a long time ago — one shot
Mini Summary: Seb remembers all of the times he met Mia before she was his teammate (set between 2011-16)
tags/warnings: aston martin ¡driver! original character, past, webber/kvyat metioned if that scares ppl lol
He had known her since she was little, well, he knew of her. He knew her name. He had been told her name. He had heard her name.
She had been quite a few years younger than himself. He had remembered watching her karting a fair few times. She was quick. Really, really quick. She had won the race he had watched. She had started near the back and by the 16th lap she was battling for first. She won that day and the day after and just about everything she ever raced.
Her name had come up a lot as the years passed, but the first time he had really taken any notice was when she had joined the Red Bull young driver programme in 2011. She had been sponsored by them for many years previous. That’s why he had taken notice. He had taken notice because he’d seen the little Red Bull helmet. He had seen a girl in the same racing suit he had. A trophy in her hands that was nearly half the size of her and a smile that nearly reached from ear to ear.
She had barely had her sixteenth birthday when she joined the junior team. A lot of people were skeptical because she was young, but what they really meant was because she was a girl. Daniil Kvyat had joined the year before her and he was only a year older than her and Alex Albon the year after and he was sixteen at the time too. She was no younger than any of the other drivers, but she was the only one they mentioned. It was because she was a girl. Red Bull had signed another girl to their young driver programme so did this mean that Red Bull would finally have a female F1 driver? Maybe, maybe not, but the press loved it.
He remembered Christian defending their decision. He said it didn’t matter that she was young because that was the point of the Red Bull junior team. He said it didn’t matter that she as a girl. He said that she had deserved her place just as much as anyone else and she had proved herself time and time again and that you just had to look at her record to see it. She had just about won everything she had ever competed in. Her record was better than most. Better than most of the greats, yet she was challenged on everything.
He remembered being introduced to her in 2011. She was tall and skinny. Not much shorter than himself or Kvyat. She had been pretty even at sixteen. She had shaken his hand, said that it was a pleasure to meet him and wished him luck for his race. She hadn’t left Kvyat’s side that day. She had been glued to him because that was the only person she knew.
He remembered a few years later at Silverstone at the young driver test in 2013. She had been the reserve driver for Toro Rosso at the time and she had been there all weekend driving for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso. She had driven his RB9 as well as the Toro Rosso STR8. It was the first time he had any real interaction with her. He remembered talking to her before she drove the RB9. He remembered because she had told him she had just turned eighteen a couple of days before. He had wished her a late happy birthday and she had wished him one too. She had congratulated him on his win in Germany that month. She had asked him how it had been to win in front of his home crowd. He told her that it was everything and she told him in return how she hoped to win at Silverstone one day. She had asked him a lot of questions about the car, how to drive it and what he did. She had listened with her undivided attention to everything he said. She had just turned eighteen but she was quick. It was her first time driving the RB8 and she managed to set the 4th quickest time in his car just behind himself and Ricciardo. She was also 7th in the Toro Russo which was a testament to her skill because the STR8 wasn’t the fastest.
All eyes had been on Susie Wolff at testing, but they should have been on her.
She wasn’t bothered though. She just wanted to race.
He had seen her few more times that year as the GP3 and Renault 3.5 series she was competing in followed some of the races of the F1 schedule. He had only seen her briefly as they were both busy but she had managed to say hello a few times. He had managed to see her race a few times and see her win which wasn’t hard as she won most things.
He remembered congratulating her in the pit lane. She was over the moon. He had never seen such a big smile. She was as happy as if it were her first win, but, of course, it wasn’t, because he had seen four of her wins from just that season alone. She had thanked him. Throwing her arms around him briefly before she found the next person she knew.
He wasn’t sure why he remembered it so much. Why he remembered her so much. She was just the reserve driver for the junior team yet he could almost picture every single time she had smiled and said hello to him.
Maybe it was because she was always with Daniel. He wasn’t sure if they had been dating or not, but every time he saw her she was always there with Daniel or she was there to see Daniel. He had never asked at the time. He hadn’t ever asked. He could’ve sworn that Daniel had a girlfriend but the pair looked too close to just be friends. He didn’t think much of it because it had nothing to do with him and he lot more important stuff in his life to be worrying about.
He had thought about asking her about it now. He knew her and Daniel were still close. Not as close as they were back then but she always made sure to congratulate Daniel after races and many times he had seen them together.
He remembered that she was there when he won his fourth world title. He wasn’t sure why he remembered it so well. Why he remembered her so vividly, but he did. It had been his day. He had won. He had been on top of the world. Yet he remembered her that day. She had congratulated him in passing at the track. She had hugged him almost jumping up and down with excitement. But that wasn’t why he remembered. It was later that night when they were celebrating.
