Lightning McPup

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by yourbestfriend and 123,654 others

f1updates Max Verstappen arriving for qualifying this weekend!

tagged: maxverstappen1, yourusername

username1 didn't they hire him a stylist?

↳ username2 yes she's tagged and everything...

↳↳ username1 oh...

username3 the cap makes it even worse idk how to explain this

↳ yourusername IT SO DOES I TOLD HIM

liked by redbullracing, georgerussell63 and 14,698 others

yourusername first weekend with @.redbullracing! very excited to work with you guys ❤️❤️❤️

redbullracing welcome to the team 🖤💙❤️

username1 okay but she pulled off the rb merch + jeans combo so why did he look so awful today

↳ username2 maybe they're still figuring out what his new style is gonna be?

yourbestfriend beautiful beautiful girl ❤️ ♡ liked by yourusername

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by yourusername, redbullracing and 378,258 others

f1updates Max Verstappen talking to media before the race today!

username1 i can't explain it but i totally see an improvement as small as it is

↳ username2 yeah i think his hair looks really nice? somehow the shirt seems to fit a bit better too

username3 i like the bracelet

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by yourusername, redbullracing and 822,674 others

maxverstappen1 😮‍💨 Tough race, but a solid result @.redbullracing 👊

username1 i'm not sure how she managed to keep him in his racing suit for most of the weekend but it kinda works somehow

↳ username2 different cap too

yourusername congrats!

↳ maxverstappen1 thanks

↳↳ username3 wait why doesn't he even follow her 😭😭😭

liked by georgerussell63, yourbestfriend and 10,369 others

yourusername some outfits from this week ❤️

username1 oh she's an it girl

yourbestfriend BODY TEA or whatever the youth says these days ♡ liked by yourusername

carmenmmundt looking lovely like always ❤️

↳ yourusername oh my god girl just like you!

username2 WHERE WERE YOU GOING IN THE SECOND PIC SO BEAUTIFUL

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by yourusername, redbullracing and 1,258,147 others

f1updates Max Verstappen for media day.

tagged: maxverstappen1, yourusername

username1 oh my god this is doing things to me

username2 HE LOOKS SO GOOD

username3 i can just tell he has an rb shirt under this but i can't prove it

username4 so that stylist is GOOD good

username5 no blue jeans???? max verstappen youve changed

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

maxverstappen1 has followed you on Instagram.

✶✶✶

liked by maxverstappen1, alexandrasaintmleux and 21,753 others

yourusername convinced max verstappen to try matcha for the first time and to wear a non-rb shirt on the same day. insane work on my part

username1 he's still wearing the jeans tho 💔

↳ yourusername look, i have to pick my battles here

yourbestfriend THAT BREAKFAST LOOKS SO YUMMY

↳ yourusername IT WAS

maxverstappen i'm picking the cafe next time ♡ liked by yourusername and 1,005 others

↳ username2 next time? is this a thing now?

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by carmenmmundt, alexandrasaintmleux and 110,220 others

f1gossip F1 driver Max Verstappen and his stylist Y/N L/N are seen having breakfast together for the 11th time this month.

username1 guys is this professional?

username2 the only thing i'm noticing is that he's not wearing a red bull shirt in any of the shots. the world is healing.

username3 omg they're basically colleagues can't they be friends who hang out?

username4 errrm i don't know about this not gonna lie

liked by yourusername, georgerussell63 and 600,287 others

maxverstappen1 📷 Between sessions.

username1 i don't care if they're fucking she's literally performing miracles out here

username2 omfg he looks AMAZINGGGG HOW DID SHE DO IT

georgerussell63 the new stylist gets the gr63 approval

↳ maxverstappen1 i don't care

yourusername wonderful jacket i wonder just who picked it out for you! ♡ liked by maxverstappen1 and 41,005 others

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by redbullracing, f1updates and 972,941 others

maxverstappen1 Unbelievable weekend!!! Let’s keep this momentum up @.redbullracing 💪

And a special thanks to @.yourusername for adjusting my cap so many times throughout the weekend

username1 i thought they were fucking but she didn't even like this even tho he TAGGED HER i'm so confused

↳ username2 i feel like this is him trying to reach out i feel sort of bad for the guy

redbullracing Amazing work, Max!

