In the Spotlight (Max Verstappen - Book Two)

Chapter Three

"Well done Elodie, fantastic effort, fastest lap of 1.05.002. That's just under two-hundredths off Max's qualifying time here last season that got him pole." Christian informs me and I smile to myself, but I'm not totally satisfied as I'm aware that Max had beaten that time earlier because this car was in better shape than it was when he had competed here in the summer despite the colder weather making it a bit more challenging.

"Thanks, guys! This car drives like a dream, fingers crossed this year is the same!" I reply as I make my way back through the final turns and into the pit, pulling up to the mark before the mechanics wheeled me and the car back into the garage. I undid my seatbelts before pulling myself out of the car, leaving the wheel on top of the car as instructed by Dani. I hop off the side pod and put my gloves, helmet, balaclava and HANS device on the car as I make my way over to the pit wall where the rest of the group are still standing, undoing my race suit and shaking my shoulders out.

I'm greeted by cheers from the group and I shake my head smiling, smoothing my hair back down into their plaits. "You did good!" Dani says elatedly and I pat her on the shoulder.

"Thanks to you and the simulation engineers, the set-up was good!" I say enthusiastically. I check Christian and Helmut's faces and see bright happiness emanating from both of them, sharing smug glances at one another. Well, at least that's one good thing to come from today, they seem happier than ever to have me on the team.

"Seriously Elodie, that's a bloody impressive performance for two months out of season and your first time in one of our cars. Don't beat yourself up over it!" Christian said and I nod tightly.

"I'm not going to, don't worry! But I will be looking over the data intensely!" I say in the way of a promise and he nods understandingly.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

I look around and see Max still perched on his seat but just fiddling on his phone with a frown, I try to ignore it although it's not normal for him to sit on his phone at times like this. I look away and the moment I do I feel his eyes burning a hole in the side of my head but I resist the urge to look at him again, instead turning to talk to Nick and Dani, watching in amusement as he grilled her for information on my driving and she looked at me kind of helplessly. I call Nick off his quest for knowledge and promise to go through the runs from today with him at some point in the next week, explaining everything that he might want to know which he reluctantly agrees to. With that all sorted, we bid goodbye to the rest of the group and head off in search of some food, my body back into calorie-burning mode the second I got in the car again.

"How was it?" Olivia asked and I smiled widely at the question as we sat down in the HQ base of the circuit with some food in front of all of us, myself with the equivalent of two lunches in front of me.

"It was beyond awesome! The car is just so much faster than anything I've ever driven and so much more comfortable than the Williams or Mercedes last season...maybe not the W11, but far superior to the W13! Hopefully, we keep the advantage this season, but who knows!" I say thoughtfully as we discuss Red Bull's dominance last season. Dani largely sits in silence, curiously observing us and the way we interact, seeming as though she is looking for clues.

"Anyone notice that something seems up with Max today?" She asks after there is a lull in the conversation. My eyes widen and I turn to look at her shrugging.

"Honestly no idea, but I haven't really spoken to him for the last couple of months," I say turning my attention to the hot pasta in front of me, one hand reaching for the necklace that normally sits around my neck before I curse, remembering that I had left it in my drivers' room when getting changed earlier.