It wasn’t just his world title, but Red Bull’s constructors championship too so there wasn’t a reason for anyone to not be celebrating and celebrate they did. The whole of the Red Bull team and most of the Toro Rosso team had been crammed into a little club in Noida, India. They had all been drinking heavily but he could remember looking across the club and seeing her sat upon an engineer’s or someones shoulders. Daniel next to them as he held her hand. Her leaning down every now and then to say something to him.
He had found them later on in the evening, or they had found him, at the bar. They had come to get drinks for themselves and whoever they had been with and had insisted that he drink with them. That he was a world champion, a four time world champion, he couldn’t not celebrate. He had settled on doing a few shots with them, mainly to keep them happy and to stop them pestering him. They made him feel old, but in actual fact Daniel was only two years younger than him. Mia had almost cheered when he agreed to do shots with her as she stood between the two soon to be teammates. She leant over the bar smiling at the bartender almost getting his attention immediately which most of the team had struggled to do all night. He looked to Daniel as she did so catching him looking at her, running his eyes over her back which was mostly out due to the low-cut backless top she was wearing. His eyes only moving as he watched her order the shots, correcting her from two each to three each. It was an open bar so why not. She turned to argue with him, the bartender already starting to make them, saying that she couldn’t drink anymore, that she had been drinking every night for the past week. It wasn’t really arguing; she was grinning the entire time, and when she went to hit his chest, he had caught her, pulling her to stand back up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Seb had been stuck between two groups. Talking, joking with some of his engineers, but then watching the pair in front him too. Daniel had been looking at her the whole time. He could’ve sworn it was love in his eyes, but then again it could’ve just been lust.
He watched her as she threw back the shots. One after the other. Both her and Daniel barely pulling a face as they did them. Then she turned to Seb encouraging him to his. Knocking her elbow with his as she ordered more drinks from the bartender.
He had just about managed two, already regretting it and thinking about the hangover tomorrow when his teammate joined them. He had wrapped his around him before he said hello to the younger Aussie driver, pulling him in for a hug as they greeted each other. He then said hello to Mia. Hugging her, and congratulating her for her win in the Formula Renault championship, apologising for not congratulating her sooner. Telling her that he should’ve been there to see her win. He knew Mark and her had always been close. He had followed her career from karting. He had always helped her out. He had been there when she first driven an F1 car. He had been there most times for her testings as well. God, he’d been at most of her races too, but that wasn’t his story to tell.
Seb told his teammate that he was just in time to do his last shot. Mark laughed telling him that Mia had got him celebrating the right way as he patted his teammate on the back. Mark grinned back at the young girl who was handing him a shot. He thanked her, clicking his glass with her’s and then Seb’s and then Daniel’s before throwing the shot back.
“God, what was that?” Mark asked pulling a face as he put the glass down on the bar,
“some Indian speciality,” Mia shrugged looking rather happy with herself as she leant back against the bar,
“she hasn’t stopped celebrating yet,” Daniel said nudging her with his shoulder as he looked to Mark and then to Seb,
“there’s been reasons to celebrate,” she laughed trying to explain herself as she handed Daniel his drink as she leant into him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders,
“the last seven days,” Daniel said with grin, the famous Riccardo grin, as he told Mark,
“and you test drove on Friday?” Mark asked in response shaking his head with a laugh as he looked to the eighteen-year-old,
“i was sober!” she laughed a reply trying to defend herself insisting that she was sober when she drove the Toro Rosso and that Wednesday night had been a quiet one. Mark had asked how Barcelona had been. She told him that they had stayed in Barcelona for a few days after her win before they headed straight to India. He noticed how she said they had. Her and Daniel.
They spoke for a bit longer before Mark excused himself, telling her to ring him when she got back to England. Telling her to drink water before she went to sleep so she wouldn’t be hungover on the long plane journey back. He said his goodbyes to the three of them. Hugging Mia and placing a kiss upon her head as he left.
Mia asked if Seb wanted another drink. He quickly declined after the last three and let them head back into the crowd returning to the group he had been with before.
He saw the pair a few more times throughout the night. Always just a glance across the club to see them together. Dancing together, singing together and hanging out with some of the younger members of the two teams. She was back on someone’s shoulders again as a well known song came on as everyone sang along. Daniel still holding her hand and her still leaning down to speak to him every once in a while.
He didn’t see them again after that but he could’ve sworn he saw them leave together, but who was he to question it.
He saw her a few more times that year. She had been at the Abu Dhabi grand prix. The final of the GP3 series had been there so she had been racing. He had managed to watch a bit of her race. She had qualified well, but not as well as she would’ve liked. She was second behind Kvyat in the standings and she needed the win to win the championship. She had qualified 8th, but after a tough race she had only managed to finish 4th which left her less than twenty points behind the other Red Bull junior driver. He knew she would have been disappointed with herself and that she would’ve been upset but she had still finished 2nd overall and he knew she would be happy for her teammate too. He knew her and Kvyat were still close and he knew that she would still be out celebrating as if she had won.
