It's Called Leap of Faith - [Daniel Ricciardo]

52. The Grand Final (Abu Dhabi) pt. 3

Race Day - Abu Dhabi

I was a goner the minute we stepped in to the Mercedes garage. There was a huge 44 cake, everyone was wearing 'Thank You Sir Lewis' shirts. Lewis' stepmom and mom were moth crying already. Angela could barley hold the tears. I'm pretty sure I saw Bono wiping away tear or two. Toto was giving a speech. Susie was supporting her husband. The pride in Lewis' dad's eyes was the final nail in the coffin for myself. I wiped away the tears falling down on my cheeks, looking at Lewis who was clearly feeling bit more than normal state of emotional. He looked around, all his team mates, everyone who had gathered to the little space.

"Lewis, none of these words will ever be enough to thank you for everything you've done for this team. None of this success would have been possible without you. You've been the MVP on the journey we've had to this point. Whatever happens today on the track, won't matter. We are incredibly proud of you and thankful for you. Let's do this one more time," Toto finished and pulled Lewis into a hug. Everyone started clapping their hands together, cheering happily. Then Lewis grabbed the microphone.

"Oh shit, I can't," Kate whispered and I nodded, completely agreeing with her.

"Thank you Toto, thank you so much, I truly appreciate every word you just said but I also agree that no words are enough today. First I thought I'd write down some words but then, when I tried, I found it too difficult," I saw Lewis taking a deep breath before continuing. "I'm going to keep this one short because we all still got a job to do today. I promise I will try to come up with a proper speech later tonight when we get back to the hotel and to the party where I hope to see all of you. Today, as I stand here and look at all of you guys, this team, my team, my family, the word that runs trough my mind is gratitude. When I first arrived to this garage, 2013, I knew it would be a start of something great. However I'm not sure if any of us could have ever imagined how great the journey would end up being. There's so many people I need to thank, because I could have never made it this far without every single one of you who are standing here today and also unfortunately some who couldn't be here with us this weekend. There are no words big enough to tell you how grateful I am. I want to thank Toto for bringing me here, for always trusting me, supporting me, guiding me, understanding me and pushing me forwards. I want to thank Susie for putting up with Toto when I've been pushing his buttons and he has come home and taken it out on you. I want to thank all my mechanics, you're the greatest at what you do and I can't wait to see how you will success all over again next year and many years on. Thank you so much guys. Then there's three quite special people here who deserve trophies for being the most amazing trio I've ever had the pleasure working with. They have literally walked with me, side by side all these years. Angela, Rosa and Bono. I don't even know what to say, how to thank you. I'm maybe repeating myself but I'm the luckiest man to have you guys in my life. None of this would have been possible without you guys," Lewis took another breath, steadying his voice. I looked at Angela and Rosa who were standing next to each other, in front of us. They were hugging each other, both clearly crying, which made me cry too. Ines and Mathias were the only ones still standing strong. "Now, I'm not sure if I can go on without getting too emotional... Friends, oh man. It's bit of a cliché but friends really are the family we meet along the way, right? That's how I feel. I've met some fantastic people along the way, some of them are here this weekend, most of them not because we can only fit here so much, but my friends are like my family. And what's more important than family, to me, nothing. Not even racing. Oh and by the way, now seems like a legit time to tell that my family is getting bigger very very soon," Lewis turned to look at me and my eyes went wide. "Make sure you cut this part off if someone is taking a video because I just made a promise few days ago to my beautiful friend Elza and her man, Mathias, that I'd be honored to be their daughter's godparent and I promise to protect the little girl no matter what it takes. I'm so excited to meet my goddaughter and one day tell her all about this incredible journey with all of you guys," my cheeks were burning when everyone started once again clapping their hands and sending smiles at my direction. He did not just do that. "I got few more people I want to thank here, before I'll finish this. This is the hardest part. Mom, my brother, Linda... You've been there from the day one, trough the good times and the bad times, always supporting me, giving me your unconditional love. Thank you, I love you all so much," then he stopped and put his hand down. Oh no, we all knew what was coming next. Kate gave me a tissue and tried to dry the tears before they could fall down and ruin my make up. "Dad, come here," Lewis spoke. Anthony walked over to his son, stood next to him and looked down. Lewis swallowed trying to control his emotions. "If there's anything I know for certain, it's that I wouldn't have ever met any of you guys, if it wasn't for this man right here. My dad. My hero. You're the reason we are all standing here today dad. Look at this, quite achievement don't you think?" I chuckled just like everyone else. Anthony smiled and shook his head, looking around the garage. "I hope, well I know, I've made you proud. Together we've achieved everything, actually more than we ever could have dreamed of back in England, back when I was just a little kid who had no idea what the future would and could bring. A kid who was just so happy to be able to drive those go karts. All because of you. I love you, thank you for everything. I promise to make you proud everyday also from now on," Lewis pulled his father in a hug and after a while the entire garage started clapping and cheering for the father son duo. "Thank you everyone. We still got one more race to go. I promise I will give it my all," Lewis ended his speech and handed the microphone to Rosa.