poured the milk. "I know everyone's coffee orders."

You didn’t catch how his smile lessened slightly at that.

You looked back at him and tried to ignore the thought of whether his kindness was exaggerated for your sake. A pity thing or something. Carlos accepted the coffee and then he actually offered a thank you in Arabic. You found your lips turning up hearing the marhaba on his Spanish tongue. “Es un placer.” You came back with his own native language.

You don’t work in Formula 1 without picking up a few things here and there.

Hence how you could recognise the German swears that sounded from within the motorhome as Guenther suddenly appeared.

“Where is that Y/N? Liverpool fucking tops the league and thinks she can take her time with— ah, you Ferrari fuckers!” Both you and Carlos looked to where he had come up behind the driver and slapped a friendly pat on his back. “Tell Fred he can’t have any pizza.”

“Pizza?” Carlos asked and looked down at you. “You made your pizza?”

You didn’t get a chance to respond before some Haas engineers appeared behind Guenther and called for you and him. Carlos took this as his sign - he was technically on Haas territory - and nodded at you and Guenther, holding up his piccolo in salute. Guenther had already taken the coffees you’d made for him and Nico and disappeared behind the sliding doors. You made a move to follow when Carlos called out.

"I want to try some famous Y/N pizza!” He said, turning on his heel as he walked backwards and called out to you.

You smiled and shook your head, walking back into the Haas home. You went back to the oven and set about plating up the pizzas to be a little more presentable to them. You also made sure to put some aside especially for Kevin. This was supposed to be for him.

You thought idly of saving some for Carlos when some Haas engineers you vaguely recognised walked past.

"Oh nice!" One engineer said, coming up and immediately reaching for one to stick it in his mouth. You watched him do the same blunder that Guenther did.

The other engineer, a woman with a thick Irish accent? was staring at you. Smug. "Damn, who got you smiling like that, missy?"

"What?" You asked, eyes going wide. You hadn't realised the wide smile on your face that was likely the direct result of one Carlo Sainz. Your face became hot again and it took every ounce of will to not seem affected by her words. “No one.”

"Mmm. If you say so.” She said in a sing song voice. “Well and me Mr Cool over here,” she gestured to the the other engineer trying to breathe through the hot pizza, “are heading to the garage now to see Kevin. Can we take them?"

"Yeah." You nodded. "Go ahead."

"Not saving some for anyone?"

"No." You shook your head firmly. "Take them all."

< prev ch [2] | next ch [4] >

taglist:

@eugene-emt-roe @spookystitchery @vicurious28 @taytaylala12 @c-losur3

@hiireadstuff @samantha-chicago @fionaschicken @casperlikej

[thearchercore]

i think the last half of the season was so insane that some quotes from earlier races just went a bit unnoticed like - max saying before bahrain that ‘the beautiful thing about charles is that he is also someone who will never give up’ and then goes on to wax poetry about how fast charles is 🥰

and in jeddah when max couldn’t set a time and charles had a penalty meaning they were both starting way down, the interviewer said to charles - ‘we can’t seem to separate you from max’ like what 😵‍💫 and then in baku we get identical laptimes from them (+0.000)

whole season was just insane

these two always being so unintentionally poetic is always sending me because they try to be cool but then you get quotes like "i always thought that if i made it into f1, i knew charles would too" and im like??

what do you mean

they always fail the mission to remain normal about each other and that's what makes it so fun to watch, it's like a 'failing to act civil' trainwreck that you can't look away from

[onboardsorasora]

I'm firing on all cylinders today! I know its not day 9 but I really wanted to do this prompt. (also unedited)

Part 1 | Part 6

Part 7

F1 Flufftober Day 9 - Mistaken for a Couple

They were wandering around the city centre now, Daniel had asked to see more of Monaco and Max had asked if he wanted to hike. Daniel, of course, sang his yes because there was nothing more fun than prowling through nature.

Max didn’t realize or anticipate that this would include singing, lots of singing. And animals. Soon after they made it maybe halfway up the trail, Daniel had deviated into the forest eagerly. Max, anxious because he had literally just glimpsed through the trees what could have been a fox, a deer or a boar– he truly wasn’t sure, dashed after Daniel.

He climbed over small boulders and through some dense underbrush– who knew Monaco was so lush? Before coming to a stop before a large tree, he bent over and rested his palms on his knees panting. 

Daniel was– Daniel was humming, as evidenced by the unusually large flock of truly random birds that hovered above where he sat cross legged on the ground. There was a…weasel on his shoulder, peering down into his arms. Daniel looked up from whatever he was cuddling to grin broadly at Max who was dumbfounded.

So dumbfounded that he ended up taking a picture and sending it to his groupchat with Lando, Alex and Charles just to….capture…just to prove that he was actually seeing this. He needed confirmation that this truly wasn’t all just a fever dream. When the boys didn’t respond in shock or concern, he placed the phone back in his pocket.

Because, Max truly believed he was taking this whole thing….really well. All things considering. His current baseline state of being remained neutrally surprised. If that even was a thing.

“Max!” Daniel whisper shouted, not wanting to frighten whatever it was he was holding. “Come look!”

Max, helpless to Daniel, picked his way forward. Stepping lightly to avoid any smaller animals that were wandering underfoot. He saw a field mouse skitter away and made an apologetic sound. This was all mental. He was apologizing to a mouse!

Still, he got closer, stepping around a lounging deer that tilted its head for a scratch. Without even thinking about it….Max gave it a little scritch between its ears. The small happy noise in return made him smile.

Daniel gazed up at him from the ground in wonder and Max swallowed the lump in his throat. Daniel shifted his arms, his oversized sweatshirt sleeves parted like a lavender cocoon and Max’s eyes widened in delight at the sight of two snuffling fox kits. They were tiny things, just growing their red fur.

The hike had been derailed after that and they’d spent the next hour in that glade as Daniel gossiped with each of the animals. They came to Max for a scratch or two, after he’s overheard Daniel telling one of the owls that Max was a friend and he was wonderful. Jimmy and Sassy were brought up a few times, described as happy cats, which also seemed to lend Max a little bit more credibility. He never realized he needed it or wanted it until now.

So now they were wandering around looking for a place to have lunch. Daniel wanted burgers but he also wanted ice cream. They’d found a shop that sold sorbet and Daniel had wanted that instead, so they got that and when they left the shop, Daniel had hugged Max tightly before frolicking off.

Max had stood there, stunned every time Daniel showed affection freely, and watched him eat his cold treat and follow a butterfly. An older lady tugged his sleeve and he blinked down at her diminutive frame, completely surprised that she was there. She smiled sweetly at him, in the way a grandmother does when they see something you don’t.

“You are such a beautiful couple. Take it from an old lady who loves love– you make him very happy, cherish him always.” She patted his cheek and walked off, going on her way.

Max’s eyebrows raised to his hairline, he opened his mouth to say something– correct her, but she was across the street now and he didn’t feel like yelling. He blushed as he thought of her words and then looked back to keep track of Daniel.

Only to find Daniel right where he had last seen him, already looking back at Max. Daniel smiled a softer, smaller smile and turned away, ducking his head to lick his spoon. And Max felt his rose blooming.

