Work Text:
31 Dec 2018
Oscar
22:47
remind myself: email mr. henderson about missed physics homework
Oscar
22:51
happy new year to absolutely no one lol
Oscar
22:52
bit pathetic isn't it. sitting in boarding house common room by myself on new years
Oscar
22:53
everyone else went home for the holidays. makes sense. who wants to stay in shit weather when you can be literally anywhere else
Oscar
22:55
mum asked if i wanted to come back for two weeks and i said no because testing starts jan 7th and i need to be here
Oscar
22:56
smart decision oscar. very smart. now you're eating meal deal sandwiches alone on new years eve
Oscar
22:58
god i miss home
Oscar
22:59
okay that's enough. tomorrow's a new year. new team. start over in formula renault. this is what i want.
Oscar
23:02
still feels shit though
Lando
23:03
Hey, you okay?
Oscar
23:03
what
what the fuck
Lando
23:04
Sorry, I just… you seemed really down and I wanted to check in
Oscar
23:04
who is this
how are you seeing this
WHAT THE FUCK
Lando
23:05
This is my number? You've been texting it for like a year mate
Oscar
23:05
no
no this is my dad's old number
he doesn't use it anymore
Lando
23:06
Right, so it got recycled. That's what happens with phone numbers
I got it sometime in February
Oscar
23:06
oh my god
oh my GOD
Oscar
23:07
you've been READING my messages???
all of them?????
Lando
23:07
I mean... yeah?
They come to my phone so
Oscar
23:08
this is insane
this is a breach of privacy or something
what the fuck man i've sent SO MANY THINGS
Lando
23:08
Mate you can't breach your own privacy by texting a random number
Lando
23:09
Numbers get recycled all the time, you should've noticed someone was reading them
There are literally read receipts
Oscar
23:09
i don't look at that!!!
i thought it was bugged or something
Oscar
23:10
jesus christ what have i sent you
Lando
23:10
Also you sent me your passport information last month
And like three boarding passes
You're lucky I'm not a bad guy
Oscar
23:11
oh my god
i'm going to be sick
why didn't you SAY ANYTHING
Lando
23:12
I don't know!
At first I thought you'd realize and stop
But then you just... kept going
Lando
23:13
And it was kind of endearing?
Oscar
23:13
ENDEARING????
i've been sending you my GROCERY LISTS
and like
Oscar
23:14
personal stuff
Lando
23:14
I know
The 3am messages about not being good enough really hit different
Oscar
23:15
oh my god please stop
i want to die
Lando
23:15
Don't be dramatic
It was relatable honestly
Oscar
23:16
what
relatable how
Lando
23:16
Your lists and stuff. Reminded me of my own
Lando
23:17
The racing schedules, the anxiety at 3am, the homesickness
It was familiar
Oscar
23:17
...are you by any chance also an australian teenager living in a boarding school in england to pursue racing?
Lando
23:18
Okay not THAT similar
But I get some of it
Oscar
23:18
who are you
Lando
23:19
I'm Lando Norris
Oscar
23:19
fuck off
nice try mate but i'm not an idiot
i'm not getting myself scammed
Lando
23:20
[image attached: selfie of Lando in what's clearly his childhood bedroom, holding up a peace sign, wearing a papaya McLaren hoodie]
Lando
23:20
Happy almost New Year btw
Oscar
23:21
oh my god
oh my god oh my god oh my god
you're actually lando norris
Oscar
23:22
THE lando norris
who's going to f1 next year
Lando
23:22
Yeah that's me
You're Oscar right?
You're racing too?
Oscar
23:23
i
yes
how do you know my name
Lando
23:23
You've literally sent me your passport Oscar
Lando
23:24
Also you mentioned it in messages a few times
"oscar piastri you can do this" before that qualifying in October
Oscar
23:24
oh my god you read THAT
please please please stop
Lando
23:25
You did well in that quali btw
Looked you up after. Formula Renault again next year?
Oscar
23:26
you looked me up?
lando norris who's going to F1 in THREE WEEKS looked me up
Lando
23:27
Well yeah
You kept mentioning racing and I was curious
You're pretty good
Oscar
23:28
i need to sit down
i am sitting down
i need to lie down
Lando
23:28
😂😂😂
Oscar
23:29
this is the worst night of my life
Lando
23:29
Worse than eating meal deal sandwiches alone?
Oscar
23:29
oh my GOD you read that too
Lando
23:30
I read all of it mate
Lando
23:30
That's what I've been saying
Oscar
23:30
i follow you on instagram
i've liked your posts
you're going to F1 and you've been reading my. my HOMEWORK CHECKLISTS
Lando
23:31
And your homesickness at 3am
And your anxiety about whether you're good enough
And that thing about your mum's laksa
Also you're such a nerd
Oscar
23:33
STOP
what do you mean i'm a nerd
Lando
23:33
You do HOMEWORK
While racing
Lando
23:34
Like actual homework, essays and stuff
That physics thing you were stressed about in November??? Wild
Oscar
23:34
school is important???
i'm taking my education seriously
not everyone can just. drop out and go racing
Lando
23:35
I didn't drop out
I just
Okay I kind of dropped out
Oscar
23:36
i KNOW
wait
oh my god i shouldn't have said that
Lando
23:37
What do you mean you know
Oscar
23:37
nothing
forget i said anything
Lando
23:37
OSCAR
What do you mean you KNOW
Oscar
23:38
i just
i might have read some articles about you
when you got announced for mclaren
Lando
23:38
Articles
Oscar
23:39
maybe more than some articles
Lando
23:39
How many articles Oscar
Oscar
23:39
i don't want to say
Lando
23:40
Oh my god YOU'RE the creepy one
Oscar
23:40
NO
it's different!!!
you're a public figure those were PUBLIC articles
you've been reading my PRIVATE MESSAGES
Lando
23:41
That you sent to my phone number!
