The Exit - Oscar Piastri FF

1. - Long time no see

"So, how does it feel to finally be in F1?" Max asked me, as we were walking around the RedBull headquarters. "Feels great. It's been a long time coming, no?" I smiled at him. "Do you feel ready? The first race is in a month." I shrugged my shoulders and our walk came to a halt as we had reached the elevator. Max pressed the button and we waited for it to arrive. "As ready as I'll ever be. You know, I would have loved to be so in the last season, but then I'd been stuck with Alpine now, so I guess it all worked out for the better." I joked, causing Max to flash a smile my way. 

"I'm sure you could have done great with them too, but I will admit, I much prefer this outcome." He said and we stepped inside the elevator. We were both headed home for the day, so Max pressed the button to the bottom floor, where the parking lot was. "Yeah, despite everything, I do too," I admitted, but couldn't help but show a sour expression on my face. Max instantly knew what I was thinking and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, causing me to look back at him again. "You hungry? Let's go get some dinner on the way back, then we can watch a movie together. Sounds good?" A smile crept on my face and I nodded in agreement. He always knew exactly how to cheer me up. 

At this point, Max and I had known each other for a little over a year. Last season, I had been the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, which had taught me a lot. Max had taught me a lot. In many ways we were very similar, so we instantly clicked and always had the best time together, on and off the track. He was a great teammate, mentor, and friend. He had been one of the only people who supported me through the most horrible time in my life, which was right after the end of the 2022 season. 

Alpine had to decide on who to put as their new driver, and Oscar Piastri and I were both up for the task. Unfortunately, everyone always knew that it would be Oscar who got the seat in the end, and I had fully accepted that. Therefore, I looked for other options of course. Alpine no longer had a spot for me, so when Red Bull offered me to be their reserve driver, I of course accepted. Little did I know, that Oscar didn't plan on accepting the Alpine offer, and instead signed with McLaren. So, when Alpine finally turned their attention my way, I had already signed the contract with Red Bull.

At this time, I didn't only lose a lot of confidence, as I was almost completely without a job, without a future in motorsports. But I also lost my best friend. Oscar and I had always been very close, and he told me nothing else, than that he would be joining Alpine for 2023. He never mentioned getting other offers. I, on the other hand, came to him for advice on what to do. I trusted him, yet he went behind my back, and within just a few days of me telling him I had accepted with Red Bull, he made a public announcement, that he would not be racing for Alpine after all. I tried asking him about it all afterwards, cause even though I was beyond mad, I wanted to get the whole story. But Oscar never replied, and we haven't shared a word or even a look ever since then.

Now, I have finally made it to F1, as a driver for Red Bull, alongside Max. I must admit, I'm very nervous for the time to come, but I know that with the team and Max on my side, nothing could go wrong. I trust all of them, more than I ever could with Alpine.

Max and I made it back to the hotel and he joined me in my room to eat together. The next month, we had to spend almost the whole time in Austria at the headquarters, as we had a lot of preparation to do. This also meant that we spent almost every awaken hour together, Max and I, as our hotel rooms were right beside one another, and most of the work had to be done together.

"How many of the guys have you met so far, by the way?" Max asked as we were eating our meals. "Hmm, I met Charles once, but it was back when I was in F2, and only briefly when he and Arthur were greeting each other. Besides him, I've only ever met Logan and Oscar." I replied, looking up at him. He nodded and seemed to think about it for a while. "I'll make sure to properly introduce you to all of them. Maybe you can come to Monaco with me, the few days before the race? A lot of the guys live there!" He explained but I was quick to shake my head. "You know I haven't been home in way too long, Max. I will just meet them at the first race," I said with a chuckle, which didn't seem to satisfy Max. "London is so cold this time of year! Don't you miss the sun?" He asked, and I couldn't help but laugh.