Part 8

[letsplayeternity]

Honestly tho, that journalist should've known better than to ask Max "I always knew if I made it to F1 Charles would also make it" Verstappen if Ferrari fired the wrong driver. What the fuck did you expect him to say? Have you never interviewed him before? Between Charles and Carlos it's not even a question for Max. Jesus Christ they should fire that journalist on the spot.

[charlywrites]

Requested by anon

Request; can you please write where reader is part of the same friend group as carlos (maybe she’s one of the drivers’ sister or works for one of the teams), and she strongly thinks that carlos hates her while really she’s just too oblivious or self-conscious to notice that he actually has feelings for her just like she has for him? But the truth finally comes during one of their gatherings and it ends happy for them?

Warnings; alcohol consumption, a tiny bit of angst.

Note; the f1 summer break made me procrastinate so much, I’m sorry!

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Ferrari had been known for their bold move last season when they hired you as Charles’ new engineer who would provide him with informations during the races. What made this choice big was that women didn’t have a big place in motorsports yet, and giving you such an important role was something you’d always be thankful for.

When you joined Ferrari, you already knew Charles as you used to work for Prema Racing until you had the opportunity to sign for a Formula One team. It was amazing to be reunited with a friend you had made years ago and work together again.

It didn’t take long until you started hanging out with Charles’ friends which, most of the times, consisted of Pierre, Carlos, Max and Checo- you got along with everyone but for some unknown reasons, Carlos seemed to dislike you.

Unless you hadn’t realized it, you hadn’t done anything remotely bad towards him- you were always nice to him and it wasn’t like you were from a rival team, while not on the same side of the garage, you still worked for the same team.

You only realized that Carlos wasn’t treating you the same way he was treating the rest of the group a month or two after you were truly apart of the said group, it was in Miami days before the start of the first Grand Prix held there.

Most of the drivers had arrived a day or two earlier to enjoy some free time in Miami as it was the first Grand Prix there, people were excited but also wanted to take on the opportunity to visit a bit.

You had made the trip with Charles since he was your bestfriend and you worked together, it just came naturally- at first, Charlotte was supposed to tag along but would only be able to join right in time for the week-end.

It seemed like all of your little group had the same idea as you more or less encountered everyone in the first day there and your little group was already reunited- as you were all there in advance and for the same thing, it could only be more fun to do it together.

“ So, what’s everyone’s plan before thursday?”

While the question was addressed to everyone in the group, you were the quickest to answer Carlos’ question, “ I think we’re all here to visit and enjoy the city, we should do it all together!”

Everyone answered positively, your idea sounded great to everyone, however Carlos didn’t really answer, he just shrugged, giving you an annoyed look that confused you more than anything else.

You never brought it up to anyone or even confronted Carlos about it, however you kept that in mind and quickly started to notice that it wasn’t just an one time glare- he seemed to enjoy less the moment when you were around, to the point that you started thinking that he had some kind of hatred towards you.

At first, for a while, you tried to be even nicer with Carlos, in hopes that it would change his mind about you- but when you realized it wasn’t changing a thing, that he still gave you that look, you just gave up, knowing it was a lost cause.

It saddened you still to this day but you had stopped wasting your energy on trying to make it better when it wasn’t what he wanted- instead, you just distanced yourself from the group when it was concerning Carlos whether it was doing something that came from him or something he had planned.

You loved your little group very much and the friendship you had with them meant the world to you. The first time Charles presented you his friends, they didn’t question it and included you and that never changed, even if you couldn’t always hang out with them as you had different obligations when it came to racing.

____

The Austrian Grand-Prix was over, it had been wild to say the least, especially during the last minutes of the race- Charles had won after weeks of the car and strategies failing him, hell even this week-end the car tried to fail him when his pedal started to throttle.

Yet, he had done it, he had gotten that win he needed and deserved. You were incredibly proud when you watched your friend get the trophy on the podium, no matter how many times you had been there to cheer for him, the feeling was still the same.

But this time was different, no one could fully celebrate this win- it was a win for Ferrari but the team had also suffered a loss when Carlos had to abandon the race when his engine blew up twice as he was catching up on the drivers in front of him.

He might despise you for a reason you didn’t know, but for a long time, you had seen him as a friend and what had happened was terrifying. Maybe you were too nice, but still, you felt bad for him having to put on a good face and smile for Charles’ win.

When all the garage reunited to take a picture to celebrate Charles’ win, you had to stop yourself from giving Carlos a sympathetic pat on the shoulders- you didn’t want to make his already awful day worse.

Not too long after, it had been decided that your friends were going in a club to party after that day- it was something that would occur from time to time, and most of the time, just like tonight, you’d tag along.

However, you underestimated your exhaustion and not even an hour since you had gotten in the club, you were starting to feel sleepy- you hadn’t drink that much, you were sitting on one of the bar stool, sipping your third drink that you were most likely not going to finish.

You had left your friend to get yourself a new drink not even two minutes ago, and you honestly didn’t even have the strength to make the walk back to your table that was at the complete opposite of the bar.

Honestly, it was sad how playing with the slice of lemon on the edge of your drink was more interesting than finding the strength to join back a loud conversation- oh, how much you missed your bed at this moment.

“ What did that lemon do to you?”

Being in your own little bubble until now, you had been startled by that voice, you were about to send him away as you didn’t recognize the familiar spanish accent over the loud music until you saw it was Carlos.

He was quite literally the last person you could imagine joining you at the bar, yet here he was, sitting on the free barstool next to you. You shrugged as an answer, before adding, “ it’s keeping me occupied.”

“ We were all wondering what was taking you so long back there.”

“ And out of everyone, you’re the one who came?”

“ Why wouldn’t I?”

You arched a brow, and for a second, you wondered if he was joking but the look on his face was serious. Thanks to the alcohol, even in a small amount, it helped you being straight forward with your words, you let out a slight scoff, “ I don’t know, aren’t you supposed to hate me?”

Carlos seemed surprised by your question, almost taken aback, “ why would I hate you, cariño? Aren’t we friends?”

“ Are you playing with me right now? Because you always look annoyed when I’m here.”

“ That’s not the case. When did I even act annoyed around you?”

You shrugged lazily, there were too many times you saw Carlos looking annoyed. Taking a sip of your drink, you replied, “ first time I noticed was back in Miami when you asked what was everyone’s plan before thursday.”

“ Oh. I wasn’t annoyed at you, y/n- I was annoyed that you suggested that we visit all together, I was hoping to ask you to spend the day visiting the city with me.”

“ What about the other times?”

“ I guess I was just envious of Charles’ friendship with you, I’ve been wishing to have something like that with you… or more, but you’ve been avoiding me for a while now.”

Hearing Carlos’ explanations made you feel like a fool for being oblivious and making up things in your head when the truth was way simpler, “ basically, i’ve just misinterpreted things, uh?”

“ Yeah, but I should’ve done something, if I had taken a step forward earlier, you wouldn’t have been thinking I hated you.”

You looked back at your half empty drink, hoping it would help lessening your embarrassment, “ now, I feel stupid.”

“ Don’t, I’m glad we’ve talked it out and hopefully can start over?”

“ Yeah, I’d love that- but not tonight, I think I’m going to cut the night short and head back to the hotel.”

Carlos looked disappointed but understood, it had been a long and exhausting day for him too and partying until an indecent hour wasn’t very tempting, “ yeah, i get it- that was a rough day. I’ll head back soon too, want to take a cab with me?”

“ That sounds great to me.”