She had also been at the last final F1 race of the year too in Brazil. She had been there as the reserve driver for Toro Rosso. It had been a good race for both teams with Ricciardo placing 10th and with Seb and Mark taking the one-two. It had also been Mark’s last race before his retirement so again there had been big celebrations in the Red Bull garage.
He couldn’t remember much because they were all drunk before the clock had even hit ten o'clock. He remembered her being with Daniel and Kvyat and some of the other young Red Bull drivers.
He remembered looking over to her as they stood watching Mark’s speech. The respect and admiration in her eyes as she watched him. Her eyes never leaving Mark even as his speech dragged on. Mark had been drunk which was why his speech had been so long. Sober Mark would have had it done and dusted in under a minute, but he had instead opted to thank every single member of the team and relive every moment of his career.
You only retire once so might as well make the most of it.
He remembered watching the pair. She had been one of the last people he had got too after hugging and thanking every single member of the Red Bull team and every other person that had been in the club. Mark had hugged her. Pressed a kiss to her cheek. He went to go, but she had grabbed his arm, saying something to him. He stopped, standing in front of her. Towering over her. She looked up to him. His face was serious as he listened to her speak. He didn’t know why he had paid so much attention to them. He was sure he had been staring, but there was such an intensity in the way the spoke to each other. He wasn’t sure how she had been so close to Mark, yet didn’t hold a grudge against him. So much had happened between him and Mark. So much so that they hadn’t spoken to each other in the past. Sure, they were fine now, but everything he had put Mark through, he didn’t know why she didn’t hate his guts, but instead it was quite the opposite.
He watched as Mia had to press her palm against his chest as someone behind her fell into her. Neither of them seemed to even notice. Neither of them even looked up, still looking at each other as they spoke. He wanted to know what they were talking about. What it was that the two of them shared that made them so close. But he didn’t ask; he would never ask.
He noticed the smile that started to appear on his teammate’s lips. The way the corners of his lips curled into a smile as Mia beamed back at him. He watched as Mark whispered something in her ear, giving her a final smile before they both disappeared into the crowd.
In 2014, Daniel became his teammate at Red Bull and Mia had been promoted to the reserve after Kvyat getting the seat at Toro Rosso. This was when he started to see a lot more of her as she was at most of the races and because she was finally in the Red Bull garage.
She always tried to catch him after free practices and qualifying asking him questions, always wanting to learn. She would always congratulate him after races too, even when Daniel had started to do better. She would also ask him for advice for her own races too, especially if he knew the track. She would ask him how he did certain corners, why he did certain things. She always wanted to learn, she always wanted to know how she could do better, how she could become the best.
She had been there when Daniel won his first race in Canada.
She had been one of the last people to congratulate him. Jumping up and down in the back of the garage as the Red Bull driver finally made it over to her after being congratulated by everyone single person in the team. He had hugged her, lifting her up as she laughed. She held onto him so tightly, her arms round his neck. When he had finally put her down he had cupped her face in his hands leaning in so close that it looked liked they might kiss, but they didn’t. Instead both of them letting out a somewhat happy noise that he couldn’t quite explain.
“Go get your trophy,” she said to him.
He just stared at her for a second before giving her a nod.
He remembered her watching his teammate go before she turned to him. Giving him a hug, telling him a well done for his third place too.
They had gone out celebrating that night, of course they had.
He hadn’t seen her for the entirety of the night. She hadn’t been with Daniel. She hadn’t been with Kvyat or any of the other Red Bull drivers either. He had thought that maybe she just wasn’t there at all. He didn’t want to admit that he had been looking for her, well, he hadn’t, he was just confused as to why she wouldn’t be here celebrating Daniel’s win.
But she had been there because she had found him at the bar, again. He had been there ordering his last drink of the night before he’d call it quits.
“Hi,” she had said greeting him as she joined him at the bar. She was forced to stand a little too close to him because of how packed it was. The bar was busy, full of everyone celebrating his teammate’s win. He forgot how old she was for all of a second. He could feel her warmth against him. Her skin touching his. Her smiling up at him. He hadn’t to shake his head. She didn’t look nineteen. Well, not even nineteen because he remembered that her birthday was after his in July.
She could have easily have passed as being twenty-one. She didn’t act her age either because just like he had, she had grown up too quickly. Her childhood taken away from her, being forced to grow up too quickly all for this sacred sport.
He wanted to ask where she had been the whole night. Why she hadn’t been with Daniel. Why she hadn’t been celebrating his win. Why he hadn’t even seen her with Kvyat and why he just hadn’t seen her all night. But he couldn’t ask her because why did he care and why had he even been thinking about her.
