Author's Note: This story is not a continuation of RWBY Grand Prix or Formula RWBY. It can be viewed as a reboot. There will be some similar themes and events, but this is its own unique story. The beginning will be particularly familiar to those who read RWBY Grand Prix. Enjoy!

It's also worth noting: this is an F1-centric story! None of the present day drivers get in an F1 car until Chapter 5, but I promise it's coming.

Chapter 1

Fourteen Years Ago

It was another banner year for Beacon GP. Their lead driver, Taiyang Xiao-Long, was the defending champion and he was leading the points again. Second in points was his teammate, best friend and wife, Summer Rose. She had won the championship two years previously. The year before that had been another title for Taiyang. With the pace the pair had been showing it was pretty clear that one would win the title again. With only nine of fifteen races complete, it was pretty much a lock.

The tenth race was at Menagerie. Taiyang had qualified on the pole with Summer second. Their times were only tenths of a second apart, but they were two seconds faster than anyone else. If the cars held together it would be another win. Taiyang got a poor start. Summer beat him to the first corner and he fell in line behind her. There was no rush. They could fight it out later. For now they would run nose-to-tail and pull away from the field. As the early laps ticked by Taiyang let Summer pull out to a small gap so the wake off of her car would not interfere with his aerodynamics.

Some team owners were of the opinion that drivers getting married was a bad thing. A few felt it would cost the drivers their killer instinct, that willingness to push the limits and put their lives on the line. Once they had kids, forget it. Taiyang and Summer proved that view was very wrong. Taiyang came into his marriage with Summer with a daughter from a short-lived marriage that had only just ended. Within a year of meeting they were married, and had a child of their own within a year of that. It seemed to only make them faster and the success just kept coming. They loved each other deeply and they loved racing with and against one another. They hoped that one day their daughters would follow in their footsteps.

The race was only a few laps old. They had not even reached lap 10 of the scheduled 72. Taiyang was smiling. He knew he was going to have a thrilling battle with Summer for the win once the time was right. Summer was smiling too. She was thinking about how much fun it would be to battle with Taiyang for another victory. She was pretty sure she would win too. They had about the same pace but she was in front and she was not going to make it easy for him just because they were married. It was not as if the winner was going to gloat to the loser - they had never done that to each other - but they both just hated to lose.

Summer was approaching a newly reprofiled part of the track. Previously, most of the track had been taken flat-out or nearly so, and in the interests of safety a chicane had been added about two thirds of the way around. Before that Summer had to negotiate a very fast right-hander. It was taken flat-out so it was not much of a challenge. Summer turned into the corner, aiming for the apex she had been hitting lap after lap. At times she was almost robotic in her precision. But this time something did not feel right. Something was wrong with the car. She let off the throttle but it was already too late.

Taiyang was just a bit behind Summer, biding his time as he entered the right-hander. Odd. She took a slightly different line than normal and slowed. Oh no. Her right-rear tire disintegrated and her silver car snapped into a spin. At nearly top speed it smacked the armco on the left of the track and flipped onto its side, skidding across the track on the roll-hoop. It was still in motion when it suddenly burst into flames, fuel from a punctured tank lit by the sparks from metal scraping on asphalt. The fireball slid to a halt on the right side of the track, just before the armco. Taiyang pulled his car to a stop just before the burning wreck and jumped out.

It had not been that hard a hit. Taiyang knew Summer would be fine, but she would need help getting out of the car. The track workers did not look very eager to help. The fact that they were wearing street clothes, nothing remotely fireproof, explained their reluctance. Taiyang rushed to Summer's car.

"Get me out!" Summer pleaded. "I can't get out!" The fire was only growing more intense as fuel continued to pour out of the car's nearly full tanks. There was a fire extinguisher system in the cockpit that would keep the fire away for a time, and there was an emergency oxygen supply pumped straight into her helmet, but they were only designed to last a few seconds.

