GRIDLOCK - Lando Norris [BOOK 1]

01

I watched you for so long that season. I watched you when I knew nobody else was looking and I watched you when I knew I'd be caught. But I couldn't help it. You were, in every aspect of the word, our rival. My brothers biggest competitor. My teams largest pain in the arse. And there was a time there, a very short amount of time, that I thought I had you. I must of had you. Right? I didn't imagine it? The touches, the whispered words, the stolen glances. They happened. They were real. Weren't they? You said you loved me, and I believed you. But did you mean them for me? Or was it just a strategy to get ahead in the game? But I know I'm not crazy, I didn't imagine the feelings I felt, I didn't imagine the electricity. You loved me, even if only for a moment.

"Evelyn! Let's go, we'll miss lights out"

I followed to where my mother was calling me from on the pit wall. Standing beside Christian, gearing up to be inside team radio for my brother, Max Verstappen.

Max had been crowned two time world champion and rearing up into the 2023 season, he was set to be on his way for a third. But this year, he seemed to have a tough competitor.

In 2021, he finally figured out the strengths and weakness of Lewis Hamilton, the sports beloved crown prince of Motorsport, and I'll give it to him, he's bloody talented. But Max and the rest of Redbull seemed to figure out their feet just in time to award Max his first championship.

2022, found it's challenges, as rookie, Lando Norris, seemed to crawl his way up the grid, but still then, he was no match for Max.

That was until 2023 rolled around.

It seemed this year McLaren had figured something out because Lando was coming into every race with enough pace, technique, determination and aggression, that Max and Christian were scared.

I would hear about it at every family dinner, at every team meeting, during any conversation my parents ever had with any other human. Max and Formula One was top, actually, the only priority in my families life, but it was something I had, unfortunately, gotten very used too.

Lando was the top rival, and in any competition based sport, the enemy.

I didn't care much, I never really got involved in any of the politics of Formula One. I didn't have much to do with the other drivers, although I had met them all on various occasions, RedBull and Max was where my focus was to remain.

Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to my family, my eye had been doing a little bit of wandering this season, straight into the garage next to ours. Into the garage of McLaren. Into the garage of a certain young, curly haired, bright eyed, Lando Norris.

Anyone on the grid was strictly off limits in regard to any form of dating for myself. That had been made clear the minute I hit puberty and boys lost their germs. Max, and my family, held me under strict ruling that dating amongst the grid was a definite no-go zone. Not that I was ever interested. Well, until recently.

Snapping myself back into reality, I made my way out of the garage, across the pit lane and over to the RedBull pit wall to stand beside the box, looking out onto the straight where the grid was locking up into their pole positions.

Max and Lando on front row.
Charles and Lewis behind.

We were in Spa, one of my favourite circuits. I don't know why, Belgium was beautiful in its own right. But something about coming to Spa, just always felt different to the rest.

Todays race is an important one for Max to win, we are just over half way of the season and Max and Lando are so close in the Championship points, every single point between now and Abu Dhabi matters.