#2021 United States Grand Prix | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starkwlkr · 11 months

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annoying little brothers | f1

female driver x f1 drivers (platonic) (same age as daniel so 33)

part 2 part 3

Y/N L/N BEING THE FUNNIEST DRIVER ON THE GRID

The video starts of with a press conference from the United States Grand Prix. Y/n was seated with Charles, Pierre, Daniel and Sebastian her being in the middle of all the men who she considered her brothers.

She was listening to all the questions the men were receiving from how they thought they were going to do, how’s the team doing, etc. But when a reported finally asked her a question, she completely blanked.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about my son. We were supposed to get breakfast together and he hasn’t texted me back. I haven’t seen Lando all day.” Y/‘ said making the drivers and reporters laugh.

“When did you adopt Lando? I wasn’t aware.” Daniel played along.

“2019. He was actually lost when I met him. It was during the Australian Grand Prix, his first f1 race. I found him and we did the Melbourne walk together and I’ve just kind of adopted ever since. So if any of you bully my son, I’m coming after you.” Y/n explained.

“He’s probably texting you right now saying ‘stop embarrassing me, mom!’” Sebastian went on.

“Wait, he’s over there!” Pierre spotted the Brit rushing towards their direction.

“He’s alive!” Charles cheered.

Finally, Lando arrived to their interview area with a box from a a bakery in his hand. “Sorry, I have to drop this off. We’ll get breakfast tomorrow. I got you pastries.” Lando gave Y/n the box and a hug then he was off since he was late for his interview.

“You’ve raised your son well.” The reporter joked.

“That was all me, I needed no help.”

The next clip was a fan video from 2021. Y/n had just finished her date with a guy and now she was signing autographs and taking photos with a group of girls. The girls had just finished their meals at a restaurant when they spotted the f1 driver leaving with a guy. The politely asked for a photo, which y/n was more than glad to take. Her date stepped aside to give them a moment.

“Sorry to interrupt your date.” A girl apologized for her and all her friends.

“Nothing to be sorry about, honey. I’m actually nervous because I don’t know how the date went. I’m horrible at first dates so this is kinda making me less stressed.” Y/n admitted. The girls laughed as y/n signed a girls phone case.

“Has he met Lando?” Another girl asked knowing how close y/n and lando are.

“Not yet. I’m afraid that Lando might scare him off. Everyone on the grid might, especially seb. He will definitely give him one of those ‘treat her right or I will run you over’ speeches.” Y/n signed another phone case.

“Does he knows you’re famous?”

“Oh god, no! I told him I was unemployed and that a sugar daddy was giving me money. I’m surprised he still agreed to come on this date with me.” Y/n chuckled.

Months later, the guy ended up being y/n’s boyfriend. He even attended the British Grand Prix where he finally met Lando, who was actually the one to tell him to treat y/n right or he would run him over.

The next clip started off with the intro to grill the grid. The challenge was to guess the driver’s numbers, something that y/n was semi confident about.

“So we start off with my man, Danny, number three.” She wrote down on her clipboard. “Four, my son, Lando. Also ever since I met Lando I’ve been seeing the number four quite often. It’s scary actually. Can’t decide if Lando put a curse on me or not.”

“Would he do that?”

“He shouldn’t,” y/n raised her voice slightly. “Anyways, next is … oh! Seb! I don’t know why I couldn’t think of him right away. Then we have latifi at number six then kimi at seven.” She continued writing down the names.

“Nine ….Mazepin.” She fought the urge to roll her eyes since her and the driver were never on good terms.

“Ten, my favorite frenchie well one of, we treat everyone nice here, gasly.” Y/n winked at the camera. “Eleven, the mexican minister of defense, Perez. And then we have me! Thirteen!”

“Do you think Lando got your number right?”

“I don’t doubt him ever.”

“Thirteen, my mother! Everyone better get that right.” Lando pointed at the camera menacingly.

“Fourteen, Alonzo. Sixteen, Leclerc Charles. Eighteen, stroll and twenty two!” Y/n sang the number in the tune of taylor swift’s song. “Yuki! Thirty one, Esteban, my other frenchie. Thirty three, max does he have a middle name verstappen.”

“Have you noticed that you haven’t gotten any wrong yet?”

“I’m just the best, that’s why.” Y/n laughed. “Forty four, the seven time world champion, sir lewis hamilton. Fourty seven, mick mick mick. I love to say his name.”

Y/n had completely forgotten she had to be writing the names down. She was having too much fun.

“Fifty five, carlos smooth operator sainz jr. sixty three, the man with two first names, russell george.” Y/n said as she looked down at the numbers on the paper.

“Do you know his middle name?”

Y/n gasped. “Is it another first name?”

“I believe it’s William.”

“Three names!? It sounds so british.” Y/n chuckled. “Um, seventy seven valtteri, right?” Y/n saw the interviewer nod. “I was getting worried my streak would be broken. And ninety nine, antonio!”

“You got all of them!” Everyone in the room cheered.

“Did anyone else get them all?” Y/n asked.

“Daniel did.”

“Of course. He’s good with numbers.”

The next clip was from the same grill the grid video but it was a blooper. Lando had arrived right as y/n finished filming and handed her a water bottle.

“Did you get my number?” Lando asked curiously.

“Yeah, ninety five, right? Cause you’re a McQueen fan.” Y/n teased as she grabbed the bottle from lando’s hand.

“Yeah, you remembered!” Lando played along “how did she really do?” He asked.

“She got them all right.”

“Really? I’ve got a smart mother!” Lando high fived the woman.

“It’s because I’ve got a photographic memory.” Y/n nodded with the most serious face on.

“Do you really?” Lando asked. He was surprised to hear that.

“No, I just love to lie.”

The next clip started with Daniel and Lando standing next to boards with their 2022 rankings. As predicted, Daniel and Lando’s part of the interview was mostly filled with them drawing over each other’s pictures.

Daniel them knocked over Lando’s rankings to the ground. “That’s how I feel.”

“That was the worst timing ever. Y/n is walking this way.” Lando told Daniel, who immediately picked up the board.

“Are those your rankings?” Y/n asked as she approached the duo. She then noticed that the setup and quickly apologized to the camera man. “Sorry, I’m just curious now.”

“Are you proud of me?” Lando asked, standing next to her and throwing his arm over her shoulder.

“When am I not? Wait, except that time you pushed me into my birthday cake.” Y/n pinched his side. “Can I see the pen?” She asked the guys, Lando gave her his.

“She’s adding to our masterpieces. This piece will be worth millions years from now.” Daniel said.

Y/n then scribbled little stars around Lando’s head and then signed it at the top. “Actually you both look great in your pictures. Did they use photoshop?”

“Excuse me, this is all natural.”

“Y/n! Hi, hello. What’s going on here?” Martin brundle asked the woman as she walked with her mom and pr manager, Lucy.

“Martin! It’s been a while, nothing much. How are you?” Y/n hugged the former racing driver. “This is my mom, she’s been wanting to meet you.”

“Mrs. l/n, hello. Welcome, how are you?” Martin greeted the older woman.

“Great. I’m here supporting my girl. It’s been a wonderful weekend.” Y/n’s mom smiled.

“Are you aware that you have a grandson that drives for McLaren?” Martin asked making all three ladies laugh.

“Yes, Lando is a very lovely young man.”

“How does it feel to have a daughter and grandson in f1?” Martin asked in a serious tone.

“Amazing. I’m super proud of both of them.”

“Thank you ladies for your time. Have a wonderful day.” Martin smiled at them, but before he could leave, y/n gave him a hug goodbye.

“Take care, Martin!” Y/n waved to the man and left with her mom and Lucy.

“She wins everything. Give her all the trophies. Everything is hers.” Martin said to the camera.

The final clip was consisted of y/n after a race getting interviewed.

“Do you often see your father?” Someone asked from the back.

“No, actually we’re just good friends.”

“What’s your opinion on the president of the United States?” Asked the same person.

“I don’t think about him.”

“What’s going on between max verstappen and lewis hamilton?”

“I don’t know, I just work here.”

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saintslewis · 6 months

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❝ 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐘 ❞

𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 — 𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒

˖ ࣪⭑ pairing: sir lewis hamilton x fem!oc

˖ ࣪⭑ summary: it’s Nads’ first day on the paddock at the Miami Grand Prix!

˖ ࣪⭑ warnings: cussing, outfit descriptions, some seriously bad flirting, lots of name dropping

˖ ࣪⭑ wc: 6.7 k

˖ ࣪⭑ saint’s team radio: my babies, hi! i ain’t got no backstory, it’s just been tough to write lol. this chapter is my baby so i hope you all enjoy it 🥹. dedicating this to @httpsserene (twinnnnn) because she knows how much i back my man all the time lol. okay okay on with the story!

pls like, reblog and comment!!!

renaissance:the series • previous chapter

The sounds of the F1 cars and the noisy commentators went through Nadia's ears quite noisily. Fixing the position of her headphones, she held her phone horizontally as she watched through her husband's various wins throughout the years.

Her Tuesday was busy, well busily spent watching over previous races and anything related to the sport that Lewis was in. Nadia was determined to get onto the Miami paddock and not fuck up her first public appearance by not knowing anything about F1 and as much as she wanted to research a little bit more on Lewis, she decided against it, solely wanting him to tell her everything.

Her suitcases sat nicely next to her couch, the same couch that would be in her storage unit by the time she gets back from the states. Knowing that the weather that side would be ridiculously hot, she made sure to pack good outfits, enough to be Miami-approved along with all her good wigs.

It has been almost a week since she met Lewis' friends at his - their home and to think that she would be travelling the world with them so soon was not something she thought would happen. The next day, she spent it ogling at her screen on things to do in Miami. The rest of the weekend was dedicated to maintenance; wigs, nails, lashes, waxing with the occasional facetime sessions with Lewis just sharing all types of jokes to distract her from the prep.

Her phone rang in the middle of her binging Brazil 2021, showing a call from Natalia. "Hello?" Nadia answered.

"Nads, hey. I know we're literally going to be together tomorrow on the plane but i just wanted to check in to see if you're doing okay and if you're ready for Miami?" The ever so hyper girl asked excitedly.

"I've got my stuff ready and I think I'm clued up on the sport enough." Nadia's voice was clear yet soft, balancing her phone on the coffee table. "But are you wag ready?" Natalia asked, earning one of Nadia's infamous side eyes.

"Girl, what?"

"Nads, please don't tell me you don't know what that means." Natalia stressed as she ruffled around to sit up straight.

"Then you won't like my next answer." She smiled, standing up to go to the kitchen. "Oh my days, one of the most famous wags right now and she doesn't even know what it is." Natalia laughed, continuing with her explanation.

"So basically, it's a wife or girlfriend of an athlete. All you're gonna do when we get there is maybe make some friends with the other wags and just be his biggest supporter, even if it means we throwing hands." The girl laughed even louder, their laughter bounced off the walls.

"Now you're speaking. I think I'll be good as long as I have someone to guide me through it, y'know?" Nadia said, fidgeting with whatever is in front of her which in this case, was a fork.

For the umpteenth time in the last 3 weeks, Nadia was nervous about everything changing so quickly. This was her first public appearance as 'Mrs Hamilton' and knowing that she will have to face so many eyes on her was something she couldn't bear to think of.

"Here's my ting, Nads. You're not just the wife of any driver there, you're lawfully linked with the literal face of that sport. That man is beyond famous and keeping up with his life as his friend group is so exciting yet so fast paced so if you need anything, you got us. Genuine chats." Natalia smiled, watching her friend fiddle with the fork.

"I just need to keep up and plus Lew said if it gets too much, I can always just come back and chill at home which is something I will definitely do." Nadia said, picking up her phone.

"Exactly babes! Anyways, I'll pick you up later then we head to the airport together?" She offered. Nadia just nodded before posing in the kitchen. They wished each other their goodbyes and Nadia immediately got to work, sorting out her outfits for the third time.

The drive to the airport felt so surreal, the tiny droplets of rain sped down the car window as the music blared through Nadia's headphones. A sleeping Natalia layed across her lap, barely moving unless there was a slight bump on the road.

Preparing herself to go on a plane for the first time in 12 years , she breathed in and out and went very deep in her thoughts. The slight breeze of the air conditioner in the car raised hairs on her arms, definitely regretting putting her emergency hoodie in one of her suitcases and not in her carry on.

She had just decided to run on autopilot for the rest of the trip, every single thought of hers gnawing at her causing a headache to form. The feeling of constantly having eyes on her was overwhelming, every time she wants to run an errand or or go on with her maintenance day, she would always be stopped for a picture or even worse, have a camera following her around. She now understood why celebrities would always have their headphones on in public.

