Chapter Text
End of the summer break 2027
Melissa Jiménez (Reporter for DAZN España): Today is a very special day because I finally have the honour to interview Carlos and Lando together. I'm glad you agreed to this.
Lando Norris: *laughs* We knew we couldn't shy away from an interview forever and would rather do it with you than with someone we don't know.
Melissa Jiménez: Of course, I'm very honoured about that. All right, boys. You know how this works. We've prepared a few questions, and we'll start with some general questions about your relationship. We've all seen your post about your wedding on social media but still haven't gotten any more details. How did the wedding go? Who were your best man? Did you have a bachelor party together? And your honeymoon?
Carlos Sainz Jr: Well, first of all, one at a time. *laughs* We got married right in the first week of the summer break in Mallorca. Our families were accommodated in my family's house while we rented a cottage for the few days and our friends slept in a hotel. As mentioned, the wedding itself was rather small and didn't go very long. Our families have actually quite unspectacularly decorated the garden in the house, and we got married there before we went to a restaurant at the beach. We didn't want to anything big from the start, and we didn't, which was perfect. *smiles at Lando* My best man was Rupert, and Lando's was Max, of course. And, shame on us, but we didn't actually have a bachelor party. By the way, we kept our last names for the public, but in fact one of us took the last name of the other. We won't say which tho.
"Mhh...my husband." Dreamy, Lando hugged his husband – capital HUSBAND, he would never stop telling people that this Spanish God was his husband – and closed his eyes.
"Mi amado," Carlos whispered into his ear and kissed the sensitive skin tenderly, "I can't believe we're finally married. Mr Sainz."
"Finally," the younger one echoed. Lovingly, he intertwined their hands and looked at the wedding rings, which would now adorn their ring fingers forever. He'd have to get used to the last name tho.
After all the hustle and bustle today, the two of them had retreated to the beach of their holiday home to review everything. Only the gentle sound of the sea could be heard as they enjoyed the tranquility.
"What are you thinking about?" Carlos wanted to know quietly and pressed his nose lovingly into Lando's neck. The Briton needed a moment to find an answer before he laughed when he realised.
"I think," he began, leading Carlos' hand to his mouth to kiss it, "I'm so happy for the first time in my life that I'm not thinking about anything really."
And that got him a kiss right after he had turned his head to the older one.
Lando Norris: And after that, we spent our honeymoon on the Caribbean islands. This summer break will be hard to beat.
Melissa Jiménez: *laughs* I can imagine. How's it going with you guys? Did you fulfill your desire to have children quietly? *grins*
Lando Norris: No, not yet. *chuckles* And we didn't get much further than we've been at the time of our outing, but we adopted a dog from the shelter and officially moved in together.
Carlos Sainz Jr: But it has to be said that we have lived together for some time, if it was possible. But it's just something else when it's official. I am registered in Monaco now, but we still have an apartment in Italy and the house in England, where Max still lives. So whenever we're able to, we're in Monaco, because most of our colleagues are there and we just enjoy it there.
Melissa Jiménez: That sounds like a perfect life. Is there even anything else on your bucket list that you haven't fulfilled yet? Except for the children.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Exploring life after our careers?
Lando Norris: Being teammates again. *winks at Carlos*
Melissa Jiménez: Oh yes? Are there rumours that can be spread?
Carlos Sainz Jr: *laughs* No, not yet. Lando just likes to tease me that he is a world champion in the McLaren, and I didn't make it in a Ferrari. But Caco isn't negotiating with McLaren right now.
Melissa Jiménez: Too bad, too bad. *grins* We would certainly have all been happy about another year of Carlando in Papaya. May I ask how much time you actually spend together?
Lando Norris: A hell of a lot for the fact that we would have to get out of this romantic phase.
Carlos Sainz Jr: I think I can count on one hand how many days we spend each month apart, which is incredible for our job. But our teams really support us and only ask us to come to the factories if there's no other way. We don't take that for granted and are very grateful that they understand.
