"So, how does it feel to finally be in F1?" Max asked me, as we were walking around the RedBull headquarters. "Feels great. It's been a long time coming, no?" I smiled at him. "Do you feel ready? The first race is in a month." I shrugged my shoulders and our walk came to a halt as we had reached the elevator. Max pressed the button and we waited for it to arrive. "As ready as I'll ever be. You know, I would have loved to be so in the last season, but then I'd been stuck with Alpine now, so I guess it all worked out for the better." I joked, causing Max to flash a smile my way.
"I'm sure you could have done great with them too, but I will admit, I much prefer this outcome." He said and we stepped inside the elevator. We were both headed home for the day, so Max pressed the button to the bottom floor, where the parking lot was. "Yeah, despite everything, I do too," I admitted, but couldn't help but show a sour expression on my face. Max instantly knew what I was thinking and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, causing me to look back at him again. "You hungry? Let's go get some dinner on the way back, then we can watch a movie together. Sounds good?" A smile crept on my face and I nodded in agreement. He always knew exactly how to cheer me up.
At this point, Max and I had known each other for a little over a year. Last season, I had been the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, which had taught me a lot. Max had taught me a lot. In many ways we were very similar, so we instantly clicked and always had the best time together, on and off the track. He was a great teammate, mentor, and friend. He had been one of the only people who supported me through the most horrible time in my life, which was right after the end of the 2022 season.
Alpine had to decide on who to put as their new driver, and Oscar Piastri and I were both up for the task. Unfortunately, everyone always knew that it would be Oscar who got the seat in the end, and I had fully accepted that. Therefore, I looked for other options of course. Alpine no longer had a spot for me, so when Red Bull offered me to be their reserve driver, I of course accepted. Little did I know, that Oscar didn't plan on accepting the Alpine offer, and instead signed with McLaren. So, when Alpine finally turned their attention my way, I had already signed the contract with Red Bull.
At this time, I didn't only lose a lot of confidence, as I was almost completely without a job, without a future in motorsports. But I also lost my best friend. Oscar and I had always been very close, and he told me nothing else, than that he would be joining Alpine for 2023. He never mentioned getting other offers. I, on the other hand, came to him for advice on what to do. I trusted him, yet he went behind my back, and within just a few days of me telling him I had accepted with Red Bull, he made a public announcement, that he would not be racing for Alpine after all. I tried asking him about it all afterwards, cause even though I was beyond mad, I wanted to get the whole story. But Oscar never replied, and we haven't shared a word or even a look ever since then.
Now, I have finally made it to F1, as a driver for Red Bull, alongside Max. I must admit, I'm very nervous for the time to come, but I know that with the team and Max on my side, nothing could go wrong. I trust all of them, more than I ever could with Alpine.
Max and I made it back to the hotel and he joined me in my room to eat together. The next month, we had to spend almost the whole time in Austria at the headquarters, as we had a lot of preparation to do. This also meant that we spent almost every awaken hour together, Max and I, as our hotel rooms were right beside one another, and most of the work had to be done together.
"How many of the guys have you met so far, by the way?" Max asked as we were eating our meals. "Hmm, I met Charles once, but it was back when I was in F2, and only briefly when he and Arthur were greeting each other. Besides him, I've only ever met Logan and Oscar." I replied, looking up at him. He nodded and seemed to think about it for a while. "I'll make sure to properly introduce you to all of them. Maybe you can come to Monaco with me, the few days before the race? A lot of the guys live there!" He explained but I was quick to shake my head. "You know I haven't been home in way too long, Max. I will just meet them at the first race," I said with a chuckle, which didn't seem to satisfy Max. "London is so cold this time of year! Don't you miss the sun?" He asked, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Max, I'm used to the English weather. I've lived there all my life," I could barely get the words out before he spoke up again. "You should consider moving to Monaco, there's a reason we all live down there instead," I sighed and shook my head, the smile not leaving my lips. "If it's because you miss me you want me to move down there, just say so," I teased him, and now he was the one shaking his head. "You're impossible, Yn. Absolutely impossible,"
The month passed by quickly, and it was finally time for the first GP of the season. "Hello, Bahrain!" I exclaimed as I exited the flight along with a few of the staff members. I took out my phone and saw that Max had already left me a message that he was here to pick me up. When walking out of the airport I spotted him immediately and went straight towards him. He greeted me with a hug before leading me outside to the car. "Ready, sunshine?" He asked when we had buckled our seatbelts. We were going straight to the paddock, as I arrived a day later than the rest of the team due to a flight cancellation. "Media dayyyy!" I just replied, showing the excitement in my voice.
