rookie expectations - future to tell pt 1
driver yn series! smau + writing. very slow oscar piastri x reader. a series!!
f1 masterlist | future to tell masterlist
mercedesamgf1 just posted!
liked by ynln, georgerussell63, landonorris, lewishamilton, and 1.3M others
mercedesamgf1 introducing the newest member of our driver lineup for the 2025 season…
welcome to formula one y/n!
georgerussell63: welcome to the team little sis!
-> username4: i’m pretty sure she’s almost as tall as you
username2: HEY THIS IS THE GIRL FROM F2
username3: first female driver in YEARS
username5: i can feel lando’s and y/n’s pr team panicking
user1: no way she’s surviving first season
y/n y/l/n becomes the newest formula one driver after signing with mercedes alongside george russell.
34.8k reposts • 512k likes
@papayaszn: lando finally has his karting bestie on the grid!
@sliverarrowfan: george x yn sibling duo is about to be insane
@gridgirl: she deserves this
@f1fan83: another diversity hire
you’d imagined this moment a thousand different ways.
sometimes you pictured yourself stepping into the mercedes garage like you’d belonged there your whole life, helmet tucked beneath your arm, mechanics greeting you with smiles as though you’d always been one of them.
other times, you imagined bursting into tears before you’d even made it through the doors.
the reality was somewhere in between.
your race suit still felt too new. the bright white fabric creased every time you moved, and the mercedes logo stitched across your chest caught your eye every few seconds, almost as if your brain still hadn’t accepted it was real.
you were in mercedes. formula one.
you paused just outside the garage, taking a slow breath before stepping inside. mechanics wheeled tyres across the floor, engineers stood around laptops covered in telemetry, photographers crowded every open space they could find, flashes going off every few seconds. people called names across the garage, radios crackled to life, and somewhere nearby an engine fired into life for only a few seconds before falling silent again.
it was beautiful. beautiful chaos.
and suddenly you felt very, very small.
you looked up just in time to see george making his way towards you, already dressed in his race suit with a grin that immediately made the knot in your stomach loosen. he stopped beside you before following your gaze around the garage. “bit overwhelming?”
you laughed quietly. “is it that obvious?”
you looked down, embarrassed. “sorry.”
“don’t apologise.” his voice was calm. reassuring. “everyone feels like this.”
he nodded without hesitation. “my first day? absolutely.”
you blinked. “seriously?”
“i thought everyone knew what they were doing except me.”
he smiled. “turns out everyone was pretending.”
you couldn’t help smiling back.
he nudged your shoulder lightly. “you’re here because you’ve earned it.”
those words settled somewhere deep inside your chest.
you wanted to believe them. you really did.
because despite everything you’d achieved , the championships, the podiums, the years of karting, formula four, formula three, formula two, there was still a small voice in the back of your mind whispering that someone had made a mistake. that eventually someone would realise they were meant to sign somebody else.
that voice had followed you your entire career and today, it was louder than ever.
media day arrived before you’d even had time to breathe.
someone clipped a microphone onto your shirt before guiding you towards a backdrop covered in sponsor logos.
the first few questions were easy. they really all felt the same.
“how does it feel to finally be in formula one?”
“what does driving for mercedes mean to you?”
“what are your goals for the season?”
you spoke with a small smile. “i’m so grateful to be here. i’ve worked extremely hard for my spot here, i think 7 year old me would be super proud. mercedes is an awesome team, i remember watching hamilton race. i thank them for giving me this opportunity.”
but then the questions changed.
“what does it feel like representing women in motorsport?”
“do you think you’ll struggle physically compared to the men?”
“do you think the grid will race you differently because you’re a woman?”
“are you worried you won’t be aggressive enough?”
your smile never slipped as years of media training made sure of that. “i’m just here to race.”
another question. “but surely you understand people have doubts?”
you folded your hands together beneath the table so nobody could see how tightly your fingers were squeezing together. “people are entitled to their opinions.”
“do you think you’re under more pressure than george?”
you looked towards the reporter. “i think every rookie feels pressure.”
“that’s not what i asked.”
for a split second, you wanted to ask why nobody had ever sat george down during his rookie season and asked whether men were capable of racing. you wanted to question what information and value do they get from asking such questions. but instead, you smiled again.“i’m focused on driving the car.”
by the time the interviews finally ended, your cheeks hurt from smiling. you slipped out into the paddock hoping for five minutes of silence.
lando was walking towards you carrying two iced coffees. he held one out before you’d even spoken. “you’ve got that look.”
“the one where you look like your about to murder someone.”
you accepted the coffee with a small smile.“thanks lando.”
he shrugged. “i figured you’d need rescuing.”
“they asked me if women can handle pressure.”
he rolled his eyes so dramatically you almost laughed harder. “they’re idiots.”
you took a sip of your drink. the two of you settling into a comfortable silence.
awkward was never a thing between you two.
you’d known lando since you were little kids throwing yourselves around karting circuits every weekend. before formula one. before millions of followers. before cameras followed every step either of you took.
back then, the biggest argument you’d had was over who got the last packet of crisps after practice and even after everything changing, you two still remained close friends.
he bumped your shoulder gently. “come on.”
“let’s annoy photographers.”
your eyebrows lifted. “…go on.”
he reached into his bag before pulling out his pairs of sunglasses.
the matching pair you’d both bought from a petrol station years ago because you thought they made you look like bikers.
you burst into laughter. “you still have yours?”
five minutes later, the two of you were walking through the paddock wearing matching sunglasses.
the photographers absolutely lost their minds.
camera shutters followed you the entire way.
you ignored every single one as you and lando were too busy laughing after he nearly walked into a flower display because the sunglasses were so dark he couldn’t actually see where he was going.
you laughed so hard you had to grab onto his arm to stop yourself falling over.
“you walked into a plant!”
you were still laughing when you nearly walked straight into a cameraman.
a hand caught the back of your race shirt before you collided with him. “careful,” lando laughed.
you turned, sticking your tongue out at him. “you distracted me.”
“somehow that’s my fault?”
@landonorris just posted to his story!
landonorris shes finally here🥹🥹
lando norris spotted spending most of media day with y/n y/l/n. comments already suggesting the karting best friends are “more than friends.”
45.6k reposts • 700.5k likes
@user12 i’ve shipped them for YEARS.
@papaya4life i don’t know if i want to be yn or lando
lando norris and y/n y/l/n reunited in the paddock 😂 matching sunglasses make another appearance.
@ln4lover the way this was taken when y/n almost ran into a camera man
@user44 they both FINE ASF
@user61 these were the exact same glasses they wore 6 years ago!! 😭😭
future to tell masterlist |
