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The tension of the last race had dissipated somewhat after it finished; a weight had been lifted from everyone's shoulders. There were hugs, strained smiles, congratulations, and furtive glances between the two McLaren drivers, and between one of them and Max. For a while, they would be free from the stress of each race, from the constant travel, and from not being able to have time alone or with their families. The happiness was palpable; After years, McLaren finally had a winner again.
But happiness doesn't last long, especially in a sport like Formula 1.
While Lando celebrated and thanked his family and fans, Oscar and Max had moved away to the lounge, away from the shouting, watching the chaos that was beginning to form after the new news from Red Bull and the FIA.
Oscar Piastri would race for Red Bull in 2026.
Making the decision to leave McLaren had been difficult and had taken time. Oscar knew the risks of being Max Verstappen's second driver. Checo and Max himself had spoken with him since the moment Red Bull contacted Mark with the offer. They had a meeting in secret, wanting to keep it as private as possible, which is why they were spreading rumors about Max and Toto and their possible move to Mercedes.
Everyone saw the way McLaren treated Oscar, and he himself noticed it but obeyed. He saw everything: the favoritism shown to Lando, the way they wouldn't celebrate with Oscar but would with Lando, the strategies that favored Lando, and the way they sidelined him. He knew Lando wasn't to blame for it, and he didn't blame him. He couldn't blame the guy who held his heart and whom he had fallen in love with the first time he saw him.
At least he didn't blame him until Qatar when they asked for his help so Norris could win. He was annoyed because he still had a chance to win the championship. He talked and shouted at Andrea and Zak, saying how fed up he was that they weren't giving him any faith, until the italian said that it wasn't his orders, that the brit had spoken to both of them and demanded that they make that proposal to Oscar as if the request came from them and not from the older driver.
He felt angry, disgusted, and betrayed.
Lando wanted to win the championship, and that was fine, he wanted to win it too, but he wanted to win it at Oscar's expense, with strategies that didn't come from the team.
And after that, he signed with Red Bull without hesitation. He signed knowing that everything had changed and there was no going back.
.............
Lando sensed something was wrong from the moment he arrived at Oscar's driver room and didn't see him there, but he dismissed it as just the euphoria of the moment. During his walk there, many members of his team had run into him and casually mentioned how well they'd made a good duo for three years and how they hadn't expected this news.
He ignored them because he had no idea what they were talking about. Andrea and Zak had left him alone after congratulating him, celebrating a little, and giving a few interviews (where all he said was that he wanted to celebrate with Oscar).
They hadn't publicly confirmed that they were in a romantic relationship, but there was no need; people knew and were fine with it.
His phone had been buzzing with notifications for a few minutes, and the feeling that something was wrong became a reality the moment he read the news. His eyes read it over and over again, feeling a lump forming in her throat. His hands began to tremble slightly. He didn't believe it was real, but the announcement was there, perfectly written.
Oscar Piastri will be race for Red Bull in 2026.
Not McLaren. Red Bull. With Max.
And he didn´t know that.
He turned his phone off and on a couple of times; maybe the champagne was making him read things that weren't true. Because Oscar couldn't leave McLaren, not on his side. He would have told him, wouldn't he? They were a couple; they told each other everything and trusted one another.
He had to go out and find him and talk to him, ask him what kind of joke this was.
He stayed put and looked up when he heard the door open and saw him come in, leaning back after closing it, staring at him, his jaw clenched and his features hard. He gripped the phone in her hand, feeling his heart pound.
"You didn't tell me."
"I know, they weren't supposed to say that today."
“And when were you planning on telling me? I'm your boyfriend, your teammate, we're on the same team.”
His voice came out weak, as if he wanted to keep all his emotions to himself, but he knew he couldn't. He needed an explanation, and the laughter he heard confused him even more, not understanding anything.
“Team? Now we're a team, champ? Congratulations, by the way, you deserve it. McLaren gave you good strategies to win, don't you think?”
“We've always been a team, ever since the day you arrived, and you know it.”
“It's unbelievable that you still don't have the courage to tell me what you did, Lando.”