When we arrived at the circuit, the media was already busy, following our every move as soon as we had left the car. Max and I arrived together, him in his Red Bull uniform, and me in a pair of baggy jeans and a hoodie, with my hair in a sleek ponytail. The first thing on the agenda was a press conference with all the drivers at once, something quite unusual nowadays, but not weird since it was the first of the season. Max and I headed there straight away and were met by a lot of familiar, smiling faces. I had seen all the drivers around the paddock in the last year, but never once had it been to much more than a short hello or a wave across garages.
I felt myself get slightly nervous and overwhelmed by the large amount of people, who all seemed to have their attention turned to me. I mean, I was the only rookie this year, but it seemed like a bit much. Fortunately, Max stayed by my side the whole time, and took me on a walk around the room, introducing me to everyone. Everyone was very sweet and greeted me with warm smiles and hugs, cracking jokes and instantly making me feel welcome. Everyone except two people, that is. Oscar and Logan.
Logan and I used to be good friends as well. The three of us were quite inseparable, but after the whole thing with Oscar, Logan seemed to cut me off as well, with no further explanation. On my way around the room, my eyes met Logans for a moment, and he seemed almost happy to see me. He offered me a small smile, which I traded with a rather awkward one in return, only to meet Oscar's eyes next. He made no effort whatsoever, to hide the fact that he was not pleased to see me there. He stared at me for only a second, before rolling his eyes and turning his attention elsewhere.
Max seemed to notice the tense atmosphere, as he placed a hand on my back before offering me a bottle of water. He then leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Ignore him, he's just scared to get beaten by a rookie." He said and winked at me, making me smile once again. "Oh well, I guess he has to face his fears head-on this season," I smirked, causing an amused expression to appear on Max's face. "I love that confidence, sunshine. Keep it up!" He then proceeded to pat me on the back before leading the way towards our designated seats for the day's press conference.
"So, Yn, are you excited for your first race this weekend?" Carlos asked me as he, Charles, George, Pierre, Max and I were getting lunch together after the conference. "Mhm, yeah, I feel ready," I answer confidently, earning some acknowledging nods around the table. "We met before, no? You and Arthur are friends?" Charles then asked, seemingly remembering our one previous encounter, more than two years ago. "Yeah, Arthur and I are good friends! I haven't talked to him in a little while though, how is he?" I asked, and Charles smiled at me widely. "He's very good! He will be here on Sunday, so you should come to Ferrari and meet him!" He said and I nodded my head in excitement. Arthur was one of the few I kept in contact with from the old F2 days, so I would love to see him again.
"If you're going to Ferrari, you should come to Mercedes too! You know Vesti is our reserve driver this year, right? You two are friends too, he told me!" George then spoke up and I couldn't help but chuckle at the way he said it, almost as if he would be unfairly treated if I went to Ferrari and not Mercedes. "Yeah, I already thought about that too. I spoke to Frederik just yesterday, so he already invited me to come," I smiled at George, who seemed happy with my answer. "You know, I would love to invite you to Alpine too, but as far as I know, you probably don't wanna go," Pierre then spoke up with a slightly awkward laugh. I looked at him and gave him a small smile. It was a bit weird, but when looking at him, I almost saw a reflection of what I could have been today, had I been offered that Alpine seat in time.
"You know, I still have all the respect in the world for the team, so I might come to say hi one day," I just said, trying to be polite, which seemed appreciated, judging by Pierre's reaction. "If you're going to go to all their garages, when will you have time to be in your own, eh?" Max then chimed in, earning a laugh from everyone around the table. "Maybe she doesn't want to be in your garage, Max," Charles joked, causing more laughter to evolve. "Of course she does! Yn loves hanging out with me, right?" Max then said, looking at me in hopes of approval. I just kept quiet and avoided his gaze to keep up the teasing, but it only ended in him playfully hitting my arm, not happy with my lack of response. "Sorry, sorry. Of course, I like hanging out with you, Maxie," I teased even more, resulting in all the guys beginning to call him by the nickname as well.
"I told you not to call me that!" He whined, throwing himself back against the chair, throwing a mini tantrum like a child. Oh how much fun we were going to have this season, the boys and I. Max and I...