Author's Note: In case you didn't read it in the fic description, this is a sequel to RWBY Grand Prix. As in that story, I will be putting a little inspirations and inaccuracies section at the end. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Five Years Ago

Just a few hours removed from winning the championship, Pyrrha was still in disbelief. The other contenders, their friends, and assorted hangers-on had insisted on taking her to dinner to celebrate. She would just as soon have headed back to her hotel to get to sleep early, but she did not want to disappoint the others. Winter took the group to an impossibly fancy restaurant in the middle of Atlas City. With just a few words they had a private room and a table to accommodate the dozen or so in the group.

Pyrrha had pride of place at the head of the table, a position she was a bit embarrassed by. The other drivers were clustered around her except for Winter who sat at the other end. Champagne was served to everyone, even Ruby who was obviously below the legal drinking age. Winter stood, held her glass high, and clinked some silverware against it. "A toast." She announced. "To Pyrrha. You're an incredible driver and I see many titles in your future. And to everyone else. It's been an incredible season and I'm honored to have shared the track with you."

Yang, sitting at Pyrrha's immediate right, briefly raised her glass before downing it. "Congrats." She said with a smile. She motioned to a waiter for a refill then immediately downed it as well. She was putting on a brave face but after coming so close only to lose on a tiebreaker, she was surely devastated.

"You deserve that trophy more than I do." Pyrrha whispered to Yang. "If you hadn't stopped to save Winter at Menagerie you'd be the champion, not me."

Yang shrugged. "Or the engine would have grenaded and the result would have been the same." She said. "You were the best driver out there this year, no doubt about it. You earned it."

"Thank you, but…" Pyrrha started.

"Besides, I'll get you next year." Yang cut her off. "With a year under her belt no one's going to make a better car than Ruby."

"I don't know, with decent engines I'll be even faster." Pyrrha said. "You'll have your work cut out for you."

"I'm going to annihilate both of you." Weiss declared. After one glass of champagne she was already showing signs of drunkenness.

"What a lightweight." Yang sighed. "Lay off the juice kid."

"Who are you calling kid?" Weiss said.

The fight was headed off by Neon and Flynt. The pair had tagged along, always on the lookout for a good party. They acquired bottles of champagne, shook them up, and set about soaking the assembled guests. Taken by surprise, the wait staff failed to spirit away the remaining bottles and soon almost everyone at the table was armed. "Thankfully the food isn't out yet." Glynda groaned as the battle escalated with flying rolls hurled across the room by Nora. "These children just love to play with their food."

"Let them have fun." Ozpin said. "I seem to remember a certain young driver who had her share of wild parties." Glynda rolled her eyes, a knowing smile on her lips.

Before the night was over the place was basically trashed. Somehow everyone walked away uninjured and not in police custody. Winter wrote a check to cover the damages but it was very clear that none of them were welcome at the restaurant again. It was a fitting way to close a season of chaos and excitement the likes of which was rarely seen.

Present Day

Yang lay on a deck chair beside the pool, wearing a bikini that was probably too small, just relaxing in the sun. South Vacuo was the site of the season's first race and the weather was fantastic this time of year, invariably sunny and warm. Someone walked up and stood over her, blocking the sun. She lifted her sunglasses to take a look. "What do you want Weiss?" She asked.

"I know you're enjoying yourself but it's time to go to the track." Weiss replied.

"You should really give tanning a shot." Yang suggested. "You could use some color. You're the palest person I know."

"I think I'll pass." Weiss said.

"You're worried about how you'll look in a bikini, I get that." Yang laughed. "We can't all be so lucky."

"Why you…" Weiss seethed. She grabbed the side of Yang's chair and flipped it over, dumping Yang onto the concrete. "Get dressed. I will not be late."

"Fine, fine." Yang said as she picked herself up. "Calm down, I'm just messing with you."

The pair still drove for Beacon GP. Though they had started as enemies and still had their arguments, they had become good friends over the intervening five years. Those five years had been a whirlwind. Pyrrha had been champion in their rookie season, winning by the slimmest of margins. The following year Beacon GP was dominant as Schnee Automotive hit a downswing and Yang took the title, clinching with a race to go. The year after that was similar but Weiss won out by a single point. Then things in Formula 1 started to change. Someone had a bright idea: instead of just using aerodynamics to go fast in a straight line, why not use the air to help get round the corners. The cars sprouted wings. Nora turned out to be a brilliant aerodynamicist - a surprise given her tendency to solve all problems by hitting them with a hammer - and Team Juniper was the class of the field. Pyrrha won two consecutive titles and entered the current season on a three race winning streak.