Heathrow Airport appeared in her vision, her hand immediately landing on Natalia's arm and shook her a bit so that she could wake up and prepare herself.

"We here yet?" The woman said, rubbing her eye and blinking quite quickly. All Nadia could do was nod and slightly smile at her friend who immediately felt Nadia's vibe. "Okay Nads, I don't know what your thoughts are chatting about but think about it like this: a cute little trip with new friends and experiencing new shit while looking good at the same time. I can feel your overthinking from here." Natalia said, cuddling into her friend.

"You know, you say some cute shit then you violate me after. Is this your thing?" Nadia chuckled as the driver drove towards the main entrance of the airport.

"Y'should hear the shit I say to Miles."

The process of getting checked in went incredibly smoothly, considering the girls met Tia when rolling their suitcases. It was all relatively easy as they were flying private, the jet waiting patiently for its passengers. The short drive in a different SUV to the jet had Nadia's stomach flutter as she took everything in. Stepping out the car to a very gloomy night sky, the crème white jet stood in all its glory and Nadia battled herself to not take pictures but she couldn't help it.

Nearing towards the steps with her carry-on, the flight attendants smiled with champagne flutes in their hands. "Welcome Miss Tia, Miss Natalia and Mrs Hamilton. I do hope you have a wonderful flight to Miami." One of the woman had greeted with a blinding smile.

Accepting the champagne although utterly creeped out, Nadia greeted everyone back and made her way into one of the most beautiful private jets she'd set her eyes on. Hermés blankets were placed on top of the seats, charcuterie boards were set and the night lights were on, referencing the stars in the night sky. Seeing how relaxed Tia and Natalia were, she took a deep breath and took a window seat.

Next to her were different types of chocolates and sweets, water bottles, sodas, spritzers along with champagne sat aesthetically all around her. Settling across from her, Tia whipped out her iPad and immediately got to work, hoping to talk to Nadia while she was still awake.

The two spoke on many different topics pertaining the marriage and Nadia's new found fame. "To summarise before we dive deep. I already opened up an Amex bank account for you because the money you'll make throughout all this is insane. You've got a lot of people to meet on Friday but I'll take you through everything on Thursday."

Nadia just listened to everything. "So while Lewis has a photoshoot tomorrow, we'll meet with your new team which by the way, have already prepared outfits for you for the coming weekends because i know you brought your own this week. Just remember, don't be too hard on yourself. I know it's a lot but you two can get through it. Oh, and you can finally open up your social media profiles." Tia smiled, closing the iPad with its cover and handing her a black card, mouthing that it already has money on it.

"Now we can sit back and relax for the rest of this 8 hour flight." Natalia said, eye mask already covering her eyes with a blanket enveloping her. The plane had already taken off during Tia speaking so she didn't have much to be nervous about in the moment.

MIAMI

Stepping off the jet steps, 4 bodyguards stood as Nadia's sight immediately went to the three large escalades, reminding her of how a president would be transported. Greeting everyone a very tired good morning, she spotted Lewis climbing out one of the cars along with Miles. A smile appeared on her face as she saw them, the nerves being pushed away at the sight of people she recognised.

"How was your flight, bruv? Got some coffee to wake you up." Lewis said with a smile, putting her suitcases in the car, his sweater sleeves lifted and showed his tattooed arms flexing as he lifted them.

She knew it was too early into the friendship to be having such thoughts but she couldn't help but feel some way about him as she watched him and he glowed in the morning sun, laughing at a joke Miles had said. Not to mention how her heart fluttered knowing he got her coffee although he himself doesn't like the hot drink.

"Nads?" He called to her, seeing her in a dazed state but quickly snap back to it. "It was great, Tia distracted me from the flight takin' off so that's a plus. Had one too many croissants and before I forget, I got us something that I hope you'll like." She said, climbing into the open car door and put her tote bag next to her.

On the way to the hotel, the two played some Raye while making jokes and talking about the rest of the weekend, assuring Nadia that if she wasn't comfortable going to all these events that she could stay back at the hotel. All she knew was that she was definitely going to watch him play some basketball the next day.

"And the pants are pink? Like your trousers are hot pink?" She asked the man as they drove through Miami, oblivious to the copious amounts of billboards with his face on it be it about Formula 1 or IWC, the watch brand that he was ambassador for. "And I was told to show you my outfits for the whole weekend for your first well, second public appearance." He said, sitting comfortably on his seat, playing around with his phone but not using it.

"That's very kind of whoever told you that. Before I regret my gift, do you wear grills? Or tooth jewellery in general?" Nads asked, unconsciously holding onto her tote bag.

"Are you about to say what i think you're about to say?" Lewis asked, turning his whole body towards her. "Do you know how hard it was having to describe your teeth to the person who made them? Anyways, I thought we could wear the grills the same day as like a statement, y'know?" She said, taking out two cases with the same branding.

"That's a great idea, I truly love it and these grills, man. Might build a mini collection." Lewis sounded impressed, bringing the jewellery closer to really look at it then looked at Nadia with a feeling that he was struggling to decipher but he get genuine appreciation towards her.

"Thank you pookie bear for these, i'll cherish it forever." He smiled, his eye wrinkles prominent.

"Oh my days, you said it." She covered her mouth with both hands, the ring shining as the rays of the morning sun hit it.

"What? Pookie bear?"

"Yeah, you barely say it! Oh my days, say it again so i can record it." Nadia said, bringing her phone out, making Lewis laugh so hard as they drove to the hotel.

Thursday afternoon could not come fast enough with Nadia standing in the large hotel bathroom, scratching her bald cap as she stared at the two wigs in front of her. The one was a light pink, wanting to support Lewis in pink and the other was black, very neutral but was quite long.

Her outfit was laid out on the bed, consisting of a denim mini skirt with pink low cut nikes, her reflective diesel bag that she received the night before and a dark gray tee with Baby Lewis on it. For Nadia, this outfit was quite simple as she liked to branch her style out, no matter how bold it might be.

The memories of the night before started to flow through, smiling by herself. When the crew had come back from dinner in the ever so luxurious hotel restaurant, she came back to all types of gifts on her bed, a note from Lewis reading 'for your first grand prix' with a heart next to it.

New Van Cleef and Arpels bracelets as she jokingly requested, the Diesel bag she would be sporting at the IWC event, two Dior saddles bags and two new pairs of sneakers that she had yet to open. The tears that were in her eyes dropped down her face as she opened her gifts, texting a sleeping Lewis a selfie with all her presents.

"Okay girl, let's do the black wig because the shoes and bag are already pink." Nadia decided, her voice echoing as she spoke to herself in the spacious bathroom. Putting some music on, she continued getting ready whilst waiting for Lewis to pick her up as he's coming from the track.

As if someone heard her thoughts, she heard a knock on the door followed with the wood creaking beside it and she instantly knew it was Lewis. Opening the door with a smile on her face, she saw him with the same beaming smile as she displayed. It looked as if he already changed his outfit from this morning, keeping up with his activities on social media.

"Well good afternoon sir." Nadia greeted as she walked back into the room to grab her handbag, phone and sunglasses, walking out as soon as she got everything with her.

Now, Lewis was someone who would subtly blush at the slightest compliment he would receive or whenever anyone mentioned that they liked his outfit, he would be grateful then brush it off with one of his smiles. However, hearing his assigned title come from the lips of his wife - new friend and not to mention her wearing his t shirt, made his chest warm. Same feeling he got whenever he would gift her anything and just see her smile.

There are just friends who just so happen to be married.

"Hi Nads. I'm loving the shirt by the way." He complimented, watching her lock up her room and place the key card in her bag. "Oh thanks, some guy i'm married to gave it to me. Do you think this kid is a legend now?" Nadia joked as they both walked to the elevator, relieved to have no one inside.

"I heard he's this really cool driver. Also props to that random dude who gave you the tee, super stylish and amazing." Lewis spoke as he leaned on the railing of the elevator.

"Okay not too much now." Nadia scoffed, followed up with a giggle.

Upon arriving at the place, it was truly crowded with fans and many camera crews all facing an incredibly large billboard with Lewis' face on it, his arm showing off the expensive watch. Majority of those involved in the event were wearing pink and many of the fans standing outside had a mixture of colours, including neon yellow and purple.

As their Escalade rolled up to the main entrance of the event, the cheers were heard from all around the car. Playing with her hair nervously, Lewis watched as he was getting ready to get out the car. "D'you mind if I hold your hand? Just noticed you were nervous." He voiced, seeing her snap out of her mind.

Looking down at his large open hand, Nadia didn't think twice about grabbing onto it and holding it tightly. As he stepped out of the car, the screams became louder as he waved to everyone with his other hand whilst Nadia scooched out with the car step helping her. As if the screams and cheers couldn't get any louder, her foot touched the ground and people were shouting out all types of things.

Although Nadia was nervous, she felt Lewis squeeze her hand and prompt her to look at him, his eyes more comforting than anything. Shooting a quick smile and wink at him, she went back to greeting everyone clawing for attention. He stood for a moment, in awe of her instant switch from what he saw in the car. Remembering where he was, he too snapped up and walked towards fans to sign stuff.

About an hour into the event, Nadia sat and cheered underneath the VIP section of it all. Starstruck event workers stood close to her, offering anything she would want from the stalls all around. With a pink lemonade in her hand, she watched Lewis play basketball with the widest smile on his face as he dribbled the ball and put the ball through the next.

To get better sight of her hunk of a husband, she sat closer to the kids who too watched in awe of everything and it isn't hard to believe that she began playing some hand games with them while workers were busy. While Lewis stood to the side of the game, he watched as Nadia interacted with the kids sitting on chairs clearly made for children but it was the pure joy she radiated that struck him the most.

Digging his phone out of one of his many pockets on his hot pink pants, he snapped a few photos of her surrounded with kids and he was very sure that the many camera crews also captured the adorable moment. Looking up, Nadia locked eyes with Lewis from across the court, waving excitedly which prompted the kids to wave as well.

After a while, Lewis was asked to do an interview and one of the questions were where else he would like to race and to get a reaction out, he uttered the words "I would like to race in South Africa, my wife's home country and definitely because it would be an amazing track." Little did he know that that clip would send the internet into a frenzy.

SATURDAY

Ultimately deciding to show face in the paddock on Qualifying Day and definitely ruining Tia's master plan, Nadia placed her earrings on before taking pictures of herself in the mirror for her to post later on in the day.

Fixing her top a little, she held onto it while looking for the small case that held her grillz and finding them on the nightstand, securely placing them on her teeth. She quickly switched her heels for sneakers knowing that she would be walking around the whole day.

Her mood was all over the place from the moment she woke up. She knew going into another deep dive was going to affect how she would be with everyone she was supposed to meet but she did so in the late evening after the day she had. She hadn't fully memorised names but she could identify them in an instant if anyone were to show pictures of F1 drivers.

Natalia, Miles, Charlotte and Spinz had already left earlier on, leaving Nadia and Lewis to get to the track together as planned. The knock resonated through the door, signaling that Lewis was here to pick her up. Grabbing everything she needed including the paddock passes, she got to the door with a slight scowl on her face.

"Woah, you're blonde now." Lewis pointed out, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pants pockets. His red sunglasses matched the parts of red on his Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt with his blue sneakers matching the blue parts. He flashed his smile, showing off his grillz.

"That FIA president better watch his mouth when it comes to you, talking some bullshit so early in the morning." She warned, locking the door with her key card once more and she placed her all black sunglasses on.

"Nads, wait. What's going on?" Lewis stood there. "Went on a deep dive last night and developed a deep resentment towards the higher ups of the sport." She said, shrugging her shoulders then leading the way towards the elevator.

As confused as he was, Lewis walked quick to catch up with her as she walked closer and closer to the elevator.

"And before you say anything peace instilling, I'm not going to beat anybody up...yet." Nadia said, crossing her arms as she stood next to Lewis in the large metal box. "..You look really nice today." Lewis chose his words carefully, not used to seeing her in this mood.

"So do you, very chilled out. Well, until you smile then you'll send those geezers into a heart attack." She snickered, showing the matching grillz. "I think they'll be fine. They saw a glimpse of my stomach yesterday and told me I looked like Magic Mike." He said, laughing at the ridiculous comments he heard yesterday.

"Not them comparing you to an unsexy white man?" She jokingly said, with them falling into a fit of giggles. "I know this is going to sound out of pocket but did you know that your arms look very bite-able? Like I could just take a munch out of them."

"Nadia, what the fuck?"

