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uglyducklingofthe2000s · 2 months

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We Keep Allowing This To Happen - F1 Grid

Summary: F2 young talent, signed to get on the grid for 2025 and take the seat Fernando Alonso is leaving in Aston Martin, breaks the entire sports hearts in one fatal race.

Kind of Alonso focused but also very much the rest of the F1 grid are present.

I'm sad right now, and when I'm sad I write sad things. So...character death 🤪. Kind of just writing this for myself.

Warnings: Major character death, race crash, edit: THIS IS VERY SAD - if comments are to be trusted you might end up crying at this fic so proceed with caution

No part 2 requests please

When the news broke on media day in Imola, that y/n was moving up into F1 to take Fernando's seat for 2025 while he moves to Mercedes (ahahahaha prediction? I'd love to see it ngl), the entire grid was beyond excited to see her leading the way for women in the sport to be taken seriously among the rest of the F1 drivers.

"Hey, there she is! You are welcome, I put your name forward and like a wise man, Lawrence listens." Fernando laughs as y/n grins walking through the paddock. "We have been asked only about you."

"I hope you'd kept saying good things." Y/n jokes before seeing Carlos with Max and Lando, her feet rushing a few steps forward. "Carlos!"

"Yeah, we mean nothing." Lando comments only for her to move to him in a hug. "Congratulations, y/n. Don't come in and outdrive the rest of us when you get here."

"Oh right, go easy on you." Y/n nods then moving to Max who holds her especially tightly because the man loves a hug and he's actually very proud of her too. "Basically part of the family already."

"You are part of the family." Carlos states as she is placed back on her feet.

"How are you feeling about the feature race? You got a podium yesterday, right?" Lando asks as they all sort of move to stand out the way of others in the paddock. Though more and more drivers seem to spot y/n and eagerly congratulate her on the news.

"You know if you all really want to support me, you should all come watch the F2 race." Y/n grins making them look at her and for a moment she's sure they'll say no.

"We will make it happen." Fernando confirms for her earning a grin before she moves through them giving fist bumps and a couple a kiss on the cheek before announcing she does actually have to go and get ready for the race.

"And there is all the F1 drivers, gathered on the balcony above none other than y/n y/l/n's pit box. They have all been so vocal about how excited they are to see her in an F1 car. I'm excited to see her in an F1 car too." Alex J comments as the broadcast begins. "It's really great to see them rallying around and just showing such massive support. As far as I know she did ask if they would watch so they've all put media duties on hold to watch the F2 race in solidarity to be there for her which is just...amazing."

"It's incredible. I mean she's already showing her cards of popularity, and we know a lot of those drivers wouldn't bother being there if she didn't have the talent to back up her seat."

Y/n is starting P3 and the group of drivers have positioned themselves to wave at her as she climbs into the car, then cheering loudly when she wavers back giving them a thumbs up eagerly before clapping in applause back at them. They don't need to see under her helmet to know she's smiling and she doesn't need to be right in front of them to see the beaming prideful smiles as they watch her.

Safe to say they really are her top fans.

Once she's strapped in they also seem to go silent, watching the formation lap then waiting for lights out.

Her get away is beautiful but so is P1 and P2s.

It's when her tyre gets clipped just ahead of tamburello that suddenly the true speed of those cars feels all too real, her car is in the gravel at 190mph and not even the rocks slow it down, only leaving the car to dig into it and flip several times, body parts of the car flying of and the tyres swing.

Anyone who was sat down is stood in shock as they watch her car end up back on track, another car smacking into where her body sits, even at the lowered cautious speed, everyone can see it's not a great addition to whatever injuries she's already endured.

Safety car, medical car, ambulances and the red flag all come out while the drivers disappear from their spot of watching. Either too panicked to watch from such a public spot or to demand for information from anyone they can speak to.

It went from everything moving too quickly to things moving impossibly slow. No one could say anything other than she's being air lifted straight to the nearest hospital.

Hours later the F1 race had been delayed.

The drivers had debated going forward with the race in a last minute meeting called with the FIA president.

Y/n had been pronounced dead less than an hour after the crash.

Her body had gone into shock from the injuries and she'd gone into cardiac arrest with no successful resuscitation in the helicopter.

Her body isn't even cold yet.

"We race for y/n." Fernando states having gone through his sadness and now just feeling nothing but anger.

He's angry that it happened. Angry that she's gone. Angry that she will never live the dream she was less than a year away from having tightly within her grasp.

Y/n deserved to live and she deserved to race.

They agree that if anyone does not feel that they can race, then they have the option to not take part.

So 4 hours delayed, the F1 race is finally underway with going ahead.

They'd already kicked fans out of grandstands following y/n's crash and the initial decision for the race to not go forward.

With no preparation of sticker like in previous races, markers write her driver number down and name on their liveries. Helmets have the same treatment.

Then they walk down to the grid. Max carrying her second helmet that was not used in race.

Her family wasn't even there. The F1 drivers and the small F2 team are the people who are there for her as they place her helmet down then following with their own helmets being placed down.

They are each wearing a black band around their biceps, a gesture of death within the sport.

