A story about girlhood, friendship, grief, and racing, in which various ships haunt the narrative.
MASTERLIST, OC MASTERLIST
Featuring: Nina Reyes (OC), Zoey Valente (OC), Sofia Torres (OC), Courtney Carter (OC), Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Austin Taylor (OC), Alison Reyes (OC), Alejandra Reyes (OC), Maria Estrada (OC), Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, Mark Webber, Laurent Mekies, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, mentions of: Domingo Reyes (OC), basically the rest of the 2026 grid.
In 2026, there's three new rookies on the grid: Nina Reyes, Zoey Valente, and Sofia Torres. Though it is a dream come true, it comes with its many challenges, some of which they're more prepared to face than others. The following chapters see them (and other characters, like Courtney Carter and Austin Taylor) through the 2026 Formula 1 season, seeking to prove that they deserve to stay on for next year.
Switching third person POVs, updates every two weeks!
Prologue
Chapter One: Silly Season
Chapter Two: The Audition (There Goes The Season)
Chapter Three: Let The Games Begin
Chapter Four: Rain On Our Parade
Chapter Five:
(expected number of chapters for this season is 18!)
UH OH! a demigod child with fire powers is on the loose!!!! lock your doors, project your wife and kids — oikia is in town! (don’t worry, she’s a hugger)
TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN: 136,336 !!
TOTAL WORDS POSTED: 61,269 :)
TOTAL WORKS POSTED: 7-8 (depending on whether you separate the two parts of When I Was Drowning).
Take a walk down memory lane with me as I go over the fics I've posted (and will post) this year!
And All The Stars Aligned - op81 x OC (Nina Reyes)
Read here!
Release date: September 17th
Word count: 4.5k
this was my first time writing piastreyes as not drivers!! I'd been writing them as drivers since around July but their story wasn't ready yet (and it. still isn't. but we're getting there.) but I wanted to post something so I wrote this!!
It still holds a really really special place in my heart cause, as we'll find out later, I really like writing university AUs! (something about writing what you know).
(Only You Know) I'm Only Me When I'm With You - op81 x OC (Nina Reyes)
Read here!
Release date: October 6th
Word count: 2k
The Taylor Swift series was and is a really fun way to just get fics out really quickly (though they were supposed to ALL be out before 2026, but then When I Was Drowning happened lol)
This one was another case of writing what I know as I know EXACTLY where this took place in my head (my old 6th form my beloved) and I might write more stuff in 6th form cause it's such an interesting period of time in life I think.
I'll Catch You - ln4 x OC (Courtney Carter)
Read here!
Release date: October 12th
Word count: 2.7k
This one I'm actually not very proud of! I do think it's good but I think I rushed it, hence why the next one shot for this series is taking so long to come out. I definitely should've given this one more time/one more read over but I do still think it's cute!
I also don't have a ship name for Courtney and Lando yet so if y'all have any ideas...
When I Was Drowning - op81
Masterpost
HERE WE GO!!
If You Were The One - op81 x reader
Read here!
Release date: November 8th
Word count: 22.6k
Then this fic took over my life. Like all I wrote and listened to and thought about was this fic. Originally, it wasn't meant to be 22k. Originally, part 2 didn't exist. But, um. Here we are!
It was another case of writing what I knew, I'd walk around my uni and imagine what kind of things these two got up to in between the words I wrote.
Come Back (To What You Need) - op81 x reader
Read here!
Release date: December 3rd
Word count: 22.3k
Then the fic DUPLICATED. And I'm so incredibly in love with it that I kind of wish I could print it out lmao. I genuinely cried when I finished it and cried even harder when I posted it. Literally joked that my child (fic) was growing up (finished) and going to college (being posted on tumblr). She holds such a special place in my heart and I miss writing them...unless...
Shoutout to the charm collab and @piastreline and everyone who helped me with this absolute unit of a fic!
Sparks & Friction - ln1 x reader
Read here!