It was evidently clear that this was a huge weekend for Miami, thousands of fans walking the streets in merchandise from their favourite teams or drivers.

The motorcade they were riding in could be compared to being presidential, people cheering whenever it drove by and getting out of windows to cheer at the red lights. Reaching the Hard Rock stadium, it shocked Nadia to see how many people were in attendance with probably thousands more already welcomed in. With the touch of a button, Lewis' window went down as he greeted everyone with a wave and a smile, gaining a positive reaction from everyone.

Eventually slowing down within the private parking, the pretend couple climbed out the car with Lewis opening the car door for Nadia. Waving to the crowd with him made Nadia feel slightly overwhelmed, noticing how the crowd grew even more when he appeared.

Leaning down a little to whisper into her ear, "You can be with me for now then we can walk in together." Lewis' breath tickling her ear, fighting a shy smile towards the man. Walking with him to his supporters or literally anyone who shoved anything in his direction, Nadia took out her phone to capture this moment and how loved he truly was.

A few fans were signaling to her to sign some stuff and for pictures, surprising her at the excitement of the fans. Leaning over to sign stuff, she received a few friendship bracelets, a few gifts that she handed over to security and some many compliments that her cheeks were starting to hurt.

"Bye everyone!" She exclaimed, signaled to finish up and head into the paddock. The crowd responded and she felt a large hand intertwine with hers, relieved to see that it was Lewis'. Cameras had begun to follow them, her hand squeezing his in nervousness. Reaching the official entrance of the paddock, he stepped back to let her sign in first then he did afterwards.

Flipping her blonde hair and fixing her sunglasses, their hands intertwined once again as they began to walk down the incredibly long pathway. All types of media was running around them like headless chickens, hurling questions their way but all the two did was smile and greet everyone who greeted them.

The power that resonated through the pretend couple as they walked towards the Mercedes hospitality inside the stadium, everyone could feel it. The pure confidence and kindness they showed on the short walk was enough to keep the world talking for a few weeks, grillz shining as they grinned and Lewis fist bumped people as he usually did.

Once reaching Mercedes, Nadia and Lewis weren't aware of the small crowd that had gathered behind them as they walked, everyone intrigued with the sight of Nadia next to the 7x World champion of the sport. "Lewis! Nadia, hello!" A short woman with a blonde bob enthusiastically said, standing up from one of the chairs inside the building.

"Susie! How's it going?" Lewis said, hugging the woman. "I am doing quite well," Susie said. "Who is this beautiful woman?" She asked, setting her eyes on a nervous looking Nadia.

"Hello, I'm Nadia. It's such a pleasure to meet you, Lewis told me about you." She smiled, stretching her arm out for a handshake that Susie happily accepted. "Oh my, likewise. I will have to steal you away from him now as he has to get ready for quali. Toto has meet you as well." Susie said.

"I do have to go unfortunately so I'll see you later in the garage?" Lewis asked, placing his hand on her waist whilst looking into her eyes. "Yup, have fun bruv." Nadia winked then placed a kiss on his cheek, the lipgloss leaving a residue on his cheek that he didn't dare to wipe off.

He winked back (dismally), then left the two ladies, greeting everyone in his way before walking off with Rosa, his Mercedes media personnel.

As Susie and Nadia had the cutest bonding time, including a very giddy Toto Wolff who was excited to see Lewis' wife to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. Nadia walked out of the hospitality with a chocolate bar in her hand, trying to remember the directions Susie had given her to the Paddock club.

Having no clue where she was going, she approached a woman who looked quite kind, donning the same passes as she was across her chest. "Hi there!" Nadia greeted as she stopped in front of the woman who's eyes went wide at the sight of Nadia in front of her.

"Holy shit, you're her." The woman blurted out as she then proceeded to slap her hand on her mouth afterwards. Nadia giggled at the woman's reaction, watching her as she swallowed whatever was in her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. You're just so pretty in real life. I'm Lily." She rambled out.

"Hey Lily, I'm Nadia," the older woman tilted her head a bit and maintained eye contact. "Don't know if you're busy right now but do you mind showing me to the paddock club? Thank you for the compliment, so are you!" She spoke, seeing Lily lose her breath a little when making direct eye contact.

"Oh! Of course, that's where I'm headed right now. You can join me in my walk there, it's not too far." Lily offered, to which Nadia just nodded and the two conversed all the way.

Once reaching the overly luxurious and crowded space, Lily guided Nadia towards a private section of the already exclusive space. Greeting those who waved at her as they walked by, she spotted a group of younger looking women who were eagerly looking around until their eyes landed on Lily and Nadia, smiles growing larger with them all standing up in excitement.

Deciding to greet the group first, she held her arms out and they fell into a huge group hug. Nadia felt surprisingly safe and definitely knew that these were the wags that Natalia was speaking about a few days before.

"Super sorry for the ambush, once we saw you enter the paddock we've been excited." The calm brunette woman grinned. "I'm Carmen, I'm with George." She tucked her hair behind her ear, her aura very classy.

George Russell, Lewis' teammate.

"I'm Kika! Francisca but I prefer Kika." The tall girl introduced herself, resembling a deer. Her eyes large with a beaming smile. "I'm with Pierre."

Pierre Gasly, apart of that one pink team. French guy.

"I'm Alexandra, so nice to meet you." The last girl introduced herself, voice very soft but visibly excited. She looked like she would be with someone from Ferrari. "I'm with Charles." She beams, Nadia's guess being correct.

"Well hi everyone, I'm Nadia." She said, opting for all the girls to sit. Kika gasped before she sat down, "oh my goodness, I just realised that you look like Tinker Bell."

The other girls looked at Nadia properly and agreeing with Kika, giggles floating around.

A lengthy conversation from fashion to careers to food, the group of women were interrupted by a Mercedes employee, asking for both Carmen and Nadia in the garage. Grabbing each other's hands, the two women greeted their friends goodbye as they walked out of the Paddock club.

The Mercedes garage was everything that Nadia imagined it to be, people wizzing in and out of there with both cars proudly displayed as the crowd gathered to take pictures of each car or simply wanting a picture in front of the driver's garages.

Spotting her husband's braids over everyone in front of him, she carefully walked over to him, not wanting to trip over anything. Locking eyes with each other, Lewis quickly put his airpods back into their case and stuck his hand out for her to hold onto. Manoeuvring his arm around her shoulder whilst holding her hand, Lewis held Nadia closer to him. Avoiding the cameras and the watching eyes everywhere.

"So? How was it? Heard you are quite the star today." Lewis teased. Glancing up at the man through her lashes, she smiled and bounced on her feet a little. "Everyone is so nice. I met the other girlfriends and bruv, you should've seen them. It was like I was holding the universe in my hands." She joked, earning a nod and a smile.

"Do you think you have one more introduction left in you? I have someone I'd like you to meet." He said, looking forward then at her, his sunglasses sitting on his forehead. Turning her head in the direction he just looked, she spotted someone familiar and as they walked closer, she recognised the tall figure and her stomach dropped.

"Lewis, hey man! What's good?" Pharrell Williams greeted her husband with a handshake then hug, letting go of Nadia's body for a brief period of time. Nadia couldn't believe the sight in front of her, her idol was chatting it up with her husband.

"And i want you to meet my wife, Nadia. My guardian angel through all this shit." Lewis beamed at her, holding her closer once again to bring her towards Pharrell. "Ah, it's a such an honour to meet you." The man exclaimed, his grillz shining as well. "He's said so many good things about you after the reveal, I was genuinely shocked that you two could keep a secret like this." Pharrell snickered.

Processing the fact that Lewis had spoken about her to her idol and that said idol mentioned that it was an honour, all she could really do was smile and nod. "Well, I'm glad we're finally out now." Nervously chuckling, Nadia tucked her hair behind her ear.

With a light conversation and a few pictures, Pharrell ended off with words that Nadia couldn't believe she just heard. "I hope to see you two in Paris, remember front row and I'll be sure to send some stuff from LV." The older man remarked, slowly walking away as it was almost time for Quali to begin.

Nadia sat with large headphones on her head, Bono's voice occasionally chiming in to Lewis. The screen in front of her showed all the cars racing on track, starting off quite smoothly in Q1. Whenever the camera would pan to her during a pit stop, she would smile or wink, quite literally the only actions she's been able to do this whole weekend.

RACE DAY.

As if it was clockwork, she sat in the same chair with her hands balled up in front of her mouth and her eyebrows furrowed as she watched Car 44 whiz around the track.

Being behind the scenes the day before had truly helped her understand the dynamics of the sport, Nadia's eyes snapping between watching the car drive and the current position he was in. P4 and there were only a few laps left of the race. Miles and Natalia were seated next to her, stressing just as much as Nadia did.

The atmosphere in the garage was tense, only audible sounds being heard in Nadia's ears were the car's engine and occasional groans or cheers from the crowd outside. Feeling all her senses show in anticipation, her clothes felt tighter than they actually were and her hands were shaking as she watched her husband turn the car into the specific corner that has been an issue the whole race.

As the last 2 laps went on, she stood up abruptly as anxiety seeped through her body. Nadia knew it was going to be a good position but seeing Lewis come alive in the final laps could put him anywhere. His car swiftly overtook Alonso’s, the finish line just a few metres away from him and Natalia stood next to her as they all watched Lewis finish the race.

P2.

The cheer that erupted from her was genuine, a few people celebrating all around them with the pit crew giving each other hugs.

“Nadia! Let’s go to the podium!” Rosa exclaimed, a giant smile on her face as she held her hand out. Looking back at Natalia and Miles, they both urged to go. With a grill filled smile on her face, she waved to whichever camera was on her and ran out excitedly with Rosa to where most of the Mercedes team where going to be along with media.

Upon getting to the infamous barrier as they waited for all three winning cars to arrive in parc ferme, Nadia held her head as she expressed her excitement to the woman. Members of the media could see that Nadia was making her way there, her own little paparazzi forming with many questions being asked but Rosa managed to guide her to the very front.

Lewis climbed out of the car, the neon and purple helmet sitting pretty as he walked towards the team doing a little dance on the way. Spotting Nadia first, his grin widened with his eyes closing a bit as he approached her. Once in front of her, Nadia threw arms around him and kissed his open visor, a brown and glossy residue sticking on there. Their eyes locked once and it was such an intimate yet soft moment between the two.

Her eyes filled with pride and happiness and his filled with gratitude for the woman in front of him, a special bond building right in front of the world. Planting the forehead of his helmet with her head, they scrunched their noses as they maintained eye contact with each other, not even realising that they were holding hands.

The moment was shortly interrupted by the noise of fans and the Mercedes team screaming in joy as he moved on to celebrate with them before hurrying to take his weight and get ready to go to the break down room before stepping onto the podium.

Minutes later, the drivers reappeared onto the podium, each one waving at their respective teams along with the crowd. As the English national anthem began, Nadia’s eyes went to the figure of her smiling husband, hands tucked behind him. Looking at the man and not the obscene amount of cameras on her at that moment, Nadia had to remind herself that all this was to benefit their parents’ feelings and to simply help Lewis.

This wasn’t real.

The trophies were being handed to the drivers, Lewis immediately lifting his and pointing to his team then Nadia, winking at her before waving to the screaming crowd. Watching him in his element was never going to get old , that was for sure and thinking about how all this could end one day made her stomach drop, her facade still showing the proud smile as she watched him leave the podium.

At least two hours later, Nadia, Miles and Natalia sat on one of the benches outside the Mercedes hospitality with their ice cold waters in front of them. The two teased Nadia to no end about her meeting Pharrell and how most of the interaction was caught on video by fans, posting on twitter.

“Listen, when you’re a stylist and you see your fav fashion person in real life, you’d scream too.” Nadia laughed as she hid her face in her hands.

“Just saying Nads, the shocked look you gave him when he was about to walk up to you lot was so cute. Gonna get that shit printed.” Natalia joked, earning an eye roll from Nadia.

“Aye! There’s the man of the hour!” Miles exclaimed, watching Lewis walk up to the building with Rosa right next to him, the Mercedes shirt flowing in the light breeze.

Giving his friends their own handshakes, he sat next to Nadia and gave her a fist bump, the two of them giggling right after that. “There’s no way you just fist bumped her?” Miles said, pointing at his friend then Nadia.

“It’s our thing, don’t worry about it bro.” Lewis said , a mischievous smile on his face. “So how was your first race, bruv? Susie said you should try be a team principal.” He asked, turning his body to face her once again.

“My days, Lew! That shit got me on my toes. The numbers took a while to understand but I eventually got it. Also which ones Leclerc?” Nadia asked, looking at the others.

