#mcalren

It wasn't a good day. The usual media circus felt the tension in the air. One of the big names in formula one was stepping down, rather being told to step down. His usual smile dimmed and eyes watery, Daniel's presence was overwhelming in every knook and cranny of the paddock. The engines were silent and the mechanics were packing up their tools. The air, humid and thick with the scent of burnt rubber and street-side grease, clung to the quiet of Marina Bay like a secret unsaid.

He stood alone on the pit straight, hands in his pockets, shoulders heavy. The grandstands were empty, the paddock thinning out as memories flooded his mind. His first win, his many many podiums, his crash with Max, his team changes and finally his last day.

This wasn’t how he imagined it. No announcement. No send-off. Just… silence. He wasn't even technically retiring, not officially. But he knew. This was it.

And then her footsteps broke the quiet.

Soft, familiar. What was usually comforting, made Daniel feel upset today. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want sympathy from the golden boy's sister.

“Figured I’d find you here,” Y/N Verstappen said, offering him a small smile as she approached, arms crossed loosely over her chest. She wore a Red Bull hoodie, probably Max’s, slightly too big. Her eyes, always quieter than her brother’s fire, held something gentler. Concern. Maybe hope.

Daniel gave her a slow glance, smile barely twitching at the corners. “Don’t you have some champagne to drink with your champion of a brother?” Y/N tilted her head. “He went back to the hotel. I didn’t feel like celebrating. I wanted to be with you for now.”

That made Daniel pause, just a flicker. “Didn’t win anything.”

“You don’t have to win to be proud of someone Dan.”

His jaw clenched slightly, gaze drifting back toward the empty track. “Mm.” He loved Max, he really did. More than any other teammate but right now all he could think about was how Daniel ruined his own career due his jealousy towards Max.

They stood there in the silence for a beat. It was peaceful, in a strange way. Like the calm before a storm they hadn’t forecast.

“I used to love this place,” he said finally. “Singapore. The lights. The chaos. I always felt like I could breathe here but now I'm suffocating.”

Y/N stepped beside him, close but not too close. “It still loves you, you know. F1 does. Even if it doesn’t show it right now.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Right. F1 and I—real healthy fucking relationship.”

She bit her lip and winced a bit at his harsh tone. “You don’t have to disappear completely, Dan. You could still be around. Join Cadillac in 2026 maybe, stay part of the scene—”

And that was it. The flicker snapped. His anger bubbling over the edge. His eyes were sharp and there was no love in them. Just anger and hurt.

“Oh, sure. Join a brand-new team with zero chance. Maybe get a P18 while Max laps me twice?” His tone wasn’t loud. But it cut.

Y/N blinked, stunned at his tone. “That’s not—”

“You think I want to hang around just to remind myself what I used to be?” he continued, voice sharp now, brittle like glass about to crack. “To sit in hospitality and wave while Max and Lando rack up win after win and I try to act like I’m just happy to be there?”

She tried again. “I didn’t mean it like—”

“Of course you didn’t,” he snapped, finally looking at her, eyes burning—not with tears, not with softness. Just… tired rage. “You’re always the sweet one, huh? The quiet Verstappen. Never says the wrong fucking thing.”

Y/N’s throat tightened. “Dan—”

“You don’t get it. You’ll never get it. You were born into this. I had to fight for every second. And for what? To be chewed up, spat out, and offered a pity seat on a future maybe?”

He shook his head. “I’m done.”

She stepped forward. “You don’t mean that. You’re just and—”

“Don’t,” he said, voice dropping low. Cold. “Don’t try to make this into something it’s not.”

Y/N swallowed hard, her hands shaking now. “Why are you being like this?”

“Because I’m finally being honest.”

And then—without another word, without a glance—he turned and walked away.

No goodbye. No “take care.” Just his figure disappearing down the pit lane, swallowed by shadows and silence. His shoulders shaking slightly.

And Y/N stood there, alone under the night sky, wondering if that was all they’d ever be. A nearly. A could’ve been. A goodbye she never got to give and a heart that was shattered.

--

She stood alone in the paddock for a few more seconds after Daniel left, her heart racing, a lump choking her throat. Her chest hurt—so much it felt like it was caving in on itself. It was hard to breathe, hard to think. The silence around her only amplified the pain, made everything sharper, more real. She tried, so hard, to hold it together, to swallow it all down, but the tears just wouldn’t stay hidden.

She pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed Kelly’s number. The call went through, and after a few rings, Kelly’s soft voice answered. “Y/N? Bebe? What’s up?”

