Unchained Melody (Daniel Ricciardo)

Silverstone

"I told Amy about what happened." Ayla tells Daniel when they arrive back at her place.
"You did? That's good! I know that must have been difficult, but I'm really proud of you." Daniel puts his hand on her leg and squeezes gently.

He was hoping she would open up to her best friend, she has been keeping this secret in for too long.
"Yeah, well she asked me if the sex was just as good as it was the first time."

Daniel nods slowly, that's something Ayla wouldn't have an answer to.
"So I said that I didn't know yet. And that obviously took her by surprise. She thought I would have been all over you by now. I want to be. I mean I want nothing more than that."

"Baby it's ok. You'll get there, we will get there. Don't put too much pressure on yourself." Daniel says before kissing her forehead.
For Ayla that small gesture means the world. For her a kiss in the forehead says that Daniel really cares for her. It's such a loving thing to do and she hopes he will never stop doing it.

"Thanks, but you have needs. Fuck, I have needs." Ayla cusses frustrated.
"Baby, stop it. You'll only make it bigger than it is. When the time is right I'll try not to disappoint you."

Ayla was just putting her bag down on the table, but after Daniel's comment she swiftly turns back around.
"You are not going to disappoint me. You could never."
"Ok, if you say so. But let's drop the subject for now and get ready for bed. I really want to try to get at least one point tomorrow."

Daniel has managed to get the car on P11 for the race, which is closer to the points than he has been so far this season.
He feels the pressure on his shoulders though.
Especially now the upcoming talented driver Oscar Piastri has been around the McLaren garage this weekend.

Mark Webber is his manager and for Daniel it feels a bit like Oscar is possibly checking out the place for next year. He thought Oscar would be a contender for a seat at the Alpine team as he is their reserve driver, but now he has been lurking around at McLaren and that makes Daniel very insecure.

"You'll do amazing tomorrow. Don't let Mark and Oscar get to you. Maybe Zak wants Oscar to be reserve driver for McLaren next year. It doesn't mean he's after your seat. You have a two year contract, surely they won't kick you out after barely giving you a chance to prove yourself." Ayla says hopeful even though she knows how tough the F1 world is.

"Yeah, we'll see. Come on lets get ready for bed. We both have a busy day tomorrow."
Daniel doesn't want to talk about his future in the team, he doesn't want to think about it. He isn't deaf, he has also heard the rumors and he knows it could all be over for him at the end of the season.

Deep down he knows it won't matter for Ayla, but having Kendra tell him he wasn't good enough and he was washed up, hurt his confidence more than he wants to admit.
Ayla could just as easily decide she doesn't want him if he gets kicked out of McLaren. It's not like there are many options in other teams.

Of course Blake always keeps himself up to date with possible seats, but so far it would only be in the Haas or Williams. Daniel doesn't want to keep driving at the back of the grid, he has done that enough this season.
He should be able to perform so much better than he has so far, he fucking won races with Red Bull and now he hasn't even scored points yet.

At the moment, it's only his drive to prove that he can still do it and Ayla, what is keeping him going. He doesn't want to let her down, he wants to be successful so she can be proud of him even though there's nothing to be proud of right now.

Ayla noticed the shift in Daniel's mood and understands that he is putting way too much pressure on himself for tomorrows race. He hasn't talked about it much, not even with his parents, but it's very clear that, now he is no longer distracted by the dinner, the stress for tomorrow is hitting him hard.