“That one’s Charles. He’s a good one.” Natalia responded.

“Oh okay, he’s cool in my books. Those two red bulls got on my fucking nerves though. Driving like maniacs and that other one almost pushing you off the track?” In all fairness, Nadia was fuming at the thought of it. It was one of the moments that constantly replayed in her mind.

“Oh Perez. They’re okay, just glad I was able to get on podium.” Lewis shrugged his shoulders as he relaxed his arms onto the table. “There are no cameras here, bruv. I don’t fucking like them or that fuck ass team with their team principal. A bunch of pricks.” Nadia cussed, her friends watching her and giggling at her reaction.

“That’s how we feel as well but mr nice guy doesn’t think so. Welcome to the club, babe.” Natalia reached out her hand to Nadia’s. Accepting it, she breathed out and looked at Lewis once again who gave her a little smile.

“Tell those guys to get their shit together or else I’ll deal with them myself. Anyways, your drive was amazing today.” She smiled as if she wasn’t pissed two seconds ago.

“Y’know what, Nads? I totally get it.” Miles said, fist bumping her, adding a little gimmick after it.

“Anyone want ice cream?” Lewis proposed, watching his friends and their interaction, his attention on Nadia and how passionate she felt about the race. His eyes stuck on her the more she spoke about her weekend, her lip gloss from earlier still shining with their interaction at parc ferme replaying in his mind.

nadiahamilton • 14 min. “Miami, you’ve been good!”

taglist: @non-stop-imagines @folkloresthings @tispys-blog @userlando @lorarri @thisismeracing @thatsdemko @myescapefromthislife @slytherinjimin3nthusiast @jamie2305 @like-fire-love-blog @sugardontbesweet @simpfortoomanymen @mauvecherie-writes @queenshikongo3 @eugene-emt-roe @deepgothfiremuffin @18754389 @cherry2stems @anubisnoir @littlelizzies-world @httpsserene @apenasumlug4r @youre-sooooo-funny @eddiesbitch83 @arshiyuh @alika-4466 @peyiswriting @sunfairyy @roseseraj @vsfavs @goldenalbon @mistruscity @tian-monique @hopefulromantic1 (i admire your work sm!)

(if your acc is blank, that mean tumblr couldn’t find you!)

dividers by: @cafekitsune

nadia’s fc: @/unclewaffles on ig!

all pictures are from ig and pinterest!

#☆ ‧₊˚ saint’s media pen #lewis hamilton #formula 1 #f1 #f1 x reader #formula one x black reader #x black fem reader #formula one x reader #x black reader #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x black reader #lewis hamilton x oc #lewis hamilton fanfics #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton fic #f1 x black!reader #f1 x oc #f1 imagines #f1 fanfic

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purplephantomwolf · 5 months

Text

Love in Motion

Chapter One

Synopsis: Lydia gets a wrong number text from Lando Norris.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately.

Warnings for this chapter: None

Next chapter: Chapter Two

Masterlist

April 4, 2022

12:30pm

I sigh, turning my attention away from my organic chemistry professor to my laptop screen. I watch as the 20 best drivers in the world complete the last lap of the first race of the 2021 Formula 1 season. I just recently got into Formula 1, so I’m watching the 2021 season to get a feel for the sport. One of my best friends says the 2021 season is a great season to watch because of the fights between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. I silently cheer as my favourite driver, Lando Norris, finishes P4. I look up at the clock and see that it’s only 12:30. Still 35 minutes left of class, I think. I let out a little audible sigh, turning back to my laptop. I move on to watching qualifying for the first Italy grand prix of the 2021 season. I have just clicked play when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I grab it and see a text message from an unknown number.

Unknown number: Did you make it home from the club okay?

Me: *One image attached* Considering I’m currently in a chemistry lecture, I think you may have been given the wrong number. I’m sorry.

I send a picture of my view of my professor, laptop, and notes to the unknown number.

Unknown number: Oh, thank you! I’m sorry for bothering you!

Unknown number: Hang on, are you watching Formula 1 while in lecture?

Me: It’s okay! Also, yes I am watching Formula 1 while in lecture. I’d rather be learning about Formula 1 than boring organic chemistry. Also, why are you texting someone about getting home from the club okay? It’s 12:30 pm?

Unknown number: It’s currently 2:30 am for me. I was attempting to text a girl I was talking to at the club, but it looks like she gave me the wrong number.

Me: Oh, that makes sense. Wait, where are you that’s 14 hours ahead of me? Also, I’m sorry about the whole wrong number thing. That really sucks. Unless she gave you the wrong number cause you’re a creep. Then you deserve it.

Unknown number: I’m currently in Melbourne, Australia. And I wasn’t being a creep! At least, I don’t think so. I hope not at least. I try my best to not be a creep.

Me: Alright, that’s good. I doubt you were being a creep. And Australia? Jeez, that’s so far from me. I’m in Minnesota, United States.

Unknown number: That's only a little far from Australia.

Me: Yeah, it’s going to be not fun to watch the F1 race this weekend, but staying up is so worth it to see the race live.

Unknown number: Big fan of the sport?

Me: Yeah, I am. I just recently got into it, so I’m watching the 2021 season to learn everything I can. I’m also attempting to watch all the qualifying and races live.

Unknown number: Oh cool. That’s got to be tiring Considering most of the races are in Europe. Waking up early every day of the weekend must suck.

Me: I mean, yeah. It kinda sucks, but it’s not too bad. I’m not waking up super early unless it’s races in places like Japan and Australia. The earliest I have to wake up is like 6 for other races. That’s not too bad though.

Unknown number: Oh, that’s not too bad then! Which team do you support?

Me: Well, there’s not a specific team I really support. If I have to choose one, it would be Ferrari, probably followed by Red Bull. I support drivers more than I support teams really.

Unknown number: Okay, then who are your top three drivers?

Me: That is a hard decision to make for 2 and 3. Lando Norris is for sure my number one driver, but I have like 5 drivers tied for second and then 5 tied for third. I made a tier list one time lol

Unknown number: Okay, so what’s the tier list then? I’m curious

Me: The people within each tier are in no particular order. So it goes 1. Norris 2. Verstappen, Leclerc, Gasly, Ricciardo, Sainz 3. Schumacher, Albon, Stroll, Vettel, Tsunoda 4. Bottas, Guanyu, Ocon, Russell, Hamilton 5. Latifi, Magnussen, Perez, Alonso

Unknown number: Hmm, interesting. So do you dislike tier 5 then?

Me: No, I don’t dislike any drivers. Unless you count past drivers *cough* Mazespin *cough* Tier 1 is my all time favourite. Tier 2 are ones I also support a bunch, but are not my all time favourite. Tier 3 are ones I support, but not much as tier 2. Tier 4 are ones I support some. Tier 5 are ones I don’t support at all.

Unknown number: That’s a funny nickname for Mazepin. But why don’t you like him?

Me: I’m not sure. I just get a weird vibe from him.

Unknown number: Interesting. But I get what you’re saying. Can I ask why Lando is your favourite? My favourite is Carlos.

Me: Sure! Lando is my favourite because of his personality, humor, and how he speaks out about mental health. I really struggle with depression and anxiety, so having such a public figure speak out about it is amazing. Also helps that he’s got the boy next door charm. That’s definitely my type lol.

Unknown number: Ahh, okay! Those are good reasons to like him! Now, I feel weird talking to a nameless person. Can I ask you what your name is?

Me: My name is Lydia. Can I ask what your name is?

Unknown number: Lydia, that’s a pretty name. My name is Luke.

Me: Nice to meet you, Luke.

I look up when I hear a commotion around me. I see that my classmates are packing their things and leaving. Wow, time really flew by talking to this stranger. I put my phone down and quickly pack my things. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and head out. I feel my phone vibrate with a text again. I see that it’s Luke again.

Luke: Nice to meet you too, Lydia.

#f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 imagines #f1 story #lando norris #lando norris x oc #lando norris fanfic #lando norris story #lando norris imagine #lando norris imagines

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agendabymooner · 8 months

Text

melody || lh44 x ofc (2)

Summary: With her sharp eyes focused on her audience, a burlesque performer who went under the name of Melody returned to Rythme Romantique, an entertainment lounge which exclusively caters to the wealthiest people of Monaco — or in this case, to the people with a status that are recognized by all. Her three exclusive performances were meant to be a closure for her connections in the principality. Still, a certain Formula One driver saw it as an opportunity to reconnect with his former flame after two years of her absence. Felicity Vos learned that this was a rich man’s world and that he could do whatever he wanted, but she also realized that the agreement they settled on years ago was corrupted the moment he expressed his love for her.

Chapter summary: Melody might've been what they expected, but Felicity was what they got. OR Felicity Vos attended the Monaco GP qualifying day that ended up with Melody asking Lewis Hamilton about the true intentions of his visits.

Content warning: Age gap, use of explicit language, refers to smut (nothing graphic nor mature), mentions of past sugar daddy/baby relationships, no beta - we read poorly, possessive!asshole!Lewis mentioned, burlesque (2010) movie vibes, fictional ex (Penny Brooke), angst

Note: Here's something before I start updating my masterlist :'] enjoy xx (ALSO NOTE: character directory is now available from my masterlist hehe)

masterlist

ii. this is what makes us girls

"we all look for heaven and we put love first."

THE FAST LANE DAILY

BURLESQUE PERFORMER MELODY MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT MONACO GRAND PRIX, SPARKS SPECULATION

Monaco - The glitz and glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix took an unexpected turn when renowned burlesque performer Felicity Vos, known by her stage name Melody, made a surprise appearance at the F1 paddock during the Qualifying race. The 28-year-old artist, absent from the racing scene for two years following her breakup with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, left fans and spectators wondering about her sudden return.

Melody, whose full name was revealed after her highly publicized split with Hamilton, had been a prominent figure during their relationship. Speculations arose that their breakup might have been influenced by the events surrounding the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi race and rumours of Hamilton being seen with another woman shortly after. However, the true reason behind their separation remains unknown.

Coinciding with her three-night performances at the exclusive entertainment lounge, Rythme Romantique, in Monte Carlo, Melody's appearance at the Monaco GP attracted attention from both fans and fellow drivers. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were spotted entering the venue, leading to speculation that they were there to support Melody, whom they had not had the chance to watch perform during her relationship with Hamilton.

Melody's last public performance before her breakup was an impromptu rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" after the race in Silverstone in 2020. The incident garnered significant attention from fans and ultimately led to her final performance in Monaco before the split in 2021.

Surprising everyone, Melody was discovered in the paddock as a Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s guest. This unexpected reunion has fueled rumours of a potential reconciliation between the two, especially considering Melody's two-year absence from social media and her reported performances in exclusive venues across Switzerland, the United States, and France.

While some outlets have reported on Melody's performances in various locations, her appearances at Rythme Romantique were the only confirmed shows during her hiatus. The sudden appearance at the Monaco Grand Prix has left fans eagerly awaiting further updates on her career and personal life.

As the Monaco Grand Prix continues, all eyes remain on Melody and her unexpected return to the racing world. Whether this signifies a rekindling of her relationship with Lewis Hamilton or simply a triumphant comeback to the stage, one thing is certain: Melody's presence has injected an extra dose of excitement into the already thrilling atmosphere of the prestigious event.

Her blazer should have been removed when she left René’s Mercedes E-Class, but her nerves were getting in the way of her ability to think straight. She had been staring at the same thing for a minute before her new friend pulled her out of the vehicle, telling her that they had to leave so René could drive back to the lounge.

The server from her former employer’s lounge was a welcome face if you were to ask Felicity. She hadn’t met her before, mainly because she hadn’t been there since leaving for Lewis. That and her final performance in 2020.

Esther Edison was an employee of Rythme Romantique for over a year only. From what Felicity had learned, Esther was four years her junior. She had recently moved to Monaco hoping to get her master's at the private university in the principality— all while working at the lounge to earn enough money to live on. Living in Monaco wasn’t expensive, after all.

Felicity immediately took her in as a friend and acted as if she was a mentor — telling Esther everything about her experience living in Monaco at the ripe age of twenty and giving her tips, such as which stall at the farmer’s market had the best prices and quality. She’d only met Esther yesterday, and now they’re attending the Grand Prix together. René would have come along had it been that he ran the lounge on behalf of Lita, the owner.