Testing, however, showed signs that this year would not be quite so uncompetitive. Pyrrha was still fast (Jaune was still not), but Beacon GP was right there. They shared the same engines - branded Gambol Shroud and developed by the team of Blake, Ren and Penny - as in the previous four years, but Ruby had apparently learned a thing or two about making the aero work. Schnee Automotive was ominously fast as well. Blake and then Penny had been major parts of their engine program and after their departures it took years to recover. They had also struggled to find a decent driver to team with Winter. Ciel was back, mediocre as ever, but she was an expert at setting up cars. Winter had been at least as fast as Beacon GP and Team Juniper.

As for the rest of the field, much had changed in the previous few years. Sun and Neptune left Team Haven and formed their own team, SeaMonkeys F1, and were replaced at Haven by Scarlet David and Sage Ayana. After a few years of being comprehensively outrun by Coco, Yatsuhashi was replaced at Coffee Inc. and retired, his seat taken by Fox Alistair. The lineup at Phase Two had remained the same, though over the previous few years injuries had seen some replacement drivers in and out of the cars. Cardinal Motors had experienced tragedy when Sky Lark was killed in a crash, now replaced by Russel Thrush. WFR still ran with Adam and Francois Banesaw, the team's lack of funding and speed preventing them from acquiring better drivers. Team Funky had folded two years previously - with Neon and Flynt focusing their time and money on partying rather than driving - and were replaced on the grid by Indigo Motorsports - who had purchased their equipment - with drivers Dew Gayl and Gwen Darcy. Maiden Racing never returned after Amber Autumn's death, instead selling their equipment to a group that started Auburn Racing Team with drivers Arslan Atlan and Bolin Hori. This year there would be another new team, bringing the field to 22. The Bronze Car Company entered a factory effort with drivers May Zedong and Nolan Porfirio.

Besides the aerodynamics and personnel, there had been other changes to the world of F1. It was a lot safer. Two deaths and a handful of injuries in four years was a marked improvement. A lot of that had to do with Winter. As chair of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association she organized the drivers to campaign for safety. Not everyone joined her, but she had the pull and the support necessary to make changes happen. Tracks had to have reasonable measures in place to ensure the competitors' safety and at her insistence changes had been made to the regulations to make the cars safer as well. It was still a terrifyingly dangerous sport, but there was now at least a sanity to it. The schedule also expanded, bringing F1 to more places around Remnant than ever before. The popularity exploded and television coverage became more common. Sponsors entered the sport, bringing an influx of cash the previous generation's teams and drivers could not have dreamed of. It was the dawn of a new era and everyone knew it. All that remained, as always, was to see who was fastest.

Yang and Weiss arrived at their garage. Inside sat two brand new silver cars, numbered 3 and 4. They were vastly different from five years ago. The part of the car occupied by the driver was mostly the same, still more or less a tube stuffed with fuel tanks, with the engine - still branded a Gambol Shroud but much improved - bolted to the back. Then there was the aero. On the front was a wing that looked vaguely like an upturned snow shovel with the main cooling intake built into it. Just behind the driver and above the engine was a scoop to ram air into the motor. Behind that, just over the rear wheels, was what amounted to a pair of upside-down airplane wings connected by small oval endplates. The livery was different too. Gone was the plain silver with just the number, driver, and team name. Now the sides, nose and wings displayed logos for Beacon Motorworks and their StormFlower customer engines.

Team Juniper's cars shared the same engine, but their appearance was entirely different. The car was wedge-shaped and angular, tapering to a point at the front. One either side of the nose was a small wing. The cooling intake was not at the front, but was split into two, one boxy intake on either side just in front of the rear wheels. A scoop similar to that of the Beacon cars sat atop the engine to feed it air. The rear wing was similar as well. Aside from the numbers, 1 and 2, and driver and team names, the blue cars featured the same logos for Beacon Motorworks and the StormFlower. In addition, Pyrrha's car displayed logos for a few of her personal sponsors.

Schnee Automotive brought its own unique design as well. Their spotless white cars displayed the numbers 5 and 6 with only driver names and team logos, no sponsors. The main chassis of the car was the closest to what would have been seen five years before. It was a rounded tube but flattened, tapering to a narrow cooling intake at the front. The nose featured a pair of small wings like the Juniper cars. There was no scoop over the engine but the rear wing closely mirrored what the others had. Their engine was rumored to be Schnee Automotive's most powerful in years, a true contender.

