Phone Swap » Lando Norris

The surprise

An extra chapter because...I think we all know why. Congrats to Carlos on his deal with Ferrari! Daniel, welcome to our McLaren family! And Seb...I'm hoping you will stay next season. Those few days were insane and confusing, the next (also this) season hasn't even started yet.

It is like this chapter was made for today: like a tribute to Carlos, like it was meant to be. (Side note: I wrote this chapter a long time ago hehe). So this chapter is dedicated to Carlos Sainz! Anyway, enjoy reading this chapter! 🧡

Song » Smooth operator by Sade

After a seven-hour flight to Abu Dhabi, Liv was glad she finally could walk on land again. It was hard and difficult to lie to Lando, to shut her mouth. She was excited to be at his race, to attend a race for the first time. There was tight contact with Carlos about the details about the weekend.

The flight was smooth, there was no delay, and Liv got a proper amount of sleep. The security check was quick, and when arriving at the baggage drop off, she could grab her luggage right away. She walked through the doors and let her eyes scan the board people were holding. Carlos told her there should be a guy standing with her name at the airport. Her eyes felt on a paper with 'Olivia Di Costa' on it. It was a local taxi driver she could tell. The man drove her to the hotel, and she made sure she refreshed herself after the flight.

The key she got at the reception, belonged to Lando his room, she could tell by the mess he made. It made her smile, it wasn't a huge mess, but a typical boys mess. There was not any time to relax, the second free practice was about to start, and she wanted to see Lando as quickly as possible. Liv changed her comfy joggers to denim jeans, a silky golden blouse and black All-Stars. She grabbed her bag and walked towards the track.

This was the first time ever in Abu Dhabi, even in the Middle East, let alone visiting the last Grand Prix of the season. It was warm, pleasant warmth. It only brought a smile on her face, it was making her happy. When she arrived at the entrance of the track, at least, she thought it was the entrance, she texted Carlos.

Liv Di Costa (Lando): ¡Hola Carlos! I'm at the entrance of the track :)
Carlos Sainz: Hola Liv ;)
Carlos Sainz: I will send someone to you
Liv Di Costa (Lando): Great, thanks!

After five minutes, someone exited the area in a McLaren outfit. Liv had no idea if it was 'someone', there were more people who were wearing team merchandise. She looked around and smiled at a few people when they smiled at her, just to be polite.

"You must be Liv, right?" A man asked when he stood in front of her. "Lando's girlfriend?"

"Yes, that's me," she said. Technically, no. But for keeping it simple: yes.

The man smiled. "Then I have to the right person." He grabbed the passes from his pocket and scanned it before scanning her face. "Yup, that is totally you," he said and gave the passes to her. "Welcome to Abu Dhabi Liv. Make sure you wear the passes around your neck all the time," he instructed her.

"Yes, I will," she said and looked at it. Cool.

"Let's go, I will bring you to the garage. I'm Sam," he introduced himself to her and walked towards the paddock.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled.

"Alright, now you need to scan this pass to enter the area," he said and entered the area. Liv followed him and copied the handlings he did. "And now you are in the paddock," he winked. It made Liv smile, he was a kind bloke. "So if I understand it correctly, you are here to surprise Lando. Is it your first time around here?"