Also what else do you know about me
Oscar
23:42
i'm not telling you
Lando
23:42
OSCAR
Oscar
23:42
this is so mortifying
you've read my messages about missing my mum's laksa and i know about your dyslexia from that one interview
Lando
23:43
Oh
Yeah that's. Fair enough actually
Oscar
23:44
i'm sorry
that came out wrong
i didn't mean it as a bad thing i just meant school is different for different people
Lando
23:45
Nah it's okay
You're not wrong
School wasn't really working for me and racing was
Oscar
23:46
yeah but i need to finish school properly
getting homework right and doing well in exams is important to me
even if it means i'm a nerd apparently
Lando
23:47
It's not a bad thing
Kind of impressive actually
Juggling both
Oscar
23:48
you juggled like, five different racing series in the same year
that's way more impressive
Lando
23:48
You really did read a lot of articles huh
Oscar
23:49
please stop
Lando
23:49
For what it's worth I don't think you're wasting anyone's money
You wouldn't have made it this far if you weren't good
Oscar
23:50
that's
thanks
i can't believe you read that message
Lando
23:51
I've read all your messages Oscar
The grocery lists, the homesickness, the 3am anxiety spirals
That one time you sent yourself a voice memo practicing how to pronounce "Renault" correctly
Oscar
23:52
OH MY GOD
STOP
I FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONE
Lando
23:53
It was cute
Oscar
23:53
i'm going to delete this number
i'm getting a new phone
moving to another country
Lando
23:54
You're already in another country
Oscar
23:54
a DIFFERENT other country
Lando
23:55
Don't delete the number
Oscar
23:55
why not
Lando
23:55
Because then who would I talk to
Oscar
23:56
you're lando norris
you have like a million people to talk to
you're going to F1 in three weeks
Lando
23:57
Yeah but none of them send me grocery lists and homework checklists at random
It's been nice
Knowing someone else gets the weird bits of this
Oscar
23:58
the weird bits?
Lando
23:58
Being away from home
Missing stuff
Wondering if you're good enough
That stuff
Oscar
23:59
yeah
yeah i get that
1 Jan 2019
Lando
00:00
Happy New Year, Oscar
Oscar
00:00
happy new year lando
Oscar
00:01
this is still so surreal
i can't believe i'm talking to you
Lando
00:02
I'm just a person mate
Oscar
00:02
you're going to F1
that's not just a person
that's like
that's the dream
Lando
00:03
It's pretty terrifying actually
Oscar
00:04
what
how is it terrifying
you made it
Lando
00:05
Yeah but like
F1 is so much bigger than anything before
Lando
00:06
F2 was already scary enough and now it's going to be even more people watching
More pressure
What if I'm not good enough for it
Oscar
00:07
you're definitely good enough
Oscar
00:07
You almost won f2
Lando
00:08
Barely holding on to p2
George was winning everything and Alex almost got me
Oscar
00:08
you're being too hard on yourself
Lando
00:09
Maybe
I don't know
It's just a lot right now
Oscar
00:10
yeah
i get that
Oscar
00:11
can i ask you something
Lando
00:11
Sure
Oscar
00:11
is it worth it?
all of this
being away from home and missing stuff and the constant anxiety about whether you're good enough
Oscar
00:13
does it get easier?
Lando
00:13
I don't know
Lando
00:14
Honestly I don't know if it gets easier
It just gets different
Oscar
00:15
that's not very reassuring
Lando
00:15
Sorry
Lando
00:16
I guess what I mean is
You just know it's what you want, right?
Oscar
00:17
yeah
yeah this is what i want
i've wanted this since i was a kid
Lando
00:18
Then that's what matters
Even when it's scary or hard or you're eating meal deal sandwiches alone on new years
It's still what you want
Oscar
00:19
yeah
Oscar
00:20
does it feel worth it when you're winning?
Lando
00:20
God yeah
It feels incredible
Like everything suddenly makes sense
All the shit parts don't matter as much
Oscar
00:22
i want that
Lando
00:22
You'll get there
You're good Oscar
Lando
00:23
I looked at your results properly
You're really good
Oscar
00:24
you looked at my results
Lando
00:24
Well yeah
After I looked you up
Lando
00:25
You're consistent
That matters more than people think
Oscar
00:25
i haven't won anything big yet though
Oscar
00:26
not like you
Lando
00:26
You will
Lando
00:27
And it's going to feel so much better when you do
Because you'll have so many people believing in you
Oscar
00:28
i don't know about that
Lando
00:28
Your family believes in you
Otherwise you wouldn't be here
Oscar
00:29
yeah
yeah they do
Lando
00:30
See
That's already something
Lando
00:31
Now go get some sleep
It's past midnight
Oscar
00:32
you're still awake too
Lando
00:32
Yeah but I'm allowed
I don't have school
Oscar
00:33
oh my god
good night lando
Lando
00:34
Good night Oscar
Good luck with Formula Renault
Oscar
00:34
good luck with f1
not that you need it
you're going to be amazing
Lando
00:34
Thanks
You're going to be amazing too
Oscar
00:35
i hope so
Lando
00:36
I know so
I've been reading your anxious messages for months remember
You've got this
Oscar
00:37
thanks
really
Lando
00:38
Any time
Now seriously go to sleep
You have testing in a week
Oscar
00:39
how do you remember that
Lando
00:39
You sent me your testing schedule
In October
Oscar
00:39
oh my god
i'm never going to live this down am i
Lando
00:40
Nope
Sweet dreams Oscar
Don't forget to email Mr Henderson about that physics homework
Oscar
00:41
I hate you so much you know that
Lando
00:42
😊
happy new year
Oscar
00:43
Happy new year