You sigh and sink deeper into the couch as the post-race interviews continue.

Carlos speaks with his usual confidence, but your attention is completely focused on the person in the background.

Lando.

He doesn't even look at his PR manager or react while he speaks.

He's somewhere else.

Lost in frustration and disappointment.

Your heart aches for him.

It was a brutal race.

From P2 to P15.

He fought his way back to P10, but you know him well enough to know that's not enough for him.

He's always too hard on himself.

He always blames himself and he always finds something to criticize on him or his work.

You grab your phone and type a message.

You : Hey, baby. Call me when you get back to the hotel, okay?

An hour later, your phone buzzes.

Lando : Are you still awake?

Without hesitation, you call him.

He answers immediately. "Hey." His voice is raspy, quiet.

"Hey, are you back at the hotel?" You ask quietly.

"Yeah. Just got to my room." He sighs.

You hear the exhaustion in his voice, the weight of the race still weighing on him.

You hesitate for a moment. "Do you want to talk about it?" You ask quietly.

He exhales slowly.

"There's not much to say. I messed up. I lost everything. From P2 to P15? That's embarrassing. My fight for the championship is over..."

"Lando, that's not true. You still have a chance to-"

He interrupts you.

"No, really. I should have done better. I had the pace. The car was good. I just..." He exhales in frustration. "I just don't know. I don't even know what to say."

You let the silence rest for a moment, giving him space before carefully breaking it.

"You're allowed to have bad days." You say quietly.

He laughs bitterly.

"Not in this sport." He snaps.

You know he didn't mean it.

He's just..exhausted and disappointed.

"Lando..." You say with a sigh.

"Everyone wants something from me. Everyone wants me to be good, to be better. But I'm only human!" His voice is harsh.