everything seems a little more hopeless every time i remember that this government is not simply corrupt - it is also stupid. why is the pm on insta recording a three minute long reel to address the protest in the most superficial way possible while ignoring all the shit that has gone down in the past week. the police beating children up? molesting women? the tear gas? the lathi charge? they don't know what accountability is, what democracy is, and they don't care. they don't know the difference between prevention and 'cure'. you want me to laud your two second long national address like it'll change the fact that children died because of a fucking exam that you make them pour everything into and then take away from them because none of it fucking matters to you
summary: new team. new color. new drivers. what could go wrong?
pairing: formula one + female!driver!reader
warnings/tags: smau + irl, poor kimi in this chap he's just living his dream :(, merc shade but thats honestly just a taste of it, luca and y/n r lowkey gp and max coded, sky sports cameos
notes: first chapter, hello ?!?!?! so overwhelmed w the love you gave driver!yn and i'm more than happy to introduce you to her new era :) all my love to u all reading and supporting xx
mercedesamgf1
liked by georgerussell63, lewishamilton, and 4,972,439 others
mercedesamgf1 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is pleased to confirmed that Kimi Antonelli will race alongside George Russell for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Welcome to the Silver Arrows, Kimi.
#MercedesAMGF1 #KimiAntonelli #F1
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kimi.antonelli Dreams really do come true. Let's get to work!
user8 yall are pissing me tf OFFFFF
lewishamilton Huge congrats mate
user29 truly think kimi's gonna do wonders but this feels so wrong for y/n...
georgerussell63 Welcome, mate 👊 Can't wait to get started
user72 Remember when mercedes said they were "building around y/n?" where tf is that energy now
user12 everyone's blaming kimi when he's literally done nothing lol
user90 why did they let admin post this knowing the comments are going to be MESSY
user53 laurent mekies refreshing the comments like 😋
redbullracing
liked by maxverstappen1, redbull, and 6,329,340 others
redbullracing Oracle Red Bull Racing is delighted to announce the signing of Y/N L/N on a multi-year agreement ahead of the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.
A proven race winner with exceptional pace and determination. Welcome to the family.
#RedBullRacing #YNLN #F1
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yourinstagram new beginnings babyyy
user63 TOTO YOU FUMBLED SO BAD
user5 merc basically spoon fed redbull
lando LETS GOOOOOO
lewishamilton Proud of you.
user72 other drivers interacting here more than the other side is kinda...
danielricciardo oh? OH?
user21 how do you even explain horner getting fired then the new tp hiring y/n l/n to a normal person
user4 imagine dropping your race winner only for your rivals to sign her IMMEDIATELY.
user10 admin was READY to post this
Your phone vibrated against your bedside table at exactly 8 AM.
You ignored it, pulling the duvet tighter around your shoulders, trying to cling to the final moments of sleep. Then it buzzed again. And again.
By the time you finally rolled over and blindly reached into the cold air to grab it, the bright light of the screen illuminated the room. It displayed an overwhelming amount of notification.
Your eyes adjusted to the glare, and the first major headline locked into focus.
BREAKING: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team confirms Kimi Antonelli as race driver for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.
For a long second, you forgot to breathe. You didn't like the post. You didn't read the caption. You didn't need to.
Deep down, in the quietest part of your mind, you had known this day was coming for months. But seeing it written out officially still felt like a punch to the face.
Before you could even fully process the quiet sink in your chest, the screen lit up with another notification, overriding the first.
Oracle Red Bull Racing is delighted to announce the signing of Y/N L/N on a multi-year agreement.
For the last six months, your stomach had been in a permanent, tight knot. You had spent half a year waiting for the axe to fall. There had been endless, grueling meetings behind closed doors, hushed conversations in the back of the units, and polite but entirely empty smiles from Toto whenever you passed him.
You had been living in a state of constantly performing while knowing your seat was actively being shopped around.
Mercedes had chosen their teenage prodigy, Kimi.
But Red Bull, the ruthless giants of the grid, had chosen you.
You unlocked your phone, knowing immediately that it was a terrible mistake to do so on a morning like this. Within half a second, your social media feed refreshed itself, instantly descending into madness.