Cars of various shapes, sizes and colors rounded out the field. Testing promised a competitive season but no one would know for sure until the cars were on track for the real thing. But before that, there was a surprise in store.

Ironwood stepped into the Beacon GP garage. "Winter Schnee is hosting a press conference in the media center and has requested that Weiss and Yang attend." Ironwood reported. "It's starting in a few minutes so you should head there now."

"What's this about Weiss?" Yang asked.

"I have no idea." Weiss replied.

Pyrrha suddenly arrived with Jaune in tow. "Did Winter ask you to go to her press conference too?" She asked.

"Yep." Yang replied.

"It looks like all the drivers were invited." Pyrrha said. "Do you guys know what it's about?"

"I have no idea." Weiss repeated. "I guess we'll just have to go and see."

The four drivers - with Ruby, Blake, Ren, and Nora tagging along - headed to the media center. They filed in, standing along the back wall with the other drivers and team personnel. All the seats were occupied by members of the international press and staff from Schnee Automotive. Microphones were arrayed atop the podium at the head of the room and video cameras were set up nearby. Whatever Winter was going to say, it was important.

Winter entered the room to the pops of flashbulbs and made her way to the podium. She took a moment to collect herself, then wasted no time in getting down to business. "I've called you here to announce my retirement, effective at the end of the season." She said. There were audible gasps followed by whispers and a general restlessness. Winter waited for the noise to die down before continuing. "I've had a wonderful career. It's been an honor and a privilege to race for all these years with and against such incredible drivers. I know that in the last few years Schnee Automotive has not seen the success to which we have become accustomed, but that did not factor into my decision. I've simply decided that I've had my fun and it's time to pass the torch to the next generation." She paused and some of the reporters began shouting questions. Winter waved her arms to quiet them then went on. "I'll still be around the track. I'm going to dedicate my time to making racing safer. We've made great strides in these last few years but there's still a long way to go. I won't rest until a driver can step into a Formula 1 car without having to worry about never stepping out again. I'll still need help and solidarity from the drivers if the improvements are going to stick. To ease the transition, I'm resigning my position as head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. As my last act as chair, I officially call for an immediate vote to select the new chair." Winter scanned the back of the room, looking at the assembled drivers. Most of them were present, enough to make the vote official at least. "I nominate Weiss Schnee." Winter said. Weiss sighed heavily and shook her head, covering her face with her hand. "Are there any other nominees?"

Yang raised her hand. "Pyrrha Nikos." She said.

Pyrrha was taken aback by the nomination. "I couldn't possibly…" She started.

"Anyone else?" Winter asked. There were no takers. "Very well. All for Weiss Schnee." She raised her hand, joined by many of the other drivers but curiously not Weiss herself. "All for Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss, Yang, Jaune and several others raised their hands. Pyrrha had not voted. "And the winner, by one vote, is Pyrrha Nikos. Congratulations. I suppose it's only fair that the two-time defending champion is our leader. Care to come up and say a few words?"

Pyrrha was mortified. She was a private person and hated the spotlight. Resigned to her fate, she walked up to the podium. Winter stepped away and the reporters shouted more questions. She just shook her head and made her way to the back of the room. Pyrrha stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat. "I hope I can live up to Winter's example and all of your expectations." She said. "As my first act as chair, I name Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long as directors." Weiss was already a director under Winter and Yang would replace the recently retired Yatsuhashi. "Now, if the directors would please join me in private…" Pyrrha motioned to a side door that led to a small conference room. She headed inside, followed by the two others as the reporters again shouted questions that went unanswered. Winter followed the trio. Schnee Automotive's PR director took the stage and fielded questions from the assembled press but with the key drivers out the meeting began to break up.

"Weiss, how on Remnant did you not know about this?" Yang demanded once the door was closed.

"That's easy." Winter said. "I didn't tell her. I didn't tell anyone. I feel bad for our PR guy because I blindsided him and now he has to deal with the media."

"We should have talked about this." Weiss complained. "Retiring is a big decision."

"I'm sorry but I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone." Winter said. "And nothing you could say would change my mind. Racing isn't fun anymore. I'm too afraid, but not for myself. It's hard to go out there knowing my friends could die and the more time passes the worse it gets. I want to dedicate myself to sparing you and your generation that pain."

"Why did you nominate me?" Weiss asked. "You know I'm not interested in leading the GPDA."

"You're afraid to follow in my footsteps." Winter said. "You've spent your whole life trying to step out of my shadow and you think leading the GPDA would put you there again." It was hard for Weiss to hear it stated so plainly but Winter was correct. "I see it differently. You can surpass what I achieved, on and off the track. I set the groundwork but you can take it to new heights."