Release date: December 15th
Word count: 3.6k
HEYYYY @patchoff1 honestly most of the credit for this fic goes to you because your prompt was SO SO good. I had so much fun writing it and had it done so so early that I started kind of planning a part two but I haven't quite finished it yet!! I need to write more Lando fics fr.
I will provide part two and yap to you about it cause I love these two so so much!!
The Annual Cookie Baking Frenzy - op81 x nr13 (Nina Reyes, OC)
Read here!
Release date: December 24th
Word count: 3.3k
And we're back to piastreyes as drivers though they aren't driving in this fic at all but this does take place in that universe!! Nina does canonically love baking so I was like...omg...Christmas fluff...
GOD I'm so incredibly in love with them as a couple and I had various ideas for a Christmas fic which would explore Nina’s character more or Oscar's character with her family but I just. I just wanted fluff man!! So have fluff!!
Stand Back Where You Stood - op81 x Nina Reyes (OC)
Read here!
Release date: December 31st
Word count: 4.8k
So maybe I have a thing for writing New Year's Eve fics. I just love the setting of it for some reason, I don't know what it is about it, but this fic will be for 1989!
Hope you guys have fun with this one when it comes out in a couple days :) I've loved finally continuing this series and this fic in particular involves SUCH an interesting dynamic I think!! It was mostly written abroad/on a plane and on my phone lol.
Thank you guys so much for the support this year! Stay tuned for a post on what's coming next year SO FAR!! I've got so many plans <3 I love you all so so much
MASTERLIST, OC MASTERLIST, AO3 for fancy HTML articles!
Word Count: 1.7k
Tags/Warnings: Deviation from actual 2025 Formula 1 season.
Chapter Summary: In the middle of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Lando Norris has a meeting with McLaren leadership and his teammate, Oscar Piastri. The topic of the meeting will shape the rest of this season and will shockwave onto the next.
Notes: oh my GOD this is finally finally here. I don't know what the posting schedule will be but just know this will be LONG. I hope y'all are along for the ride :)
2025 Season Summer Break, McLaren Technology Centre
“You’re…leaving?”
It hit Lando like a truck, hearing Zak say it out loud.
“Yes,” he answered, swallowing back all the reasons why. “I’m not driving for McLaren next season.”
The other two men fell silent, the wall clock making itself known as it ticked, counting down the time he had left there. In mere months—half the season, in fact—the MTC wouldn't feel like home anymore. Oscar had gone stiff next to him but didn’t say a word. Neither did Andrea as he stood next to Zak behind his desk, arms crossed. None of them knew how to meet Lando’s eyes after such a revelation. To his left, a portrait of him mocked him—it was Miami 2024, his first win, that stupid plaster on his nose as he placed the trophy on his head and beamed at the camera, covered in champagne and surrounded by his team, his finger up next to his face. Number one.
Andrea cleared his throat. “Is it…official? All signed?”
Lando nodded. “They’ll pay out the rest of my contract.”
That was that. Lando Norris was leaving McLaren after six years. Despite leading both championships, despite helping the team get to the thriving position it was in now, Lando was walking out the door. Locking it behind him. Throwing away the key. Saying it out loud made it feel more real, made the MTC feel alien, his chair suddenly uncomfortable, his sense of belonging quickly fading with every tick of the clock. When Zak finally met his eyes, he looked at him as if he was a stranger, and not a driver he’d practically raised.
“Where?” he asked with an awkward chuckle, trying to dissipate the tension to no avail. “And—why?”
“Cadillac.” The 'why' was too raw to say outright, but he felt guilty leaving the question completely unanswered. “They’re still in talks with various drivers, but…they promised I’m the face of their project, contract-bound.”
None of the 'two number one drivers' business. No 'papaya rules.' None of the approaches that had failed him and his teammate—this championship had changed their friendship into something weaker and strained, a dim light that wouldn’t get its spark back, and it was because McLaren was determined to even out a field they didn't control. Lando couldn't do it anymore.
“We will cooperate with the process completely,” Andrea said finally, giving Lando a nostalgic smile. “If you wish to go, that is your choice.”
