SAUDI ARABIA, 27TH MARCH 2022
marlawebber posted!
13:08
📍saudi arabia
liked by georgerussell63, badbunnypr and 589,267 others
marlawebber ready to get into the car! swipe to see everyone's favourite grid romance <3
tagged @/phoebewills
@/danielricciardo @/maxverstappen1
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user1 maxiel!!
user2 marla feeding our obsession
user3 my favourite best friends ever
phoebewills thanks for letting me be your plus one to everything
↳marlawebber always, need my emotional support person
user4 slay
user5 red bull's golden girl
alexalbon see you on the track 🫡
↳marlawebber hope lily is with you today
user6 marla in the top 5 🙏🏻
user7 how is she even in f1?
danielricciardo you got this!
↳marlawebber thanks danny 🫶🏻
user8 her and daniel are close now?
MARLA ROLLED HER TIGHT shoulders back a few times, trying to relax before getting into the car. the garage was busy as it usually was before the start of a race. max was speaking to his engineer, while marla listened to her pre-race playlist. jeddah was never her favourite track of the season, the track was tight and turns were sharp so she made sure to find herself in the right mindset.
her dad had came to see her quickly before he had to leave to finish off some media stuff. he gave her a tight hug and some words of encouragement which helped her calm her nerves slightly but she knew she had to do well this season. every race counted if she wanted even a chance of a seat, her place at red bull wasn't permanent but if she did well should could find herself with a contract.
as the time ticked on closer to the starting of the saudi arabia grand prix, marla jumped into the car, helmet and gloves on ready to go. she did her best to calm her nerves as she did her formation lap round the circuit.
sitting in a comfortable P4 while max was on pole position, marla gave her surroundings one last look before her vision set on the lights up ahead.
"radio check," hugh, her engineer spoke. "check check," she responded, grasping her steering wheel tighter. "okay thirty seconds till lights out enjoy the race marla, let's aim to keep you at the top of the grid,"
"you got it boss man," marla muttered before clicking off her radio. it was as if the world silent for marla as she waited. cars began to rev as the red lights turned off one by one.
"it's lights out here in saudi arabia! and away we go!"
MARLA STOOD AT THE MEDIA pen, jack next to her as she listened to the interviewer. her hair having to be pulled back up with the heat causing her curls to come out in full force. "congratulations marla, you must be happy with P4," he asked with a smile. "yes i am thank you, it was a difficult race with losing a few positions towards the start but i'm glad to have fought my way back up,"
"are you aiming for higher? you must be feeling the pressure to prove yourself as a new driver at red bull and that you're the only female driver on the grid," he probed, marla did her best not to roll her eyes. she knew what he really meant, being the only female driver on the grid as well as being related to mark webber. "we all feel the pressure to perform, i have for the last few years, to get the best results, and of course a podium finish would be amazing," she answered, thankful for the media training she had received and thankful that she could bite her tongue.
"and for being a woman here, it's an honour and privilege to have this opportunity to show that we deserve a place in formula one, thanks," and with that she walked away, doing her best to hide her frustration.
at the next interview they yet again asked her how she thought it went for being a woman driving, if she was happy for max and of course if she felt weird being the only woman.
"honestly jack, if i get asked one more time how it feels to be a woman in the paddock i'm going to suckerpunch someone," she huffed walking back towards the red bull motor home. she needed a long shower and decent sleep. "the questions should get better as we go, but you're handling it well kid. get some rest and i'll see you in the morning yeah? i've got to go sort some stuff out" he patted her shoulder before rushing off.
marla quickly changed out of her race gear and grabbed her bag. she thanked everyone for their hard work before leaving. max was quick to catch her, engulfing her in a hug. "told you would do great," he muttered. marla rolled her eyes, "thanks maxie, congrats on the win,"
"you'll be up there with me soon, i promise," he replied. marla smiled gratefully at her teammate, "i'll see you soon, i gotta get some sleep before i pass out," she replied, max nodded understanding her. "some of us are you going out if you change your mind," max added before being dragged away by an engineer.
on her way out she was met by daniel. it was clear that he wasn't happy after the race, unfortunately he had DNF'd leaving him out of the race while lando was able to finish P7. she had kept up with the teams last season and it was clear that mclaren wasn't helping daniel to achieve his full potential. the driver she was so used to seeing out on the track had changed. it was tough to see.