Something in the tone of his voice and the way he was talking to him didn't sound right, it sounded bitter, angry. He had rarely heard him talk like that, and it was almost always when he was talking about Zak or Andrea. His mind was racing, trying to understand what could have happened. He felt a little lost.
“Oscar, I don't know what you're talking about. I was looking for you because I want us to celebrate. Together. We won this.”
“No, Lando, you won, I didn't.”
It wasn't just the championship, there was something else. And as he thought about what it could be, his heart stopped for a moment, realizing what he might be talking about. He suddenly turned pale.
No.
He couldn't have known that, nobody knew, only two people apart from him, and they couldn't have told him, they promised him because they also wanted him to win this year's championship. It was a reality and everyone knew that McLaren favored Lando a little more than Oscar, it wasn't right and he didn't like them doing that, but he wanted to take advantage of it and win.
It was cruel and dirty, but he needed it, so everything was easier when he gave them the idea. He knew that if it came out, if Oscar found out, their whole relationship would be destroyed, that everything would change, and he didn't want that.
He didn't want to lose him.
The air suddenly turned cold, and the adrenaline and happiness of the moment vanished in a second. His gaze wandered everywhere except to the person in front of him. He couldn't face him or look him in the eye. Guilt began to rise, and nerves set in the moment Oscar approached him and stood in front of him. Not too far away, but not too close either.
“I guess you're not going to say anything, or apologize, and I don't want that either.”
“Who told you that?”
“The only ones who knew, I'm not surprised about them.” He shrugged it off. “But coming from you, it's disappointing and discouraging. In the end, I guess that's what competition is all about, and that's fine, but I need you away from me.”
Lando's heart stopped for a moment, and he quickly turned his gaze to him.
“What? No.” He let out a nervous laugh, taking a step closer. “I can explain everything, just let me do it, don't rush me.”
Oscar shook his head, taking the brit's hand, turning his palm upward, and bringing his own hand to it, removing the ring he had given him on their second anniversary. The promise ring they both shared, the promise of a future together, of winning championships together, the promise to love each other and to exchange it in the future for a more official one, for an engagement ring.
“Keep your championship, your team, and your false promises. I don't want anything from you, and I hope that you don't do the same thing to your next teammate. I hope that if you win again, it's because you played fair and stopped being a liar.”
Tears fell down his cheeks, his breathing was ragged, and his hands were shaking. He felt his world begin to spin, his boyfriend's words stabbing him like knives. None of this was supposed to happen. He wasn't ready for this.
“I don't want it, I don't want the title if you're not by my side. Oscar, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you, please forgive me, don't leave me, I'll do anything, I didn't... it was my ego, I was so close to achieving it after years and...” He stopped talking when he felt the ring on the palm of his hand; the silver metal with small sapphires around it that Lando had given him was on his palm, shining under the light in the room, the ring beginning to weigh on his hand in a way he couldn't explain. His heart was beating so hard he could hear it in his ears, he quickly withdrew his hand, as if his skin had been burned.
“Norris, I don't care about your excuses. I didn't deserve this, I don't care about the others. But I cared about you. I didn't deserve this from you, from the person who was my partner, from the person I loved, from the person I placed all my trust in.” He took a breath, feeling pain with every word and an emptiness in his ring finger. "We're done. What we had is over. Enjoy your title and go have fun with your friends. Congratulations, number one."
Oscar's voice trembled, but he refused to let any feelings show. He couldn't afford to be fragile, not there, maybe when he got to his room, but not there.
Oscar hated to see Lando cry. Every time negative comments affected him, he hated to see him cry. He just wanted to hug him and never let go. But this time, it was something he had caused, and the disrespect towards him and his work was greater than the love he had for him.
He left the room without looking back, leaving his heart behind. Leaving his life behind.
He walked quickly, avoiding the media, anyone who wanted to talk to him. He wasn't in the mood to give interviews right now.
Lando reacted late, his vision blurring, replaying every second of what had happened. He couldn't stop crying, his chest tightening, the tears stuck in his throat.
Oscar left him.
He ruined it.
They both knew that nothing could be fixed now, that what they had was broken.
Both their hearts were broken, empty.
Oscar had lost the championship, and lost the love of his life.
And Lando had won the championship, but had lost the love of his life.