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by username1 and 907,261 others

f1gossip BREAKING! After not being seen interacting outside of the Red Bull paddock for over two weeks, Max Verstappen and his stylist Y/N L/N were seen together at a restaurant. Sources say the two were arguing during dinner, were seen arguing again outside of the restaurant, and, minutes later, shared a passionate kiss just outside of Verstappen's car. The two were seen leaving together.

yourbestfriend y'all should really leave people alone sometimes

username1 I CALLED IT THEY WERE FUCKING THE WHOLE TIME

username2 oh this is so unprofessional in every way

username3 they were cute as friends but this issss badddd

username4 yikes

✶✶✶

✶✶✶

liked by username1 and 712,345 others

f1gossip BREAKING: three days after stylist Y/N L/N and F1 driver Max Verstappen were seen kissing outside of his car, it has been confirmed that Red Bull Racing has FIRED the stylist for unprofessionalism.

username1 that's actually insane, poor girl

username2 i mean, it's not like they could fire MAX VERSTAPPEN, is it?

username3 justified after all the PR drama tbf

username4 i don't care if it makes sense to fire her, she seemed to make him so happy :(

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbestfriend and 149,762 others

yourusername it's a shame that it's over but we had a good run and i'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with such a great team ❤️ even got to do a red bull shirt skinny jeans combo of my own lol

yourbestfriend this is so fucking stupid i'm so fucking pissed

username1 no comment from max?

username2 i get people saying it's unfair but like... she became a pr liability. what else were they gonna do.

alexandrasaintmleux you have such a wonderful path ahead of you ❤️ wishing you the best always

liked by carmenmmundt, yourbestfriend and 789,456 others

f1gossip Two months after the PR scandal between stylist Y/N L/N and F1 driver Max Verstappen that resulted in the stylist being fired by the Red Bull team, the pair is seen together for the first time since they were caught dining together at a restaurant in Monaco. Sources say they seemed pretty cozy and touchy with each other.

Rumor has it she will attend the Brazilian GP.

username1 OH MY GOD YES PLEASE I WANT THEM BACK

username2 could it be...

username3 i'm not believing ANYTHING until they post something idc i've been upset about their fallout for 2 months

liked by yourusername, yourbestfriend and 1,594,321 others

maxverstappen1 An excellent race this weekend, but nothing compares to having my beautiful girl on the paddock again

I've loved to have you to myself for the past couple of months but now I want everyone to know I've been in love with you ever since you told me, back when you still called me "Mr. Verstappen" and I didn't know what your favorite breakfast teas were, that "the fucking cap's gotta go"

you are simply lovely

tagged: yourusername

yourusername you're so cheesy omg who would've fucking know

yourusername i love you too ❤️

It’s nothing serious. At least, not really.

You’re padding back from the kitchen with a cup of tea, bare feet muffled by carpet when you hear Max talking on the phone on the balcony. His voice is low, casual. He’s talking to Daniel you think. Laughing at something.

And then you catch it.

“Yeah, you noticed huh? No she’s super touchy, always has been. Like, always on me.”

A beat.

“No, I don’t mind it. It’s just... I’m not really used to it, you know?”

You freeze, feet still against the carpet. The tea sloshes slightly, forgotten in your hands.

He laughs again, easy and relaxed. “She’s like a human magnet. If I’m sitting, she’s sitting on me. I swear sometimes I think she’d climb into my skin if she could.”

Daniel says something you can’t hear. Max chuckles. “No, she’s not annoying. She’s just... really affectionate.”

You don’t stay to hear the rest.

Your fingers tighten around your mug as you quietly retreat, heart a little heavier than before. You curl back into bed without saying a word, staring at the ceiling while your tea goes cold on the nightstand.

You’re not angry. He didn’t say anything cruel. Not really.

But for the first time questions being to lodge in your chest like a thorn... do I touch him too much? Does he just tolerate it because he loves me?

And just like that, something in you begins to shift.

You're still beside him. Still laughing at his jokes, still making him breakfast. You kiss him good morning and smile across the table. From the outside nothing changes, but the little things in all the tiny invisible places, the things that used to come so naturally they stop.

