😅😅

Big crash and feeling a little bruised, but recovering and ready to race. Thank you for all the messages, see you on race day! 👊

McLaren driver Lando Norris handed 5 place grid penalty for engine change after massive crash at Spa

: Alessandro Moreno seen with Dakota Sanchez visiting teammate Lando Norris after qualifying crash at Belgian GP

Alessandro Moreno spotted with Dakota Sanchez after quali session today

are they together?

no she's friends with Lando, they're visiting him at the hospital

isn't it weird they went together

she was probably worried about Lando and wanted to see him ASAP

lmfao she looks so done with him 😂

ikr! I wonder what he said to her

anyone know where her jacket is from?

I chuckled, shaking my head at the trending articles on Twitter.

The rain was pouring down outside.

It drummed against the roofs of the garages. When the wind picked up, the rain would come flying right in through the open front.

The cars had gone out for a single formation lap before the Race Control decided to delay the start.

There was barely any visibility on track, even though the grip was somewhat decent.

About 45 minutes had passed and we were all bored out of our minds.

I had played about 3 rounds of cards with Mark already and I was getting sick of winning.

I chuckled when the camera panned to Lando, peacefully sleeping with his head against his trainers shoulder. A warm beanie covered his head, an orange McLaren windbreaker covering his upper half.

The camera shifted to show Alessandro leaning against the wall, chewing something. He spotted the camera, a smile breaking out on his face as he waved.

"Boom! I win!" Mark exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table. I jumped, looking away from the TV screen.

"Oh fuck off, I let you win."

"You're just a sore loser," he said, sticking his tongue out at me.

I frowned, flipping him off.

My phone buzzed, catching my attention.

hello Dakota, I'm sure you're extremely busy watching the race

but I would appreciate it if you came up to the stewards room for a bit

hello, oh yeah. very exciting battle going on out there

I'll be up in a few minutes

"I'll be back," I said, standing up.

Mark pouted, putting the cards back in the box.

It was clear the race wasn't starting any time soon and I felt bad for the fans who stood in the freezing cold.

"Good afternoon," the managing director greeted as I entered the stewards room.

"Good afternoon, am I in trouble?"

"Not at all. Have a seat," he said, gesturing to a chair.

"I'm sure you're aware that Italy is two races away. We have the Dutch GP and then it's Monza."

I swallowed, nodding silently.

"And of course, Bernd is fully recovered and will return to drive the safety car again. Which means you will no longer be driving for Formula 1."

"I understand," I said quietly, fiddling with my hands under the table.

"However," he began, opening a folder. "I've seen your CV and you have some impressive things on here."

"How old are you, may I ask?"

"I'm turning 20 next month."

"Hm, how far are you in your education?"

"I'm starting my third year of university. I graduated high school early so I could get work experience along with college."

"You do have an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, yes?"

"Yes," I nodded, my heart rate picking up.

What is he getting at?

"Well, there is going to be opening for engineer and strategy positions in a few teams and I'll be more than happy to recommend you. Only if you want me to."

I blinked, speechless for a moment.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, you're talented Dakota. I see a lot of potential in you."

"Thank you," I smiled, blushing slightly.

"That's all, you may go."

I gave him another smile, opening the door.

"Oh and Dakota, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the investigation launched into Dave Clarkson's term at McLaren, would you?"

I froze, my hand resting on the doorknob.

"No sir," I shook my head.

---------------------------------------

"Shit, do you think he knows?"

"I don't know! Fuck, I'm fucking screwed."

"Who's screwing who?" Lando asked, Alessandro following behind him.

"Dakota's screwing herself," Mark replied.

"Damn, kinky," Lando mumbled, sitting down.

Alessandro did the same, leaning back in his seat. His long legs spread out as he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"Which one of you spilled?" Mark demanded.

"What?"

"Ross Brawn found out about the investigation."

"Of course he'll know. He's the director."