Zak and Oscar both nodded in agreement silently. Oscar still hadn’t said a word, hadn’t looked at Lando in the eyes, and it was driving him insane. What did he think? Did he resent him for this? Did he resent him before this? Was he relieved? Lando turned to his teammate, his expression a challenge to Oscar, all of his questions within it.
Oscar didn’t engage. “Good luck at Cadillac,” he said, as if it was nothing, as if everything was still the same. “I hope it goes well for you.”
Anger, for some reason, welled up in Lando, but he stored it in a clenched fist as he looked away from Oscar. He supposed he’d never know the answer to his questions.
“Thank you. All of you.” He hoped he sounded as sincere as he felt. “Whatever success I find over there…it’s all thanks to you lot.”
After a round handshakes and hugs both drivers left the office and turned opposite ways with a short goodbye. They didn’t hate each other. Lando would say they were still quite close, but not as close as last year. He supposed it was natural in a championship fight this tight. As he left, he vowed he'd win the Driver’s with McLaren this year as one last moment of glory before he moved on.
Zak hated that he wasn’t even given a choice to try and change Lando’s mind before he put pen to paper.
He would've offered him everything, but the one thing he wanted wasn't in McLaren's cards. McLaren couldn't make him number one, not with Oscar leading, but Cadillac could. How could Zak blame him for leaving, then? Of course Lando wanted to be the first driver, the team’s focus. It would be easier for both their drivers if they could define a first, much easier than the ‘papaya rules’ the team had been hopelessly juggling since Oscar was signed and exceeded their expectations. The ‘two number one drivers’ approach worked, but not for these two.
Who would it work with?
The room the two drivers left had shifted. Their smiles had dropped, Andrea pinched the bridge of his nose, Zak put his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers, resting his chin on them. A damn seat to fill this late into negotiations. There wasn’t a shortage of Formula 1 hopefuls, but it was still an inconvenience to deal with this when so many drivers were already linked to other teams.
“Right,” Zak sighed and leaned back on his chair. “Who’re our options?”
Andrea was pacing now. “On the current grid, there are always both Mercedes drivers. Toto is not being kind with negotiations.”
“True.”
“Tsunoda, perhaps, though he is linked with Aston because of the rumours around Stroll.” The possible retirement would leave another seat open. With Cadillac joining, that meant at least three new faces on the grid next year. “Lawson? Colapinto? A reserve driver—Bottas, Doohan…someone coming back? Checo? Sargeant?”
Zak sighed again, heavier. He was sure they’d knock on those doors, but he wasn’t sure they would answer or come to any sort of agreement. “What about the F2 drivers?”
“I…” Andrea exhaled sharply. “Would a rookie be a good idea?"
Zak shrugged. “May be all we’ve got, if we want to change our approach.”
Another sigh. “There is Austin Taylor. He is one of the front runners, in my opinion. Courtney Carter as well, but she is linked with VCARB at present. Zoey Valente, Sofia Torres…and, of course, Nina Reyes.”
That sparked something in him. In a list where none of the options were jumping out, the name Reyes made his eyes light up. Only her and Taylor weren’t linked with any other teams for next season. With a thoughtful hum, he glanced over at the portraits on his wall portraying McLaren’s history, looking for one in particular—Belgium 2009, Domingo Reyes’ first ever Grand Prix win with them. He was one of the Mark Webbers, the Daniel Ricciardos. Someone who had at least one championship in it, but he didn’t live long enough to keep trying, having passed doing what he loved almost a decade ago.
“How is Nina?” Zak asked, still staring at the photo of the woman’s dad. “How’s she done in previous tests and practices?”
Andrea raised an eyebrow. “She has been on pace with Austin, not far behind Lando and Oscar.”
She was good. Any Reyes was good, but Nina was the only one still racing. The only championship she hadn’t won was Formula 2, and she was unlucky to not get a shot this year, having barely secured a contract for McLaren’s Formula E team. Zak had a feeling they’d regret passing up on signing her.
“You’re considering it,” Andrea said with amused disbelief. “You’re considering signing her.”