"I've got you." Taiyang said. Braving the flames he stepped up to the car and pushed, trying to roll it onto its wheels. "Come on!" What remained of the suspension prevented him from flipping the car easily. He needed help. "Come on! Help!" He frantically waved to them but the track workers looked on but did nothing. How could they? They would only burn too.

"Tai!" Summer screamed. Her terror was rising.

"I'll save you!" Taiyang promised. "I won't let you burn!" He kept pushing but it was no use. He was not strong enough. A track worker started across the track with a fire extinguisher, the only one anywhere nearby. He was not moving fast enough for Taiyang. Taiyang met him halfway across the track and snatched the extinguisher. After struggling with it for a few seconds he blasted it at the fire. It cleared away the flames for a moment but as soon as he swept the stream of CO2 away the fire returned. It was useless.

"Tai…" Summer said. Her voice was weaker this time. What concerned Taiyang most was her lack of panic.

"Help me!" Taiyang shouted at the track workers that stood around him. "We can save her!" They just looked at him, ashamed at their helplessness.

"Tai...I love you." Summer said, almost at a whisper.

"No damnit!" Taiyang screamed. "No!" He pushed and pushed as the flames spread, engulfing the area around his feet. He ignored the pain. His clothing was fire-resistant but the intense fire was already eating through and licking at his skin. "You can't die!" He kept pushing. The fire was threatening to consume him. A pair of track workers stepped forward and tried to pull him away. He swung wildly, forcing them back, then went back to pushing. The track workers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away. They could not save Summer but they could keep Taiyang from adding himself to her pyre.

At first Taiyang struggled to get free. He was not ready to give up. But as the seconds ticked by and the fire continued to consume the wreck, he lost all the fight he had had in him. He slumped to the ground and the track workers let him fall to his knees. He remained there, tears streaming down his face, staring at the fire as if transfixed. He was still there when the fire truck finally arrived almost ten minutes later. Just a few feet away the race went on. It would have to go on without two of its stars, one's life cut tragically short, one too stricken with grief to ever race again. Still, there was no doubt that it would go on. That's just how it worked. The race always went on.

Present Day

The race was at Signalstone. For Ruby Rose it was as close as she had to a home track. It was the perfect place to make her F3 debut. She had run a few touring car races earlier in the year and karts before that, but F3 was a real step up and an important one at that. Her dream was to race in F1 like her half-sister Yang Xiao-Long. That was still a few years away as far as she was concerned, but one day she would get there. At least she hoped she would. It had taken Yang years of toil in the lower divisions and though she was always fast, it sometimes seemed not to matter.

It had been tough for Yang. The only money she had was what she could borrow, win or beg. Her father was wealthy, but he forbid his daughters from racing. They did it anyway, but without his money it was a lot harder. Yang eventually picked up a few sponsors, made it to a decent F3000 team and did well enough to get noticed. Now she had just finished her first F1 season. Ruby did not expect it to be any easier for her. If anything it would probably be tougher. She had contributed all her money to Yang's effort and now she was more broke than her sister had been. Yang would pay her back once she started making some money of her own, but there was no telling how long that would take. Even in F1 the money she was making as a relatively new driver was less than impressive. Until then Ruby would have to take what she could get.

What she could get was a one race drive for a middle-of-the-road F3 team in the season finale. She had only even been hired because of her famous last name and the good PR that would do for a race on Patch. The best thing that could be said about the team was that their cars rarely broke. They were not fast, but they were usually there at the finish. If Ruby put in a good performance at Signalstone, there was a good chance the team would pick her up for the next season. If she was competent enough, a better team might even hire her. After that, maybe F3000 for a year or two before F1. But that was all a best-case scenario. It was just as likely that she would end up like so many other drivers, stuck in the junior formulae with little hope of moving up.