———

Now that everything between Carlos and you had been sorted out for a couple of weeks, you became incredibly close- truly getting to know him had been an amazing experience, you wouldn’t have imagined how funny and sweet Carlos could actually be.

It didn’t take more than two weeks for the two of you to start having inside jokes and understand each other as if you had known the other for years- it honestly felt like you two were meant to be.

You had always found Carlos attractive but due to you thinking he hated you, you didn’t care about it in the slightest- but now that you two were close, you soon started to realize you were developing feelings for him.

It felt silly as only weeks ago, you were avoiding him like the plague because you had convinced yourself he hated you and now, you were falling for the same man. But after all, how could you not?

Carlos had been nothing but the epitome of the dream boyfriend since you started to know him- the night you talked in that club, you fell asleep on his shoulder during the drive back at the hotel, and instead of waking you up, he carried you back to your room.

He was always using sweet pet names for you, you didn’t understand all of them since they were in spanish but you liked how they sounded. He would always check up on you and ask if you needed anything. When your little group would go out to party, you’d always have your little moment where you’d dance with him.

But what you loved the most is that you never felt lonely anymore, your friends had all their girlfriends coming from time to time- usually, you’d feel lonely during those weekends, but not anymore as you’d hang out with Carlos, and if you had to be honest, those were the best days.

When the time for the well deserved summer break arrived, unlike all your friends, you hadn’t anything big planned- you would just rest and visit some of your family. But that changed when Carlos asked you what you would be doing, hearing you weren’t actually going on vacations, he didn’t give you another choice than coming with him.

While it sounded appealing, you were a bit wary as he was going with a couple of his friends that you didn’t know about- you knew you weren’t going to be the best company he could have, which you warned him about but after he kept insisting, you ended up agreeing.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions you’ve ever taken, you were having so much fun with Carlos and his friends- most of the days were spent on his boat and in the sea when the heat was being too much.

You had gotten out of the water a little while ago now and already had the time to clean yourself and change into dry and clean clothes- but that was until two arms sneaked from behind to wrap around your waist to pull you into a hug.

Of course Carlos had to do something like that when he had just gotten out of the water, dampening your clothes which made you whine, “ I really hate you sometimes!”

That earned you a laugh from Carlos, he didn’t believe you for a second, even when you had a fake pout on your face, “ no you don’t, I know you love me querida.”

A part of you knew he was just being silly by saying that, it wasn’t the first time, but yet, you couldn’t help but wonder if he actually knew about your feelings for him, “ yeah, yeah, of course I do.”

“ Si tan solo supieras que significas el mundo para mí. ”

You frowned, not understanding what Carlos said, you hated not being able to understand his mother tongue, you wished you could communicate with him in his language, “ what did you say? You know I don’t understand.”

“ Forget it, it was nothing.”

“ I might not understand Spanish but I’m not stupid, I know what you said wasn’t nothing.”

Carlos sighed, resting his chin on your shoulder, he waited a couple of seconds before answering you, “ if only you knew that you mean the world to me- that’s what I said.”

“ Does that- are you in love with me?”

Of course he was, otherwise he wouldn’t say something like that- but you needed to hear it clearly, you didn’t want to get false hope, it would hurt way too much.

Carlos’ hands quietly found yours, his fingers interlacing with yours as he looked into your eyes, a soft smile on his lips, “ I am literally head over heels for you, y/n.”

Hearing the confirmation you needed, you let out a soft giggle as a smile grew on your face, “ that’s great because I feel the same exact way, I love you Carlos.”

“ You know hearing that makes me the happiest man on earth?”

“ That much?”

“ Sí,” Carlos ultimately let go of your hands to, this time, cup your face with both of his hands, with the intent of kissing you, “ can I?”

“ Of course, that’s all I want.”

[charlie-lec-stories]

PR's biggest mess // CL16

Pairing: Charles Leclerc/Russell!sister

Summary: Lea Russell was the first F1 female driver, making history for the women’s movement in the racing world. But when things got more and more complicated, her life became a constant PR mess.

Chapter's Warnings: Some suggested sexual activity, not described though. Descriptions of a panic attack. Mention of an accident.

Author's Note: This one is a long one-shot. Hope you like it.

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When George made his first steps into the karting world, Lea always followed behind. They were close in age, she was 10 months older but since she was constantly getting into trouble, people would often say that she looked younger. It didn't help when George hit puberty and started growing in height, it seemed like he would never stop, finally ending with an over ten centimeters of difference over his older sister. They always felt like twins, doing everything together, sharing friends, classes and even sometimes clothes. Karting became a shared passion that them both used as a stress reliever during their teenage years. Lando Norris and Alex Albon were close to the Russell siblings, the four of them going for lunch every weekend after karting.

Years passed and the three boys made their debuts in F1, Lea staying behind. There were many factors that kept her away from the tracks, there was a gender bias and she was well aware of it. People would never pay the same attention to her as they paid to her brother. She learned to live with that, so she looked for other ways to stay close to the tracks. She went to college, got a degree on engineering and mastered on physics and mechanics, then she proceeded to make her way into a team. McLaren were the ones interested in what she had to offer. While the boys raced, she worked on the cars. With her masters, she quickly became Race Engineer and started working with Lando. The two made a fantastic team, she would guide him swiftly through the races, and he would listen carefully to what she had to say.

Her technics were odd, she would constantly be taking notes, calculating things and no one knew exactly what went through her head. All they knew was that whenever she grabbed the pencil and chanted numbers at Lando, he would go faster and cleaner through the tracks. That was the reason everyone was nervous when she looked so worried one Thursday night, no numbers on her pages, only pencil smudged everywhere from using her eraser so much. Lando was the one worried the most. It was his best championship so far, with an easy third place on the grid and 9 podiums. Lewis Hamilton was close behind on the fourth place and Charles Leclerc was extremely close to him on the second place. He needed to win if he wanted to leave Hamilton behind and keep up with Leclerc. Leclerc and Max Verstappen were close to each other, by a just two points difference, so Lando believed that if he could win at least three of the five races left and get second place on the other two, he could be champion. His Race Engineer losing it was the last thing he needed.

"Tell me what do you need and we'll do it, Lee". Lando was willing to do whatever she needed. He could see her calculating things inside her head, her eyes moving frantically around the screen in front of her, full of data about the car, the track and a bunch of things he had no idea what they meant.

"I need to test it". She said out loud, but Lando wasn't sure if she was talking to him or not, she had been mumbling things for hours. They were practically alone on the circuit by that point. Max, who was Lando’s close friend and fellow driver, and Cristian Horner, Max’s boss, were also there at the Red Bull Racing garage doing the same as Lando and Lea, trying to get the last touches done before the first free practice session.

"What is it you need to test?". Lea looked at him and he knew exactly the kind of mess they could get into. "We're gonna get fired. No, Russell". He said shaking his head. There was no way she was driving the car. “That’s what they pay me for”.

“You can’t drive until tomorrow and I would never send you out there with something I’m not sure about”. She of course felt responsible for his life, she was well aware that he trusted her and she wanted to keep that trust.

“That’s unsafe for you too then”. He was not letting it go easy. “If it dangerous for me it is for you too”. She gave him a look of warning. “I’m not suggesting I’m a better driver. I just want us to get out of here in one piece… and not jobless”.