You don’t climb into his lap while he’s watching race replays, don’t tuck your face into the slope of his shoulder like you used to. You don’t slide your hand beneath the hem of his hoodie when you hug him from behind in the kitchen, fingers sneaking against warm skin. You don’t curl into his side when the movie starts, don’t tuck yourself under his arm like you belong there.

Instead you sit beside him on the couch with your legs tucked neatly under you, wrapped up tightly in a blanket like armour. A careful distance. A subtle retreat.

You keep your hands in your lap at dinner. You nod and listen and smile, but your fingers don’t find his thigh. You don’t reach for his hand beneath the table.

You still want to. God, do you want to.

Your whole body aches to reach for him, to run your fingers over his jaw, to smooth back his hair, to trace lazy shapes across his stomach. You miss the warmth of his skin, the steady beat of his heart under your cheek.

You miss being held without thinking twice, but now that you’ve heard him say it out loud, that he’s not used to it, that he’s not like you, you can’t unhear it. It loops in your mind when the silence stretches between you.

Slowly you start to convince yourself you’ve been suffocating him. That maybe the way you love is too much for him. That maybe softness, when it clings like yours does, feels like smothering.

So you pull back, quietly, carefully, and hope he doesn’t notice how much it hurts. Or worse that he does, and lets you do it anyway.

Max doesn’t say anything at first, but after a few days he starts to notice.

A few inches of space on the couch. Your hand not finding his like it usually does. The way you don't crawl into his lap during breakfast, don't lean into his side during movies, don't rest your hand on his leg during long car rides.

At first he tells himself maybe you’re tired from work. Maybe it’s just one of those quiet moods that passes like the weather. He gives you space, the way people are always saying partners should.

But the distance doesn’t fade.

It expands.

One morning he slips behind you in the kitchen to steal a piece of toast. Normally you’d laugh, you’d wrap your arms around his waist and bury your nose in his hoodie, but this time you step aside without touching him.

He frowns, just a quick flicker, then hides it, but his stomach twists violently anyway.

It’s not like Max to spiral. He’s not wired for emotional uncertainty he prefers problems he can fix with strategy, planning, control.

But this?

This isn’t a problem he knows how to solve.

The way you sit on the far end of the couch, legs tucked under you, scrolling on your phone like it’s more comforting than him. You barely brush his arm when you slip into bed at night. When he tries to kiss your neck absentmindedly like he always does you duck away, not unkindly, but enough to make him panic

He tries not to panic, but that’s what this feels like panic.

It gnaws at him over the next couple days. The silence between your fingers and his. The distance that didn’t use to be there. The way you won’t look at him for too long, like he might read too much in your eyes.

Max isn’t good with emotional guessing games. He’s never been the type to bottle things up or pretend everything’s fine when it isn’t. He doesn’t do insecure. He confronts things. Fixes things. Puts it all on the table and makes it make sense.

And Max doesn’t know how to read silence the way he reads telemetry. He doesn’t know how to fix something when he doesn’t know where the break is.

He replays your interactions hunting for the mistake. Did he forget something important? Miss a signal? Are you sick or bored?

Is she pulling away because she’s planning to leave?

The thought stops him in his tracks. His chest aches with it, sharp and sudden. He sits with it, stunned, rubs at his sternum like he can soothe the ache.

You’re still sweet. Still say good luck before he gets into the car. Still text him updates about your day, what podcast you listened to, what ridiculous thing your coworker said. Still fold his shirts when he leaves them in a pile at the foot of the bed. Still laugh at the stupid jokes he makes when he’s overtired. You're still there.

But it’s different. Your body has gone quiet, your touch has gone still. Less warm. Less you.

And Max, who never thought he’d crave something so soft, so intangible starts to feel the absence like a phantom limb, it feels like someone turned off the sun and expects him not to notice. And it terrifies him because he doesn’t know what he did to lose it, or how to ask for it back.

You can feel the ache in your chest growing stronger every day.

You don’t want to stop touching him. You miss touching him. You miss his warmth, the way he instinctively leans into your touch even when he’s focused on something. You miss curling into his lap without thinking, his fingers combing through your hair like it’s second nature.

But now? Every time your hand so much as twitches toward him, doubt rushes in like cold water.

Am I smothering him again? Is this too much? Is this what he meant?

