On Top of the World [Max Verstappen - Book 3]

32

"Just wait...we need to wait," Dani says not saying anything more as my heart races in my chest having just crossed the line. The race had been long and hard with a couple of safety cars but I had driven out my ass as the four of us in contention for the title constantly traded places and we were just waiting while they crossed the line to confirm the order for the end of the season. I just shook my head as I waved over the halo to the fans, not daring to interrupt Dani but also not letting myself even consider that I had won. Charles needed to come fifth or lower for me to win and while the Ferrari hadn't been particularly strong this weekend, I wasn't anticipating that he had fallen behind enough. "Norris P2 with fastest lap, Gasly P3," my breath catches in my throat as I continue down the next straight, eyes wide as I shake my head once more.

No way...no fucking way. No matter who wins, second place will only be a matter of points.

"Lawson P4, Leclerc P5 - YOU DID IT! FOUR TIME WORLD CHAMPION, YOU ARE INCREDIBLE ELODIE CARTER!" Dani screams through the radio and my eyes widen at the words as I fill with pride and let my head fall back in my seat as I raise a fist victoriously and pump it.

"Oh my god...I actually can't believe that...what an incredible job from everyone on the team - ours and everyone else's. This season has really been something else and yeah...truly incredible effort. I couldn't have done this without every single person in my personal team as well as in Mercedes...I just...I don't even know. I really had those days where I thought I would never be able to race again and so to be here, well shit!" I say dumbfounded down the radio in response.

"Genuine insanity - well done Elodie, you were a fierce Lioness out there. I know how much you have been through, not just this season but this one especially and I can say genuinely that no one deserves this more than you." Toto says down the line and I smile.

"I feel like we all deserved it, Lando, Charles and Pierre. The competition this year was insane, maybe too much sometimes but it was a truly magnificent battle with the three of them and yeah...it's been exciting! Thanks to everyone - I have nothing profound to say...I really didn't think I was getting this result today."

"Elodie, four-time world champion, you join yet another tier of the greats. You are up there with the greatest of all time, I can't wait to see how you continue to dominate the sport because you are without a doubt one of the all time talents of F1. I'm proud of you, well done," Lewis says and I smile brightly under my helmet as I pull onto the straight once more and see Lando, Pierre and Charles pull up behind me as we do donuts all together having been given permission for all four of us to do so because the competition was so fierce. The moment I get out of the car I pump my left hand victoriously in the air, able to celebrate this one in a way that I definitely couldn't the last one as the many fireworks continue to explode around us and the adrenaline courses through my veins.

I keep my helmet on as I quickly get weighed before throwing myself into the arms of the engineers, beyond elated that this miracle happened before finally taking my helmet off and placing it on the podium provided as I look around, noticing Charles giving an interview as I continue to search for the man I want to see. "Elodie's...she's something else. She's definitely a deserving four time world champion and I'm going to try hard to make sure that it is no more than four but beating her again will be the hardest experience ever. She's beaten a lot of great drivers and yeah...she's just something else," I hear him say and so I turn my attention to him, smiling warmly as he looks over at me and is dismissed from his interview. I wrap him in a warm bear hug, feeling genuinely sorry for him because I still had no idea how he went from fourth down to fifth.

"Thank you," I tell him softly as we pull away and he shrugs.

"You do deserve it," he tells me and I just shoot him a smile, no other words needing to be exchanged as I just nod.