"I need to make sure, and if this gets you the championship, then we'll never get fired". She took Lando’s second race suit and a the whole head security gear.

Lando won that race but didn't win the championship, he finished in third place. Still, that night gave Lea the best contract of her life when Horner saw her drive.

She felt like it was the craziest dream, the pictures, the merchandising, the press. Everyone wanted a piece of her. Max was the only one who could get it, he was her light in the darkness of the sea of people. And for Max, Lea was like fresh air, she was the first teammate that he didn't want to push out of the track. They worked good together and PR saw that as the best way to sell the team. As friends, they were a little uncomfortable with PR's strategy, flirting for fun was natural, they were both flirty people, but the touching was a little too much for them. Hands needed to be on each other constantly, and that wasn't something they liked. She needed to be a lot of things: a good girl with the cocky personality of a bad girl, sexy but not sexual, straightforward but no impolite, cheerful but not annoying. There were a lot of expectations on her and too much of something or too little of anything could mean the biggest fisco for Red Bull. PR knew how important it was to have the first female F1 driver ever on their hands and they didn't want to mess it up. Lea had to be the face and heart of Red Bull, there was no place for something else. She was forbidden from cheering for her brother, Lando or their teams. Alex and Charles, who were good friends for her too, became off limits, she could never be associated to other team other than Red Bull, so Max was the only real contact she had.

Getting P3 on her first race was the most epic moment of her life. The battle with Charles for second place would win awards as the best moment of racing for many decades later, the monegasque winning literally by the distance of the size of a tyre. The celebration was crazy, Max and Charles showered her in champagne while her brother screamed her name and jumped excited. Everyone was out of their minds, the first female driver got a podium on her first race. She wasn't just making history, she was a whole movement. There were little girls dreaming of being her. Things were going too fast for her, and after just four races she found herself running away from everyone. Her chest closing as her head felt heavier. Her trembling legs were taking her to her brother's trailer the best they could, she needed him so fuck PR, but the dizziness that clouded her mind was too much for her. Heart pounding out of her chest, vision almost black she stumbled into the first trailer she could find. Once the door was close, she let the panic take over her. Her body fell to the floor once her legs finally gave up.

"It's okay. Breath with me". She heard the voice but couldn't even process who was talking to her, so she just assumed it was George. She gripped at him for dear life, feeling like she could die any moment. The arms that wrapped around her pressed her so tight she actually felt like she was snapping out of whatever state she was in. She felt him breath and tried to follow him. The voice became more clear, guiding her breathing at the top of her head, and the rest of her senses started coming back with each deep breath. When she was finally able to smell, she noticed that the person wasn't George. She lived her whole life with him and she could recognize her brother with her eyes closed anytime once she was feeling like herself again. Her foggy vision subsided and she saw the red and black clothing on the good samaritan that helped her. "Are you feeling better?". Charles voice filled the air, his hands going up and down her back and his voice vibrating on her face that was tightly pressed against his chest.

"Yes". She managed to squeal out and she felt him kiss the top of her head. She always found Charles nice, but he was pretty shy around her and she never expected him to be this affectionate. She wasn't complaining though. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude into your trailer. I was actually looking for Georgie". She could feel him laughing softly, it warmed her inside, discarding some of the embarrassment she felt for the whole situation.

"It's okay. I'm glad I could help, even though I'm not George". They stayed like that for a moment, silently breathing through their noses to lower their heart rates. Both of them for different reasons, but Charles had no plans on letting her know that. "Do you want to talk about it?". He asked on her hair, trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling on his chest brought by the closeness. He then tried to pull away a little to look at her face, but she grabbed his race suit tight and forced him back onto her.

"Please, don't go, I think I could fall apart any minute". She sounded so desperate he couldn't help but pull her even closer.

"I'm not going anywhere, Lee". She sighed in relief, her face still buried on his suit. He sat more comfortably on the floor, bringing her to his lap and they stayed like that. "You can always come to me if you need to".

And so she did. When things got too much, she would sneak into his trailer and they would lay on the small couch, chests pressed together, her face buried on his neck while they talked about nothing and everything. They would avoid each other in public, like oil and water, only talking when it was necessary and then they would let everything out when they were alone. He could feel his hands aching whenever they were close on the paddock, and Max's would go up and down her arm while they talked. He wasn't sure about their situation. But he knew that what they secretly had couldn’t be something that Max could be okay with. Why don't go to Max when she felt like escaping? They seemed so close and she always talked so good about him when they were cuddling. Why was she sneaking into his trailer when she could openly go to Max's? Why would she need him when she obviously had Max eagerly willing to get close and she always let him? Too many questions he didn't have the guts to ask.

PR got a little more indulgent with time. Around Silverstone time was also Lea's birthday and she was allowed to celebrate however she wanted since she was doing great on the championship, but she had to at least post a picture or story with Max. If there was something she was grateful for was that her friendship with Max was strong, otherwise they would have hated each other by then. Fans were shipping them together and PR was constantly shoving them onto each other, it was exhausting. For her birthday, Lea decided to invite some of her closest friends to her home in London for a night of partying. She could finally let loose of all of the tension. Max, Charles, Alex, Lando, George, Carlos and Pierre, with the girlfriends of those who weren't single, were all gathered around a fire on her back yard. Jokes and bottles of different brewages were exchanged between the group. Max and Lea published their picture together and then immediately went on their different ways, Max sat next to Lando to plan their getaway for the summer break, while she sat next to a pretty drunk Charles, who was missing the upper three buttons of his shirt and was loudly laughing at something Pierre had said in french. It seemed that what he had on his glass was good, so she poured some on a glass for herself, and then another... and another, and another.

"You shouldn't drive". Was the first thing that left Pierre's lips when he saw Charles looking up at him to say goodnight. "Maybe you should stay here, man".

"I have a guest room". Lea said in between sips of whatever was on her glass at the moment. George got up and took the glass away from her.

"You should slow this down, sis". She smiled and nodded her head. It wasn’t the first time they partied together and they both knew how she got with alcohol. They also knew that she would drink again once George went out the door, but that warning gave him the excuse to scold her later, while the worst hungover ever ached inside her head.

Once everyone was out, Lea plopped down next to Charles on the couch. Her eyes felt heavy and her skin cold. She was falling asleep when Charles started getting up from the couch. She looked at him for a moment, slightly sobering up from the realisation of what he was doing when she saw him reach for his jacket, wallet and phone.

"You're going...?". She wasn't sure if she was asking or not. Charles looked back at her. He knew he was going to cross a line if he stayed. There was this caged desire inside his chest for years and it really wanted to get out. He was dying to kiss her.

"Max won't be happy if I stay". Max and him might be rivals who were constantly fighting each other for almost everything and they were extremely petty about it, but he wasn't playing with something as serious as a relationship. He would hate to be on Max's end of the situation. They must have been a lot more serious that what she had with Charles for them to be so openly touchy and post about each other all the time. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the fire, as if trying to connect the dots.

"Why would he be mad?"

"Aren't you... something?". He emphasised the word 'something', since he wasn't sure what they were.

"We're friends and teammates". She said giggling a little. "Damn, we're better at acting than I expected". Her words flew into his drunken mind with some difficulty. "I never thought you would buy into that PR shit".

"PR?". He felt stupid asking, but he wasn't exactly on his smartest state to process information.