Esther knew Felicity before the woman in question arrived in Monaco. Well… she already knew who Melody was and her significance in Monaco’s exclusive lounge. But her extensive knowledge was discovered when people spoke about their excitement for the one who broke Lewis Hamilton’s heart — the hottest topic of Monaco. Esther learned about Melody’s connections to the well-acknowledged racing event in Monaco after a customer asked her if Melody would make it to the race. She had to approach René to ask about the matter, to which René rolled his eyes at the idiocy of the man who asked and told the girl to shrug off such questions.

So to be friends with Felicity was an honour. It wasn’t every day that she gets trusted with information that no one knew about— especially how Felicity’s relationship with Lewis was meant to be financially beneficial only, but with a hint of intimacy. It was information that no one knew but René and Felicity, so it was natural for Esther to keep her mouth shut about the matter as it was meant to be a past affair.

Esther could understand why Felicity hadn’t wanted to attend the race. Everyone knew who she was in this stupid place — Monaco was small, and everyone knew everyone. Felicity was a part of the 1% that wasn’t recognized until Lewis Hamilton decided to put her into the limelight.

She wasn’t used to the fame he had, preferring to play the feeble and shy girlfriend while he had his arm around her. But now Felicity had no one but Esther. She didn’t have Lewis. She didn’t have anyone to protect her while she played the role of a good loyal girlfriend.

Esther could tell that Felicity still didn’t feel as comfortable with having cameras shoved on her face as she did back then. But Felicity’s expression didn’t give it away, not wanting to give journalists the pleasure of writing about her vulnerability as she entered Lewis’ realms once again.

Her blazer was long discarded, her gold necklace wrapped around her neck while the lanyard of her paddock pass screamed her importance to this race weekend’s competitor. Felicity would often lean over to talk to Esther. At the same time, she’d show indifference at the cameras pointed at them, telling the younger woman how everything operated during the weekend.

The performer could just tell that there will be certain gossip websites and social media accounts that would talk about the lack of brand on her body. They would certainly talk about how she wore a jumpsuit that came straight from Zara and how her red half crest shaped handbag came from some Kate Spade outlet store from the 2018 collection — and how she’d still have the audacity to wear it still to this day. Being Lewis Hamilton’s other half taught her about the disappointment that the media — British media especially — would express towards the middle class woman clinging to his arm. Nobody liked the quiet girl who didn’t care to answer their provoking questions. They certainly didn’t like how her confidence evolved as much as her outfits did the moment Lewis had hired a stylist/personal shopper for her.

So, really, she could just exist for doing fuck knows what and they’d still write something so condescending about her. There was no point of appeasing them when they’ve already made up their minds about her existence.

They eventually found themselves inside the paddock area. Esther certainly noticed the looks people gave them, but mainly to her company. Felicity had noticed, too but decided to get a refresher rather than comment. She’d been looked at so much today that it was too late for her to speak about it.

“I understand why you’d dressed up like this,” Esther chuckled quietly as she gestured at her outfit and Felicity’s, her hand moving towards her Shirley Temple as she sipped on it. Esther wore a cream airy top and a pleated black knit skirt, her feet heightened by a pair of silver kitten heels and her gold hoops shining under her jet black bob. Her fingers were shining due to the gold rings wrapped around each of them. She then continued on, “These people can stare and come to their own conclusions fast.”

Felicity had to laugh at that. “That they can,” she agreed while her eyes glanced up at the people in the paddock. “They can tell the difference between wealthy people and those who can act like they’re well-off. They won’t tell you how but they just know.”

“You survived two years of this,” Esther scoffed, “I don’t know how I’d be able to.”

The performer merely shrugged as she sipped on her virgin margarita, “I performed in front of wealthy people for four years before him— I knew the type and somehow managed to mimic their appearance. The hard part about pretending was the lack of material to use as a prop.”

“He practically handed that to you,” Esther pointed out, to which Felicity nodded. “I hardly think you pretended.”

“How so?” The blonde was curious. Nobody ever made any form of observation about her — not even Lewis himself. He hadn’t cared enough to tell her everything he noticed, she supposed.

Esther shrugged before setting her drink down, “You acted more naturally wearing those clothes— I’ve seen the photos— and you looked as if you’re born into those clothes and jewelries he bought. You said that you know the type. And of course you do, it’s because you were living her life. But… I suppose you were more into the music and dancing than you were into the costumes and gems that you wore on stage. Maybe that’s why you said you pretend.”

Felicity listened to whatever it was that Esther said, almost as if she was nodding to herself as she recalled everything that had to do with her relationship with Lewis. Wearing those things never felt right despite looking great in them, but it was only because they were all handed to her as if they’re grand gestures— not something done spontaneously. She looked great in those costumes that were tailored for her, but she never cared about them while she was performing in front of a live audience. She could get lost in the music and the 4/4 beats while she was being stripped naked, for all she knew.

But not once did she ever care about how she acted or what she wore while she got lost in the rhythm. She only found herself feeling more conscious about her being whenever her happiness drifted away from her heart. She couldn’t pretend in front of Lewis either as she got lost in his eyes and presence, not caring about what others thought of her while he was singing her praises and admiration.

So no, she wasn’t pretending to be one of them, really. She could only feel like it whenever her doubts and insecurities would take over her euphoric senses while those things that she loved the most were long gone.

“You’re the only one who saw a lot,” Felicity told Esther with a grin, leaving the server to cock her head in confusion as the singer went on, “you saw more things about me than he did. It’s amazing.”

“That’s men for you,” Esther scoffed haughtily, now stirring her drink as she continued, “the only thing they see in you is the part that they’ve already branded. They only see themselves in you.”

Peering down on her watch, Felicity hissed quietly in annoyance as she looked at the younger woman, “We’ve three hours before the qualifying. Would you like to walk around and know more about the place? I can also tell you some gossip that I’ve learned about the drivers and other crew members two years ago.”

“Shit, you have those?” Esther’s eyes lit up in excitement as Felicity smirked and nodded. “Hell yes. Wait— are you okay with it? Talking to the drivers and all?”

“Who said anything about talking to the drivers,” Felicity stood as she chuckled, “if there’s anything that I’ve enjoyed about being silent it would be the amount of stories I can hear from people who talk loud. You can’t hear detailed gossip from a person when you’re around a chatty crowd, can you?”

Their trip around the paddock and other areas was something of an adventure. Felicity was glad to have Esther as a companion, seeing as she had some things to talk about that had nothing to do with the lounge. René would often discuss the lounge as much as he could with Felicity and she didn’t want anything that had to do with that as of this moment. Too much had happened last night at that place; a change of scenery was what she longed for regardless of the fact that the track was her ex-lover’s territory.

Then their trip as a duo was interrupted by an Australian man who had the widest grin on his face. Daniel Ricciardo came across Felicity and Esther and he hadn’t let go of them since. Esther laughed at Felicity’s indifferent remarks, enjoying the presence of Ricciardo. Felicity didn’t mind Daniel; she was just annoyed by the fact that she couldn’t even walk a few feet away from him without being called “Candygirl” aloud and catching the attention of the people around them. It didn’t help that he would reenact her swing dance moves to relive her wild act, either.

How he didn’t have a seat in the grid baffled Felicity to no end. Felicity knew how good of a driver he was, so to be left without any seat by McLaren was a shame.

She knew that there was something about Zak Brown that screamed wrong. She didn’t know that sacking Daniel Ricciardo was what he did wrong.

Regardless— Daniel’s role as a reserved driver also gave him more time to spend with the woman that he now declared as his friend. For the past hour, he’d been confirming Felicity’s gossip and would often extend more to the rumours that circulated in the grid.

“He had an affair was what they said,” Daniel’s eyes widened while he subtly cocked his head towards the direction of the person they were speaking of. “Something told me that he goes to therapy though. No one could be that happy after getting laid— have you seen his fucking face? That’s antidepressants, if anything.”

But their tour around the pits ended when they came across the Mercedes hospitality. George Russell had gotten a glimpse of Daniel when he stepped out and immediately yelled, “Oi, Ricciardo! Spying again, are we?”

“You fuckin’ wish, lad,” Daniel scoffed before gesturing towards the two women with him, making George turn and his mouth gaped at the sight. Yeah, he’d seen her yesterday and was one of the bastards who got scared of her aura. Esther nearly laughed at the reaction. “I’ve two women who are expecting their welcome gifts from Mercedes but it turns out that you lots are shit at being hosts.”

George had immediately spoken up, “Oh… shit. Yes, sorry. Angela’s been telling us about contacting—“

Turning at Felicity with a sheepish smile, George then gestured, “I’ll take you to Angela. Really sorry about that. She mentioned something about calling you but clearly nothing worked.”

Felicity didn’t show any signs of being annoyed at his constant apologizing as she waved it off, offering Daniel a quick nod as she said, “Thank you for the tour, Ricciardo. Had to recall everything m’self but you’ve been a helpful lad.”

“Anything for Miss Candy herself,” Daniel winked.

Felicity rolled her eyes, nudging Esther when she heard a giggle before they both stalked off, following the British man towards the Mercedes garage as he prepped for the day.

There, she hadn’t warned Esther about the possibilities of coming across the man who sat in the corner booth all night while Melody was on the stage. Felicity hadn’t told Esther about the vulnerability she might show as they both come across the man who destroyed one too many possibilities of accepting the words of love and admiration that would be passed down to her in the future. Felicity hadn’t told her new friend about not being able to trust any man after she found him in their bed in Monaco with a woman that wasn’t her.

If she had, Esther would be in for a wild weekend. God knows she’d be able to react to that— seeing as she already had gotten a gist of their relationship through some news outlets from Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

As if they were summoning him, Lewis Hamilton managed to find Felicity as he walked towards his pit area with nothing but confidence in his system — not even catching a glimpse of her until she turned around, her eyes trained at his own pair before he froze in his tracks.

So much for avoiding drama.

“Honey,” Lewis uttered her name like it was familiar. She almost shuddered. Being called by Mel was one thing but being referred to as Honey was another.

He always told her that she was sweet like honey. It doesn’t help that your body is just as sweet as the noises you make, he praised her more than twice.

“Hamilton,” Felicity addressed him, face still showing little to no emotion as she introduced her friend, “this is Esther. Este, this is Hamilton.”

Lewis wanted to cringe so bad. He never was Hamilton to her. He was always Lewis or Darling. In some cases, he was also Sir. Nobody used his surname more than his father did. He didn’t want Melody— or wait, Felicity to use that on him.

He still continued to shake Esther’s outstretched hand, regardless, giving her a polite smile and a murmur of, “Pleasure to meet you.”

Then he continued to look at Felicity as if she was the only woman to have existed today. “I hadn’t expected you to come.”

“You’d still be in the lounge tonight if I didn’t go, regardless,” Felicity told him as if he was a bother to her, “so there’s really no winning.” He never was bothering her. She was always fond of his company, without the money or not. She always craved his attention especially when the abrupt end of her job gave her more time to spend with nothing but fuck all. She always found a way to get his attention and his time. So for her to express her feelings like this… yeah… this was all Lewis’ doings.

“Right, I will be,” Lewis nodded before he rested his helmet on his hip, looking down at her clothes before he peered up at her. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“I bet,” Esther scoffed quietly. For someone so polite, Esther was sure she already didn’t like him. Was it because of the stories she had heard, Esther couldn’t tell. There was something about him that she couldn’t simply shake off.

A call of his name had them all turning towards the entrance, a hint of blonde popping out as his physiologist stepped out of the garage. “You have to go.”

“Ang, I’m still talking to—“ Lewis gestured to Felicity and her friend but Angela Cullen wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You can still see them later,” Angela insisted, before she smiled at Felicity. “You’re looking beautiful as ever, City— Lewis has to go, though. Come on now! Don’t be stupid!”

“On it,” Lewis grunted before he gave Felicity a genuine smile, “Will I see you later? Mel?”

Felicity stared at him for a moment. He wasn’t making it easier for her to just move on. He was pushing his fucking luck.

But she nodded regardless before she offered him a quick, “Good luck, Hamilton.”

Lewis walked away from the two with an unsettling feeling. He wasn’t quite sure how he ended up feeling that way, but he was certain that being called Hamilton all while her face showed indifference and uninterest did a lot of things in his body that made him wish for more. Was this what she felt whenever he’d shake her off after she asked for his attention? Was this how they drifted apart in the first place?

Their Mercedes hospitality experience should have been more pleasant, but it wasn’t even halfway through the qualifying when a hint of dirty blonde hair sat herself next to Felicity while requesting a cocktail.

Penny Brooke was an American model, and if there was anything she was also known for (at least to Felicity’s knowledge) she was the reason why Felicity had proven to herself that Lewis Hamilton wasn’t as true to his words as he sounded. After all, the performer had seen her and Lewis at the bed and on some gossip website after his defeat in Abu Dhabi.

