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E>"Chequered flag. That's P1 Lando, P1!"

L>"Yeah baby! Whoohoo! Thank's you guys, great race!"

E>"Alessandro finished P2 and Perez dropped down to 5th because of the penalty so P3 goes to Russel."

L>"Congrats to the team and to Alé, he drove brilliantly."

E>"Copy that."

Alessandro stared blankly at the track that stretched out in front of him.

A low buzzing sound filled his ears. His mind was reeling, and he felt like he was under water.

E>"That's P2 mate! Congrats on your first podium!"

He could hear Zak and the rest of the team shouting in the background. He had just scored his very first podium win, a milestone achievement.

But in the process, he had lost his very first win. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He couldn't even drive his car to the number 2 stand.

Alessandro stumbled out of the car, his helmet feeling heavy on his head.

His body felt weak and tired after exerting itself for nearly 2 hours. The first person who greeted him was Aaron, who had a grim look on his face. His trainer shook his head, handing Alessandro a bottle with electrolyte infused water.

"It's a shame, that win was yours," he said, patting him on the back. Alessandro didn't reply, taking big gulps of the cooling liquid.

Dakota struggled to get her helmet off of her head. Her hands were shaking from the rush of adrenaline- or was it anger?

Mark hurried to help her turn off the devices and systems in the car.

"Sandro! You did incredible today, we're so proud of you!" Zak shouted over the noise, giving the Italian a hug.

That did it.

That flipped a switch in Alessandro's mind.

He had never heard those words come out of a person's mouth.

we're so proud of you

A small smile broke out onto his face as Zak finally let go, slapping the top of his helmet.

The McLaren crew were rushing around the pitlane, trying to congratulate their drivers before they headed to the podium ceremony.

Lando spotted his team mate finally parking his car and made his way over to him.

"P2 baby!" Lando cheered, giving Alessandro a hug. He pat his back before letting go, knocking helmets a few times.

Lando wasn't aware of what had happened during that final lap. He knew Alessandro had been given orders to swap places earlier, but the team then decided it wasn't necessary.

Or so he thought.

Alessandro removed his helmet and balaclava, his hair sticking up everywhere. His neck craned up, searching for the brunette in the sea of mechanics.

"Hurry, don't wanna be late to your first podium!" Zak said, pushing him in the direction of the podiums.

It felt like a dream.

Congrats were given left and right as he jogged down the pit lane. He could hear the crowd cheering for Lando as he came out onto the top step.

The Brit waved, a big grin on his face. Lando had experienced this once before, but Monza- Monza was a different type of win. The atmosphere was electrifying, full of excitement, passion, and pure adrenaline.

If Lando thought the fans were loud when he had come out, boy was he wrong.

The crowed roared their approval when Alessandro's name was announced and he appeared from behind the stage.

His heart was drumming loudly in his chest, the sound of blood rushing through his ears. Standing on that podium, it was a bittersweet moment.

It was so chaotic, Alessandro couldn't choose what to focus his attention on. Everything was a blur.

The fans cheered for him as he waved, his eyes scanning over the sea of red and white. The crowd began chanting his name, a surreal moment he would never forget.

Meanwhile, at the far end of the pitlane, Dakota and Mark started their sprint towards the podium stand. They had finally finished up their checklist and had seconds to make it before the trophies were awarded. She could hear the sound of the crowd chanting Alessandro's name.

Lando may have been McLaren's golden boy, but Alessandro was Italy's pride and joy.

"Excuse me, coming through. Pardon," Mark called, making his way through the crowd. He tugged Dakota behind him as people parted to let them through.

A large Italian flag was opened out over the track as the trophies were brought out.

Dakota craned her neck to look up at the stage, the sun glaring down on them. In her hand was an Italian flag, waiting to be taken into the hands of the country's national.

Alessandro shook the officials hand, taking the trophy from him.

It was heavier than he thought it would be - a welcoming weight in his hands. He looked down at his team, raising the trophy towards them.

Lando did the same, the two team mates sharing a smile.

He placed the trophy on the stand when an official tapped his shoulder.

"Dakota wanted me to give this to you," he said, handing Alessandro the flag.

He grinned, wrapping the silky fabric around his shoulders and tied the ends in front.

Lando grabbed the bottle of champagne, spraying Alessandro with it before he could even reach for his own.

Red and green confetti came raining down on them, sticking to their wet racing suits.

He looked down at his team, finally spotting the brunette he'd been looking for in the sea of orange. Dakota smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Their eyes met and he gave her a heart stopping grin, the one he only reserved for her.

He wanted to see her. But he knew that if he suddenly vanished in the middle of the celebration people would certainly suspect something of it.

"What do you make of that?" Aaron asked as he stood beside Dakota.

Both of them were looking up, their eyes trained on the two drivers in blue.

"Bullshit," she replied, watching Lando and Alessandro empty the champagne bottles on Zak's head.

"I don't think it's hit him. That he just lost the race win," Aaron said, a grim look on his face.

"Fuck," she muttered, looking away from the celebration. "That wasn't right. Who called that decision?"

"I don't know, it happened on the pit wall."

"Was Zak there?"

"I don't remember, I think he was."

"Did Lando get the radio that they were swapping positions?"

"He did, but that was way before they actually did. I don't think Lando is aware that he took the win from Alessandro. I think he was saying he had more pace and still thinks he overtook him because he was faster."

"But Alessandro clearly had more pace? Why did he suddenly slow down on the straight like that?"

"Yeah, I saw that. There was nothing wrong with the car, but there's definitely going to be an interesting debrief after this."