"It's fake". She assured him, sneaking her arms around his neck, feeling a lot bolder thanks to the alcohol. "We're just touchy because Karen at PR told us to. Well, more like she forced us to. Max and I are just friends, really good friends, but just that". She smiled up at him. "I don't want you to be my friend, Charlie".

Once the words sank into his brain, his lips crashed on hers. Finally, all that pent up want was out. His hands went to her ass and squeezed, signaling her to wrap her legs around his waist. She followed the command eagerly. Before they both could process what was happening, they were lying on the couch inside the house, him on top of her, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck and chest. Her hands went under his shirt, ready for the only birthday gift she was actually wishing for. The next morning they woke up to the faint light of the raising sun coming through the back yard glass door. Charles was the first one up, running one of his hands up and down her arm while he covered his eyes with the other. His hungover was killing him. She stirred a bit on his chest, releasing a whine when the sun kissed her eyes. The sound reminded him of the night before, a smile appearing instantly on his face. On his chest, he could feel her smiling too.

After three months and a summer break of sneaking around for make-out sessions, sex and cute dates, they finally had to let PR know. They were sure of their relationship, and wanted everyone to know. They haven't even told their families and Lea felt awful for lying to her bother. She had never lied to George before, not even for the most embarrassing things, so lying about something as great as her relationship with Charles was painful for her. Charles wanted to tell his mother like crazy, he was on the best time of his life, winning races, loving the woman he liked since he met George, and the car was on its prime. Again, he was close to be world champion. Max had the same points than him, but Charles was leading on winnings. He just had to keep winning, and he totally felt like he could. He looked at Lea before opening the door, kissing her one last time. Outside, he checked no one was around the trailer's area and let her go. She walked straight to her PR's office, searching for Karen.

To say that the conversation was awful would be an understatement. Lea was even surprised that Karen could raise her voice to the level she did and even though Lea has always been someone to stand up for herself, she could barely say a word. Charles didn't have much luck with his agent either. The point was clear: They couldn't date a rival, it wasn't good for business, and the whole market worked around competition and rivalry. Max and Charles had a long history of pressing each other's buttons, Lea dating Charles was like treason to Red Bull. It also didn't look good for a raising driver to be romantically involve with another driver, it made things messy and made her look like she 'got the seat sucking the right guys', Karen's words exactly. One thing was flirting with Max and a whole another was officially dating a fellow driver. The pair found themselves under the most intense scrutiny, purposely booked on different interviews and placed away from each other on public events. Lea's spirits were going down by the day and Max was more than capable of noting the change on his friend's aura.

"What is it, Lee?". He asked her once he quietly took her to his drivers room. She just looked at him tired, like the flame usually burning inside her was nearly dead. "You've been losing power lately".

"That's nonsense, Max. I'm fine". She tried to get out but he placed his hand on her shoulder. He didn't press or forced her to stop, she just obeyed the motion, like a robot.

"You're not". He made her turn around and look him in the eyes. "You're my friend, we've known each other for years and you're the only person I talk to every day. I know you". He could see the guilt pass her eyes momentarily, so he kept talking. "I know that for the last few months something really good must have happened to you. I've never seen you so happy, not even after your first race. I was waiting for you to bring it up yourself and tell me, but seeing you so down I wonder-"

"I'd tell you, Max". She cut him off. "God knows I'd tell you, but I would literally get fired. Plus, I don't think you'd be happy if you knew".

"Try me". He sat on the bed and grabbed her hand to make her sit with him. "I know I have a temper, but I won't get mad. And I won’t tell anyone that you told me. I promise".

"I am- was- am. I don't even know anymore". She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm dating Charles". She could see his brain working. He made a face of slight disgust, he definitely wasn't a fan of the idea. His teammate and closest friend dating his rival and a guy he didn't have the best relationship with. Charles was usually nice and he tried to be nice back, but he daydreamed a lot about Leclerc losing and DNFing for him to like the idea of him and Lea dating. "You're not the only one who made that face". He was about to justify himself when she kept talking. "Don't worry, I get it. It's okay, I didn't expect you to love the concept". Max relaxed a bit. "PR doesn't love it either. They have been suggesting me, rather intensely, to break up with him".

"And what do you want?".

"I want Charles".

Max went from hating the idea to fan number one. He would make up almost any excuse to keep people busy and give her a small window to see Charles. The Ferrari golden boy also talked to his teammate, Carlos, who was more than eager to help. Lea knew that she had to come clean with George, the fact that other people knew before him was eating her alive. But when the conversation finally happened, George took the news way different from what she expected.

"I know". He said chuckling. They were on her hotel room in Spain, sitting on the bed while eating homemade biscuits that their mother sent. She furrowed her eyebrows. "I guessed it since your birthday, you were too comfortable with each other. You two weren't like that before. Plus, Charles has liked you for ages, I already knew that too".

"You never told me that!". He just shrugged his shoulders.

"It was not my place, and you never told me you liked him. If you had just told me, I would have done something about it!". He raised his hands up in defence.

"I didn't thought of him like that before. We kinda hit it off this year". She blushed and George giggled only to be rewarded with a pillow to his face.

Ferrari's PR was ready to give Charles a free pass when he won the championship against Max, but they weren't exactly keen to give him the only pass he actually wanted. Tired of hiding, he finally told his mother and brothers and before they both knew it, the circle of people knowing the secret became larger than they expected. The holidays came and Lea decided to spend them in Monaco and her family was okay with that. They took a few pictures with the outfits before she went to Monte Carlo, so they could post them online and keep the façade for her. Christmas with the Leclerc's were great, she got to hang out with Charles' brothers and finally they got some time alone at Charles' apartment. They enjoyed every second of it. They celebrated Charles' first championship and their six months together.

Before they knew it, another championship started and Lea had a real chance to win. The races became more and more interesting, with Lea, Charles and Max constantly fighting for the top. The three of them were highly equipped to win and they weren't slowing down. With a secret relationship and the championship competition, Lea and Charles were constantly pent up and they became less careful when sneaking around. The first picture that appeared online was of a terrible quality, so most people assumed it was fake. But it was a close call: They needed to do something about it. People started to suspect that something was happening and PR's stunt of Max and Lea wasn't selling anymore. They did the best they could to turn things down a notch, but they were playing with fire and at some point, they were going to burn themselves.

It all started with a crash. It wasn’t a big one, but it meant a DNF for Charles and Max, who were pretty heated up about it. They started their argument on the track, next to their cars, shoving each other while throwing accusations partially muffed by the helmets. Nothing got recorded since they were already disconnected from their radios, but it was clear that it was an intense discussion since Charles ended up falling butt first to the grass from a particular hard push from Max. Things kept escalating once they reached the garages. There was no calming them down. People was used to them exploding at each other, but they have never gotten that physical. Their helmets were off and their voices could be hear clearly. The race had still 15 laps to go and the teams were doing the best they could to control the situation in the garage while still concentrating on Carlos and Lea who were fighting each other for first position, left to their reach with their teammates’ DNFs. Max was completely out of it, he was already pissed from last year’s loss of the championship, and this was the last thing he needed to jump at Charles’ throat. On his end, Charles’ was uncomfortable with Max and Lea’s public image and he could barely stand whatever Max did. The race finished with Lea in the front and Max was trying to be forced to the podium to be a good teammate and support the winner, but things were too out of control and Max’s desire to hurt Charles got the best of him.

