December 2024 - Qatar Grand Prix
Lando sat in his car for a solid few minutes before he climbed out to the roaring sounds of the crowd. He had driven beautifully; everything had gone his way. Everything except for the disastrous pit stop. It was irrational to blame them. It was part of being on a team, everyone had their role, and something people screwed up. Just like sometimes he screwed up.
It just wasn't fair when an extra few seconds take a win away.
What was more frustrating was that his team held the current world record for fastest pit stop. They were always on top of it. He prayed in the debrief they would tell him there was something with the tyre, something that made it stuck, or that the gun jammed. Anything to tell him that it wasn't a human error.
Lando needed all the help he could get at keeping his mouth shut for the next few hours. He reminded himself he just had to get through the next little bit, a few interviews, and then the debrief. That was it. Then he could go back to his hotel room and feel every ounce of anger and betrayal he was feeling.
Before he was ready, he pulled the steering wheel out and set it on the top of his car. His fingers were shaking as he took off the safety straps, and then yanked himself from the car. He was careful not to rush, careful to make sure he didn't take any short cuts. Knowing the smallest thing would set him off.
Lando Norris was angry to the point of screaming, to he points of breaking something. Or getting in his mechanics face and make sure they knew that this lose was all on them. But that wasn't the type of driver he was, nor was it the type he wanted to be.
The only save grace, the only thing that kept Lando upright as he walked through the paddock to the McLaren garage was that, even with today's result, it wasn't enough to loose the lead in the championship. Max hadn't won the race, he had only landed third, which was enough to shrink the cushion Lando had, but not near enough to get ahead of him.
The post-race debrief was one of the most tense rooms Lando had ever stepped foot in. Words started quiet and timid, but it soon turned into a screaming match. Zac Brown slammed his hand on the table, stood and left. Leaving the rest of the room in complete silence. What made matters worse was that everyone turned to Lando, expecting him to say something.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled, using the table to pull himself out of his chair before he turned and left. Ignoring the looks from every one of his mechanics, everyone on his team. He knew he should give them some sort of encouragement; they were a phenomenal team; he couldn't ask for better mechanics. But today they had failed him, and he just couldn't get over it.
On his way to his driver's room, he paused when he noticed who was waiting for him inside. Louisa was sitting on the bench, her legs crossed, scrolling aimlessly on her phone. He wanted someone to talk to, wanting someone to help him sort through his emotions, but for some reason his feet wouldn't carry him any further forward.
Instead, he turned and left, texting his assistant to make up some excuse with Louisa. Tell her that he needed time, needed to sort through this on his own. It was cowardice, not facing her, but he just couldn't.
What was worse, when he got back to the hotel room he felt lost. These were his things, his clothes in the closet, his computer on the table and his gaming consol connecting to the television. Everything about it was his, and it should have felt like a temporary home since he had been here for almost a week. Yet somehow he felt like an imposter.
Not just in the hotel room, but in his life.
Grabbing a few things, he sent a quick text off to his assistant and Louisa before walked out the door.
YOU ARE READING
He's my teammate
Fanfiction**There will be some edits over the next few months** Arabella Van Dijk is a well-known Dutch snowboarder, especially after taking her place on the podium at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. As a Red Bull sponsored athlete no less. After her...