“Let’s offer her another test, compare her to Oscar around Silverstone.” Zak stood up, ready to coordinate calls and meetings. “See where she is now.”
“A mere formality,” Andrea chuckled. “You already want to sign her.”
The CEO smiled just thinking about it. The attention they could generate from this story—the Reyes family back in Formula 1 after exactly ten years, and a woman no less. All Nina had to do was prove she was better than Austin, and the seat was hers.
“I do. Let’s see if she wants it.”
Who Are The Women Entering Formula One In 2026?
Zoey Valente | 2001 | Driver Number: 21 | 🇲🇽
Set to become the second black person ever to drive in Formula 1, and the first ever black woman, Zoey Valente is set to drive alongside Max Verstappen for the 2026 season following Yuki Tsunoda's move to Aston Martin. Many were left surprised, having expected Isack Hadjar to come into that seat, but leadership at Red Bull seem to be sure that Valente—despite being a rookie—has what it takes to tame that second Red Bull Racing seat. Having won Formula 3 and now leading the Formula 2 championship, Valente certainly shows promise, but is it enough? Under new regulations and management, it just might be.
ZV21 - Zoey Valente
Sofia Torres | 2001 | Driver Number: 73 | 🇵🇹
The Portuguese public's 'princess,' loved or hated by all who know her, kicked off the filling of Cadillac's new seats over the summer break. Many have criticised this move—how is a rookie supposed to help the development of a completely new car?—but Sofia Torres has been praised for her engineering knowledge and thorough feedback in the past. With Cadillac's other seat still unfilled (to our knowledge), it's possible that they plan to bring in a more experienced driver to complement Torres and perhaps help her own development along the way. (P.S. We wrote an article speculating on who Cadillac's other driver could be - click here to read it!)
ST73 - Sofia Torres
Courtney Carter | 2002 | Driver Number: 89 | 🇺🇲
As the first female to be signed to a Formula 1 team in decades, immediately overshadowed by Torres' announcement, Courtney Carter seemingly kicked off the movement of women being acknowledged at the peak of single seaters. Though Americans will be disappointed to go yet another year without their flag being represented on the grid itself, Carter is one step closer to marking the States' return to Formula 1 after two years, following Logan Sargeant's infamous departure from the sport in the middle of the 2024 season. Though only a reserve contract, it has put her foot in the door for potential promotion for the 2027 season, which is when Valente's and Torres' contracts are rumoured to end, as well as some others.
CC89 - Courtney Carter
Potential Signings:
Nina Reyes | 2001 | Driver Number: 13 | 🇻🇪
Potentially adding to the roster of Latin Americans on the grid and continuing a story a decade in hiatus, Nina Reyes could be the blockbuster signing for Formula 1's 2026 grid. Though she was unable to secure a seat for 2025 in Formula 1 or in Formula 2, leaving her scrambling for a seat in Formula E, recent retirements and the addition of Cadillac to the grid could finally give her the chance she's been waiting for. With McLaren’s Formula E team dissolving at the end of the 2025 season, it seems Reyes has no choice but to shoot for one of those empty seats at the pinnacle of motorsports and follow in her father's footsteps.
NR13 - Nina Reyes
Thank you so so much for reading guys. Genuinely this whole story means so much to me and I can't believe I've made it far enough to post it!! I hope you guys enjoy it <3
MASTERLIST, OC MASTERLIST, AO3 for fancy HTML articles!
MASTERLIST, OC MASTERLIST, AO3 for fancy HTML articles!
Word Count: 2.2k
Tags/Warnings: mentions of mild injury, mentions of unsupportive family.
Chapter Summary: In the middle of the Formula 2 2025 Season, Zoey Valente and Sofia Torres got the opportunities of a lifetime. An unexpected event just across the track in Formula 1 may extend such an opportunity to their friend, Nina Reyes.
Notes: yes I posted CH1 on the same day as the Prologue I am just really really excited. CH2 will be out in two weeks though, I need time to breathe and keep writing ahead! I hope you enjoy <3
2025 Season, Round Eleven, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, September 4th, Media Day (Formula 2)
Zoey Valente was never nervous for a race weekend. Something else buzzed through her body like electricity instead—excitement tinted with an urge to prove herself, an urge to win.