“You did it on purpose. You’re just jealous of me and you know it”. He could see the fire in Charles’ eyes and that only fuelled him up to keep pushing. “You’re scared she will leave you for me”. Max had no interest in dating Lea, he knew it, she knew it, but he also knew that the comment would make a large wound on Charles’ pride. The moment the comment hit the air everyone stopped what they were doing. Charles, initially taken aback, broke the silence.

“Take that back!”. Before he could launch himself at Max -again- he was dragged inside the Ferrari garage and forced to his driver’s room. Max, on the other side, was suddenly changing his mood, running into the Red Bull garage by himself, well aware of the implications of what he had just done. He silently preyed for the argument not to have been recorded, but he knew that it was, people loved drama and their argument was the perfect show for all the cameras present. All hell broke loose. He didn’t just outed his friend’s relationship to the media, he also made it seen like he was involved in the whole thing as wanting to be a possible candidate for her. PR was going to kill him or, worse, fire him. But whatever they’d do to him would be nothing compared to Lea’s rage when she’d find out. He had to tell her himself, before things kept going down further.

Showered in champagne, she walked to the garage followed by the cameras and the press. She was so happy that she didn’t even try to listen to what the press was asking her, she just wanted to get her ice bath and sneak into Charles’ trailer to have the best sex of her life. But her track of thinking was suddenly interrupted by a very worried Max that was running towards her. Before she could make her way towards him, Charles appeared by her side. She turned around to greet him, maybe ask him how he was feeling after the DNF, but his hands grabbed her face and he crashed his lips in hers before she could actually say ‘hi’. Since the first time they kissed she was physically unable to resist, she just loved to kiss him too much to ever say no, so her first reaction was to instinctively kiss back. Her hands went to his chest as Charles moved his lips on hers kind of desperate. The moment of clearness came and she moved away, Charles almost falling forward for how much he was pressing into her. She all of sudden became aware of the cameras and the people yelling at them. She sent Charles a warning look but he wasn’t even staring a her to notice. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were focussed on the garage to her side. She followed his gaze and saw a scared Max looking back at Charles. She quickly gripped Charles’ arm and pulled him towards the Red Bull garage and to her driver’s room, motioning for Max to follow them, who walked behind the pair looking down at his feet and cussing under his breath in Dutch.

“What was all of that about?”. She asked once the door was closed behind Max. None of them said anything, Charles kept his eyes glued to Max, while the other tried to keep as much physical distance with the Ferrari driver as possible. He was actually worried about his safety, he knew he crossed a line and he could see himself paying for it. “I asked a question, gentlemen”. Lea continued, her voice hard and cold.

“I messed up”. Max admitted looking down. “I pushed Charles’ buttons on the wrong matter”.

“What happened?”. She was now looking at them more worried than pissed.

“What happens it that your teammate wants to fuck you, that’s what happens”. Charles said through gritted teeth. She could feel the anger radiating from him. Charles wasn’t a jealous person at all, it was actually weird to see him that possessive, so it had to be a pretty direct comment for Charles to get to that point. She knew he was as uncomfortable with her and Max’s PR stunt as they were themselves, but they talked about it plenty of times and he always understood.

“What are you talking about, baby? We’ve talked about this. Max and I are just friends”. There was this hurt expression mixed with the anger on Charles’ face and she could see that he was feeling like shit under his threatening demeanour.

“Seems like he didn’t got the memo, because he’s sure that you’ll leave me for him”. Max sighed loudly and Lea moved her attention from Charles to her teammate, her confusion clear on her face.

“I didn’t mean it, I swear. I know it’s no excuse, but I just wanted to make you mad. I was furious, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not true, Charles”. The other softened his expression a little, but he was still loudly breathing through his nose. “I wanted you to hurt, like the championship hurt for me last year. I crossed a line”.

“You did”. Was all that Charles left out, his shoulders a little more relaxed and his gaze moving from Max to Lea. “I’m sorry for making a scene, Lee”.

“Me too”. Max added. “And I’m sorry for what I said earlier, Charles. I really am”.

“You two being sorry won’t solve this mess”. Now it was her turn to be furious. “You two outed something that we weren’t allow to out. Our jobs, our sponsors and my bloody fucking career are on the line here! You’re men, you can give two shits about your reputation and someone will always support you. I don’t have that privilege. Karen will have our heads on sticks outside by night. You fell into this testosterone pitty party and I’m the one who got burned!”. Both men looked at the floor. “Get out. Both of you. I need time to think”. With that, they walked out of the room. Outside, photographers pictured the battled men walking side by side silently. They sat on the floor of the garage, backs against Max’s broken car, facing the door of Lea’s driver’s room. They spent fifteen minutes in silence, until they saw George get into the garage, his pissed off expression fired at them when he saw them. Max tried to speak up, but George shook his head and raised his hand to shut him up. The younger Russell kept walking and entered his sister’s room.

“They’re gonna get the cold shoulder for a while. I don’t care how much time they camp outside this door”. He said once inside the room. His sister was laying down on her little bed and he sat on the floor in front of her.

“You’re kidding, right?”. Her brother answered no with his head making a groan leave her immediately.

“They’re sitting outside. Actually, I think I never saw them this quiet around each other, like, ever”. She chuckled at the comment. “Their ‘I-am-truly-sorry-I-was-a-cunt-please-forgive-me’ faces are pretty good though”. He added, earning a full laugh from his sister this time.

“Thanks for always making everything better, Georgie”. She said once her laugh subsided. Her brother smiled big and giggled a bit.

“That’s what brothers are for, sis”.

The press conference post race was messy. Carlos, who got second place wasn’t even asked one question, Lando’s presence and his third place weren’t acknowledged at all, and Lea was only asked about her personal life. She had to explain that she had a recent, she had to lie there, relationship with Charles and that since Max and him didn’t get along pretty well, they would usually say things they didn’t mean to get into each other’s nerves. Karen made her say that it was all too new and that they were still trying to see if things worked out. PR decided to explore the ‘jealousy trope’ for a bit to see if it could help to raise the tension of the competition. Lea wasn’t comfortable at all with that, but she was well aware of who she could piss of and who she couldn’t. Charles and Max refused interviews and they both posted apologies on their social medias to address their fight on the track, explaining that the adrenaline of the race sometimes leads to things getting out of control and that they were really sorry for what happened. It was a half truth and they were satisfied with that, after all, driving at 300 kph was for sure something difficult to get down from, the high being too high not to come down with a crash.

“What do you want, Charles?”. Asked George that night when he opened his sister’s hotel room door after hearing the monegasque knocking on it non-stop.

“Is Lee here?”. He said timidity. George had always seemed to him like the sweetest guy ever, but the look he was giving him was anything but sweet. If looks could kill, Charles would be visiting the Titanic for eternity.

“You already gave her your half-assed apology”. George was being way meaner that he needed to be, but he really wanted to make Charles suffer before letting the matter go.

“You can let him in, Georgie”. Lea authorised from inside the room. George moved aside to let Charles in, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room, not before telling his sister to call if she needed him and throwing Charles a nasty glare. “What do you want, Charles?”. She repeated her brother’s greeting with the same tone but a higher pitch.