Now she sat there with every single Fendi and Bottega Veneta she probably could’ve gotten her hands on. She smirked at the performer’s direction like it was either practiced or was something that showed her happiness.

Felicity didn’t blame her; she remembered the first time she had gotten her hands on a Chanel bag — one that came straight from her pocket. She still proudly displayed it on her closet, to this day. She’d show a logo if she couldn’t afford the subtle luxuries.

Still, the next thing that followed her entrance almost had Felicity pitying her. Two years and she still wouldn’t let go of the five minutes of fame she’d gained from being Hamilton’s thing.

“Still can’t afford Westwood without Lew?” Penny giggled. Felicity hadn’t looked at her yet her eyes rolled at the annoying tone of her voice. The bartender’s eyes narrowed a little bit before he settled the glass of strawberry Italian soda in front of Felicity. “The sales rack clearly isn’t cutting it, no?”

Felicity sipped on her drink before she replied, “‘s much as your low-level dignity isn’t.” She sent a quick smile in Penny’s direction before she turned back at the shelf in front of her. “I might be as poor as one can be but then again, decorum isn’t something you can buy with money… or fame for that matter.”

She then added, “Not that you would know.”

Penny was relentless. She continued on, “I’m surprised you’ve managed to find your way around the paddock. Those pictures of you from back then clearly showed how clueless you are about everything in here. Don’t tell me you’ve a tour guide, too?”

“I lived in Monaco, darling,” Felicity murmured, her voice enough for the woman next to her to hear, “I know which street I’d most likely be mugged in and which man would like to take me on a ride around Monte-Carlo. There’s really no tour guide needed.”

“How’s it like coming back?” Penny asked. Her questions and everything that she was saying were nothing of a genuine interest and Felicity could tell that the American was trying to rile her up. It wasn’t working. “I heard you had a sold out crowd last night.”

“I’m surprised you’re hearing well.” Not well enough to not pick up the ‘fuck off’ tone of my voice, Felicity almost scoffed. “Well yes, that’s what happens when you’re famous.”

“And when you’re famous because you were a Formula One driver’s unlabelled whore for two years straight,” Penny giggled, sipping on the cocktail that was then served to her. Felicity’s ears tinged with irritation as she hadn’t given Penny a glance, her eyes now settled at the second round of the qualifying race. Lewis was still at the top three, and the woman next to her was trying to chat her ears off about him. How did she even manage to find her way back here? Was she invited by him, too? At the only time Felicity would ever make her presence known to the paddock? Seriously, Hamilton.

“Whore is too generous,” Felicity bit back, “but I supposed it’s better than tainting his image as a loyal partner, don’t you think so?”

She knew better than defending herself to someone who didn’t know half the story. What mattered was that Felicity and Lewis knew the entire truth.

Felicity hadn’t even shared a bed with him until their fifth month together— she could remember that all too well.

It was at the Canadian Grand Prix, when she had a spat with her mother who hadn’t seen her for four years. Her mother expressed her disappointment over the stories that she’d been hearing from other relatives and friends about Melody’s public relationship with Lewis. She cried too much that night after hearing her mother state that she hadn’t given birth to a pitiful girl whose body had already been seen by countless people.

When Lewis was asked where his woman had gone off that night rather than partying with them, he shrugged for a moment before ringing her phone. After she missed four of his calls, he called it a night before he sobered up and headed back to their two bedroom suite. It wasn’t definitely the empty bottles of spirits that had him worried, but rather the sounds of her pained sobbing that led him to her bedroom. He watched her cry her heart out while Roscoe tried to lick her tears away. Roscoe hadn’t even left her side even if he watched Lewis return from the party. That night, Lewis took her to his bed with Roscoe still in tow, sighing and praying to whichever God was up there to tell him how to make things better for her.

It wasn’t anything intimate, but if anyone’s heard that she was on his bed they would’ve assumed otherwise. But they didn’t even spend the night under the sheets and all over his place in Monaco until the seventh month — when it was her birthday. He looked wonderful but he swore that nobody looked as beautiful as she did with the expensive Bulgari necklace he bought her. The green stone definitely hadn’t helped as it weighed her head down against the pillows.

Even then, intimacy was only shared between the two. Nobody else. Lewis hadn’t looked at anyone, not when he already had Melody in his side. Felicity couldn’t find herself to look at someone else, no matter how much the grid had tried to get a look at her. She always had her head down, only navigating her feet back to Lewis every time.

So Felicity wondered why Penny Brooke, the woman who warmed Lewis’ bed temporarily after the man expressed his love for the performer months before, would insinuate that she was the one who seduced and got him and every other man sexually involved. She hadn’t chased anyone but Lewis. Penny Brooke didn’t know that obviously.

Felicity scoffed aloud, catching the eyes of the bartender who was keeping an eye out on the patrons and the two. He approached the woman and asked, “Would you like anything else, mademoiselle?”

“Merci, mais non,” Thank you, but no. Felicity smiled gratefully at the man. The bartender nodded before turning away, not before eyeing Penny slightly.

Esther had returned from wherever she went, her hand clutching her purse before she sat next to Felicity. She looked up to see the Q3 coming to an end before her eyes widened at the sight of Penny. She then continued to ignore the woman before telling Felicity, “René phoned me and said that he’ll be picking us up soon. I think he just replenished the drinks and fruits for tonight so it won’t be long until we go.”

“Right,” Felicity managed to sip the last of her Italian soda before settling the glass down, standing up to slip on her blazer. She looked up at the screen for a moment before muttering, “Good job, Hamilton.” He landed on the pole for tomorrow. She’d have to give him four to five hours before he shows up at the lounge tonight.

Turning to look at Penny, she merely offered a curt nod in her direction before she walked out of the place with Esther. Not wanting to give any more reason for journalists to press the drama to the public.

Lewis would have to wait later.

THE FAST LANE DAILY

BURLESQUE PERFORMER MELODY MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT MONACO GRAND PRIX, CONFRONTS LEWIS HAMILTON'S ALLEGED NEW FLAME

Monaco - The Formula 1 paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix witnessed an unexpected turn of events as renowned burlesque performer Felicity Vos, popularly known by her stage name Melody, made a surprise appearance after a two-year absence from the racing scene. Speculations were rife about her motives for attending the prestigious event, especially considering her past relationship with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

Melody, 28, had been in a high-profile relationship with Hamilton for two years before their breakup. While her true identity remained concealed during their time together, the public learned her full name following their split. Rumours circulated that their relationship had soured due to the controversial events surrounding the 2021 Abu Dhabi race, where Hamilton's championship win was marred by controversy. Additionally, reports emerged of Hamilton being spotted with another woman shortly after the race, fuelling further speculation about the cause of their breakup.

The Monaco Grand Prix proved to be a dramatic setting for Melody's return, as she unexpectedly crossed paths with the woman who was allegedly seen with Hamilton before their separation. Identified as British model Penny Brooke, the encounter between the two women was tense, leaving onlookers intrigued about the nature of their interaction. While some speculated that Melody had planned her attendance to keep an eye on Hamilton, others questioned whether Penny was still involved with the F1 driver.

Observers noted that Melody's demeanour during the encounter was marked by indifference rather than anger or negative emotions. She engaged in conversation with a younger woman accompanying her, whom many assumed to be either her sister or a close friend. The nature of their discussion remained undisclosed, leaving fans and media outlets to speculate about the possible motives behind Melody's appearance.

The surprise appearance of the burlesque performer has sparked renewed interest in her personal life and reignited discussions about her past relationship with Hamilton. Fans and followers eagerly await any further developments that may shed light on the nature of Melody's presence at the Monaco Grand Prix and her encounter with Penny Brooke.

As the racing weekend progresses, all eyes will be on Melody, Lewis Hamilton, and Penny Brooke, as the trio's intertwined lives continue to captivate the public's attention.

Her siren eyes swiftly glanced at the corner booth as her voice softly sang.

“There’s things I wanna say to you, but I’ll just let you live.”

The piano player was definitely eating this up. Nobody loved Norman Fucking Rockwell more than the Rythme Romantique’s pianist and it was showing.

“But if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”

Her ex-lover was definitely inside the booth. But he shouldn’t be here, hearing her speak about him and the way he held her when she cried in his arms for the first time.

“Hold me, love me, touch me honey. Be the first who ever did,” she sang, her tone jumping an octave for a moment before it descended back to its normal tone.

Everyone in Monaco loved Melody’s art. It wasn’t just the stripping of her coats or the unclipping of her garters that did it for them, but the way she'd put her heart into these songs definitely made a lot of money in one night.

Truthfully, she didn’t mean to allow two of her tears to flow while she sang. She simply thought too much about Lewis and how good they were together. She hadn’t felt her heart ache this much ever since she left Monaco two years ago. Coming back just to see your ex in the same city would do that, she supposed, when you’ve pretended that you haven’t cared for him and what he did just as you departed.

“One for the money,” she sang, feeling her heart breaking. “Two for the show. I love you honey, I’m ready— I’m ready to go.”

“How did you get that way? I don’t know,” she spoke to him indirectly, making sure that each one of her words was being taken in like a love letter he once wrote her.

“You’re screwed up and brilliant— look like a million dollar man, so why is my heart broke?” The musicians reached the coda as the rhythm descended from the high. Her voice nearly cracked at the final chorus, thanks to him.

“This seems pretty sad in comparison to the first half, no?” She laughed like a bombshell on display— her legs shining under the warm spotlight as the audience laughed dumbly— not even caring about the question when her voice brought them into some sort of space they haven’t been brought to before. “Candyman was merely a nod to my good friend who only brought it up for a good time. It takes you places higher than a sugar rush could. Our atmosphere dimmed a little for tonight, but it’s alright. I live to impress all of you with the grand finale.”

“Merci beaucoup pour cette agréable soirée, et j'ai hâte de chanter mon cœur demain soir ici au Rythme Romantique. Bisous,” Thank you very much for a pleasant evening, and I look forward to singing my heart out tomorrow night here at the Rythme Romantique. Kisses. Melody’s face feigned innocence as she blew a kiss and bent over to pick up her white fur coat, allowing the strands of pearls to dangle off her body for a moment before she covered her figure with the coat. Walking down the stage, everyone hollered and cheered for her while she waved. But the moment she’s reached the bar, René had already nodded towards the booth as she murmured a thank you to him, her kitten heels making a clicking noise as she walked towards the enclosed booth.

Then it was silent again.

“What would’ve happened if I hadn’t shown up,” Lewis leaned against his seat with a grin, sipping on his alcohol-free tonic. “I can just imagine how shocked you’d be if this place is empty.”

Felicity huffed, sitting across him as Esther stood by the entrance with her rum and coke. Felicity murmured a thank you, watching as Esther winked at her way before she left with a glare directed at the Mercedes driver.

Sipping on her drink, she sat the glass down and smiled sarcastically, “You’re predictable.”

“Really?” Lewis raised a brow with an amused smile.

“It’s no wonder why you reacted the way you did when you lost against Max all those years ago,” Felicity added, watching his smile falter. She continued regardless, “Which begs the question… I thought that you’re smarter than that, Lewis?”

His face showed nothing but confusion. She elaborated to get this in his head, “Penny Brooke made her presence known to me earlier today. Did you beg me to attend your race just so you can rub your relationship with—“

“Felicity, we are not together,” Lewis stated firmly. He wasn’t about to let it come down to that because of some woman. Again. “She’s not my guest.”

“Yet I’ve heard a lot about how she tends to be in the same area as you are,” Felicity pointed.

“I’ve told her to not speak to me nor come because it was over as soon as I kicked her out,” Lewis explained, his tone turning a little defensive. “Can’t exactly stop her from coming.”

“I think a restraining order normally follows whenever someone refuses to oblige,” Felicity told him quietly. It wasn’t even pathetic anymore. It was rather concerning.

Lewis scoffed, shaking his head as he sipped on his tonic. “I can’t do that if her father’s company’s a sponsor of the team. Last I heard she’s a daddy’s girl.”

“I pray for your poor soul,” Felicity snorted quietly, not wanting to show her amusement. “Is this why you haven’t done anything about it?”

“It’s either the team loses the money or I get a lot of hell from her,” Lewis rolled his eyes. “Choosing the former would simply risk their title.

“These girls—“ Felicity decided to face the music, not knowing what he really wanted in these visits. Did he want one more night with her? Did he want to simply talk? What did he want? Felicity chose to confront him instead. “They all came from money and had connections that could get them places. These women have the luxuries that led them straight to you, Hamilton. You’ve to pick one of them at some point. They won’t be chasing after you soon enough.”