And, of course, the urge to prove that she deserved that Red Bull seat she’d just signed for.
It had been suspiciously easy. No Hadjars or Lindblads or even Lawsons knocking on the door. It appeared as though only Zoey was interested in filling the seat Tsunoda had left empty after announcing his move to Aston Martin for 2026, following Stroll’s retirement. Yes, Zoey had Checo’s backing as a fellow Mexican. Yes, Zoey was currently leading the Formula 2 championship and was one of the strongest drivers in the series. No, neither of those were significant factors. The team needed to give their actual prospects time to develop, and Zoey was their solution to that problem - yet another rookie to the slaughter. She read it, her manager read it, and even Checo told her to go for it anyway, though it was through gritted teeth. If she won F2, this was her best shot at racing next season.
Like every victim of this seat before her, she thought she could be the one to break the curse. Or maybe this would serve as a launchpad to a seat at another team. Either way, she had to try to prove herself, and she could only do that if she was racing.
And hey, at least Horner was gone.
“So you’re the sacrifice,” Verstappen had said back at Milton Keynes, pulling no punches.
Zoey snorted. “Does it make it better if I know I’m the sacrifice?”
“Eh.” He shrugged and lounged back in his seat. “You’re not naive. But that doesn’t make it better.”
“What would make it worse is if I hadn’t signed,” she said, confidence wavering, though this was noticed only by her. “Any seat is better than no seat.”
“Even this seat?”
“Even the torture device that is the second Red Bull seat.”
A smile tugged at his lips, but he didn’t let himself laugh. “Is it worth getting demoted by Suzuka?”
“I can do better than that.”
“Good.” His tone is final, strict, but well-meaning. “We’ll be stable until the summer.”
“No,” she said immediately. “This seat is mine until Abu Dhabi. Until my contract ends.”
His expression shifted, holding something between being impressed by her confidence or pitying her for it. Probably both, most likely the latter. “You’ll need that confidence, Valente. Keep it.”
Then he was beckoned away for a media something or other, but he paused next to her as he walked past, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“There’s not much I can do to help you,” he said quietly, with a kindness formed by seeing victims of this seat come and go, endure and leave. “Not unless you bring the results on track.”
Zoey had swallowed and nodded. Bring the results on track.
The first person she'd called was her girlfriend, Maria, who had just secured a job as one of VCARB'S engineers and pit crew. Though excited, she was as sceptical as Verstappen had been of the odds of success this had.
“Not because you're not an amazing driver,” she'd said gently. “But because that seat is almost designed to, like—break anyone who sits in it.”
Her family had expressed similar concerns when she'd video called them as she packed for the next race. In her parents’ eyes she always found pride, her dad still apologising for being unable to fly to Monza with her, but her abuela had a different look on her face. Realisation and dread, as if she'd just realised that Zoey was in this driving career—an unladylike career—for good.
Champagne popped when she told her friends and flatmates, Sofia and Nina. Several jokes were made about her replacing Checo, about her out qualifying Verstappen, about how many questions she'd get during media day. Now they were landing in Monza, ready for the first race since August. Her announcement had only just dropped, but her friend and fellow racer Sofia had been dealing with the stares since she was announced for Cadillac during the summer break. She was seen as the first female signing in Formula 1, even if Courtney Carter—a very old money name from the States—had signed as a reserve for VCARB in the same week. Cadillac’s second signing was hidden behind a door even Sofia didn’t have the key to, but she was okay with that. A seat is a seat, and she was sure she’d find out soon enough.
