Chapter Text
Since Lando started karting, he has noticed a hint of bitterness in his mouth every time he watches his own interview, each of his words leaves an unpleasant taste. That taste got worse over time. To this day, there was only one time he didn’t taste bitter from his words, Miami 2024. The taste of an F1 win is indescribable; it tastes better when it was the first; it was so exquisite that he only wanted to win from then on.
Not many people know about this ability; fewer know about the bitterness. But there is one thing no one needs to know-Oscar Piastri tastes sweet. Sweet like a Kinder chocolate bar, the taste will change tho. He will be sweeter on good days, and on bad ones he tastes like dark chocolate. Either way, Lando likes it, so he mentions Oscar here and there in every single interview, a way to cope with the bitterness.
But that can’t happen today, not after the swap, not after the checkered flag was waved, not after everything was settled—Monza 2025, Lando p2 and Oscar p3.
Lando hurriedly got out of his car “Oscar”, he called, and for once he tasted a bitterness he hates so much coming from his favourite word. Oscar is right there, and for the first time, Lando hesitated to hug him. Oscar has to pull him in.
“It’s alright”, Oscar whispered with a light pat on his back.
But it’s not, Lando knows it because when he called out his name, when he mentioned his name, the bitterness is unbearable. The team has talked about it, Oscar has said it was fine, but you could never actually be fine when your place was stolen. And Lando, being the one who benefited from it, can't really have a say in this. Too happy and he will be called arrogant, too upset and he will be called fake. His mind rushes through things he should say or do, while all his nerves are on that bitterness from Oscar’s name.
In the garage, they have a quick ‘meeting’ with the team, what to say to the press, how to act for the camera, because what happened was controversial. Lando bit his lips when he answered one interviewer, “If it had happened to Oscar. We would have done the same” He hopes there will be a chance to give this position back.