Formula One - One Shots

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 ~~ a neverending dream

cw: mentions of Toivonen's death at the 1986 Corse Rally

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Lando was fast asleep. After such a tiring day at the factory, testing and trying different settings on the simulator, it was a miracle he hadn't fallen asleep on the floor. Luckily for him, his accommodation wasn't that far from his workplace, and it didn't take him a lot of time before getting there. Under soft and freshly washed sheets, the British national was feeling better than he ever did. All that was missing was the sweet liberation of sleep, for which he didn't wait long.

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In his imagined land, everything was similar to reality, except one small detail: Carlos wasn't a F1. Instead, he was competing in the FIA's World Rally Championship, just like his dad. Oh, and one more small detail: Lando and the Spaniard were (finally) together.

That's how the McLaren driver found himself: in a paddock, albeit not a Formula 1 one. He wasn't confused, seemingly he was accustomed to rallies, and his boyfriend's team. Mechanics saluted him, and the team principal even came to personally give him headsets.

"Here, I know you're not allowed on their frequency, but hey, nobody said anything about ours," the man said, giving Lando a playful smile.

"Thank you, you know how much I hate not knowing what's going on with him," Norris found himself answering.

He went on to sit in the garage, where all other VIPs were seated. His muscle memory made him go towards a particular chair. When he sat on it, he noticed he had chosen the seat near Sainz Sr.

"Oh, here you are, Lando," the older man greeted him with a big, yet quite nervous smile. "I wondered where you had gone. He's to start the last special in just under two minutes."

No need to say for whom they were awaiting. On the giant flat screen, a car was ready to start the stage. A proud Spanish flag along the name Carlos Sainz Jr was inscribed. Under it, a Finnish flag was followed by Liisi Toivonen . Lando sweetly remembered first meeting that girl, at only 20 years old, she was a rising star in the rally world.

"In a few moments, Sainz Jr and Toivonen are due to start. This might be their best chance at winning the Corse Rally, as the favourites had a very unfortunate mechanical issue an hour into this stage."

The pundit's voice made Lando focus even more on the telly.

"Indeed," said the other pundit, "if they manage to complete this special stage in under ten minutes, they will definitely be able to compete for first place!"

Lando's focus was all on what happened on the screen, and nowhere else. His leg started to bounce, to evacuate the stress building up in his body.

"Hey," Saint Sr turned towards the British pilot, a frown on his face. "Do not worry, they'll be fine."

Lando could only nod, hoping for the best.

"Aaand here they go, in their nearly brand new Citroën C3 WRC!"

Lando breathed sharply at the first turn, which Carlos beautifully executed.

"What a start for the team! The car seems to be flying through the curves, and sometimes even in the air. For your newer viewers, more time in the air means less time to accelerate, so a loss of speed. Of course, we all remember the Flying Finns..."

The pundit started to ramble about some pilots from the 80s, and Lando stopped listening to them altogether. Carlos was on a good path to set a record for that stage, Lando couldn't be more stressed.