Next to them as they walked through the airport was Nina, a Reyes with racing in her blood and paddocks as her first address. The three of them had been friends since their karting days and had seen each other through everything, so when Nina’s season in Formula E ended in July she followed the two women around the world for the rest of their Formula 2 season. Despite having been in a Constructor’s winning team in 2024, she had lost her seat to Austin Taylor and was not considered among the rookies for 2025, so she was forced to do a stint elsewhere. Now that F1 had finally remembered women existed, her brother and manager Alison had been growing white hairs trying to secure her a contract. McLaren’s Formula E team had dissolved, so she needed a seat somewhere and they knew F2 wouldn’t take her, but beyond some tests at McLaren and Cadillac and even Merc, nothing concrete had come of it. Nina was doing a really good job at pretending it didn’t matter.
“Oh, gosh! Cadillac email,” Sofia yelped on the ride to the hotel as her e-sim kicked in. “I guess I have stuff to do before media day tomorrow.”
And she wouldn’t check them until they’d left their stuff in their hotel rooms and settled in Nina’s, taking the day to relax. Nina laid on the floor and the other two took the small couches in the room, lying down and scrolling mindlessly.
Except silly season had very different plans.
When she saw it, Zoey gasped like she’d witnessed a murder and the other two sat up and turned towards her.
“What?” Nina asked, now sat on the floor next to Zoey’s couch.
“What is it?” Sofia scrambled from her couch to stand behind Zoey, but there was nothing on her phone’s screen for either of them to see. Her eyes were unfocused and wide as she put it down on the coffee table in front of her.
“Check your phones,” she mumbled, looking at neither of them.
“But-”
She turned towards Sofia and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close. “Check. Your. Phones. And emails.”
Her friend yelped as she wriggled free. “Fine! Gosh-”
Suddenly, Nina’s phone clattered onto the table. “Lando Norris is- what.”
“What! What’s he doing?” Sofia only had to glance at Nina’s phone to see what the news were. She gasped and covered her mouth, eyes wide.
“They didn’t tell you?” Zoey yelled, bewildered.
“No!" Sofia raised both her hands to declare her innocence. "They couldn’t tell me. They weren’t sure who was coming in when I signed. Guess that’s…probably what the emails were.”
“Dear Miss Torres, we hope this email find you well, we’d like to inform you that your teammate is Lando fucking Norris?”
Sofia shrugged. “Probably. Without the cussing.”
They both turned towards Nina who had her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “What are you thinking?” Zoey asked.
“Why would he leave now?” She stood and paced, eyes narrowing and hand placed on her chin. “He’s all but secured one championship, is almost leading the other-”
“Hey- Don't forget Piastri!” Sofia protested, but Nina just carried on.
“-McLaren has a Merc engine for the new regs, Cadillac is new to the grid. For an established driver like him, it’s one hell of a gamble, so why take the risk?”
“Papaya rules?” Sofia suggested, air quotes and all. “Maybe he’s tired of not being the definite first driver, of Piastri being favoured?”
“But he isn’t—neither of them are. I guess that’s the problem.” Nina shrugged. “His contract expires next year, anyway. Is it really so bad at McLaren?”
“Guess we’ll find out on DTS.”
“Guys, hold on,” Zoey stated, suddenly serious. “Think about what this means.”
“Piastri Driver’s Champion 2026?”
“Cadillac will be a Constructor’s contender?” Sofia proposed with stars in her eyes.
“Well- maybe, but not what I was going for.” She gestured for Nina to stand closer and held both her hands. “There’s a fucking seat at McLaren.”
Her friend's brown eyes widened, the cogs in her head turning as Sofia squealed.
“The tests!” Nina exclaimed, dropping Zoey’s hands and pacing again. “Both Austin and I thought they were assessing our potential as reserves! But now-”
“Holy shit,” Sofia gasped. “You were auditioning!”
An alarm went off, one of Zoey’s, followed by Sofia’s. Some sort of meeting that had escaped them in the midst of the chaos.
“Oh, crap.” Zoey immediately stood, followed by Sofia already gathering her stuff. “We gotta go.”
Nina groaned. “I’m going to go insane on my own.”
Sofia hugged her. “Sorry!”