You thought you were just adjusting. Giving him the space you assume he needs. You told yourself it was mature, respectful, kind, but it’s starting to feel less like an adjustment and more like a punishment.

Every second you don’t touch him? It hurts. In tiny, deceptive ways like a thousand paper cuts.

By the end of the next week, you’re sitting on the hotel bed in Jeddah, scrolling through your phone in silence, without reading a word, wrapped in one of his hoodies that still smells like his aftershave. Max pauses when he sees how far you’re sitting from the edge of the mattress. From him.

That’s when he finally speaks.

“Did I do something?”

You blink. “What?”

“You’ve been...” He trails off, eyes searching yours. “Distant.”

You hesitate. “No, I’m just tired.”

He studies your face for a long moment hoping you’ll offer somthing more, but when nothing comes he doesn’t push. Just nods slowly, then climbs into bed beside you.

You don’t cuddle him that night.

You face the other way, pretending to scroll while your chest feels like it’s being wrung out.

Max doesn’t say anything, but you feel the shift, the slight dip of the mattress, the warmth of his body inching closer in the dark, not quite touching. He stops just shy of you, like he wants to reach out but doesn’t know if he’s allowed to, like he’s hoping you’ll turn around and meet him there.

It takes until Sunday night, after the race for everything to crack open.

You’re both back at the hotel. Max steps out of the shower, hair damp and curling slightly at the ends, sweatpants slung low on his hips. You’re perched on the window seat, knees pulled to your chest, phone resting forgotten in your lap as you stare out over Jeddah’s lights.

You think maybe you’ll just go to sleep early. Then Max sits beside you.

He doesn’t say anything at first. Just sits close enough to feel the heat off your arm. He’s never been good at this part, the vulnerable bit. The what if it’s in my head bit. The what if I’m asking for something she doesn’t want to give me anymore bit.

The part where he has to name the thing that’s been gnawing at him for weeks. The part where he has to admit he's scared he’s already lost something and just hasn’t caught up to it yet.

He’s spent enough time memorising the way you speak when you're lying. You don’t flinch or fumble. You just get quieter. Softer. Like you’re afraid the truth will hurt more than the silence.

But he needs the truth now, because he’s been tying himself in knots trying to figure it out. Replaying conversations in his head, wondering if he forgot someone’s birthday or crossed a line or said something he shouldn’t have.

And now all he wants is to be close. To be touched. Held. Seen.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, voice low, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

“Yeah…” you say, trailing off.

And then, when you don’t say anything else, something in your eyes flickers and he just knows.

Max’s heart kicks hard in his chest, the kind of lurch he only gets right before lights out. He swallows, throat dry, like he’s one bad move away from losing something he doesn’t know how to live without.

“I miss you,” he says, voice quiet. “Even when you’re right here.”

You close your eyes. Then you look at him, really look, and something in you gives. Like you’ve been carrying a weight for days and it’s finally too much to hold, too much to hide.

“I heard you,” you say.

His brow furrows. “Heard me?”

“On the phone,” you clarify. “With Daniel. A couple of weeks ago”

Max’s pauses for a second, trying to remember, and then his stomach drops.

“You heard that?”

You nod slowly, eyes still on the window. “You said I’m always on you. That I’m really touchy. That you’re not used to it.”

His expression shifts, jaw tight, eyes suddenly filled with something that looks a lot like guilt.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I wasn’t trying to. But after that...” You pull your sleeves over your hands, voice quieter now. “I started wondering if I’d been overwhelming you. If I was too much—”

“Wait, baby—”

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, force you into something you don’t want.” you rush on. “So I’ve been trying to give you space. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

Max’s heart actually hurts.

He didn’t even realise how it might’ve sounded. He remembers the conversation now, half-distracted, casual, him laughing while Daniel joked about your human magnet tendencies. It hadn’t meant anything to him, just a passing comment… but it had meant everything to you.

“Hey,” he says, reaching for your hand. “Look at me.”

You look up. Max’s brows are drawn together. He looks devastated.

“I swear I never meant that in a bad way,” he says. “I wasn’t complaining. I was just… explaining it. I’ve never been with someone as affectionate as you, it caught me off guard at first sure. But I love it. I love the way you love me.”

A beat. His voice softens.

“When you stopped reaching for me, I didn’t know what to do. I’ve been going crazy wondering why it felt like you were slipping away.”