“I want you to forgive Max”. Charles answered while he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “He’s your friend and the truth is that I said awful things to him too and it was wrong of me to do that. I pushed too hard and made him mad”. Lea saw the video of their fight, she didn’t know what was said when they had their helmets on, but she saw that Max was the one who outed the relationship and by far the most pissed off, even pushing Charles to the ground at some point. Charles taking the blame for Max was definitely new. “I know that he’s important to you and I don’t want you to lose a friendship because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I’m sorry for all the mess I put you through”.

“It’s interesting”. She said when she saw him walk towards the door after a moment of silence that he took as a refuse to listen to him. “Max came here an hour ago telling me something different”. She continued. That caught Charles’ attention. “He told me that I should forgive YOU, because it was all his fault, that you are a great guy and would be a real shame if I’d let you pass me by”. Charles frowned in confusion, Max talking his side wasn’t a common sight.

“He did?”. She nodded her head. After a long sigh, she patted the spot on the bed next to her and he took a seat. He looked at her in the eyes, trying to figure out if he was forgiven or not. Since the answer wasn’t clear, he choose to ask. “And did you follow his advice?”. Lea smiled and nodded again. He copied the motion and kissed her tenderly, already feeling the weight on his shoulders subside a little.

“I will follow yours too. But I will give you the same condition I gave Max”. She said once they broke the kiss. Charles nodded and she kept talking. “I want you to get along with him. There’s a lot that I can’t do, this world is ruled by politics that are way bigger than us. It’s full of pressures that make me do things I don’t want to do. It’s a lot, Charlie, and if I can do just one thing to make my life easier, this is it. I want to keep you both. I want my friend and I want you”. She looked down, another sigh leaving her lips. “I’m already PR’s press puppet for as long as I keep racing. I want to keep close the last few things that still remain real”.

“Deal”. He said without doubt. Max had sticked his neck for him earlier and got him forgiven, so the least he could do was try and be nice to him. He could see how much pressure Lea was under, how making history as the first female F1 driver also implied giving herself to whatever political wave was currently controlling the market without a say. He didn’t want to be a burden, on the contrary, he wanted to be forever one of those things that remained real.

“Good”. She smiled. “Now start taking this shirt off”. She said pulling at the hem of his shirt. “Today I won and I want my price”. He let out a chuckle and took off his shirt. Then, he kissed her, grabbing her by the waist and lying on top of her, a giggle from her slipping between their lips.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hi, I’m back. I’m leaving this one-shot here for you guys. It’s pretty long. I know that the series are still ongoing, it’s just that the next two chapters need a lot of change to fit the F1 plot and I haven’t been inspired to change those lately, so here’s this one that was a lot easier to change. I hope you like it.

[ladysomething]

hey darlinggggg... the new chapter was as amazing as always, honestly the best part of my Wednesday consistently, so thank you very much.

I was wondering why it kinda comes across like Charles is way less concerned for his safety or at least aware of the danger of other alphas than Max is for him. Obviously him hiding his designation in the first place and the secrecy indicates that he was terrified of anyone finding out, but now that they know its so frustrating to me when Charles is taking so many risks and being more careless while Max is much more conscious of the potential things that could go wrong. Is it to do with the fact that Charles did have to live as a beta for so long and omegas are so rare that he hasn't had the chance to realise how dangerous it is? Or is it cause Max has more firsthand experience with Kelly being an omega and so learned from that? Or is Charles just so blinded by his hatred of Max that he's willing to put himself at risk, consequences be damned, as long as it pisses Max off? Sorry for rambling but I hope that made sense.

Also I'm kind of living for the little bit of Lando jealousy at the end of the chapter and Max being so confused about it lol. Makes me wonder if Charles would be able to stop himself being jealous if he found out about Max's past with other people...

And I loved reading the scenting from Max's pov and finding out more about how much he can feel Charles' emotions through the bond

so like. my biggest problem with this ask is that you were straight up spitting facts the whole time. like how the fuck am I even supposed to twist this around. it's impossible. I can't.

so here is the most honest answer ya'll are probably ever going to get from me about this:

it's all three.

Charles hid his designation a little bit because he was worried for his safety, but mostly because he (and Herve) knew it would stop him from ever reaching F1. he wouldn't have been given the same opportunities.

because of that, Charles has never experienced what it's actually like for omegas. he's lived his own experience, obviously, but for the first time in his life people know. and he has never, ever been exposed to as many alphas as he is right now, so he has absolutely no idea just how far some of them might be willing to go. all he's got to go off of is his dad, Max, and Pierre, and statistically, Max's behaviour is the outlier for him. he has absolutely no idea of the danger he's in.

Max, however, has seen how omegas get treated multiple times, and Charles' auction is now the latest example. He is much, much more aware of the danger.

But, then, Charles is also wilfully only seeing the worst in Max. he can't even comprehend the possibility that Max might know better, or have any altruistic bone in his body. Max is the personification of the worst of alphas to Charles - which is really not great, considering Max's behaviour (even without knowing his underlying motivations) is really about as good as it gets.

anyway. the lando drama is very fun, and jealous lestappen is TOP tier. expect more of it 😊

[f1-disaster-bi]

Ok so the Lando/max/charles with sudden retirement is really interesting and something I’d love to read. Saw your tag comment about it being to escape Zak. You’re the queen of angst. I feel that could be very interesting.

I had three ideas for the original ask!

Cancer/other illness

Pregnancy

Because of Zak

The Zak idea goes a little like this:

Zak was always a little overly touchy with Lando from when he joined McLaren, but nothing that Lando thought too much of. During his first two seasons, Zak occasionally made him uncomfortable with touches and occasionally said some very harsh things to Lando when they were alone because "I'm just looking out for you kid, you know I love you", and at first Lando accepts that. Sure, Zak makes him feel like shit and stresses him out but he's also nice and caring too, and he's just looking out for Lando right? The mean comments are just to push him and he's over thinking the way Zak touches him and looks at him sometimes, right? He is never that way with Carlos or other people, just Lando

So Lando goes with it and things only start going downhill and getting worse after the car goes to shit and Daniel joins the team. Zak pushes more, he says things to Lando in front of people that cut Lando's confidence in half and then plays it off with a joke and hug so every thinks "oh, it's an inside joke". He starts to corner Lando more, schedule him for dinners, telling him what to do and say and pushing him around. He grabs him more too, leaves bruises because he's mad, and it's torture. Lando doesn't understand that all along Zak had been slowly mentally and verbally abusing him until he knew Lando wouldn't fight back or tell anyone

And the touching starts towards the end of Daniel's time with the team. Zak gets mad over how touchy Lando is with Daniel because "I made you, I can break you, only I can touch you like that" and Lando is terrified but he doesn't know what to do. Jon has seen the bruises but Lando was too scared and ashamed to tell him, so pulls back from everyone

And in the process, he cuts of Max and Charles who he had started tentatively dating in the midst of everything, because Zak finds out. He catches Lando being a little too close with Max, and get him along and demands to see his texts and makes Lando text them that he hates them and doesn't want anything to do with them which worries them but by the time they get the others to realise something is wrong, Lando is gone

McLaren had announced that Lando has parted ways with McLaren and with racing in general due to is personal health, but the real reason is that Lando finally snapped, gathered as much evidence as he could, and threatened to go public (which he doesn't want to do, because who would believe him?) if they didn't release him from his contract with no issues, and he threatened that if he heard of Zak doing this to anyone else, then he'll go public with everything. To protect the team....they let him go but make him promise to leave the paddock and F1 so Lando just cuts everyone off and just disappears because he's so broken and worn down that he thinks no one would want to be his friend after this, let alone love him in the way he wants Charles and Max to love him back

[myimaginarywonderland]

People mocked Fernando for saying Lance is WDC material but I really don't think many of you see the full picture.