As they left, they carried the implications of what had been revealed and what media day would bring as a result. They wouldn’t be able to speak properly until after media day, when Sofia complained about all her questions being about Norris—they were sure he had the same complaint—and Nina remained quiet, wondering if her test results were F1 worthy. Zoey had gotten lucky—with McLaren’s bombshell announcement, the journalists were a little easier on her and nothing on earth could break Sofia’s perfect PR training. She’d been for the public in Portugal since she was born.
September 5th, Qualifying (Formula 2)
After Formula 1's FP2, they were in Nina’s room again, overwhelmed by the information that they’d learned. Piastri had crashed in FP2, Norris had been overwhelmed with questions about Cadillac, and Williams had somehow gone faster than them both. Zoey wondered if Carter had also felt relief when her own signing was overshadowed by something else.
Nina’s phone suddenly clattered on the coffee table, vibrating with urgency. She huffed as she sat up from the floor to grab it but, upon seeing who it was, she gasped.
“Guys,” she breathed, gesturing for them to come closer. “It’s Ali.”
Alison Reyes. Holy shit is the only correct response to your brother and manager calling you with no warning. The other two women scrambled to sit either side of her on the floor.
“What are you waiting for?” Zoey half yelled, making Nina quickly answer the call on speaker.
“Nina!” Alison called out immediately. “You’re in Monza, right?”
“Um, yes?”
“Hey, Ali!” Sofia greeted him.
“Great! God, that’s great,” he laughed, very out of character, and Nina raised her eyebrows. “So. Piastri’s unfit to race.”
The world stopped. Gasps filled the room before silence rolled in. Piastri was unfit to race. This wasn't something doctors declared lightly, much less something drivers accepted easily. Zoey guessed that crash was worse than it looked.
“I know,” Alison continued. “Something about a wrist sprain.”
“Is he okay?” Nina asked.
“Yes, yes, all good. He’ll survive.”
Sofia winced. “God, I hope he can stay in it…”
“Yes, yes, we hope. Anyway.” Alison was definitely smiling with every word. “McLaren have just called me.”
Another stop. Nina took in a breath. They all did. “And?”
“Nina Reyes, how would you like to race around Monza this weekend?”
The room broke out into squeals and cheers and, god, Nina was crying and Zoey hadn’t seen her cry in years. The two of them held her tightly as Alison cheered from the phone, the sound crackled because of how loud he was.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes! God, send me the details immediately, please,” Nina sniffled. “I don’t want to be late.”
“Okay.” Zoey swore Alison’s voice broke. “Congrats, Nina. You deserve this.”
Then he hung up, but the women were still celebrating the occasion like Nina had won the race already. Suddenly, however, Nina shuffled free from their embrace.
“Wait, wait. Guys-” she raised her hands to stop her friends from squealing. “I shouldn’t be too happy about it. Piastri is injured-"
“Fuck him!” Zoey nearly knocked her over with another hug. “Girl, you’re the first woman to race in F1 since forever. He’ll recover, we get to celebrate history.”
Sofia squealed, but kept it muted as she joined the hug. “I’m not sure his championship bid will recover, though. If Norris wins…”
That hung heavy in the air as they pulled away from each other. Sure, a championship decided through this sucked for the entertainment value of the fight, but they were thinking of the mentality. Piastri would be blaming himself, as they all would if they were in his position. Zoey saw Nina’s internal conflict in how her eyebrows were furrowed.
“Okay, we will celebrate, but not too hard.” Zoey patted Nina’s back.
“Good!” Nina suddenly snapped back to being herself, smiling, trying to overcome the conflict. “You guys do have a race weekend to get back to, after all.”
Sofia groaned, falling onto the couch. “Do not remind me.”
There it was—Nina’s opportunity. Perhaps her only one. Just as it was last season, Sofia and Zoey had their seats.
Now Nina had to go on track and race for hers.
Thank you so so much for reading guys. I still can't believe I've made it as far as I have in the writing process but I hope this was fun! The next few chapters get longer and longer as I go on lol, but hopefully I can still stick to a posting schedule.
Any and all interactions are very much appreciated <3
MASTERLIST, OC MASTERLIST, AO3 for fancy HTML articles!