"hey daniel, i'm sorry about your race," marla hummed, placing a hand on his arm for a moment. the aussie shrugged, putting on a small smile. "thanks, it's fine we're only two races in we can pull it back," he replied. she could tell that he wasn't feeling great the result plaguing his thoughts, which was warranted after the race. any bad result would knock you back.
"uhm do you wanna maybe come over and hang out?" marla asked, it was a bit selfish on her part wanting to spend more time with the mclaren driver on her own, but he probably needed a distraction after the weekend. daniel looked up with a smile nodding, "yeah that would be nice,"
LUCKILY RED BULL AND MCLAREN were staying in the same hotel for the weekend. the pair of drivers arrived back after the race at the same time, agreeing to meet in marla's hotel room for a bit.
marla slipped out of her clothes she had been sweating in for the full day before jumping in for a quick cold shower. once she was out she slipped into clean shorts and a baggy t shirt. she looked at her reflection for a few seconds, pushing her wet hair behind her ears and swiping under her eyes in hopes to hide the tiredness.
phoebe had left almost immediately after the race was finished to get back to filming in time, marla was just grateful that her best friend always made the effort for her. marla made it her mission to visit her as much as possible over her breaks to make up for it. it just meant that marla's side of the room was messier than she intended it to look.
another ten minutes past and a knock on her door sounded through her hotel room. marla quickly made her way over, opening the door with a wide smile seeing daniel standing. "hey come on in," she said, moving over to allow the aussie in. "excuse the mess," she grimaced as she watched daniel's eyes scan the room. luckily he just chuckled, "it's all good,"
the pair sat on marla's bed, the television playing quietly in the background as they caught up about the race. "i don't think i can keep up with max." she huffed, her head leaning against the backboard of the bed. "i don't think anyone can," daniel joked trying to comfort her. marla cracked a small smile, humming in agreement.
"i need this year to go well, i need to prove that i'm not here just because of my dad," she said, playing with the silver ring around her middle finger. she never spoke about this to anyone, she kept it to herself most of the time but sitting in her hotel room with daniel it felt like she could say anything and he would always have the right words for her.
"you have, especially after last year. it was crazy to see that you were gonna be on the sidelines this year," daniel replied, taking note of the small habit of her twisting her ring. "if lando keeps out qualifying me i don't know how next year will look, the car's not great either," the curly haired aussie hummed, speaking his own thoughts.
"we'll get through it this year, we'll get good points and stay on the grid, cause i don't know what i'd do if i wasn't driving," marla spoke firmly, her eyes finally looking up to daniel's big brown ones. she could look into his eyes forever, his kind gaze made her feel safe. the butterflies returned, it was exciting feeling like this but it was a schoolgirl crush and she knew that a romance on the grid was the last thing she needed to deal with in the media.
daniel bumped shoulders with her gently, "wanna get some food?"
MARLA AND SEBASTIAN walked through their hotel, luggage dragged behind them. marla and seb were close due to her dads relationship with the aston martin driver. she enjoyed spending time with the him like when she was younger, running around the paddock watching her dad race with him. sebastian was practically family now.
these small moments they had together is what mattered to them, sebastian had took marla under his wing when she joined the grid. he made sure to help her with race prep and media duties when she was getting overwhelmed. marla would forever be grateful for sebastian for her first few years racing as well as kimi and fernando but they taught her bad habits which sebastian tried to stop but the trio were inseparable at some points.
"so i seen ricciardo leaving your room last night, do i need to speak to him," sebastian asked as they settled into their seats at the hotel's restaurant. daniel left around midnight, after their heart to heart and eating their body weight in food the pair relaxed. watching nearly a full season of greys with marla fighting sleep which daniel thought was cute.
marla's eyes widened, embarrassment evident. "no no, it's not like that seb! we we're just hanging out after the race since we didn't want to go out," marla rambled, "you're worse than my dad,"sebastian's stern expression quickly changed to an amused one before he chuckled.
"i'm kidding sweetheart, it's nice that you're expanding your friends from george and max," he hummed. marla rolled her eyes at the german's antics. "you like them as well, and i'm friends with other people," she argued.
"kimi doesn't count," marla barked out a laugh at sebastian's retaliation, running a hand through her hair. she had gotten close to the rest of the drivers quite quickly, she was a breath of fresh air in the paddock, obviously it was tough for her but she was happy that she now had people around her.