Lewis laughed like it was a joke. A fucking joke.

He then replied quietly, “Yet I’m choosing the one who never asked for any of that from me. I’m still trailing after the one who only asked for a handful once and was already satisfied with asking once. That tells you a lot about who I want, no?”

Felicity couldn’t act like Melody as of this point. The way her fist gripped on the edge of her seat while she listened to him should have told him enough.

The way her eyes threatened to cry again while her eyes were trained on the table should’ve told him not to push any further. She wasn’t the seductive siren at the stage in front of Lewis Hamilton. Not at this point. Right now she’s merely Felicity Vos— the woman that followed Lewis around like a lost puppy and a dedicated lover that he hadn’t noticed until she performed during that one night in the UK.

“Yeah, it tells me a lot,” her voice nearly cracked as she looked up, eyes showing nothing of malice as she spoke, “it tells me that you don’t know that you’ve got a good thing until they start slipping through your fingers.”

She hugged her coat tightly, goosebumps rising as she pleaded, “Tell me what you really want, Lewis. You didn’t have to explain yourself and why she was there at the same time as I was. You wouldn’t have bothered buying the expensive seat just to see me if you didn’t want something so please… what is it—“

“I’m planning to retire soon.”

As soon as those words slipped out of his mouth, her whole bravado did as well.

“What?” She asked as if she hadn’t heard him the first time. She did. She just wished that what she heard was right.

Being with him told her a lot about his ambitions. He said he wouldn’t stop racing until he’s reached his eighth— maybe tenth victory of his career. She watched him win his sixth championship— and his seventh and each time he swore that he’d get one more. One more then I’ll consider retiring.

So this was just a fucking joke. Lewis wouldn’t retire this early if he didn’t know that he’d win the championship this year.

“For two years I’ve been trying to get that eighth trophy,” he sighed, exasperated from the race today. But he wasn’t about to waste his time being exhausted while his time with her was running out. “I wasn’t able to get my hands on them because nobody’s trying to tell me how close I am. Nobody’s told me how I should push through because something was a close call.”

Felicity was frozen in her seat, having no choice but to listen in. She couldn’t say anything, so she allowed her ears to communicate with him and what could possibly be bullshit.

“I don’t think I’m coming back after next year,” Lewis shrugged. “Toto’s been asking me about my next step in my career. I told him—“

“That you’re planning to cock it all up for the younger you?” Felicity’s mouth gaped open as she scoffed in disbelief. She stood and leaned forward enough to poke at his chest. “You’re giving up because you don’t have anyone to mollycoddle you when you manage to cock up the race? Because Angela won’t do it? Because you won’t allow anyone from the line of women to do it for you? God Hamilton—“

“Fel—“

“Don’t ruin your dreams for someone who didn’t want to be a part of it,” Felicity spewed out, her forehead creasing as her scowl deepened. “This goal is about you— stupid fuckin’ prick. Have you gone bollocks?”

“Retiring because of your cock— absolutely stupid comin’ from you,” Felicity sat back on her seat, glare hardening as she huffed. Lewis had completely forgotten that she was from Birmingham up until now. Her mouth was filthy, but she still radiated the energy of an angel.

“It’s not just— gah!” Lewis almost slammed his head against the table. He wasn’t even able to defend himself. “It wasn’t just about you warming my fuckin’ bed, Felicity. You know that!”

“Was it?” Felicity was fuming as of this point and if anyone else would see— they’d be in disbelief. Her pale skin didn’t look as red as it was now. “Do not make such decisions because the one that you had isn't there anymore, Hamilton. Don’t give up on your goals because you don’t want to look for another one of me.”

“I’m not looking for another one of you,” Lewis sputtered, his voice sounding more and more angry as he went on. “I’ve never looked for another one of you after you blocked my number. It’s just… the rhythm isn’t there anymore.”

“Lewis… I gave myself up for you. You’ve put Melody’s name in Felicity’s shoes and I let that happen,” Felicity told him, her eyes glimmering under the dim light as she continued, “you told me that you wanted me to be there before, during and after you race. I did that because I needed the money and help - I craved for you soon after. But the moment you uttered those fucking words— I wish you didn’t. I wish you just cared about giving me that money— not anything else. Because I allowed you to be the biggest part of me that I wasn’t able to get rid of. That was my biggest mistake.

“And I hope you don’t do the same— making me a big part of who you are now,” Felicity paused, pulling out the handkerchief from her brassiere as she dabbed her tears away. She looked up, “Don’t retire because I can’t be there with the arms and chest to rest on anymore. You’ll do more harm than good making it all about me.”

Lewis watched the sadness in her eyes, wondering how permanent it looked. The sadness that she showed while she sang wasn’t for the money and the show, after all. It was all for him. He only realized that now.

Watching her stand up, she cleared her throat to avoid having to speak with a shaky voice. She then gave him a small pitiful smile and bid her goodnight, turning away as she exited the booth. The looks that René and Esther gave her told her enough.

Tomorrow was going to be another day of heartbreak, should she let Lewis go on and on about wanting her all over again.

She wasn’t even sure how she would be able to control her emotions now that indifference withered away and her heart continued to ache.

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sargeantposting · 4 months

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ARTICLE: Meet America's Next F1 Hope, Logan Sargeant (Autoweek, 2020)

source: matt weaver, autoweek.com published: february 1st, 2020 series: f3, 2020

He doesn’t view himself as anything more than a racer trying to win races and championships, but Logan Sargeant inherently represents more than himself, as he is also the current best chance the United States has to return an American full time to the Formula 1 grid.

For American racing enthusiasts, the Sargeant name might sound familiar, as the 19-year-old is the younger brother of former NASCAR prospect Dalton Sargeant, who spent several seasons in the ARCA and Truck Series system.

Meanwhile, the youngest racing Sargeant has done nothing but win since moving to Switzerland as a 12-year-old to chase a career at the highest level of international motorsports. Sargeant won the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2015, becoming the first American to win an FIA karting championship since 1978, when Lake Speed earned the honors.

He has victories in the F4 British Championship and Formula Renault.

Sargeant suffered his first significant career setback in 2019, finishing 19th in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Carlin, with just one podium, albeit in the nonpoints prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

There were valid reasons for the adversity, of course, as 2019 was the first season with a new chassis and rules package that allowed for adjustable downforce during practice but one fixed amount during a race.

With three first-year Formula 3 drivers on its roster, Carlin struggled to develop the chassis, and each of them finished outside of the top 15 in the standings.

It was uncharacteristic of Sargeant, who had adapted to everything he had driven up to that point, which makes 2020 all the more interesting as it comes with a return tour of Formula 3, albeit with a change to the championship-winning Prema Racing Team organization.

If Sargeant simply repeats what the three Prema drivers accomplished last year, sweeping the championship’s podium, an American will likely be one step below the highest level of international motorsports in 2021 for the first time since Alexander Rossi made five Formula 1 starts with Marussia.

Get to know Sargeant—an avid fisherman who enjoys returning to his Boca Raton, Florida, home as much as he is able—in this Autoweek exclusive below.

Autoweek: Let's start on the performance side—what went wrong in 2019?

Logan Sargeant: In hindsight, Carlin has had a lot of success over the years, but we really struggled with the new car. We had three rookies on the same team, inexperienced drivers who couldn't lead us in the right direction. A tenth or two makes such a difference. I understand the situation. I'm not saying I wasn't responsible to a degree either. I wasn't satisfied with myself. I have an obligation to help develop the car as much as possible, and we just couldn't figure it out for most of the year.

AW: Do you view last year as a setback or are you still on schedule?

LS: To be perfectly honest with you, I actually feel like we're still ahead of schedule. I just turned 19. We did really well in Formula Renault and made the jump to Formula 3 and now I'm in a really good spot to be with the team (Prema) that won the championship last year.

AW: What's it like to be an American in the F1 ladder system?

LS: I moved to Switzerland when I was 12 and went to a school for Americans so I got used to everything from an early age. Then I moved to London. When you move at such an early age, it's shocking how different everything is, but it's easier to adjust to, as well. I try to go home at least twice a year for a couple of weeks, so that helps. As for the racing side, there is so much quality racing back home between NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA, and that's the only reason there aren't more of us trying. There is a really good racing culture in the States, so that's the only reason we don't see it more often.

AW: I understand you have a dog back home—how tough is it to have to leave a beloved pet when you return to London? The same thing with friends and family?

LS: It's really tough, especially when you're really attached to a pet, like a dog or cat. She used to live with us in Switzerland, but we had to take her back home because she was getting older. It's the same with your friends, right? I have friends in Europe, but they're all my racing friends. They're really nice to have, but you miss your friends you have back home. It's part of the sacrifice you make to do this.

AW: On that note, you've been in Europe now for almost a decade—does it feel like home when you come back from Florida?

LS: Oh, no. Florida is home. I really enjoy it in London. I came early so I've adjusted, but you only have one home.

AW: Do you allow yourself to entertain racing in the States or do you commit everything to what you're doing now?

LS: I'm fully committed to Formula 1, but I wouldn't have a problem if I ended up with the opportunity to race in IndyCar someday. That would be really exciting. I really enjoy sports car racing, too. It would be really cool to hop into a LMP2 or something one day. I want to race and I'll race anything.

AW: How much American racing are you able to keep up with?

LS: I watch as much racing as I can, period. It's tougher to watch certain races here because of the time difference, but I watch nothing but racing. That's the sport I'm in so I'm studying everything.

AW: Is this a championship-or-bust season for you?

LS: I'd say, to be honest, that I'm aiming for the championship. The goal is to win races and compete for the championship. Last year was tough because I'm so used to being at the front of the team. I'm aware of what Prema did last year. That's what I hope to accomplish, too.

#logan sargeant #year:2020

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dystini · 9 months

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Indycar Driver Lore

Indycar Driver Lore Masterlist

Jack Joseph Murray Harvey

Birthdate: April 15, 1993 Hometown: Bassingham, England Residence: Indianapolis Height/Weight: 5’10”/168lbs

Rookie Year: 2018

Team: Dale Coyne Racing

Follow him on: Instagram Twitter

Career Stats

2017 1 race w/ Michael Shank Racing w/Andretti Autosport, 2 races w/ Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - 28th Overall 2018 1 race w/ Michael Shank Racing w/ Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, 5 races w/Meyer Shank Racing w/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - 24th Overall 2019 10 races w/Meyer Shank Racing w/Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - 21st Overall 2020 Meyer Shank Racing - 15th Overall 2021 Meyer Shank Racing - 13th Overall 2022 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 22nd Overall 2023 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 24th Overall (Fired with three races left)

A two-time INDY NXT by Firestone championship runner-up,

Has lived in both the United States and France but has remained grounded in his sense of home – the small village of Bassingham in Lincolnshire, England.

Among the drivers who have won on both the oval and road courses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with wins on both circuits in 2015 while racing in INDY NXT.

Has 10 racing championship wins in his career, including the British Formula 3 title in 2012.

enjoys baking, target shooting, watching Star Wars and Marvel movies and watching soccer and American football.

has been roped into collecting baseball cards and star wars trading cards

-big star wars fan

-bakes, and is known to make very good cookies

Iconic/memorable moments

Jack Harvey Takes Flight with Red Bull Air Race Pilot Kirby Chambliss 2022 PACE CAR LAPS // GRAHAM RAHAL AND JACK HARVEY Christmas Questions with GRAHAM RAHAL and JACK HARVEY! GRAHAM RAHAL and JACK HARVEY Answer Thanksgiving Questions! HONDA PACE CAR // HELIO CASTRONEVES AND JACK HARVEY TRACK WALK WITH JACK HARVEY // FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG Jack Harvey reflects on the time he lived in the IMS president's basement Jack Harvey Explains His Dislike For IndyCar Silly Season IndyCar Driver Jack Harvey Joins Us at Indy 500 Media Day Who is Jack Harvey? Motorsport101 Interviews… IndyCar's Jack Harvey! Indycar driver Jack Harvey trains at gym to be race ready Jack Harvey, Max Chilton, and Simon Pagenaud go skeet shooting Jack Harvey snatches last spot in the Indianapolis 500 from teammate | Motorsports on NBC Doug and Drivers: Jack Harvey Almost Didn't Want To Race in America IndyCar driver Jack Harvey shows off his RV at IMS You Don't Know Jack! Playlist Go BTS with Jack Harvey at our Hy-Vee Commercial Shoot! Colton Herta & Jack Harvey Are Pumped For "Kenobi" | Indy 500 Happy Hour

Sweet and kind, Jack often spends extra time interacting with fans at races. A huge Star Wars nerd, he was thrilled to meet Adam Driver when he was the honorary starter at the 2023 Indy 500. Jack loves baking, especially cookies.