RED BULL SNATCHES MERCEDES STAR Y/N L/N
ANTONELLI PROMOTED. L/N DEPARTS IN SHOCK MULTI-YEAR DEAL.
WOLFF'S BIGGEST GAMBLE?
You scrolled down, your eyes catching the comment sections, which were updating so rapidly that the text literally blurred.
"Mercedes absolutely bottled it. How do you let a proven race winner walk away just to gamble on a kid? Toto has lost his mind."
"Kimi is the future, it's the right move. Mercedes is playing the long game. People said the same thing about Lewis back in the day."
"This is going to age horribly for Mercedes. Y/N is going to have the biggest advantage on her shoulders now."
"Max is going to absolutely destroy her. No one survives the second seat. It's a career killer."
The official announcements had been live for less than five minutes, and the internet had already mapped out the entire trajectory of your career, predicting either your ultimate downfall or your greatest revenge.
Before you could read any further, an incoming call came. You swiped the screen to answer, immediately putting him on speaker and placing the phone back down on the bed as you sat up, wrapping your arms around your knees.
"You've seen it?" Luca's voice slightly muffled, the low hum of morning traffic in the background suggesting he was already driving to work.
You let out a dry laugh. "I mean it's kind of impossible to miss. I think my phone is about to explode."
"I've had six different journalist call my personal number already," Luca said, his tone in sheer disbelief. "Half of them didn't even say hello! They just started asking if I was going with you."
"Only six?" you teased, trying to put some lightheartedness into the morning. "You're losing your touch. Usually, you're the most popular guy in the paddock."
"Just give it ten minutes," he sighed.
Luca had been your race engineer since the very first weekend you had ever turned the wheel. He was the calm, steady voice in your ear through the highest highs of your first podium and the absolute, miserable lows of failures and bad pit stops.
You two had spent countless late nights locked inside cramped rooms, arguing over strategy, upgrades, and degradation until the security guards had to physically knock on the door and tell you to leave.
He wasn't just your engineer. He was your anchor in a sport that constantly tried to pull you under.
"You okay?" Luca's voice softened, dropping his usual tone.
"I'm relieved, honestly. I didn't think I would be, but the moment they released it, it felt like a massive weight was lifted off my chest."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"And you?" you asked. "How are you feeling about it all?"
"I'm furious," Luca admitted frankly. "You deserved a hell of a lot better than finding out once they've made their decision. They dragged their feet for months, keeping you on the hook while they finalized Kimi's contract. It's straight up disrespectful."
You didn't argue. Because he was entirely right.
Losing the opportunity to continue with Mercedes hurt. But the coldness of how they had handled it, making you play the role of the loyal team player while they secretly prepared your replacement, hurt a lot deeper.
"You know, I'm going to miss working with you," Luca said quietly, his voice cracking just a fraction.
Your throat tightened suddenly. "I'm going to miss yelling at you over the radio."
He laughed. "You mean ignoring my perfectly calculated strategy calls?"
"Luca, I love you, but they were usually terrible strategy calls."
"Hey, they won you races!"
lucaromano
liked by lewishamilton, yourinstagram, and 423,749 others
lucaromano I've been lucky enough to be there for the highs, the lows, the podiums, the celebrations, the frustrating sundays, and the little moments nobody sees.
Wherever you go next, I'll always be cheering.
P.S. Lucky misses you already. 🐶
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user16 oh i know LUCA HATES THEM
user47 race engineer subtweet is crazy
yourinstagram don't make me CRY
yourinstagram i don't think i'll ever find anyone who puts up with me like u do
yourinstagram im cryifn couldn't have asked for a better person next to me through all of this
user82 the fact everyone knows luca and y/n are a package deal 😭
user3 luca being the first person she looks for after getting out of the car will always be my roman empire
user29 they really broke up the best engineer-driver pairing for WHAT
user44 the fact that he NEVER posts and THIS is what he chooses to post
Three hundred miles away, in the heart of London, the cameras were already rolling in the Sky Sports studio.
Naomi Schiff leaned forward in her chair, her expression serious as she looked into the camera.
"I think Mercedes made the biggest gamble of the decade," Naomi said, gesturing with her pen toward the graphics on the screen.
