#red flags

The Boyfriend

His name was Ryan. (Or as the grid would later come to call him: “Red Flag Ryan.”)

At first, no one thought much of it. Y/N had shown up one day smiling and mentioned she was seeing someone. The drivers had been curious, nosy even, but ultimately happy for her. Y/N deserved happiness.

But then the little things started adding up.

The Incidents

1. Charles (a.k.a. Protective Big Brother #1) Charles spotted it first. Y/N had been rushing around in the Ferrari motorhome before qualifying, phone pressed to her ear. He overheard Ryan’s voice—loud, sharp.

“You forgot to order it? Y/N, you promised. Just get it express-shipped, you have the money. Why are you being so difficult?”

Charles frowned. Y/N hung up and sighed, then smiled at Charles like nothing happened. “You ready for quali?” she chirped.

Charles didn’t miss the way her shoulders slumped before she plastered that smile on.

2. Lando Lando caught Ryan at a race weekend in Silverstone. Y/N had introduced him proudly, but instead of being supportive, Ryan had leaned over and whispered (loud enough for Lando to hear):

“Babe, can you grab me something from hospitality? Oh, and some merch too. You can get it for free, right? Might as well use it.”

Lando froze mid-sip of his water bottle. Merch? Really?

Y/N giggled. “He’s just being silly,” she brushed it off.

But the look in Ryan’s eyes wasn’t silly. It was expectant. Entitled.

3. Lewis Lewis noticed when Y/N came into the Mercedes garage looking unusually quiet. She had a new bag—expensive, designer—but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Nice bag,” Lewis complimented casually.

“Oh, it’s for Ryan,” Y/N said, like it was nothing. “He wanted it, but he couldn’t get it himself, so I thought I’d surprise him.”

Lewis blinked. “…You bought it for him?”

Y/N nodded brightly. “Yeah! Isn’t it nice?”

Lewis didn’t reply, but inside, he was fuming.

4. Oscar & Paddock Gossip Oscar was scrolling through social media when he stumbled on pictures of Ryan—at a party in Monaco. Without Y/N.

He showed Lando. Lando showed George. George showed Carlos.

Within an hour, every single driver on the grid had seen it.

And none of them were happy.

The Group Meeting

It was Carlos who finally called for a “driver briefing.” Not for FIA. Not for strategy. But for Y/N.

They gathered in one of the empty hospitality rooms after practice. Charles, Lando, Lewis, Max, George, Oscar, Daniel, Fernando—everyone. Even Kimi and Ollie sat quietly, glaring like little brothers ready to fight.

“She doesn’t see it,” Charles muttered, running a hand through his hair. “She thinks it’s normal.”

“Normal?” Lewis scoffed. “Since when is treating her like a personal credit card normal?”

Max crossed his arms. “I say we tell her straight. She deserves to know.”

“But carefully,” George added. “She’s not going to take it well if we just attack him.”

“Carefully?” Lando echoed. “Mate, he’s making her buy him things. She deserves better than carefully.”

For once, the entire grid agreed on something: Ryan had to go.

The Intervention

They cornered Y/N after the race on Sunday. Not in a dramatic way, but in a “25 older brothers looking slightly terrifying” way.

Y/N blinked when she saw them all gathered. “Uh… did I miss a meeting?”

“Sit,” Charles said gently, pulling out a chair.

She sat. Nervous. “Guys? What’s going on?”

It was Lewis who started. Calm, steady. “We’ve all noticed some things, Y/N. About Ryan.”

Her eyes widened. “What about him?”

Max leaned forward. “He’s not treating you right.”

“I—what?”

“He’s using you,” Lando blurted. “For money. For status. For things you shouldn’t have to give him.”

Y/N laughed nervously. “No, no, he just—he’s busy sometimes, and I don’t mind helping out—”

“Helping out is one thing,” Fernando interrupted firmly. “Being taken advantage of is another.”

Lewis’s voice softened. “You deserve someone who lifts you up, not someone who drags you down.”

Her lips trembled. “I… I thought it was normal. He said it was normal.”

Charles reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “It’s not. Trust me, petite sœur, this is not how love should feel.”

For the first time, Y/N’s dense little brain caught up. She saw the pity in their eyes. The anger. The care. And she realized.

“Oh,” she whispered.

The Breakup

The very next day, Y/N broke up with Ryan.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. She simply called him, voice steady: “I deserve better. We’re done.”

Ryan tried to argue, but she hung up before he could finish.

And then she marched straight into the paddock, where 20 drivers were waiting with open arms and proud smiles.

Aftermath

From that day on, the grid was even more protective of her.

Charles wouldn’t let anyone near her without “background checks.”

Lewis reminded her daily that she was worth more than she realized.

Lando & Oscar threatened to make a PowerPoint titled “Red Flags in Dating: A Guide for Y/N.”

Max deadpanned, “Next time, just let me meet him first. I’ll scare him off.”

Daniel joked about setting her up with someone, only to be shut down by 19 other drivers at once.

And Y/N? She felt lighter. Stronger. Surrounded by the family she never realized she had.

Because at the end of the day, she wasn’t just a driver. She was their little sister. And no one—no one—was ever going to treat her badly again.

🖤✨End. ✨🖤