Melissa Jiménez: It's nice to hear that you're getting so much support. To get back to your outing, I would like to ask you which outing in front of family members or colleagues stayed on your min in a positive way.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Well, for me, it's definitely the one with my sisters because it was the first one. I was incredibly nervous to tell them I was dating Lando, and in the end I just dropped it quickly. I was really expecting everything, but I wasn't expecting them to just nod unimpressed and say they already knew. *laughs* Of course, they hugged me and wished us luck, but apparently it wasn't really new information for them. They seem to know me too well for that.
Melissa Jiménez: Somehow I can imagine that with Ana and Blanca. What about you, Lando?
Lando Norris: First of all, of course, we have to say that we are both lucky enough to have only experienced positive reactions in our close circle. But my personal favorite was my outing to Alex and George because it was really chaotic. It was after the Monaco Grand Prix 2021, and Georgie and I were totally drunk and we actually were convinced that Alex was too, but as it turned out, he hadn't had a single sip of alcohol. *smiles* Well, anyway, I told them then because I couldn't think clearly anymore, but I asked them not to tell Carlos that I told them. Five minutes later, Alex, the traitor, had already told Carlos, and he took me to the hotel.
"No waaaay!" George looked at his younger friend with big eyes after he had told Alex and George about Carlos and himself. Lando nodded proudly.
"I mean, it's kind of obvious," the Briton continued thoughtfully, "but I didn't expect you to actually tell us first."
"Well, our families already know...?" He looked uncertainly at George, who immediately seemed totally shocked. "But you are the first friends to know." The Williams driver was soothed again, and Lando widened his eyes in fright as another thought hit him.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "You mustn't tell Carlos that you know about us! I didn't tell him I'd tell you! Oh, God, this was not planned!"
"Okay, I won't tell him anything, I promise," George whispered to him, pointing two thumbs up as if he was keeping a big secret. Well, he kind of did. Alex, on the other hand, who had not said anything yet, just rolled his eyes amused.
"You both need to get to the hotel urgently," he said but then pulled Lando into a brief hug, "Thank you for entrusting us with this. I'm very happy for you."
Smiling, he snuggled up to his former idol and enjoyed the fact that his grip made the room stop spinning for a short time.
Unfortunately, Alex seemed to see him right through because he poked him gently. "Are you here with Carlos?" he wanted to know whereupon Lando nodded.
"But don't get him, or he'll know I told you about us." Begging, he looked up to the Thai, who sighed heavily but said, "Well, then sit down on the chairs over there, and I'll get you some water, yes?"
He immediately agreed, and somehow, he and George made it to the chairs undamaged. As soon as he had sat down, he felt a little better, but still he was a little fuzzy and nauseous. Maybe it had been too much alcohol for him when he normally didn't drink...
A few minutes later – he had closed his eyes by now – something cold, wet was suddenly pressed on his neck, whereupon he yelped. However, it wasn't Alex who knelt in front of him, as expected, but Carlos, who looked at him worrying and had put the wet paper towels on his neck.
"Drink this, and we'll leave, okay?" he suggested, handing him the water, which he quickly downed. Did Alex tell him he knew about them?
Carlos, of course, did not miss his restless gaze towards the Thai, which is why he sighed: "I know you told them."
Absolutely synchronous, Lando and George breathed in the air and shouted an accusing "Alexander!".
"Why would you do that?" the youngest moaned, and Alex answered dryly: "Because you have to go to bed, and I certainly can't persuade you to do it. Carlos does tho."
"Come on." The Spaniard took the empty glass of water from his hand and placed it on the small table between the armchairs. "We're leaving."
He willingly let his boyfriend pull him out of the club but then turned around again to wave at his best friends.
But then he saw that Alex had sat down on the armrest of George's chair and had just pressed a kiss on the top of his head. Huh, that was weird.
Maybe he should talk to them about it if he could remember it tomorrow.
Melissa Jiménez: That definitely sounds like a funny story. *smiles* Lando, you just said that your outing in your closest circle has been positive without any exception. Was there even any bad situation at all because of your sexuality?