The crowd eventually began to disperse as the crew returned to their garages to pack up.

Dakota walked with Aaron to the garage while Mark stopped to talk to a few of his mates.

"Want to come in?" Aaron asked as they came to a stop outside the McLaren garage. "He probably wants to see you after the race."

"No, it's ok. I should help Mark with packing up."

"I think you should stay," Aaron insisted, casting a weary look towards the strategists.

"Alright," Dakota nodded, following him into Alessandro's driver room.

It smelled like his cologne and Axe body spray that usually came from Lando.

She pulled out her phone, already seeing several tweets blowing up her phone. It wasn't a surprise that many fans were saying Alessandro was robbed of the win.

Alessandro wavered slightly on his feet as he made his way to the chairs set up for the post race interview. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. His PR manager stood off to the right, away from the camera's view.

"So, Lando, another race win for you? How does it feel?"

"Incredible, I mean, this whole weekend was looking good for us. Our top priority is always to push the team forward and today we did just that. I'm really happy for the team and of course for Alessandro, his first podium" Lando spoke, giving his teammate an adorable smile.

"Lando, how do you feel knowing you basically took the win from Alessandro on that last lap?"

Lando faltered, the smile dropping from his face. Confusion was clear on his face as he looked to his PR manager for help.

"Well, I mean I wasn't aware of whatever happened on the pit wall. I was struggling to defend against Perez, so I asked the team to tell Alessandro to speed up. I'm not sure what happened after that, but we're happy with the results so..."

"And Alessandro? What's your take on it?"

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling a bead of cold sweat trickle down his neck.

"The team asked us to swap cars with 15 laps to go, but I had more pace than Lando so that decision was redacted. Uh, both of us had the same pace as well, but the team makes the strategy calls and I stand by my team. Whatever decision they made, I respect it and that's that. We'll try again in Russia."

"From the radio that was broadcasted, it seems like you had no idea Lando was going to pass you. Is that correct?"

Alessandro didn't know how to respond without making the team look bad, so he decided to reply truthfully.

"No, I didn't know. It was an engine mode change that lowered the power expenditure from the batter pack. It slowed me down on the straight so Lando could pass without having to give team orders."

"What's your opinion on that?"

"My opinion? Well obviously it was a pretty shitty decision because it cost me the win, but it's in the past now. What's done is done. We work together as a team and we move on."

Dakota scrolled through her phone, listening to the press conference playing from the TV. She was sat in Alessandro's room, waiting for him to return from the media pen.

Aaron had gone to get a foam roller from the hospitality for Alessandro's cool down, leaving her alone.

Fans on social media were clearly upset, tweeting and commenting that McLaren had fucked Alessandro over with the strategy call.

@mclaren.04 robbery. rly disappointed w mclaren

@lnfan41 fr, absolutely unfair. that was Moreno's win

"Mio figlio, you did amazing! I'm so happy for you!" his mother praised the moment he walked into the garage. He immediately accepted her hug, wanting to be wrapped up in her arms as if he was a kid again.

"Gazie, mama," he sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Mio Dio, go take a shower! Your suit is all sticky!"

"It's the champagne of victory," his father smiled, clapping his son on the back.

Dakota could hear the commotion start up in the garage again, signaling the return of either Lando or Alessandro.

Moments later, the door swung open to reveal the devil himself.

He sighed, his shoulders dropping as he turned and leaned against the closed door.

Dakota's heart ached for him, the disappointed look on his face was heartbreaking.

He was in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said.

He shook his head, tossing the cap onto the massage table.

"I can't- I can't believe it."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. You deserved it, Alé," she said, touching his shoulder gently.

"That last lap, I really thought- I thought I won. I was this close, Dakota, this close," he said, holding up his hand.

He yanked off the sleeves of his racing suit, aggressively pulling the wet fireproof over his head. In any other situation, Dakota would've admired his sculpted figure. But she could almost feel the anger and frustration radiating off of him.

"But you still did it, your first podium. Don't let that shitty decision overshadow your achievement."

Dakota tried to catch his gaze, but he stared blankly at the floor.

"It's like I work so hard, and it's all for nothing," he muttered, staring at the trophy that now sat on his table.

She watched helplessly as he disappeared into the small bathroom to shower. A long sigh left her lips, truly not knowing what to do.

Moments later, the sound of something breaking came from the bathroom.

"Alessandro?" she called, suddenly alert.

No response.

"Alessandro, are you ok?"

"I'm opening the door," she stated, turning the handle.

Shattered glass lay strewn across the floor. Alessandro sat with his back against the wall, his face hidden behind his arms.

"Alé, you can't do this to yourself," she sighed sadly, kneeling to wrap her arms around him.

"You proved yourself today, and I'm proud of you for that," she said quietly, her voice soothing to his ears.

And then he broke down.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, his hands gripping the material of her navy polo. His hair tickled her skin as he nestled his head in the crook of her neck. She could feel his body shaking against hers, catching her by surprise.

Never in her life had she expected to see Alessandro cry.

"Shhh, it's ok. Let it out."

Alessandro could care less about how weak and vulnerable he was. Dakota seeing him cry was the last thing he was worried about.

An overwhelming feeling of pain erupted in his chest, making him gasp.

His grip was so tight, Dakota was sure it would leave a mark.

But she didn't care.

She let him cry on her shoulder.

Because one can only be so strong. And Alessandro had been strong, taking every upset into his stride and going along with it. But this, this was a big blow. And he had reached his breaking point.

Bad luck was the fickle cruelty of fate.

And that was racing.