We're just friends...or are we.? |[ carlando]|

" What a race. What a season.... " - 53

~ THE 2024 SEASON IS OVER.

MCLAREN ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!

Huge congratulations to them!! (Wanted Ferrari to win 😭)

Super happy Carlos got P2 and Charles got P3! I actually shed a few tears 😭

But on that note:

Lewis is out of Mercedes.

Carlos is out of Ferrari.

Zhou is out of Formula 1.

Kevin is out of Formula 1.

Bottas is out of Formula 1.

Franco is out of Williams.

And so much drivers are switching teams.

What a race.
What a season.

——

The morning sun rose over Abu Dhabi, casting a golden hue over the city. Inside their hotel room, Carlos was already awake, sitting by the window and staring at the horizon. His mind was racing, thinking about the last two days he had with Ferrari. 

He glanced at the clock. It was 8:00 AM. Time to get Lando up. Abby was sprawled across Lando's chest, snoring softly. Carlos chuckled at the sight, his heart swelling at the domesticity of the moment. 

- "Lando,"

Carlos called softly, gently shaking him.

- "Time to get up." 

Lando groaned, rolling over.

- "Five more minutes..." 

- "No,"

Carlos said with a laugh.

- "We have a busy day. FP3 and qualifying." 

Abby stirred, hopping off Lando and barking excitedly. Lando finally sat up, running a hand through his curls.

- "Alright, alright. I'm up." 

Carlos smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

- "Good. Now get dressed." 

After a quick breakfast, the three of them headed to the paddock. Abby was her usual ball of energy, wagging her tail and barking at every passerby.

Fans waved and took photos as Carlos and Lando walked hand in hand, Abby trotting alongside them. 

FP3 went smoothly. Both Carlos and Lando were focused, dialing in their cars for qualifying. Carlos felt the pressure mounting. McLaren was fast—too fast. He needed to push harder if he wanted to keep up. 

Three hours later, it was time for qualifying. Carlos took a deep breath as he suited up. This was it. The fight for Sunday's grid. He walked to his car, determination etched on his face. 

The lights went out, and qualifying began. All the drivers pushed to their limits.

Unfortunately,

disaster struck for Charles in Q2 as his lap time was deleted for track limits. That meant he would start P19 after his penalty. 

Carlos clenched his fists when he heard the news.

- "We'll figure it out tomorrow,"

he told himself.

- "One step at a time." 

In Q3, Carlos gave it his all. The McLarens were incredibly fast, but he managed to secure P3, right behind Lando on pole and Oscar in P2. It wasn't pole, but it was still a strong result.