I remember

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Thursday 28th July 2022

Sienna POV

*PING*

'Babe, babe, babe!!!!' I shout, running into the kitchen where Lando is trying, unsuccessfully to make dinner. I shove my phone under his nose, 'Seb finally joined Instagram!' 'He's uploaded a video' I press play.

'I announce my retirement from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season'

I look at Lando, gobsmacked, 'what the hell? Did you know about this?' Lando's face tells me that he didn't as he looks as shocked as I feel. 'Seb.....is........retiring?!' he says slowly.

'Well... on the bright side, this is all the media will talk about this weekend!' I snigger. 'It'll give the rest of you a break!'

Monday 1st August 2022

Sienna POV

*PING*

I normally love that sound. It's the sound of F1 announcements, but the last time it made that noise it left me and Lando stunned. I was hoping that this time it would just be an analysis of the weekend, such as the normal 5 winners and 5 losers article. But, as I read the breaking news story of Fernando announcing that he'll be joining Aston Martin for next season my jaw gets further and further towards the floor. A very loud 'wow' comes from Lando who has come to stand behind me, looking over my shoulder.

'I'll say, pretty shitty to do that on the last day before the summer break, we haven't even left Hungary yet. This is going to open a whole can of worms, the whole paddock is going to go crazy!' I exclaim.

'Fernando left last night' Lando says quietly 'now we know why'

Tuesday 2nd August 2022

Sienna POV

*PING*

*PING*

*PING*

*PING*

'Urgh, what's happened now' Lando mutters from beside me. 'It's too early in the morning for more drama'

'OMG' I shout, unable to contain it.

'Babe! What? Tell me! I left my phone in the living room!' he whines.

I clear my throat 'Alpine has put out a social media post announcing Oscar Piastri as their replacement for Fernando for the 2023 season'

'Well, that'll make Danny happy' Lando exclaims 'he was sure Oscar was going to have his seat'

'Wait......Oscar has put out his own media statement saying that he hasn't signed a contract and will not be racing for Alpine next season'

'Wait......what? He actually said that?' Lando was now peering at me with shock on his face, 'he'd only put that if was sure of a seat elsewhere.....oh shit..... you know what this means don't you?'

'Danny's leaving McLaren' I whisper. To say I was devastated was an understatement. When Danny joined the team 2 years ago, we immediately hit it off and we've become best friends, he's like the big brother I never had. He always has me in stiches and no-one makes me laugh like he does, not even Lando. 'When did Danny say he was leaving for Australia?' I ask.

'Urm.... Tomorrow I think' I look at my boyfriend, he was still sitting there with a look of shock on his face. 'Zak has been maintaining for months now that Dan wasn't going anywhere.'

'Babe' I said getting out of bed 'I hate to say it, but he's been lying to you'. Zak's the nicest guy in the world but I knew deep down with the rumours of Danny leaving and his continued struggle with the car that it wouldn't be long before he was replaced. I hadn't shared Lando's optimism and in heart of hearts I'm not sure Danny had either. 'I need to go and see him'. I quickly put on my pj bottoms and grab a hoody of Landos that was lying on the floor and leave the apartment. We are currently staying in an apartment in Dannys' building in Monaco whilst waiting for our own to be ready. I hope I don't come across anyone else as they might wonder why I was wandering around in my pjs. Luckily Danny only lived on the next floor up.

'Danny!' I shout, knocking on the door. 'Danny!'

'Shhhhhh, before you wake the neighbours' he mutters, pulling me into the flat.

As soon as I cross the threshold into his flat and the door shuts behind me I grab him into a hug, 'I'm sorry, why didn't you tell me?'

'I couldn't you know that, we've been having discussions for ages. In the last few weeks it's gone from trying to find me a seat somewhere else to how much it's going to take for me to vacate my seat with the least amount of embarrassment for the team'. I could tell by his face that he was utterly dejected. I know how hard he'd been working to try and turn things around, but, the car just didn't suit his driving style and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't compensate for that.

'Have you been able to find a seat elsewhere?' I murmur, trying to remember amongst the chaos of the last 24 hours, who even had seats available.

'I've spoken to Gunther many times over the past few weeks and I spoke to Otmar this morning once Oscars press release came out. He's furious by the way, wants to sue Oscar for breach of contract and McLaren for poaching their driver' he chuckles.

'Haas, Danny? Really? You're much too good a driver to go to Haas. Would Alpine take you back?' I wasn't convinced as he'd not exactly left on good terms.

'Oh, S, I'm not even sure I want to be racing next year. I feel burnt out, like I need a break. Maybe it'll be good for me. Take stock, recharge, find my love for it again' he takes a deep breath and looks at me. 'I'll miss you like crazy though'

'Don't you'll make me cry! You'll still be around though right? You're not going to disappear on us completely? And you'll still be living here?' I struggle to keep the wobble out of my voice. A whole year without this crazy man in front of me. What on earth was I going to do? George, Alex, Max and Carlos were great guys and I got on with them really well but they didn't hold a candle to Danny, not in my eyes anyway and they were more Lando's friends than mine.

'Of course I'll still be around, you can't get rid of me that easy!' he wipes away the tear that has rolled down my cheek and wraps his arms around me for a bear hug.

'I'm meant to be consoling you! Not the other way round!' I give him a friendly punch on the arm and give him a smile. 'When are you going to announce that you're leaving?' I ask him quietly, still not quite believing that the paddock wouldn't benefit from Danny Ric next year.

'I'm going home tomorrow, the talks with Zak are still on going but we're nearly at an agreement, I think. I'll announce it once everything's been done, probably in a week or so. I'll give you a heads up'

'Thanks, I'll miss you dude, like crazy. It's not going to be the same without you in the garage next door'. I know he has packing left to do so I give him a kiss on the cheek and a last big hug and leave him to it.

Lando POV

I hear the door shut quietly and walk into the hallway to see Sienna leaned up against the door, tears rolling down her cheeks. 'Oh baby, come here' I say opening my arms as she runs towards me.

'I'm going to miss him so much' she sobs. If I was a jealous man, I'd be worried about how much time she's spent with Dan over the last two years, but it was obvious to anyone that from the moment they met, they hit it off. Not in a romantic way, Dan is over 10 years older, but in a older brother, younger sister kind of way. Dan was incredibly protective of Sienna and she of him. He's told me more than once that if I ever hurt her, he'll kick my ass and we'd already been together 3 years by then. And I've lost count of how many girls Sienna has chased away because she didn't think they were good enough for her Daniel. I am a bit jealous that he makes her laugh more than I do but what can you do?

'He'll still be around babe, I can't see Dan being able to stay away from the paddock for long' I stroke her hair as I try to reassure her. I was going to miss him too. Presumably my new team mate would be Oscar and I really didn't know him that well.