"But he shouldn't know that Dakota had something to do with it."

"Did he say something to you?" Alessandro spoke up.

I nodded silently, biting on my lip anxiously.

"Charlotte told me they'll announce the decision at the Dutch GP," Lando said, leaning forward in his seat.

"Yeah, I hope he get's fired," Alessandro huffed.

"Who's going to take his spot?"

"I don't give a fuck. Anyone's better than him."

"You only have two races left, right?" Mark asked, looking at me.

"What? What do you mean two races?" Lando asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly, giving Mark a look.

"He was talking about two races till Alessandro's home race," I said, plastering a fake smile on my face.

I didn't want to think about my last day at a Formula One race.

I felt Alessandro's curious gaze on me, but I ignored it.

His home race would be my final race.

It was likely that I'd end up back in Southern California finishing up my college studies.

My parents would be glad to have me back, I'm sure. But I sure as hell would feel lost.

Formula One came with a thrill. An excitement that made the air sizzle with electricity that couldn't be found anywhere else.

Leaving it would leave me devoid of that excitement, like an empty void.

Speaking of my parents, I was sure they were somewhere outside. The traffic had gotten so bad that they were stuck right outside the circuit.

The rain made everything even more complicated and they had missed the formation lap of the race.

Thankfully the race was delayed, but now it had been nearly 2 hours.

I was looking forward to seeing them, even though I had gone back to Hawai'i for summer break. My family had joined me on my flight to Belgium, but decided to spend the day sightseeing instead of watching practice and qualifying.

My parents were avid F1 fans, my brother on the other hand, was a hardcore NASCAR fan.

But it hadn't taken much convincing once I had shown him the paddock passes for Spa. Unfortunately the Belgian GP was turning out to be the most uneventful race ever.

The only exciting thing was the RedBull mechanic nearly slipping in a rush to get something from the back of the garage.

And maybe the Alpine crew doing the Macarena for the TV cameras.

My phone dinged with a message, catching my attention.

bro, this is so bad wtf

are you in the paddock?

yeah, just got in

what happened to the race?

it's delayed cuz of rain

ur joking

sorry, u guys chose to come to spa

i told u there was shit weather here

wya? we're coming over

"I'll be back," I said, standing up and quickly making my way out the back exit.

Sure enough, I spotted my brother's bright red Ferrari hat from a mile away.

Idiot.

I was sure he'd worn it just to piss me off.

"Hey asshole!" I shouted, making him look up.

It was hard to see with the rain pelting down in the paddock. He squinted, spotting me and pointing in my direction.

My parents followed behind him, not minding the rain one bit. They huddled together, sharing an umbrella while my brother walked like an idiot with his raincoat unzipped and hood down.

"Nice weather, am I right?" was the first thing my father said, giving me a fist bump.

"Hell yeah, who needs sun shin and rainbows when you got sky piss?"

"You guys are weird," Emiliano made a face, ducking under the overhang.

My brother and I were 2 years apart, me being older. He was a pain in the ass.

"Are we allowed in here?" my mother asked hesitantly, glancing around.

"Oh yeah, you're my VIP's."

"Can we meet the drivers?" Emiliano asked, his eyes big.

"No."

"Hey, don't be rude," I heard Mark speak up, capping his water bottle.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"This is Mark, my coworker."

"Nice to meet you," he grinned, shaking his hands with my family.

"And you must be the famous Emiliano, nice to meet you kiddo."

"You too, Dakota must tell you a lot of shit about me," my brother said, giving me an annoyed look.

"Something like that," Mark teased, nudging my shoulder.

"Why is your garage so empty?" Emil asked, looking around.

"Because this isn't a team garage. It's the FIA garage. McLaren is next door," Mark explained.

"Can we go look? I just wanna look, we don't have to go in. Pleeeease?"

"I thought you were a Nascar fan?"

"Sh, nobody needs to know that," he huffed.