You bite your lip, blinking quickly. “I thought I was just annoying you, that you were putting up with it because you love me, not because you wanted it.”

His forehead drops to yours, hands sliding to your waist, holding tight. “No. God, no. Baby, it’s the best part of my day. You crawling into my lap, always reaching for me. It makes me feel wanted... like I matter, like I make you feel safe.”

He leans back just slightly, fingers sliding to your jaw, cradling it gently.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, eyes locked on yours. “If I made you feel like you were too much. If I made you doubt what we have. That was never what I meant. I hate that I hurt you. I hate that you thought you had to pull away from me just to make me comfortable.”

Your lips part slightly, like you're shocked by the weight of his words.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he admits. “Watching you pull away, thinking maybe I’d done something. I was scared I lost you and didn’t even know when it happened.”

“I wasn’t,” you whisper. “I swear I wasn’t pulling away from you… at least not like that, I just thought I was doing the right thing.”

“I know that now,” he says. “But please don’t stop. Don’t ever stop”

Your arms are around him before he finishes the sentence.

He exhales into your neck, like he’s been holding his breath for days. Pulls you into his lap like he’s afraid you’ll vanish again. His hands spread across your back, and for the first time in a while something in him settles.

You crawl further into his lap like it’s where you belong. Arms around his neck. Fingers threading into his hair. He exhales like someone finally handed him back something precious.

“I missed you,” he murmurs, voice muffled against your skin.

“I’m right here.”

He pulls back, eyes soft. “Don’t stop being you, okay? Promise me.”

You nod. “Promise.”

Later, curled up in bed, you trace lazy lines across his chest with your fingertips.

“You really don’t mind?” you ask sleepily.

“Mind?” he echoes, mouth brushing your forehead. “I crave you.”

You smile into his skin, small and shy.

He kisses your hair again. “You ruined me.”

“Good,” you murmur, already drifting.

You’re here. Wrapped around him, where you belong.

➜ lando norris

the second he hears your voice, he forgets he's in the car.

"wait, what?"

you giggle, talking into the headset again. "radio check, lando."

lando smiles, focus back on the track. "bit tacky but we can fix it during quali. also hi, love."

he giggles for the rest of the practice and refuses to listen to his engineers, asking to put you back on (they don't).

➜ oscar piastri

oscar takes a second. you hear him inhale quietly before answering. "radio check loud and clear. hi."

he's much calmer, full attention to the car and the track, but his ears are burning under his helmet and his face hurts from smiling so hard.

➜ george russell

george is locked in, annotating in his head everything he sees and feels from the car for his engineer until his radio goes off first.

"okay, and radio check please."

he blinks, doubting if he heard right or not. "that's... not my engineer."

he stays quiet for a second, going through a curve, then he speaks again with a little laugh, "radio is good. you're distracting me."

he sounds mean, but he was smiling under his helmet.

➜ kimi antonelli

with kimi there is immediate chaos.

"hold on a second... ITS YOU!"

his engineer takes the lead back and tries to get the boy to focus again. "kimi, radio check."

"yeah, yeah — radio works. tell y/n i say hi!"

when he's done with practice he goes up to you and asks if you can do it again. this definitely boosts him.

➜ lewis hamilton

lewis goes soft and sweet as soon as he recognizes your voice through the radio.

"radio loud and clear," he pauses for a second and then: "good to hear your voice, sweetheart."

he absolutely loved the change.

➜ charles leclerc

charles laughs quietly, breathy. he's professional but still affectionate at the same time.

"radio check is good. you sound lovely."

he's smiling like an idiot by the way.

➜ carlos sainz

carlos's brain reboots for a quick second.

"radio check—yes—perfect."

then, unable to resist te urge, he says: "careful there, cariño. you're making this difficult."

his engineer doesn't let you say more, but carlos drives like he's trying to impress you specifically after that.

➜ max verstappen

max reacts the least with his nonchalant personality, which for some reason means the most.

"radio clear."

a pause.

"you're not supposed to be on my radio, love."

he tries to be professional, serious, but his tone was light and you could hear the smile in his voice.

☆ ⠀⠀⠀ ⑅ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ♩ ⠀⠀⠀⠀◌ ⠀⠀⠀ ꕤ