BEND THE RULES, 009.

REAL LIFE

flashback - australian grand prix, 2023.

ROS - 7th
PIA - 8th
HUL - 9th

OSCAR WAS SEETHING WHEN HE crossed the finish line at his first formula one home race. he was elated that he made it into the points, considering the seven dnfs and three red flags that had taken place during the race. 

however, his smile dropped the moment he realized that it was not nico hulkenberg, but ana rosenthal who finished right in front of him. he was just about ready to crash his car into the nearest wall. it took a lot in him to not start yelling and ranting into his radio.

diana, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic. this was her chance to prove herself worthy of formula one and it was her one-way ticket into getting a seat for next year. she was extremely proud of herself for finishing in seventh place and nothing made her feel better than finishing right in front of oscar piastri.

+ diana's radio post-race !

"superb job, ana, that's p7. norris p6, piastri p8, and nico is p9. you did amazing today." diana's race engineer told her over the radio. 

"wait, what?" diana nearly lost control of her car in excitement, "can you repeat that? who was p8?"

"piastri p8. nico p9." he replied. diana started to cheer. 

"no fucking way!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "oh my god. thank you guys!" she thanked the team on the radio. "i'm so happy."

"you should be. you drove beautifully avoiding those red flags. be proud of yourself, kiddo."

"thank you so much. and i hope kevin feels better!"

+ oscar's radio post-race !

"alright, congrats oscar that is p8." oscar's engineer told him over the radio. oscar had a smile on his face. 

"thank you very much. great drive today. it's good to be home. is that hulkenberg in front of me?" he asked, his spirits quite high.

"no, hulkenberg is behind you." his engineer replied. oscar's face had never dropped so quickly. 

"what?"

"rosenthal is in front of you by 3 seconds. but don't worry about it, you drove amazingly."

"fuck." oscar cursed. his good mood was gone in an instant. "you guys couldn't have told me this earlier? i could have tried to pass her."

"mate, she was five seconds in front of you. she just had the better pace this race."

"she's in a haas and this is her first race." oscar rolled his eyes. "you guys need to fix the car because it's not working well at all."

"we'll talk about this later, oscar. but good job, again."

"whatever."

+ driver reaction interviews !

DIANA
"i'm really happy about my pace today. i was able to bypass the red flags and fight my way through the points and finishing seventh in my first ever race is such an incredible feeling. i did the best that i could in the car that i have and the position that i was in and i'm proud of myself. yeah, i'm really happy."

OSCAR
"happy about points in my first home race. could i done a bit better? of course. i should have been able to overtake the haas in front and get some more points for the team, but it is what it is. our pace in the car isn't as good, but hopefully we get better through the season. overall, i'm a bit disappointed in the result, but glad i was able to get by and earn points."

+ post-race conversations !

DIANA MADE HER WAY OUT of the car in the pit lane, with some of the other drivers instantly coming to congratulate her on her performance. it wasn't every day where a reserve driver was put in last minute and still managed to finish within points. 

"ana!" logan was the first to approach her. "oh my god, i'm so proud of you." he gave her a hug. "as soon as i got out of the race, i was rooting for you. i knew you could do it!"

"thanks, logan!" diana smiled at her friend. in fact, she had not stopped smiling since she crossed the finish line. 

"insane job, diana!" lando norris, oscar's teammate, was next to come up to her. "never imagined i'd have to defend you like that. you did really good!"

"thank you so much!" diana replied. "i had a lot of fun racing you. where's oscar, by the way?" 

"ah, he's not in the happiest of moods considering the circumstances." lando admitted to her. even he was aware of oscar's distaste and rivalry for the girl. 

"oh, okay. i just wanted to tell him congrats on his first points of the season, so tell him that if you see him." diana said, surprising lando, who's eyes caught on another figure approaching them.

"tell him yourself." lando pointed to the boy behind diana. she turned around and caught sight of oscar. 

"hey, jack!" she called out to him. oscar scowled. 

"if you're trying to brag about beating me, don't even bother." he said. diana rolled her eyes. 

"you always assume i'm gonna say something bad to you." she said. "i just wanted to say that was a good race. i had fun racing you again."

"yeah, right." oscar rolled his eyes and scoffed. diana tried not to laugh at him. she thought he was being way too dramatic, especially since she actually thought that he raced pretty well.

"damn, someone's upset about coming out behind me, aren't you?" she joked. oscar glared at her. 

"oh please, you're lucky to have even finished the race. considering the amount of red flags and restarts, p7 isn't that impressive." diana's eyes widened and for the first time since the race ended, her smile began to fade. even logan and lando, who were standing to the side and watching the whole interaction winced at the jab. 

"right." diana nodded. "apologies for being excited about my first formula one race." she replied, bitterly, pushing past oscar, who immediately showed a look of guilt. 

"shit." he whispered to himself. logan gave him a sympathetic look before patting his shoulder. 

"yeah, that's entirely on you, man." he said before walking off. oscar sighed and looked at lando, who raised his eyebrows. 

"you want me to say something?" lando asked him. oscar shook his head. 

"not if it's just calling me an idiot."

"she wanted to congratulate you, oscar. she knew this was the first points of the season for you, too." lando told him. "this stupid rivalry needs to be let go. you just made her feel like she wasn't good enough."

"she's the one who came at me first!"

"she was joking around with you!" lando defended. "look, usually i'd be on the side of my friend, but considering that you were being a grumpy asshole just because she beat you..."

"yeah, i got it." oscar rolled his eyes. "it's just not fair! her first ever race and she not only beats me, but she got seventh. my first ever race in bahrain, i didn't even finish the race. obviously, i'll be a little bitter about it."

"you didn't have to say that she was lucky to finish the race, though." lando told him. "you basically made it seem like she didn't deserve the position."

"i know." oscar mumbled. "and i felt bad as soon as i saw her smile drop. god, why am i such a jackass?"

"hmm, maybe 'cause your middle name's jack?" lando joked. oscar glared at him, but a smile couldn't help but make its way to his face. 

"your jokes are stupid." he said. lando only shrugged. 

"but they're not nearly as stupid as you."

maha speaks :)

just a little insight into ana & oscar's history and why ana seems to hate oscar so much after this moment. in case you didn't get it, ana wanted nothing but to say congrats to oscar but he was being a petty bitch and insulted her! rare oscar L i fear. 

im giggling guys this is gonna be so much fun