Carlos Sainz Jr: *exchanges a glance with Lando* We've never talked about it before, but yes, of course, there have been a few moments when we felt uncomfortable because we were being insulted. Be it on the road or in the paddock. And there was a situation in the first half of the season that got really out of hand, and I'm glad the security in the paddock acted fast enough before something worse could have happened, but we decided not to talk about that. Not because we want to keep quiet about the fact that homophobia still exists, but because we were very moved by the incident, and we haven't fully dealt with it so we could properly talk about it.
"I've packed. I just need to talk to Rupert for a moment, then I'll come, okay?" he muttered into his phone as he left his driver's room.
"Okay," Lando agreed, "I'll wait for you by the car."
Since they were in Saudi Arabia, they refrained from entering or leaving the paddock together. They drove to the hotel and back together, yes, but they were very restrained when it came to body contact and interaction in general, so as not to get any problems. They hated it so much to feel so unsafe. And, of course, they had noticed that they were always being followed by security. It had been the same in Baku.
Suddenly, the line cracked, and he could hear a dull blow, then a scream. Lando.
"Lando?!" he shouted into the phone in panic, but received no answer. One more sound, then several voices. And right then, he started running.
Never before had he run out of the paddock to the parking lot that fast, and he could only breathe again when he saw Lando on the floor, his phone a few meters further, next to him a security man who quietly talked to him.
"Lando," he whispered, relieved, and now he didn't care where they were. He sat down with his trembling fiancé and hugged him tightly.
"It's okay," he murmured, trying to suppress the trembling of his own voice. Lando just continued crying and pressed himself close to him.
He looked at the security man for help, who said: "He was attacked, thrown on the ground and kicked once before we could intervene. We got the guy, and see what we can do with him."
The "probably not much, because homophobia is forbidden here and therefore – however sick it may be – he somehow was in the right" hung heavily in the air but Carlos just nodded tightly and held Lando even closer to him. It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that Lando had to experience this because he just loved someone. It wasn't fair that Carlos couldn't intervene because they couldn't be together. It wasn't fair that they needed security. It wasn't fair that the guy didn't face any consequences. It wasn't fair that they were both sitting here and would maybe be traumatised forever, especially Lando.
It wasn't fair that money was still more important to the FIA than human rights and the safety of their drivers.
Melissa Jiménez: Of course I understand that, and I'm sorry you had to experience something like that. Let's get on with something less oppressive. What are your favourite weird habits of the other?
Lando Norris: Ugh, Carlos doesn't have any weird habits I like.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Thank you very much. *snorts*
Lando Norris: *laughs* Of course, I'm just kidding. Carlos always makes his bed right after getting up. We don't get up separately too often, but if he needs to leave early, he'll make his bed, whether I'm still asleep or not. Unbelievably strenuous because I wake up every time, but also kind of nice, because I still get a goodbye kiss before he leaves.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Lando takes a selfie with me every day. Like really, every day. Since the beginning of our relationship. Sometimes we're in bed, and I'm almost asleep, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he's got to take a picture. If we're not together, he'll take a screenshot on FaceTime. So it can be really annoying, but there's something sweet about it, and in hindsight I'm also thankful that he's been doing it for so long. It's nice to see how grown up and safer we've become.
Melissa Jiménez: I think many would give anything to see these photos at some point.
Lando Norris: Maybe we'll post them sometime. *grins*
Melissa Jiménez: We would definitely love that! What was your funniest date?
Lando Norris: For me, it was our paintball date.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Oh, that's a good one.
Lando Norris: Definitely. And it was one of the first. We were still quite insecure around each other, as it is with new relationships, but paintball loosened us up a lot. By the time we were full of color, we couldn't stop laughing at each other, and since then, we were just much more relaxed when i was the two of us.
Carlos Sainz Jr: We had a gold double date a few years back. Personally, I think that was the funniest thing.
Lando Norris: I knew you would choose this. *rolls his eyes*
Carlos Sainz Jr: *laughs* I have to say that Lando was very clever when we were golfing together. He's been acting like he couldn't do anything, just so I would help him. The other couple helped me understand that he wasn't as bad as he acted. But in general it was just a fun day with friends, and we like golfing together anyway.
