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Alessandro's heart beat faster as he neared the paddock where teams were rushing to get ready for the first race of the season. Butterflies tingled in his stomach as a wave of subdued excitement washed over him.

There was a energetic buzz as everyone geared up for the first round of racing in the new season.

Bahrain's arid climate seemed to be cooperating, the temperature hovering just over 22°C.

"Alesso! Walk a little faster would you?" a voice called, catching his attention.

"I'm just taking it all in," he shot back, speeding up nonetheless.

"How are you feeling? Excited?" his team principal, Andreas, asked, patting his shoulder.

"You could say that," Alessandro replied vaguely, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

He didn't waste any time, quickly rushing into his drivers room and changing into his fireproof racing suit. He tugged tightly on the laces of his race shoes, his eyes scanning the paddock.

Excited was an understatement.

Ever since he was a little boy, his dream had been to race in Formula 1. Last year he got into the seat of an F1 car for the first time, racing as a test driver for McLaren.

Today, he would be competing in his first race as an official driver for McLaren.

The number 15 seemed to sparkle on the metal surface of the orange coloured car.

Or papaya as his team mate, Lando Norris, insisted on calling it.

Alessandro quickly got into the race car, making himself comfortable in the small space.

He felt the car move slightly as he was pushed out onto the pitlane. He had qualified P13 yesterday, setting him up for what should be a fairly decent first race. Or so he was told. P13 was in no way decent for Alessandro. After winning the F2 championship twice, starting out of the top 10 was less than ideal.

In fact, it was shit.

From the back of the grid, Dakota removed her sunglasses and replaced her hat with a balaclava and helmet. A surge of excitement spread through her veins as she watched the drivers and crew get ready.

Soon enough, it was time for her to get into the drivers seat of the brand new Aston Martin Vantage. There was only one word to describe the racing green coloured car - hot.

Dakota could care less if people thought she was insane, but the car was pretty damn attractive for an inanimate vehicle.

"Ready?" Mark asked, entering the passenger side of the car. He was her co-driver and managed most of the radio chatter with race control and the FIA.

"Hell yeah, I've been waiting for this one," she grinned.

Turn it up!

"Try not to get us sick."

"No promises," she smirked, putting the car in drive.

Mark started up the screens in the car, allowing data from race control to come through. Lap times, incident updates, race information, everything was accessible to them via the tablets.

Now she was ready.

She watched in anticipation as the crew members cleared the pitlane. One by one, the lights turned red before going black, signaling the start of the race.

A smile tugged at her lips as she heard the familiar words in her head.

"It's lights out and away we go!"

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Alessandro pulled himself out of the car, a frustrated frown on his lips.

He started off P13 and ended the race two places behind in P15. Despite managing a few decent overtakes, he couldn't make the moves stick.

"Great job mate, good effort," Zak, the McLaren CEO said.

He didn't say anything, only grunting in response.

The post-race interviews went by quick and he was glad to make his way to his driver room.

"Hey Alessandro, great job out there today," Lando smiled, patting the rookie on the back.

Despite the two being only a year apart in age, Alessandro couldn't help but feel like a child compared to him on the racetrack.

With Lando finishing P4, Alessandro was 6 places down from his teammate.

"Thanks," he muttered in response.

Lando, sensing his disappointment, decided it would be best to try to get his mind off things.

"Carlos and I wanted to go check out the new safety car, would you like to join us?"

Alessandro had the urge to decline his offer, but shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

"Sure, why not."

He silently followed the two former team mates as they chattered about something related to the race. Carlos and Lando were by far the closest team mates on the grid. Now that Carlos had moved to Ferrari, the two didn't spend as much time together.

"Do you prefer the new one or the Mercedes?" Carlos asked, pulling Alessandro from his thoughts.

"Hmmm, I like how the Aston looks. The Mercedes is a bit old now, it's been years."

"Right? It's a miracle they changed its colour to red this year," Lando rolled his eyes.

"Can I help you?" a man asked, a confused expression on his face.

"We just wanted to take a look at the new car," Lando shrugged, nodding his head towards the racing green beauty.

"Ah, go ahead," he nodded, going back to his work.

"The lime green accents were a good decision," Carlos said, pointing to the bumper of the car.

"Definitely, I want this car now."

"Mate, don't you have a McLaren?" Alessandro spoke up, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but look at this car!" the young Briton exclaimed.

Carlos and Lando were too engrossed in the car to notice a brunette enter the garage.

"Mark, have you seen my phone?" she asked, earning a shake of the co-drivers head.

"Man, I swear I had it a second ago," she muttered, patting her jean pockets.

Alessandro found himself watching her curiously as she frowned, running a hand through her pin straight hair. She was dressed in a black polo tee with the F1 logos on it and blue jeans. A pair of shades covered her eyes from the harsh sunrays.

He subtly checked her out as she searched for her phone. Her tanned arms hinted that she spent time in the sun. Her body was slim, but he could tell she worked out regularly. His gaze lingered on her ass as she leaned over the table to look under some papers for her phone.

Dakota died a little on the inside when she noticed the three drivers surrounding the car. It was still surreal for her to be in the same room as them.

She was itching to check the car to see if she had left her phone in there, but didn't want an encounter with the three boys.

Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward before clearing her throat.

"Excuse me," her voice catching the drivers' attention.

"I just need to check if my phone's in there," she smiled, pointing at the drivers side.

"Oh sorry," the short brunette said, taking a step back.

"Thanks," Dakota said, quickly opening the door.

Sure enough, her iPhone was sitting on the dashboard, waiting.

"Are you the new safety driver?" Carlos asked curiously as she shut the door.

"Yeah, just first half of the season as of now."

"Ahh, I see. I'm Carlos," he said, holding out his hand.

"I'm Dakota," she smiled, shaking his hand as she removed her sunglasses with the other hand.

"Lando, nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Alessandro," he spoke, shaking her hand. 

His grip was firm, his hands rough. Her soft hands were small in his grasp. He had a knowing look in his eyes, no doubt smirking under his mask. 

She tilted her head, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

Those green eyes.

Dakota bit her lip, retracting her hand as Carlos cleared his throat.

"So we meet again," he stated, looking down at her. 

"Unfortunately," she replied, holding his gaze. 

A flicker of irritation crossed his face as he gazed at her sharp eyes, her face obscured by a black FIA mask. 

Dakota held back a smirk, the tension between them most definitely evident. 

A few soft brown curls fell across his forehead. His green eyes were alert as they scanned the garage, taking in every aspect of it.

"Did you enjoy your first run on the track?" Carlos asked, shaking her from her thoughts.

"It's quite thrilling," she replied, pocketing her phone.

"If I wasn't an F1 driver, I'd kill for your job," Lando piped up, as they made their way back through the FIA motorhome.

"True, I have no idea how I got so lucky but I'm not complaining," Dakota smiled.

"Hey you three, media pen in 10 minutes!" a voice called, catching our attention.

"Alright, thanks!" she shouted back.

"Another one?" Lando complained.

"Another one," Carlos confirmed, patting his shoulder.

Dakota trailed after the boys, her eyes focused on the back of a certain driver.