The F1 season had just ended so Yang was there for Ruby's F3 debut. She was not much of a mechanic, but she could give some helpful tips and her encouragement was always welcome. "Alright Ruby, take it easy on the start and keep it clean for a few laps." Yang suggested. "It'll probably get a little crazy but if you keep your head the race will come to you. Remember, you can't win the race on the first lap but you can lose it."

"If I can complete the first lap with all the wheels attached, I'll be happy." Ruby said. She was starting fifteenth in a field of 26 cars. They all looked vaguely similar, small pointy-nosed tubs with low side-pods and wings on the front and back. Ruby's car was silver. The team's usual color was green but the silver car was part of their PR campaign. Ruby's mother Summer had driven a silver car and putting Ruby in one really drove home the point of her lineage. Ruby did not mind being used for PR purposes, just as long as she got to race. She felt like she had more talent than most of the other drivers but unfortunately her car was not good. The handling was alright but the engine was weak. Signalstone was a power track.

Just before the cars headed to the grid, everything changed. The dark clouds that had blanketed the circuit all day opened up with a drenching rain shower. It showed no signs of stopping. The teams had been prepared for rain - it had been forecast - and quickly fitted rain tires to their cars before sending them out. Now Ruby felt like she had a shot. She was a pretty good driver in the rain and the slippery conditions would make her weak engine less important. She headed out to the grid.

"You know this track better than anyone else out there." Yang said as she and Ruby stood beside her car as it waited on the grid. Ruby had not only run several touring car and lower formula car races there, she had been in attendance for most of Yang's many starts at the track. "Use it to your advantage. You know where the water will be. They don't."

"I'm scared." Ruby admitted. She was feeling ill. "With the rain and the speed…"

"Don't worry about it." Yang cut her off. "You've driven in the rain before."

"But never in an open cockpit." Ruby said. "Never in a car this fast. I'm not too worried about me, but the other drivers...they're unpredictable."

Yang grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. "Ruby, it's going to be fine." Yang said. "You're going to do great. Now get in the car and show the world what you're made of."

Ruby was still terribly nervous, but it was time to go. She stepped into her car and Yang helped her belt up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was only the race. There was no fear, no nerves, just her, the car, the track and the competition. A mechanic plugged in the external starter and the engine roared to life. Yang gave a thumbs-up and Ruby gave one of her own. She slapped her visor down as the crew members and race officials cleared off the grid to allow the cars to roll off for their parade lap.

Ruby lined up in her spot on the left side of the grid. She would be on the outside for the first turn. It was time for the lights. The drivers focused their eyes on the five sets of lights that hung above the track. One red. Two red. Three red. Four red. Five red. The drivers revved their engines. The lights went out and the race was on. Ruby's tires spun a bit as she pulled away. A few of the drivers around her got it very wrong and hardly moved as their tires got no purchase on the wet track. Dodging the slower runners Ruby picked her way toward the first turn. She could not get to the inside but that was not a problem. Some puddles were already forming near the pit wall because of the torrential downpour, slowing the runners who had started in the even grid spots. With less rubber laid down on the outside line of the corner, it had more grip than the usual preferred line. The sixth place starter got the first corner wrong, spun and collected the ninth place starter, taking them both off the track and into the armco. By the time Ruby rounded the first corner she was in eighth.

There was no truer test of driver skill than racing in the rain. Ruby was showing a lot of skill. For all her inexperience she drove like an old pro in the wet. As the drivers around her slipped and slid, struggling just to keep their cars on the track, Ruby kept her cool and her control to start moving up through the field. The race was a short one so Ruby had to move fast, and she did. When the cars crossed the line to complete lap 1 she was seventh. By lap 5 she was fifth. The field was spreading out with the frontrunners clearly faster than those behind. Ruby was stuck behind slower cars but she clawed her way toward the front. On lap 10 she was fourth. On lap 15 of 20, third. By then it was a rather distant third. The top two were near each other, but with five laps remaining Ruby was almost ten seconds back.

