Formula 1 oneshots

(1) Are you happy now? (Max Verstappen x Reader)

Summary: max and y/n fight over the same opportunities, just for max to have the team always favouring him, which all comes down to the World Title final race

Note: requested by @Sophia846 (I don't know much about championships so I tried my best) there might also be spelling mistakes

Y/n PoV 

When people told me to leave the past behind, I probably should have listened. If I had gone ahead with my literature path, I would have been able to get the perfect life, with a perfect house, a perfect job and a perfect boyfriend. Max never admitted he had an unfair advantage over me, and thats what I think was the last straw for our relationship. 

"I can't believe it? Why can't you just be happy for me?" He said angrily, turning away from me. "I always am and I always will Max," I responded "but it's unfair. They want you to be at the top and always win. Sometimes I feel like I was chucked in the team for the sake of performative progressivism!". "Can't you stop overthinking this? It's not some big-anti women conspiracy!" He said. I turned away with tears in my eyes "whatever. I don't expect you to understand. You're the one benefiting from it anyways". I walked away.

Sometimes I regretted not doing it earlier. Our relationship was not normal, it had to be concealed from the public eye, no one had to know we were secretly together. I constantly lived in fear of it being discovered, but I also lived with the conflict of my own boyfriend shielding me from one of the biggest opportunities in my career. He somehow never noticed his privileges over me, but a stupid part of me thought that he would at least understand where I would be coming from. Of course he didn't. He thought that I was making excuses and hiding under the meaninglessly thrown around term of misogyny just because I wasn't good enough for him. He said he didn't but I knew he did.

Being on the same team was bad enough, but constantly being put up against each other by everyone around us was just the cherry on the cake. I think splitting us was for the best, though I would catch him starting at me from time to time while he thought I was signing paperwork. It seemed that he wanted the best of both worlds: a winning career and a girlfriend who he'd have to take the opportunities from. But it doesn't work like that.

I was sitting in my car, waiting for the lights to come up. This was it, I thought, this was for the world title. I was anxiously waiting for the lights to come up. People were rushing around me, but the noise of voices and engines coming to life was all a blur. I stared at the Red Bull directly in front of me, imagining Max at the edge of his seat just to take the opportunity from me. But I would never let that happen. This was my shot at everything, all my hard work and dedication about to be sacrificed for the better or for the worst.

My attention was dragged to the starting lights, as my hand gripped harder on the steering wheel and I let out a shaky breath.

First set came on.

"It's not my fault, it's the teams decision" "a team involves everyone Max"

Second set came on

"Do you only care about fame?"

"It was never about fame, but I was never able to show my real passion because everyone is too busy handing you everything on a silver platter"

Third set came on

"Oh, I know what's your problem, that you just can't admit"

"What Max, enlighten me?"

Fourth set came on

"Maybe people actually prefer me because I don't deflect from my mistakes"

"Its not deflection. It's unfair"

Fifth set came on

"You just need to face it..."

"...You're just not good enough"

The lights went off

I lifted my foot off the breaks and steered to the centre, trying to defend my position. My ears were still muffled and my only concentration was my direct line of sight on the track. Max was two cars ahead, already using his 3rd place quali position as an advantage to create as much distance from me. He was scared, and I knew it. My eyes were burning red from rage, and I wasn't using my brain, I was just using my anger and all those built up moments to fuel my energy. It wasn't long until I jolted forward with my whole car after a loud bang, realising that I almost hit Lando's car, who was in front of me. I realised I needed to calm down, we had just started after all. "Y/n" the person on the other side of the radio spoke "are you ok?". "Yeah" I said, regaining my rationale. "K, just try to hold back. We're not supposed to kill anyone". I forced a chuckle and told him I would keep it in mind.

——(time skip)——

Lap after lap, over take after overtake, there were 4 laps left, and I was in third place. A podium! I was so happy, literally at my highest. Finally, after all this time of endless favouritism, I would actually be recognised for my skill? But my joy was short lived, when I soon heard "y/n, we need you to let Max overtake you". There it was again, the eyesight blurring and my ears ringing, and the shattering sensation on my chest. Of course the team wanted him to win, who else? Of course not the pity provoking one. And there I was, thinking that for once, my career was going to change for the better. I was so wrong. I let my head drop, not even looking at the track anymore and slowing down.

And without a second to spare, there he was, promptly overtaking me for a free podium. I should've know, just the pure lack of hesitation in his demeanour told me everything I needed to know. He did not care for a sincere win, he wouldn't care how he got the podium: he just wanted it. As quickly as it happened, soon enough the race was over and I had to go home with fourth place, and Max with the third. It was a big race, but no matter what I did, opportunities just seemed to be out of my reach, and that was because everyone around me was holding them so high. And that was the question I most wanted to ask Max.

Are you happy now?