But instead he just settled for asking her how she was.
He had noticed how her eyes had shot to his. How she had quickly checked over her shoulder.
“Good,” she had just said with a nod avoiding his eyes as she turned back to the bar. His brows furrowed for a second. He had just meant it as a passing comment, but maybe she wasn’t ok. He didn’t even have a second to think about it because she was asking what he was having to drink.
“Beer,” he replied, “last one,” he added leaning next to her on the bar,
“no shots?” she asked nudging his shoulder with hers,
“not with you, no,” he had replied with a chuckle. He had watched as she had caught the attention of the bartender, again, so easily. He had been stood there for at least five minute with no one even glancing in his direction. He didn’t know how she did it, how she always did it. She was just that type of person that everybody loved and everyone she ever spoke to immediately fell at her feet. She was charismatic, but just enough that it didn’t feel overwhelming.
He watched as she ordered their drinks. Smiling at the bartender as she checked over her shoulder at him that she had got it right.
“Thought you would be celebrating with Daniel,” he said to her as she handed him his drink.
She looked at him for a second.
She could feel him watching her, waiting for her to say something.
“Are you leaving soon?” she just asked him instead.
“uh- yeah,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders noting at the bottle in his hand as he took another sip. He didn’t say it, but he raised his eyebrow, asking her why.
“Can you walk me back to the hotel?” she asked her eyes flicking to his and then away. Almost nervously. Almost if she didn’t want to ask him.
“Yeah,” he nodded without even thinking.
He watched as she looked over her shoulder again. He did the same. He wanted to know what she was looking for, or who. But there wasn’t anyone, just a crowded club. He wanted to ask her, but hadn’t because it was his place.
But he had still walked her back.
She had been there when Daniel had won in Hungary and then in Belgium. She had been there for most of the formula one races. He had seen most of her wins in Formula Renault and GP2, but those were other stories, ones that weren’t his to tell.
When he got his coveted seat at Ferrari, she was finally given the Toro Rosso seat.
He had rung her when the news had broke and in return she had rung him congratulating him when it was announced that he would move to the Scuderia.
They had become friends. Well, they had always been friends, they had always been friendly, but as they moved into the 2015 season this grew. He had become a sort of mentor to her, filling the gap Mark that had left. He had other responsibilities, he had other commitments that meant he couldn’t be at her races no matter how badly he wanted to be there or how much Mia needed him there.
So Seb had gone to see her before her first f1 race. He knew that if it was any race that she needed support it was that one, and also because Mark had asked him. So he had walked into the Toro Rosso garage, not caring about the looks he was given. It was a good job he had because he had found her sat in the corner at the back of the garage completely engrossed by her own thoughts. Completely by herself as the team fussed around her teammate.
She had given him a smile when she had seen him. She had shown him her shaky hand, letting out a nervous laugh as she looked up to him. He had just smiled choosing to crouch down in front of her so he was at her eye level. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said quietly to him holding his gaze,
“it’s ok to be nervous,” he had said in response putting his hand on her knee to steady himself, “you’re meant to be nervous.”
It had given him déjà vu reminding him of himself from eight years ago when had driven for BMW sauber in the United States grand prix in 2007. He had been nineteen at the time, and she was nineteen now about to start her formula one career. She had been younger than he had been because he had started half way through the season, but neither were as young as her teammate, who had taken all of the attention at just seventeen. He had been just as nervous as she was. His hands shaking just as much. He had felt exactly the same way, but it had all been fine in the end. He had qualified in 7th back in 2007, only losing one place in the race to finish 8th in his first grand prix. He had told her this, and that it would be fine wherever she finished, even if she finished last, but obviously he had told her she wouldn’t, but, it would be ok, and that they would be proud no matter what.
What had been even weirder was that she had finished 8th just like he had.
He had found her in parc ferme after the race. He had hugged her, congratulating her and bumping her helmet before his former teammate hugged her. Lifting her into the air and swinging her around. She had squealed, laughing as Daniel finally put her down. She had had to hold onto Seb to steady herself as her feet found solid ground before Kvyat had found her too. He had hugged her with just as much enthusiasm, wrapping his arm around her as they headed back to the pits, leaving the former teammates to follow behind.
It hadn’t been the only time she had celebrated that year. It hadn’t been the only time he had seen her that year, but again they weren’t his stories to tell.
She only spent another year after that with Toro Rosso.
He had watched her relationship with Red Bull unfold.
He had watched her get pushed aside for Kvyat and then for Verstappen. She was never getting that Red Bull seat they had promised her. She had won in the Toro Rosso just like he had done. But that wasn’t enough. They had already made up their mind that Verstappen was the better driver and no matter what she did, it’d never change.
The smile never left her though, even though he was sure it did behind closed doors.