"And let me clarify, this is not a criticism of Kimi. We all know he is an incredibly fast, generational talent. But Mercedes has allowed Y/N L/N, a driver who already knows exactly how to handle the immense pressure of a top-tier team, to walk straight out of their building and into their biggest rival's garage."
Nico Rosberg, sitting directly next to her with his arms crossed, nodded in agreement.
"If I was Red Bull," Nico said, a sharp, knowing smirk on his face, "I'm absolutely popping champagne today. You're getting a driver who's hungry, highly experienced, and massively motivated by how she was treated. Mercedes didn't just lose potential today, they lost guaranteed points to their rivals."
Jenson Button folded his arms, playing devil's advocate to keep the debate going.
"But you have to look at the long-term future here, Nico. Kimi represents the next decade for Mercedes. Sometimes you have to take a massive risk in the present to build the next era."
"The future doesn't score points in the constructors' today, Jenson," Naomi countered. "Red Bull just got significantly stronger, and Mercedes just handed them the perfect match."
By the early afternoon, you were walking through the doors of the Red Bull building in Milton Keynes.
As you walked through the main lobby, mechanics and engineers looked at you. Instead of the polite, formal nods you were used to, you were greeted with broad smiles and enthusiastic waves.
"About time you got here!" a voice shouted.
Another mechanic, dressed in team kit, held up a can of Red Bull, grinning widely. "Welcome to the dark side! I assure you that we have the better parties."
You couldn't help the genuine smile that spread across your face. It felt incredibly warm. It didn't feel like a PR stunt, and it didn't feel forced for the sake of the cameras.
For the first time in over a year, you felt like a driver who was actively wanted, rather than a driver who was simply being tolerated.
Mekies walked beside you, keeping his hands casual in his pockets as he guided you toward the simulator building.
"I told you," Mekies said in a reassuring voice, looking over at you with a small smile. "We wanted you here. We don't sign drivers just to fill a seat or to make up the numbers. We sign them because we believe they can help us win. Remember that."
Before you could reply, the doors of the simulator bay slid open with a soft hiss. Max stepped out, a towel draped over his shoulders, his hair slightly damp from a grueling simulator run.
He spotted you immediately. He didn't wait for his manager to introduce you, he didn't look around to see if any cameras were watching.
He just walked straight over to you and stopped, towering slightly over you.
"So," Max said, wiping his face with the towel.
"So," you replied, tilting you head up slightly and matching his tone.
"It's official, then."
"I guess. No turning back now."
He nodded once, his eyes analyzing your face, looking for any sign of hesitation. "You ready for this?"
"I think so," you said, keeping your voice steady.
Max shrugged, amusement appearing in his eyes. "I hope not. If you already think you're completely ready, this place gets boring very quickly. You have to keep pushing."
"Is that your way of a motivational welcome speech, Max?"
"Yeah," he said simply. "Pretty good, right?"
"Did you practice that in the mirror this morning?"
"No. I don't waste time on that."
"You probably should have," you retorted. "It needs a bit of work."
A grin broke across Max's face. He reached out, shaking your hand with a firm grip. "Welcome to the team, future champ."
yourinstagram via instagram story!
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user86 damn seeing her in any other color is giving me jumpscares honestly
user42 SHE LOOKS GOOD WITH IT IM SORRY YALL
user5 i just stared at this for 5 minutes in silence
lando finally got u in the right color
user21 and to think she was just mercedes' rookie
mercedesamgf1
liked by kimi.antonelli, yourinstagram, and 3,213,300 others
mercedesamgf1 Join us live from the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team headquarters as we welcome Kimi Antonelli to the race team!
Kimi and George Russell will sit down with the media to discuss the new season, the challenges ahead, and the future of the Silver Arrows.
#F1 #Mercedes #KimiAntonelli #GeorgeRussell
Kimi stood in the main lobby, nervously adjusting the stiff collar of his brand-new team shirt. He looked incredibly younger under the lights that had been set up for the press day, his eyes wide and slightly overwhelmed as he took everyone crammed into the space.
George walked past the media pen, noticing the visible tension in the teenager's shoulders. He reached out, clapping a hand firmly on Kimi's shoulder with an encouraging smile.