"Fine. But that hat needs to go," I said, crossing my arms.

"Fine," he stuck his tongue out at me before following Mark.

Sometimes I forget he's turning 18.

I kept glancing at the door.

Dakota had left 20 minutes ago and Mark had disappeared to get water from his garage 10 minutes ago.

My foot tapped impatiently until Lando kicked my leg.

"Stop it, that's so annoying."

"You're annoying."

"Fuck off."

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not," I snapped, standing up.

"Sure," Lando rolled his eyes, returning to his phone.

I walked out through the back exit, scanning the paddock for Dakota.

I heard her laughter from my right, making me turn.

She stood laughing with a guy who was much taller than her. He was lanky, had dirty blonde hair, and was dressed in a black raincoat.

On top of his head was a bright red Ferrari hat.

I watched as she huffed, crossing her arms. She reached up, snatching it off of his head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning to grab her head into a wrestling hold.

He ruffled her hair into a mess as Mark snickered, watching the two.

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at them.

"Emil! Put me down!" she exclaimed as he hoisted her over his shoulder.

Her laughter rang out over the sound of heavy rain.

A heavy feeling settled in my chest as I stared at the two. My throat went dry, my jaw clenching tightly.

Fuck.

She's not even your friend.

A loud clap of thunder made them jump and the boy set her down on her feet.

I turned away, storming back into the garage.

Lando looked up as I sat down in my seat and pulled my phone out.

"Damn, what happened out there."

I breathed out my nose, trying to calm down.

"Does Dakota have a boyfriend?"

"What? Not that I know of. Why? Are you going to beat him up?" Lando shot back, narrowing his eyes at me.

Clearly she had told him what happened between us and he wasn't very pleased about it.

"I just might."

"Fuck off, Moreno. Let her be.

I heard someone clear their throat, making both of us turn to look at the doorway.

Mark stood next to the boy, a wide grin on his face.

I narrowed my eyes at the blond, eyeing him in suspicion.

Lando was first to greet him and the two immediately hit it off. Not even a minute into their introduction, Lando was giving him a tour of the garage.

Dakota led two people into the garage as well, pointing to the car's parked out in the pitlane. A tall man followed behind her, a blonde haired woman next to him.

"The orange one's are McLarens."

"No shit, Kota," the man laughed, making Dakota roll her eyes playfully.

She scanned the garage, her eyes catching my gaze. I tried to look away, but it was too late.

"This is Alessandro, number 2 driver for McLaren."

I gave her a fake smile, holding my hand out for a hand shake.

She gave me a sly look, her eyes dark with mischief. It hurt, but I took it in my stride because Dakota had every right to be angry with me.

"Nice to meet you," the man said, his grip strong as he shook my hand.

"Don't tell Dakota, but you're my favorite driver," the woman said, giving me a wink.

I smirked, glancing over to the feisty brunette that now had a scowl on her face.

A faint "Oh my gosh that's so cool!" came from the other side of the garage, making Dakota turn.

"Emil, don't touch that!" she shouted, rushing off to find the boy.

"We're Dakota's parents by the way, she's terrible at introductions."

I blinked in surprise, but quickly smiled to cover it up.

"Oh I know, she forgot to tell me her name when she first met me," I joked as Dakota came up to us again.

One thing that stuck out to me was that Dakota didn't look anything like her parents.

She had long brown hair and big brown eyes with gorgeous olive tanned skin. Her parents had blonde hair, her mother had blue eyes and her father had hazel eyes. Her brother had blue eyes as well with dirty blonde hair and pale skin.

They were like polar opposites.

I raised a brow at her, catching her looking at me.

She blinked, quickly looking away.

"Ale! Get ready, you're racing in 5!" Aaron called from the pit wall.

"Duty calls," Lando grinned, waving to the guy.

He pat me on the shoulder, roughly pushing me into the pit lane and away from them.

"That's her brother, don't bother beating him up."