He's my teammate

03 - The Teammate

Saudi Arabian GP - March 2023

Lando Norris's first season with Red Bull wasn't going to be a walk in the park. After a terrible 2022 season for McLaren, the team decided to clean house. Which meant dropping their two-star drivers and picking up rookies in order to spend the 2023 season putting more money into their car and their engineers instead of their drivers. It was a shock to get the call from Red Bull, especially since Sergio Perez had been a staple in getting Max his back-to-back championships, but that was how formula one went sometimes. Lando was just thankful he didn't spend the season without a seat, even if he did have to race in Max Verstappen's shadow.

The first race was almost a full-blown nightmare. The only thing that had saved him from the angry wrath of Christian Horner was that his anger was placed on the mechanics and engineers after Max had a last-lap power failure robbing him of the win. Even after Lando had connected his Red Bull in the wall which would be an expensive fix.

He went into Saudi with something to prove. Forced every ounce of focus and discipline he had in his body the days leading to the race. Lando even flew in early, being the first driver in the dessert, so he could give his body the extra hours to climatize to the heat. However, Lando learned very soon that all his hard work leading up to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix wouldn't put him in the running for first place. No matter how hard he worked or what he did, he the best he could place was second, right behind Max.

It was a harsh reality that Lando struggled with getting on board with. When he was at McLaren he knew he was the second driver, but it was never patently stated they were always perceived as equals. At Red Bull that wasn't the case.

"All you need to do is do good in quali tomorrow." Max was saying as they left the paddock and headed out towards the parking lot.

"Is that all?" Lando snorted. "You make it sound so easy." Max smiled, chuckling.

"How about dinner tonight, to take your mind off of it."

"No, I don't think so." Lando shook his head. "I..."

"Sorry, it wasn't a request." Max smiled. "You, me, and Bella."

"Bella? You think coming to dinner with you and your girlfriend is going to make me feel better." Max waved him off.

"She's not my girlfriend." Lando rolled his eyes. They reached the sports car that was on loan to them for the weekend, and not really to them, just to Max.

"Whatever you say."

"What do you mean?" Max said holding his hands out to the side in defense.

"A woman doesn't fly to Saudi Arabia for just anyone." Lando pulled the door open, sliding inside. It smelt like a car that hadn't been driven much. Max followed, a sly smile on his face.

"She's coming for a friend." He shrugged.

"Do you sleep with all your friends?" Lando asked, giving Max a side eye as he started the engine. It purred to life underneath them, the sound giving Lando goosebumps.

"Only if they're hot." Lando snorted. "Why, are you offering?"

"We're not friends." Lando corrected. "We're teammates." Max chuckled. "I don't know if I really want to go to dinner with you and this friend."

"Come on, she's a great person, and I promise not to fuck her in the bathroom." Lando snorted.

"You can't promise that."

"You're right." Max said pulling the car out of the parking lot. "But she's a great girl; she's an Olympic gold medalist. Besides, we both know you'll go crazy staying in tonight."