"Ay, Lando!" he exclaimed after Lando had once again put a hole in the ground instead of actually hitting the ball. He immediately turned around and looked at him innocently. Next to Carlos, Alex and George laughed their asses off at the non-existent talent of their best friend.
"Look, cariño," he said and began to put Lando's body in a better position, "It's about posture and technique. You can learn that." He gently embraced his arms and helped Lando to execute the shot. The ball flew at least near the hole.
They stood there for a short moment, then Carlos kissed his cheek and walked back to the other two, who grinned strangely at him.
"What?" he wanted to know.
"You know Lando can do it without you, don't you?" Alex hooked up and raised an eyebrow, whereupon Lando muttered a warning "Alexander Albon, I swear to god!"
However, he was still totally confused which is why George took pity to enlighten him: "Lando can hit balls if he wants to. He just enjoys it too much when you help him and plays extra badly."
"Pricks," Lando hissed at them and swung back his bat, whereupon the other couple ran away, giggling.
Soothingly, Carlos put an arm around his shoulder and smiled broadly. "You know, you could've just told me that. I enjoy helping you just as much."
Lando looked up to him with red cheeks before he kissed him quickly and then ran after his friends.
Melissa Jiménez: It's nice to hear that you have created so many beautiful memories together. Is there something in your relationship that you're afraid of?
Lando Norris: Not really afraid, but sometimes I get too close to comments saying that Carlos will be annoyed by me and so on. That's the side effect of spending a lot of time on social media, like I do. I don't stream as often as I did a few years ago, but when I do, I get homophobic comments and the like. Carlos has never made me feel like he'll ever be annoyed by me, and I'm sure he'll never do that either, but I think it's human that I still worry about losing him to my own stupidity one day.
Carlos Sainz Jr: I feel the same way. We've just been together for so long that we can't imagine life without each other, and of course we're afraid that's going to happen. But other than that, I'm just scared of being a bad father or not being able to do justice to our future children.
Melissa Jiménez: When I think of videos showing you and small children, I don't believe you have to worry about that, Carlos. *smiles* But I understand the fear of separation. Somewhere it might be human when you love someone that much.
Lando Norris: Probably.
Melissa Jiménez: Do you think you have to share everything in a good relationship, or can you keep secrets from each other?
Lando Norris: *laughs* Carlos and I agree on that point. We both have our things we don't talk about. There are not many, but sometimes there are thoughts or events that we prefer to keep to ourselves, and we don't blame the other for that.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Yes, so we think it's perfectly okay to keep secrets from each other. That doesn't mean we think it's the only way to go, but it works best for us. And when you don't want to talk about something, so be it. We trust each other enough to know it's nothing personal.
Melissa Jiménez: I totally agree with you. *smiles* So, we have "already" reached the last question. What quality would you like to have of the other? Off track, of course.
Carlos Sainz Jr: I would like to have Lando's ability to be happy about the smallest things. Sometimes he enjoys seemingly trivial things, like ice cream after a strenuous race, so much I envy him for it. He's so grateful for everything you do for him, and even if you do one little thing a hundred times, his eyes shine. I'd like to say the same about myself. These days, people don't appreciate much, and Lando often brings me back to reality. In the end, it's really the little things in life.
Lando Norris: And I would like to have Carlos' self-confidence in new situations. He always finds the right words in every situation, even if he is not prepared for anything. And I'm still that person who practices what to say before a phone call, and then fucks it up anyway. *laughs* So I would like to be able to speak as confidently as he does, that's a big advantage.
Carlos Sainz Jr: But we complement each other quite well. I'm talking, and you're happy you don't have to talk. *grins*
Melissa Jiménez: Well, if those aren't nice last words. *laughs* Carlos, Lando, thank you for taking the time for this interview. We at DAZN – especially me – appreciate this very much and wish you the best of luck for the rest of the season.
Lando Norris: Thank you, it was an honour. *grins*