Of course Lance isn't on the level like Charles was, he isn't seen as such a raw talent and I doubt any Lance fan would deny that.

But the thing is for a driver to be WDC material, the driver doesn't have to be one of the best there is. The driver just has to be good in a good car with a full team behind him to support him.

Nico didn't necessarily win because he was better than Lewis. He just capitalized in every way he could and got lucky for example when Lewis DNFed. Doesn't make his championship less legitimate just like Lewis first isn't less legitimate because he only won in with 1 point by circumstances.

To be a WDC you don't have to be the greatest driver ever, you sometimes just have to be good when others aren't.

When looking at Lance I think the one thing you can't deny is that he has an entire team behind him that will do the most to give him the best result possible. Could we say the same about Charles last year? Ferrari then fucked up multiple times with their strategy. It didn't matter than that Charles was an excellent driver when your team actively seems to be against you (seems being the key word since Ferrari is just a disaster all around.)

But even if you have an entire team behind you, see Lando, that doesn't help when they built you a dog shit car. They can be supportive all they want and you can be great as well but that doesn't change the fact that the car is actively preventing you from showing your full potential.

Or take it in George case. You come into a championship winning team with one of the best drivers ever, only for them to compleltly bottle the new car they build and seemingly lose the great all around package they once had.

The way all these teams are heading is frankly to disaster. They have all seemingly taken steps even further back then last year in some cases and if you are a young driver like the three mentioned, then you start to question where a future might lie with this team.

But Lance case is compleltly different. Lance has an numerous occasions even before 2020 shown how great he can drive in certain circumstances with the right package. And then, in 2020 when he had a car that allowed him to show his true potential he did show it but he also got a massive blow which was his horrible streak of being involved in accidents that he wasn't at fault for, basically being a passenger and seeing his results slip away from him.

And then in 2021 he had an entirely different challenge which was having a multiple WDC up against him whilst being in a midfield car. While that was a challenge, I think it was also a turning point for Aston Martin. They started planning, developing, heading towards the idea of a championship competing car. But they have always made sure to make clear that it will take time.

That the development to a car, a team that can win races, win championships takes time. And all that time Lance has been a constant in that team. Aston Martin knew that neither Checo or Seb where going to be younger drivers who would be their focus on the future. Both weren't drivers who would wait to win a championship since they have already been in the sport for so long or have already done that.

This is not meant disrespectful at all but if you want a younger driver to build a champion around, of course your focus will be on Lance. People like to say how long he has been in F1 already but also seem to forget that Max (someone who many considered a child prodigy) took 5 season before he ever was in a competive car for a championship. People also seem to forget that Lance even with all those seasons is only 24. He's even younger than Charles.

So,back to the point I was trying to make: Maybe Lance isn't WDC material in the raw race craft like Charles. He's also maybe not a strategic driver like George.

But Lance out of all these drivers currently looks the most likely to have a balanced all around package to be able to achieve a championship.

When Fernando says Lance is WDC material, he is aware that Lance can have incredible drives, has an entire team that is backing him, building a championship winning car with him and has gained enough experience to also know where he has to match and improve himself would he ever in a position for a championship. Aston Martin said they would take time and well, they seem to be building towards their goal.

[lightningmickqueen]

f1 drivers as underrated and/or unreleased taylor swift songs that altered my brain chemistry

george russell: "i'd lie" because listen "he tells a joke, i fake a smile" he's the least funny person ever but i'd still laugh and also i definitely lie when people ask if i love him (i do but i refuse to admit it publicly if you tell anyone i said this i will lie!!!)

lando norris: "thug story" because of the second hand embarrassment but also i wouldn't be surprised if he knew every word

yuki tsunoda: "today was a fairytale" but unfortunately today was not a fairytale!!! maybe one day he will live to fairytale again but til then he's still feeling this magic in the air though i have faith and i believe

alex albon: "crazier" because listen this is like THE slow dance rom com song from the iconic masterpiece rom com the hannah montana movie and if that doesn't describe alex albon idk what does

nico hulkenberg: "lucky you" ok i love taylor and i know she was like 12 when she wrote this but this song is mid just like hulk <3 however unlike hulk , taylor is no longer mid !!!

lewis hamilton: "superman" i don't know if i need to explain this one i think it makes sense this is just him he'll save the world or go to work it's the same thing idk

pierre gasly: "we were happy" ah a song about young love. love when you're young. love when you were friends and you were young and in love . and then it stopped . no longer friends and young and in love. i wonder why that makes me think of pierre gasly.

esteban ocon: "i heart ?" because listen . "another mess i didn't plan, and i'll bet you thought you beat me" listen!!! not only is that esteban coded but also he's definitely blasting this in his driver room at alpine to piss off his childhood best friend turned rival turned roommate turned ???? aka a certain pierre gasly

logan sargeant: "who i've always been" listen u cannot deny that logan can drive and that's what he's here to do !! the easy ride was never his ambition

oscar piastri: "welcome distraction" SOLELY for the bit where she's like "gone and spilled my coffee trying to get the phone because i thought it might be you" because that is the most oscar piastri thing ever it's so adorably awkward

max verstappen: "beautiful eyes" listen his eyes are SO pretty they're actually illegal in 197 countries if you dont see the vision go to specsavers

charles leclerc: "sweeter than fiction" aka the reason i made this post. this song is SO charles coded and you know what ? ?? ? i will be there time and again and in that perfect weather it'll be like we don't remember the rain we thought would last forever and ever and there'll he'll stand ten feet tall i will say "I KNEW IT ALL ALONG"

lance stroll: "point of view" because from his point of view he's doing GREAT the grass is really green on his side of the street or maybe that's his car. who knows who's right but he thinks he's doing great so

carlos sainz: : "love they haven't thought of yet" it's very cute and honestly very 16 year old taylor but there is something just sooooo carlos about a song about not wanting what's normal but wanting the best and a fairytale even when it doesn't and can't exist <3

zhou guanyu: "superstar" he is literally too powerful for the f1 grid this man is the most well rounded well dressed mfer there and everyone else is no one special theyre invisible

sergio perez: "stupid boy" he is SO. literally any time you expect something decent or good he does the opposite. his most consistent trait. ugh

kevin magnussen: "R-E-V-E-N-G-E" it's on his list of things to do this week he's gonna make SOMEONE feel sorry. not sure who yet but it'll happen

valtteri bottas: "matches" but it's his attitude towards mercedes also "i gave you space you took my place and gave it to her" he may be besties with lewis but he will never like george <3 that's ok tho he looks great w a mullet and he's gonna burn it down

mick schumacher: i don't want to lose his face i don't want to wake up one day and not remember what time erased and i don't want to turn around because i'm not scared of what love gave me and took away and i don't want to lose his face

sebastian vettel: "just south of knowing why" listen it's about driving all night searching for something you'll never find he's definitely done that irl and also he doesn't have a plan he doesn't have a map he doesn't even know if he's ever going back

fernando alonso: "only the young" i know you're doubting me but this is about winning and overcoming the odds and also only the young can run (from him)