It happened as quick as lightning. It was the 37th lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix and Lando was driving well, he was in P6 and was fighting hard to quicken his pace and catch up the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel but in the duration of a minute it all went wrong. One minute he was driving around turn 12, the next Lando's car was tumbling down the track at records speeds. In an attempt to overtake Vettel, Lando decided to heat the breaks slightly later but what he didn't count on was his brakes not working as well as they had previously and so his car left the racing line at around 150mph, hitting the curb which commenced the tumbling of the car. The gasps of horror could be heard throughout the circuit. The commentators or Martin Brundle and David Croft went silent as they stared in horror at the scene in front of them as there was nothing anyone could do but watch as marshals and medical staff flooded the scene. Needless to say, the race was red flagged.
It was scene Y/N would never forget. It was Lando's birthday weekend so she'd arranged to fly out and surprise him but that didn't happen. The minute his car began to tumble, Y/N hand flew to her mouth in shock and tears silently began to fall down her cheeks as sobs wrecked her body. Isa, who was there to support Carlos, immediately came to her side to comfort her and even agreed to go with her to the hospital along with Carlos. it was just a waiting game now. The doctors had emerged from resus looked tired and stressed, they said that it was touch and go for the next 24 hours and he was under constant watch from nurses and doctors alike.
Twice. His heart stopped twice and each time medical personnel rushed to his aid, but it was no use, in the early hours of the morning the day after the race his heart stopped for the 3rd and final time and it didn't restart.
"Time of death; 02:37." His doctor announced. Y/N collapsed to the floor in grief and Isa fell beside her to comfort her. This was her worse nightmare. She knew the risks involved with racing, but she never imagined she'd be involved in any way, shape or form with said risks. Y/N moved from standing outside his room to beside him and grabbed his hand, running her thumb along the back of his hand. "Why Lando? Why!" Her cries were muffled as she fell on top of him, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
It was everywhere – on every TV channel, every newspaper heading, all over social media.
'British Racing Driver Lando Norris Dead in Horror Crash'
'Formula 1 Driver Lando Norris Dies Aged 24'
'Racing Community Mourn'
Lando Norris: Gone but Not Forgotten'
Tributes flooded in from the public, from fellow past and present drivers. McLaren had issued a statement describing Lando as 'nothing but the best' and 'a man who had a prosperous future' but that meant nothing to Y/N as he wasn't here anymore and nothing was going to bring him back. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a minute of silence was observed for Lando and racers and fans alike worn memorabilia dedicated to Lando. It was also decided that in honour of Lando, the FIA would retire the number 4. Y/N watched on, emotions high, from the McLaren garage. She didn't want to be in a place that reminded her of him everywhere she looked but Isa reasoned with her that she should be here for the remembrance service of him. McLaren had made a last minute decision to only have 1 car race this weekend so that he could be remembered as the racing driver he was.
Y/N was tears by the end of the race. Lewis Hamilton had won, with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc coming 2nd and 3rd respectively, and had dedicated his podium to Lando. "Lando was a promising driver and I'm sure in he was be fighting for 1st if he was in a faster car, he'll be missed that's for sure and the pit lane going to be quieter without his voice echoing along it." Max and Charles both spoke, honouring their wins to Lando with Max citing that iRacing wouldn't be the same without him but like the previous 2 weeks, Y/N was numb and didn't join in on the laughs from the crowd as many knew that Lando enjoyed sim racing, but one thing was for sure; the baby growing inside of her would be her reason for living and reason to continue Lando's legacy.
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I was watching Our Girl and this scenario popped into my head, #RIPFingers :( Bit of plot twist at the end but I wasn't sure how to end it so ... enjoy?