The silence is agonising before the minute of silence to honour her has even begun. There's no words. Nothing that can be said to make it better, nothing that can bring her back and no one wants to try because they know that motorsports is dangerous but it doesn't make it any easier.

"This race, with the greatest of respect to every single driver both in this race and in motorsports every where, is going to be one of the hardest races to go forward. For viewers at home, the drivers are driving in honour of the young talent that is y/n y/l/n, who was due to join them next season in Aston Martin. It's impossible to explain the sort of pain that comes with losing someone like y/n from the sport. She was an irreplaceable personality, one of the kindest and brightest people I've ever met. young and determined, I feel blessed to have known her, as I'm sure many do." Martin states as the drivers move to their cars.

"It is one of the greatest losses of the sport that is for certain and we have missed out on seeing someone who surely would've brought a new life to F1 as she did through each racing series she took part in." Crofty confirms as they await the starting procedure.

The world watches as the drivers try to shake off emotion, blank their minds to focus.

"Max obviously, an impossible win to celebrate with the events that have happened today. How are you feeling?"

It seems a stupid question, Max did try to hide the tears he shed on that podium with Lando and Lewis.

Nobody cheered, only a soft applause. No champagne showers.

"I feel like today was one of the darkest in recent F1 history. On this occasion we cannot blame anyone. It was a racing incident, it was not a matter of track conditions or the skill of the driver. But it was fatal and we lost a life, a friend and someone we had all considered family." Max states then clearing his throat. "We're done here. Thank you."

"Thank you, Max."

A few more drivers come through voicing the ache that's felt across the paddock today.

"Fernando, we are-"

"I don't wish to speak about anything but the race. The race was one of the hardest races I have done, but I think I did well to take top 5. We had some issues with the car, the track temperature was very low, bad for tyres. We will look into data, make sure next race we are performing better." Fernando states saying everything he wants to say before leaving the media pen entirely.

Her funeral was arranged so all drivers who wanted to attend from any of the three formula series could attend between the Monaco and Canada GPs.

Fernando, Charles, Carlos, Pierre, Lando and Max had taken the task of carrying her coffin.

It felt so light and empty. A painful reminder of how young and fragile she was despite her skill in racing making her seem older and her personality making her seem indestructible.

They each were given the opportunity to speak about her. But none of them have the courage to say anything.

Instead they sit feeling hollowed out. The photo of her F2 win in Jeddah less than 3 months ago enlarged and stood beside her coffin.

Even just the happiness from her in that moment radiates from the photo but makes no effect to the mood of the room. Especially as her mother goes up.

"First of all, I want to thank every single driver who came out of their way between races to be here. I know y/n would be just...bragging about it to all of us. She adored each and every one of you, before the race she'd called me to say that she'd asked the F1 grid to watch the race and she was sure that you guys meant it when you all said yes. To know she was so happy in her last race brings me some peace and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. But I also can't apologise enough that you never got to watch her finish that race like she had wanted you all to." Her mum starts making a shaky smile before looking down, tears already dripping from her face as the room almost waits for her to collapse from the weight of her visible grief.

The pause as she tries to regather herself is a patient one, no one even considering to rush the mother.

"Y/n would be making fun of me for what I'm about to say but I think I need to say all this. Y/n was my sun. My universe revolved around her and the world suddenly feels like everything has turned to darkness for me. I wish there was someone to blame, someone to put at fault. But y/n would also never forgive me for doing that even if there was. She was...selfless, perhaps not on track in the car, but outside her soul was one of the few that improved humanity. I might be bias, but I think she would've led her way into F1 and put every other driver to shame, sorry boys." She jokes earning flickers of smiles but no one can put their whole into it. "I hope she goes on to be remembered, to live on in ways that her body can't and I thank anyone who helps me on the mission to make sure that happens."

Heads drop just at the thought of her being forgotten. That she becomes another name in a list of fatalities in motorsport and nothing more.

As her mother steps down Fernando suddenly finds himself up on his feet.

"May I?" He asks with no plan of what he wants to say but knowing her wants to say something.

"Of course, please."

He suddenly finds himself at the front of the room, y/n behind him, the photo of her beside him and the overfilled aisles of people in front of him. All the F1 drivers are red-eyed and look miserable, just like everyone else in the room.

"I knew y/n, I had watched her when she was in the F4 championship and won. She embarrassed the other drivers, but because she was a woman, there was no skipping steps. She spent three years in F3 before a team in F2 got smart and gave her a seat. She was set for an F1 career because she was one of the best and we all knew it. But beyond that, as her mother said she was a glowing diamond in the world and the sport has felt this loss like no other. We will forever be trying to race and drive and live up to the level I know she would've achieved with only a bit-a bit more time." Fernando states feeling his throat begin to tighten before he composes himself again. "I consider myself very lucky to have known her, even luckier to have seen her race and I know I speak for all of us within F1, that we intend to never let her name be forgotten. By any means, she will reach F1 in death as she was taken too soon in life."

Taglist: @namgification @hiireadstuff @jsjcue @geniusalpaca @itsjustkhaos @llando4norris

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