"You can have the position if you want it." Pyrrha offered.

"Maybe next year." Weiss said. "I'm not ready."

"I think you are, but you know yourself better than anyone else." Winter said.

"Yang, why in the world did you nominate me?" Pyrrha asked. She tried not to sound annoyed but she was clearly furious.

"I could see from the look on Weiss' face that she didn't want to do it." Yang replied. "Besides, you're the best driver out there. Your opinion carries more weight than anyone else's, except maybe Winter's."

"But I don't care about that." Pyrrha protested. "I don't want my opinion to carry weight. What I think doesn't matter."

"Sure it does." Winter encouraged. "You're a three-time champion. Whether you like it or not what you think matters. You can be an instrument of change. All you have to do is say the word."

"You realize that I've been desperately trying to stay out of the spotlight." Pyrrha sighed. "This is only going to draw more attention that I don't want. I just want to focus on my driving and live a quiet life off the track."

"If you wanted a quiet life you should have chosen a different career." Weiss observed. "Seriously, it would be hard to pick one that's worse. Maybe movie star? Politician?"

"I get that." Pyrrha said. "The fans and the press are going to be all over me anyway. I've accepted that. Now the drivers are going to treat me differently. How can you view me as an equal when I have a title like this?"

"If you want me to view you as an equal I can do that." Yang said. "The people who matter aren't going to treat you differently so what are you worried about?"

"If it helps, Yang and I can act as spokespersons for you." Weiss offered. "That'll take away some of the heat from the press."

"That could work." Pyrrha said. "I'd also like to have your agreement on all decisions. It should never come down to just my opinion."

"Of course." Yang said. "We're a team. I'm not here to just rubber stamp everything you say."

"See, it's already working beautifully." Winter said. "I'll leave you three alone and you can work out what to do about the Emerald Forest."

"The Emerald Forest?" Pyrrha asked.

"They're dragging their feet on the promised safety improvements." Winter explained. "This is the perfect opportunity to make your marks, to show you mean business just as much as I do. You need to convince them to make the changes before this year's race. I would hate to have another Mistral situation." The fearsome Mistral Circuit, a collection of public roads with no safety measures whatsoever, had been the target of a successful driver boycott. Now Mistral's grand prix was held at a modern closed circuit, but only after a year in which no race was held in the kingdom. Winter headed out the door. "Good luck!"

Inspirations:

- Back in the 50's, 60's and 70's, F1 drivers were notorious for wild parties and wacky shenanigans. The one described here is a toned down version of a story told by Dr. Sid Watkins in his book Beyond the Limit. In the actual event the projectiles were not rolls but ceramic plates.

- The present day portions of the story are vaguely based on the 1971 F1 Season. This places it five years after the events of RWBY Grand Prix.

- South Vacuo is meant to be South Africa, the track Kyalami.

- Yang sunning herself by the hotel pool is actually based on a story about Michael Schumacher from the early 90's.

- The Gambol Shroud and StormFlower engines are based on the Cosworth DFV, probably the greatest engine in F1 history.

- Winter is based on Jackie Stewart.

- The Beacon GP car is based on the Tyrrell 003.

- The Team Junuper car is based on the Lotus 72C/D.

- The Schnee Automotive car is based on the Ferrari 312B.

- The Emerald Forest is based on the Nurburgring.

- The Mistral Circuit is based on Spa.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms:

- As in RWBY Grand Prix, this is not going to be an exhaustive list. If you find something I don't mention, feel free to say so. I may have just forgotten to include it.

- It's all been mentioned in RWBY Grand Prix, but I'll go ahead and repeat a few things for those just joining us and those who forgot. Team composition is unrealistic (cars were not designed by one person, engines were not designed by a team of three, etc.), team's with 2 regular drivers with season-long numbers did not come until later, women drivers were almost unheard of, the format of the race weekends is anachronistically modern and the constructor's points will be calculated using the modern system combined with the period-accurate 9-6-4-3-2-1 scoring.

- The timing of the introduction of wings to F1 is not quite as described. It's both time-shifted and oversimplified.

- The casualty rate of 1967-70 is higher than described.

- The successful boycott of Spa took place in 1971, not 1970 as in this story. The Belgian Grand Prix was not run at the track until it was totally redesigned, the first F1 race at the new course taking place in 1983. A boycott of the Nurburgring took place in 1970 and the track was updated for the 1971 race after the 1970 German Grand Prix was held at Hockenheim.