The Team // A Formula One AU

Lando

I am buzzing. I am buzzing so hard I feel like my bones are going to shake themselves apart.

"Great drive, Norris!" Some American dude smacks my back and I spin around and grin at him.

"THANK YOU!!!" I scream as I pull off my helmet and unclip my neck brace.

"How were you so fast?" Mick asks me and my smile starts to hurt.

"You were all over the place, you blocked me so many times!" Fernando yells to be heard and I giggle uncontrollably. I find Carlos and hug him too. He tells me came third.

"Did you see what happened with Max and George?" He asks in a low voice. "You must've felt great when Nico took them out."

My heart sinks a little thinking of my two friends losing their chance at the comeback of the century. Nico crashed and they were caught up in it, and I got through the mess the fastest. But it's like Erik tells us in our strategy classes. You just focus on yourself until you cross the finish line.

I smile at Carlos and decide to run away from him and his question. I crossed the line, and now Max and George are my friends and not just 'other drivers'. It's time to celebrate. I'll speak to them about it in person.

We reach the garage doors where everyone is standing and I twirl to a stop like a graceful ballerina. Everyone's looking at me. I feel like all the little blocks have arranged themselves into big shiny skyscrapers.

I won. I won the race.

"Will we have a party?" I ask Tom when we're all gathered in a circle.

"We still have the podium to do," he grins.

"I forgot about that!" I punch the air and whirl my balaclava above my head, hitting Charles.

"Hey, watch it!" He says and hits me with his own towel. I hit him back again and soon everyone is hitting everyone and Tom throws his arms up in the air and walks away to do podium things, telling us to bring our cars inside. I park up carefully in the garage and yelp a little when Erik grabs me by the shoulders.

"This way, winner."

The podium isn't very spacious and it isn't very high, but I still feel like I'm on top of the world. I watch as Peter plays the British national anthem from his phone and I breathe giddily, taking it all in. I came first, then Seb, then my best friend Carlos. I came first. I came first!

The anthem ends and I throw my small trophy up into the air as the crowd bursts into applause and the real music starts. I've never felt this happy before. I'm the winner.

"I WON!!" I scream at the top of my lungs until Carlos absolutely soaks me in lemonade, pouring it down inside of my race suit. Seb turns his bottle to the crowd who run up towards us, pushing us all into a tight bunch as I imagine multicoloured confetti raining from the garage roof. We jump around together as I spray my bottle into the air.

It all goes by in a whirlwind, Daniel lifting me onto his shoulders, Tom pouring another bottle of lemonade over my head and a Fernando dragging me away to take a photo beside my winning kart. Eventually we end up at the changing rooms where I see George and Max already in their Fortress t-shirts. George gives me a strained smile and pats my arm before walking past and leaving the room. Max busies himself repacking his bag and doesn't look at me.

"Three cheers for P-One Lando!!" Charles shouts and I forget about George and Max. He came fifth, improving two places on his position at the end of last week, and he's certainly in the mood to party. Carlos jumps onto a bench and leads the chant as Daniel puts on some loud music from his speaker.

"Hip hip!"

Everyone's voices are so loud I can't help but say hooray along with them. The song carries me away and I find a new bottle of lemonade to shake over my friends.

"Hip hip!!"

I cheer again even though I'm getting weird looks. Fernando rips the bottle from my hands and empties it over himself before chasing Nico around the room with it.

"Hip hi-"

"What in the name of St Andrew is going on here!?"

Weird Old Phil bursts through the door and behind him I see the Russian boy running away down the hall. What a spoilsport. Daniel kills the music and Lewis throws a towel into the worst of the lemonade on the floor.

"Hooray...?" I say into the silence.

Weird Old Phil's face turns red and I screw my eyes shut, realising he's going to yell at me again. Oops.

"Lads? Holy..."

I open my eyes as Tom turns into the doorway and Weird Old Phil closes his giant mouth. The old man's face is like a tomato and a vein is about to burst in his neck. He stutters at Tom, gesturing around with his arm.

Tom looks around for a moment, stunned, taking in the cocktail of clothes and fizzy drinks on the floor as well as all of us dripping in it.

"Well you said we could have a party, so..." Nando says.

Although I'm sure he's trying to fight it, Tom's lips curl into a smile. I grin as he leans on the wall and bursts into laughter, resting his head back and looking at the ceiling as if asking god where he found such a bunch of people. Weird Old Phil's eyes are about to pop out of his head. He backs out of the room slowly, as if he walked in on naked goat riding.

"Hip hip!!!" Charles screams.

"HOORAY!!!"