Ruby did not give up. Her pitboard told her the bad news but that just made Ruby go faster. The track was wetter than ever as rain continued to fall, but Ruby continued to push the limits. She knew where the grip was, and critically, where it was not. The top two continued to slow as the conditions deteriorated and Ruby ate into their lead in chunks. 8.5 seconds. 6.8 seconds. 3.9 seconds! And all those times were a lap old! As the cars crossed the line to begin the final lap, Ruby was right there. She was much faster, but passing in such awful conditions would be incredibly difficult and high-risk.

The first corner, Woods, would normally be a good passing opportunity. Unfortunately, the inside line was riddled with puddles that left no room for cars to run side-by-side. Ruby made the slightest move to the right and the second place driver bought her decoy. He ducked right, dipped his wheels into a particularly nasty puddle at the very beginning of the braking zone, and went into a slide. His trajectory took him through more puddles, preventing him from regaining grip. When he arrived at the corner he slid wide and off into the grass, allowing Ruby to easily slip by before he was able to rejoin some distance behind her.

Ruby might have lost time in avoiding the sliding car but the leader got a bad run off the first turn and Ruby was right on his transmission as he tip-toed through the following left-hand kink. The next corner, a tight right, was another good passing spot. Ruby tried the same fake but the leader was too savvy to fall for it. He held his line, forcing Ruby to the inside to avoid wasting her momentum. The cars entered the corner side-by-side with Ruby on the inside line. Though the leader slowed greatly, Ruby was hamstrung by a huge puddle that had formed right on the corner's apex. She splashed through, forced into it by the other car, and it ruined her corner exit. The leader sprinted away down the short straight leading the the next left-hand kink. Ruby closed back in as they approached School, a sweeping right-hander.

Ruby followed the leader through school and the following right-hander Mall. She had a plan. Ruby hung back as the cars powered out of Mall and toward the trickiest of the track's three left-hand kinks, Monastery. The leader got a predictably poor run through it but Ruby did not. She was now closing quick with a huge head of steam. The leader saw her and moved left to cover the inside line for the next corner. Bridge was an incredibly tight left, a chicane added to decrease speeds leading into the final corner The Cut. Unlike most of the rest of the track, there were few puddles at Bridge and The Cut. Ruby took what she was given and drove up on the leader's right. They both braked hard for Bridge and entered the corner just about even. The leader had the preferred line and pulled ahead ever-so-slightly, but not far enough to fully clear Ruby. As the track swung back to the right for The Cut Ruby was again on the preferred line. The leader tried to pinch her to inside, but it was no use. Ruby was a much better driver in the rain. She got a perfect launch off the corner and flashed across the line to win the race by five car-lengths.

Inspirations

- The present day portions of this fic are meant to take place from the end of 1986 to 1987. This chapter deals with events that are supposed to take place in 1986.

- The flashback portion of this chapter is meant to take place in 1973.

- The track at Menagerie is based on Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

- Summer's death is based on the fatal crash of Roger Williamson. Taiyang's actions are based on driver David Purley's. I suggest watching the video on YouTube. There is nothing graphic about it, and it is simultaneously one of the most heroic and tragic things I've ever seen.

- Signalstone is based on Silverstone. I'm still, still proud of that name. Its configuration as described is accurate to the time period.

- For those unaware, F3000 replaced F2 as the primary feeder series for F1. It was then replaced by the current standard, GP2.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- This list will not be exhaustive. If I miss something, feel free to PM me and I'll add it.

- A few things are worth noting right off the start. Female drivers were and still are very rare at the top of international motorsports. The race weekend format used for the F1 races is anachronistic, reflecting a more modern schedule. I've also simplified the points, counting all the races instead of a driver's best eleven. I will be using the period accurate points system of 9-6-4-3-2-1.

- Williamson and Purley never matched Summer and Taiyang's level of success. They were also only friends.

- I'll be using the modern five-red-light F1 start format for this fic, but it had not yet been instituted in 1987. That year a single red and single green light were used.