“I—uh…” Y/N sniffled, biting her lip to try and stop herself from breaking completely. “Can I meet you and Max? Just… for a few minutes? I really need to see you both.”

“Of course. Come to our room,” Kelly said, the concern immediately in her voice. “Are you okay?”

“I just… need to talk Kel,” Y/N replied, her voice barely above a whisper, cracking with emotion. The man she used to spend so much of her time with had just thrown away their friendship as though it meant nothing.

She ended the call, and within minutes of a car ride, she was walking down the hall of the hotel, her vision blurred with the constant threat of tears. As she arrived at the door, she knocked softly, too exhausted to pretend she was fine. The door opened, and Max stood there, eyebrows furrowed in that all-too-familiar look of concern. He stepped back when he saw her face, his protective instincts kicking in.

“Liefje? What’s wrong?” Max asked, his voice low, steady, but filled with worry. His sister barely ever cried. Behind him, Kelly sat on the bed, her hand gently resting on her baby bump. Five-year-old Penelope was tugging at her mother’s hand, curious.

“Bubba, what’s wrong?” Penelope’s innocent voice cut through the air, and Y/N lost it. Penelope rushed to Y/N trying to wipe away her tears and planting small innocent kisses on her cheek.

In a split second, Y/N was sobbing. She crumpled to the floor, leaning against P's small frame as her emotions broke free. She couldn’t hold back anymore—the dam had burst. She hadn’t cried like this in years. Not since Max's Silverstone crash in 2021.

Max was immediately by her side, crouching down, his arm around her shoulders in an effort to comfort her. He had always been the strong one, but seeing his little sister—his baby sister—so broken, something inside him snapped. His voice was tight with anger, a rare sight for anyone who knew Max’s usually controlled demeanor.

“Who did this to you? Who hurt you liefje?” His words came out low, fierce. He wasn’t just upset for her—he was furious. And the weight of that question made Y/N break even further.

“It was Daniel…,” Y/N gasped through her sobs, her chest shaking. “He—he said horrible things Max. He’s leaving, and I—I just wanted to help. I thought I could help him, but—he—he’s so angry. And he just walked away and threw away out friendship.”

Max’s jaw clenched at the mention of Daniel’s name. “What did he say to you, Y/N? What happened?”

Y/N’s voice trembled with the weight of the words she could barely force out. “He—he said… I didn’t get it. That I was just some Verstappen, that I didn’t understand what it was like… that I wasn’t—enough.” Max’s eyes darkened. “He said that to you?”

“Yes!” Y/N choked out. “He… he called me naive, like I didn’t know what it’s like to fight for something that’s just—taken away. Like I wasn’t good enough to… to care about him. And—and I tried to explain, but he was just… so mad. And he left. He walked away without a single word. Max, he just left me there. Crying near the pitwall.”

Max’s protective instincts surged, his heart breaking for his sister. He pulled her into his arms, his grip firm as if he could somehow shield her from the pain. The anger inside him burned hot, but he kept it in check—just for her. His voice softened, but there was still an edge to it.

“Y/N, you are more than enough. You’ve always been. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re not. You’re my sister, and that means everything.”

Kelly walked beside them, her hand on Y/N’s back, offering silent comfort. “Sweetheart, sometimes people lash out when they’re hurt. But none of that is your fault. You’re strong, and you don’t have to carry this by yourself Bebe.” Y/N sniffled gently leaning against Max again.

Penelope, still clinging to her mother’s hand, looked at Y/N with wide, worried eyes. “Bubba, are you gonna be okay?”

Y/N managed a shaky smile, brushing the tears from her eyes. “I’ll be okay, Pen. Just… need a little time.”

Max stayed by her side, never letting go, never letting her feel like she was alone in this moment. The room fell into a tense silence, but it was a comforting one—full of love, of understanding, of a family that had always fought together, no matter the battle.

Max, his voice thick with emotion, spoke softly as he held her close. “You’re my sister and you are a Verstappen. We are strong and we stick together. And no matter what, no matter who—no one will ever make me forget that.”

Y/N nodded into his chest, grateful, but still broken inside. “I just… don’t know if I can let go of him. Even after everything.”

Max didn’t answer immediately, but his grip tightened. “You don’t have to, Y/N. Not yet. But we'll make sure you’re never alone, no matter what happens.”

And for the first time that night, Y/N allowed herself to cry without the weight of guilt. She had her family—her brother, her sister-in-law, her niece—and that was enough for now. The rest could wait.