"You'll be fine, mate. Just breathe and stick to the talking points."
"Yeah, I'm trying," Kimi muttered, offering a weak smile in return. "But there's so many people."
The moment Kimi sat down, a dozen microphones were instantly thrust into his face.
"Kimi! Do you feel any personal guilt taking Y/N L/N's seat, especially considering how much she has contributed to the development of the cars?"
Kimi blinked, the carefully memorized, media-trained answers completely evaporating from his mind. He looked down, swallowed hard, and tried his absolute best to find words that wouldn't cause a massive headline.
"Look... I don't think any driver ever wants to see another driver lose their seat," Kimi said, his voice quiet. "We all know how hard it is to get to this level. This was a dream opportunity for me and my family, and it was an opportunity I simply couldn't say no to."
Down in Italy, Lewis was sitting in the Ferrari lounge, dressed in his striking new team gear. He was quietly sipping a cup of espresso, watching the live coverage of the Mercedes press day on the screen.
Charles walked past, stopping to look at the screen before glancing at Lewis. "So? What do you think of the big swap?"
Lewis didn't take his eyes off the screen. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking his watch with a knowing smile. "I give it exactly an hour before they invent a rivalry between them. They love a good villain story."
He tapped his screen, scrolling through his contacts until he found your name, and hit dial. You answered on the second ring, your voice sounding a bit breathless.
"Congratulations," Lewis said immediately, his familiar voice instantly cutting through the noise in your head.
"Thanks?" you replied. "Congratulations to you, too. I have to say, seeing you in red is still going to take some getting used to."
Lewis chuckled softly. "They're acting like like the championship's starting today. The press is going absolutely crazy."
"It definitely feels chaotic," you admitted. "I haven't even sat in the car yet."
"It's all just noise," Lewis said, his tone turning serious and protective. "You have the whole year to write your story. Don't let them get inside your head."
"I'm trying not to. But it's hard when every second post is comparing my stats to his."
"And they're going to keep doing that," Lewis warned gently. "Every single weekend."
"I know."
"Don't play their game. Show them exactly why you belong in that seat."
f1
liked by redbullracing, mercedesamgf1, and 5,290,401 others
f1 The FIA has officially confirmed the media schedule for the upcoming Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Teams and drivers will take to the track for the first time ahead of the new season, with media sessions, press conferences, and testing programmes scheduled throughout the week.
Full driver appearances and press conference timings are now available.
#F1 #Formula1
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user61 THISLL BE THE FIRST TIME WE SEE Y/N IN A RED BULL GARAGE AND KIMI IN A MERCEDES GARAGE
user3 i love how everyone already knows that the first conference is going to be the most watched non-race event in f1 history
user78 MAX AND Y/N IN MATCHING TEAM GEAR IM READY
By the late afternoon, the FIA officially released the media schedule for the upcoming pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Your phone buzzed again in your hand. It was your personal PR manager, who had been managing your media presence since your MotoGP career.
"Hey, do you have a quick second? I have a slight update regarding the media run."
"Please tell me it's actually a simple update, Ryland," you groaned, leaning your head back. "My brain is completely fried."
"Well... the media delegate just sent over a last-minute change to the seating arrangements for the main stage." Ryland paused, clearing his throat.
"Instead of seating us by teams like they usually do, they've decided to mix the order to create a more 'dynamic visual.' Their words not mine."
You sat up. "What do you mean? How are they mixing it?"
"It means... you'll be sitting directly between Max..."
He hesitated, letting the silence stretch for a beat.
"...and Kimi."
You closed your eyes, letting out a long, slow breath as you rubbed your temples. "You have got to be kidding me."
"I wish I was joking," Ryland said. "Everyone's throwing a party online. They know exactly what they're going to get."
After you hung up, you stared at your blank phone screen for a long moment. You locked your phone, tossed it onto the sofa, and looked out at the rainy night.
Tomorrow, the talking would finally stop. Tomorrow, you'd see them all again. And tomorrow, the real fight would begin.
Adrian who’s trying to impress Reader by telling them fun animal facts and Reader who fucking hates this guy who keeps telling them wildly incorrect facts about their favorite animals with a burning passion