Fanfic Lore

none

#indycar #indycar rpf #fanfic #driver lore #jack harvey

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figureskatingcostumes · 2 years

Photo

Lindsay Thorngren skating to Writing's On The Wall for her short program at the 2021 Junior Grand Prix Courchevel and 2022 World Junior Championships.

(Sources: 1 and 2)

#Lindsay Thorngren #Figure skating #Writing's On The Wall #Sam Smith #Spectre #James Bond #Women #United States #2021–2022 #2021 Junior Grand Prix Courchevel 1 #2022 Junior Worlds

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formu1a-racing-101 · 2 years

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Formula 101

Are you interested in Formula One? But you have no idea how it works? That's fine! This is a tricky sport after all and way more complex than one may think at first. So let's start with the basics.

#1 Constructors

In every season there are 10 constructor teams, consisting of two main drivers. Every team has a Team Principal, like Christian Horner for Red Bull or Zac Brown for McLaren. There are, of course, managers that are in charge of supervising and guiding. Race engineers who manage the races on the track and communicate with the drivers. There're many types like data, strategy... R&D Engineers that research and develop new car improvements. The designers, well, the name speaks for itself, they design and redesign the car in and out. Aerodynamicists are in charge of the correct functioning of the car's aerodynamics. Race mechanics are a godsend, if someone crashes during the free practices, they fix it. Most of the time.

With that out of the way, what are the names of the F1 teams?

Scuderia Ferrari

Red Bull Racing

Mercedes

Alpine

McLaren

Alfa Romeo

Haas

AlphaTauri

Aston Martin

Williams

#2 Drivers

Every team has two main drivers, so there should be 20 drivers in total. But that's not always the case. In case of an emergency, there are reserve drivers that will take their seats for one or the number of races necessary. These reserve drivers tend to be F2 drivers or sometimes F1 drivers, like George Russel for Mercedes in 2021 as he drove for Williams, and work for more than one team in the hopes of landing a seat.

This season's drivers are as follows:

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris

Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen and Sergio "Checo" Pérez

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell

Alpine: Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon

Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu

Haas: Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher

AlphaTauri: Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda

Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll

Williams: Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi

#3 Tracks

At the beginning of the year, F1 was supposed to run on 23 tracks but due to Russia's situation, its GP was removed from the 2022 calendar. F1 currently races on 22 different tracks all around the world throughout the season. The location of the Grand Prix can vary through the years. Take the France GP which hasn't been raced in the last decade until this season, as an example, or the South African Grand Prix which hasn't been held since 1993.

This year's (2022) calendar is:

Bahrain Grand Prix

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Miami Grand Prix

Spanish Grand Prix

Monaco Grand Prix

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Canadian Grand Prix

British Grand Prix

Austrian Grand Prix

French Grand Prix

Hungarian Grand Prix

Belgian Grand Prix

Dutch Grand Prix

Italian Grand Prix

Russian Grand Prix

Singapore Grand Prix

Japanese Grand Prix

United States Grand Prix

Mexican Grand Prix

Brazilian Grand Prix

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali reported via Sport bild that "There will be no more racing in Russia."

#4 Points

Points are earned by finishing the race in the top 10. The amount of points each driver receives depends on their position. The first place is awarded 25 points, the second place 18, and the third with 15 points. (4th= 12 pts, 5th= 10 pts, 6th= 8pts, 7th= 6 pts, 8th= 6 pts, 9th= 2 pts and 10th= 1 pt) One additional point is given to the driver with the fastest lap, as long as they finished inside the top 10.

In the case of a sprint, drivers can receive more points outside of the race. This time tho, only the top 8 will be awarded. The first place with 8 points, the second 7 and the third with 6, and so on until it reaches 1 point in the eighth place.

All these points are added together and at the end of the season, the driver with a bigger sum will win the drivers' championship.

For the constructors' championship, the points of their respective drivers will be added together and the team with the most points wins.

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f1 · 11 months

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W Series: All-female championship enters administration after failing to secure funding

After announcing the W Series would end early in 2022, organisers said they remained positive that funding could be found to secure the championship's future The all-female W Series has entered administration after the single-seater championship failed to secure funding. Alice Powell, who raced in the series from its start in 2019, said it had "inspired" many young female fans and "created" opportunities for drivers. "W Series DID NOT fail," said the 30-year-old Briton.external-link "At the end of the day, W Series got me out racing again, whether you agreed with the championship or not. "I have many great memories from racing in the championship, including my win at the British GP in 2021, which will stay with me forever." Britain's Jamie Chadwick dominated W Series and was crowned champion three times. The 25-year-old is now racing in the United States-based Indy NXT and is also part of Williams' academy. Administrators Evelyn Partners LLP said that most staff had already left the business or been made redundant. Kevin Ley, one of the joint administrators, said: "The news will be upsetting for the company's employees and drivers together with the worldwide supporters of the championship. "The company had been unable to commit to the 2023 race season due to its liquidity position. "The directors had been in discussions with various parties to provide additional funding together with a potential sale of the business. Unfortunately, these discussions did not progress." Ley's joint administrator, Harry Shinners, added: "The joint administrators will explore all available options to allow the W Series to restart in the future. We are seeking expressions of interest in the business and assets of the company." In November, Formula 1 - which has not had a female driver compete in a race since 1976 - launched the F1 Academy, an all-female series aimed at helping women drivers progress through motorsport. The inaugural season features seven rounds with the final race supporting the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, in October. via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

#F1 #W Series: All-female championship enters administration after failing to secure funding #Formula 1

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interlagosed · 2 years

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This is a draft of an article I started writing earlier this year after Jeddah. It’s not finished, and there’s a chunk in the middle missing, but I think the point stands even further today. The actual article has links and stuff, but the formatting didn’t allow for that alas.

During the first free practice session of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, an Aramco facility 10 miles away from the circuit was attacked. The Houthi group, who claim to be the legitimate government of Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack. The airstrike caused widespread concern in the paddock, and although race organizers and team principles alike appeared ready to continue the race, Formula 1 drivers themselves - numbering twenty, spread equally across ten teams - were less certain. The evening culminated in a meeting between drivers, closed to the media, that spanned about four hours. Team principals and members of the administration filtered in and out. Lewis Hamilton, one of the most prominent names in Formula 1 and a driver who has not been shy about his political advocacy, was a prime figure in those meetings. While the drivers agreed to continue participating in the weekend as planned, reportedly despite continued misgivings, there is no understating the importance of the drivers’ response to the air strikes.

Before limiting the rest of this article to a single sport, it is morally imperative to discuss the Yemeni civil war. Like many of its counterparts in the MENA/SWANA region, the Yemeni people rose up against Yemen’s longstanding, authoritarian president. The vice president at the time, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, took over leadership of the country. This change in leadership heralded more insecurity, however, as the Houthi group asserted its own challenge for the helm. Thus began a protracted conflict, simultaneously a civil and proxy war, which has seen the Hadi regime (supported by Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United States, and internationally recognized as the legitimate government) assert its claim to Yemen from exile in Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis (backed by Iran) de facto administering Yemen from the capital Sana’a. Houthi forces periodically launch air strikes against infrastructural targets in Saudi Arabia - the latest of which was the Aramco facility ten miles from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The human consequences of the Yemeni civil/proxy war have been reprehensible. Over 100,000 people have been displaced by the conflict. 80% of the population is in need of humanitarian aid, including 12.9 million children. One million people have suffered because of a cholera outbreak. By all accounts, Yemenis are suffering some of the worst humanitarian conditions in the world. Just a few months into 2022, the conflict appears to be ramping up again - and civilians, as is the case in any war, continue to bear its consequences.

It is against this backdrop that, last year, Formula One Management (the main operating organ of Formula 1 racing) ran the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the first time in December 2021. The controversies were several and urgent. Notably, there were concerns about Saudi Arabia attempting to sportswash its image, the ethics of racing in a country that routinely abused human rights, and - fundamentally for the racers - the safety of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit itself. Regardless, the Formula 1 administration was evidently satisfied with the circuit, because, just a few months later, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosted the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second race of the season.

The 2022 season has been an eventful one already. It is outside the scope of this writing to detail all that has transpired so far, but even set against that context the proceedings of Friday night into Saturday morning were still remarkable for the sport.

Most sports are inherently political, even when they actively distance themselves from politics. Sports that center competition between countries (such as cricket) engender nationalism, to the extent of precipitating (international) conflict. Even sports that center leagues and teams that aren’t drawn across national lines reflect politics, allowing wealthy people and organizations to exert influence over the machinations of a team while further enriching themselves. Sportswashing is frequently implicated in sports, allowing host-countries to paper over their international image with the glitz and adrenaline of massive sporting events.

Formula 1, of course, reflects many of these realities - but it is also notable for the fundamental elitism involved in actually engaging in the sport. More or less twenty individuals from around the world are chosen to compete in the “pinnacle of motorsports,” spread evenly across roughly ten teams. The barrier to entry is commensurately high, and thus the Formula 1 “grid” reflects power distributions writ large in the world. F1 drivers are predominantly rich, white men (often with legacies, usually fathers who were prominent in the sport as well) chosen not only for their skills, but also for the sponsorship money they bring in. Frequently, money and image are weighed more heavily than skills. Outliers, while extant, are few and far between, and may be backed by interests other than pure skill (e.g., their nationality, particularly if underrepresented in motorsports). That is, like any other sport, to be an F1 driver requires skill and luck in large measures - but it mostly takes money, and money, in F1, is more reliable than luck and skill, unless skill attracts and is also backed by money. And money, of course, is a matter of luck.

Formula 1 also requires a functionally literal lifetime commitment. Future motorsports professionals are scouted as young as four years old at various “karting” events (usually in Europe). Logically, for a four year old to show interest in karting, they would usually require some level of intervention, perhaps by a parent with prior interest or experience in motorsport. Scouting is not a one-off event. Young karters are toted around in international “circuits,” an endeavor that requires money. Current F1 driver Esteban Ocon frequently recounts how his parents sold their home to finance his racing career; current F1 driver and greatest-of-all-time Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, struggled similarly, juggling several jobs to support the future seven-time champion’s career. This is not a sustainable expectation, nor should it be.

Living in a relative spotlight one’s whole life has another consequence. Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team referred to F1 drivers as “little traumatized kids [that were] left in a go-kart in the rain and were sent out to … drive around, fearful.” Motorsport drivers may not complete their secondary education, or pursue higher education. PR becomes a large part of drivers’ lives once they are signed on by a team; their image and speech is managed, and it takes a lot of clout to be able to be outspoken on political matters. Drivers may be fearful to speak openly on sensitive matters until - or, more realistically, unless - they attain the status of drivers such as Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel (a four-time world champion). Alternatively, drivers may only begin speaking out if the matter is sanctioned by the sport’s governing authorities - whether against racism and inequality, or most recently - against the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

So much for the drivers themselves. The actual operation of the sport turns on the availability of tracks, built in countries around the world (sometimes for the express purpose of Formula 1 races). Each track is inspected for its conformity to the International Automobile Federation (FIA’s) grading system. To be suitable for Formula 1 racing, a track must conform to the highest grade. Beyond this, however, states pay fees for the pleasure of hosting Formula 1 races. The venues that pay the most to host a race are, in order, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, and Bahrain - all states with tenuous human rights records. However, this is not meant to absolve other states from their own human rights abuses; the United States, which is due to host three Formula 1 races in 2022, has perpetrated human rights abuses domestically, and enabled many of the aforementioned states in their own escapades. States routinely engage in abhorrent activities - but, like in other sports, spectators are largely content to be apolitical, and the sport follows suit.

But there is an elusive critical mass of public opinion that shifts the tide, that forces “apolitical” institutes to weigh in on politics. The Russian war in Ukraine was one such example.

When asked whether he would race in Jeddah again, current Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas dodged the question, noting, instead, that the GPDA was “really united at the moment.”

“With any issues, we will always regroup and go through them and give our view, if it makes a difference. That's nice. But it's not always guaranteed it will."

It would be overly optimistic to assume that F1 drivers’ present sense of camaraderie will continue, or that they will be on the same page regarding other sensitive (particularly political) matters - but the precedent has been set, and rather publicly. And while such questionable decisions will be made by Liberty Media and the FOM again, the institutions underpinning F1 racing will be hard-pressed to erase this moment from the minds of drivers and fans alike.

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