Max continued his winning streak in Austria too, crushing the opposition on the home soil of Red Bull, and extending his lead in the championship. He even ensured his first-ever grand slam with pole, fastest lap, and victory, having led every lap. It looked like everything went in his favor.
...
Lewis's POV
It looked like everything went in his favor. With Max's three wins in a row and lead by 32 points after nine races, I began to doubt that I would win the title of world champion for the eighth time this year. However, there was no time for such thoughts as I had to fully focus on the next race; my home race. Silverstone.
...
"Get in there, Lewis! What a ra...what a lap man! It's the first one that counted," I heard Bono shout excitedly on the radio.
"Get in there!" I yelled, "Wooo. Ha ha."
"Yeah, proper Lewis, proper. Just keep an eye on that delta time. That's a bit more like it, isn't it?"
Yes!
"Cracking job guys!"
"And you mate, and you."
I encircled a lap, stopped my Mercedes next to Verstappen's Red Bull, and jumped quickly out of the cockpit. Ha ha. Yes! P1 for tomorrow's sprint race on home soil. Yes. Come on! That's what I like!
...
When done with all the interviews for today, I walked back to the motorhome with my PR manager.
"Lewis? Lewis!" I turned to a familiar voice.
"Anna, hey!"
"Hey, congratulations on the pole position!" she smiled brightly, "what a lap and before your home crowd!"
"Yeah, thank you," I ran my hand through my braided hair, taken aback by Anna's flattery.
"I'm sorry, I have to go, I just stopped by to say hi, but...good luck for tomorrow! I'll be watching," she winked at me playfully and left before I could say goodbye.
"Looks like you and Max are competing for more than just the title," Luke scoffed at me.
"What are you talking about?" I tried to laugh it off. "We're just...friends, really."
"Well, she used to be just friends with Max too," Luke shrugged his shoulders.
Yes, I knew that.
"What's your deal?" I gave him a suspicious look.
"Nothing, just thought that it's been a while since I've seen you being so nervous around somebody."
"Nervous? I wasn't nervous; I was surprised, ok? I didn't expect her to come and congratulate me when...you know...eh, why am I even talking to you about it?" I sighed, glad that we'd reached the motorhome.
...
Max's POV
I've never really hated anyone until now. Well, not a person at least.
I saw him talking to Anna again after he beat me by 0,075 seconds in qualifying. Overall, he'd been around her too often to my liking lately. What was he up to?
...
It was a sprint race day.
I always want to beat Hamilton's ass, but that day, that day, I wanted it more than ever.
While waiting for the five red lights to go out, my brakes were on fire. Yeah, haha, literally. I could see the flames whipping on the left-hand side, but when I unheld the clutch, the flames were gone, and my girl was free to go. I got away quicker than him, and soon I was leading the race. Yes, motherfucker, I thought, haha. He wasn't able to get his position back even though he'd been trying hard, so I won the sprint in front of his home fans and claimed the pole position for the upcoming race.
...
Lewis's POV
When I entered the cooldown room, Max and Valtteri had already been there, waiting for the ceremony.
"Hey, mate, good race," Valtteri congratulated me.
"Thanks," I forced a smile to cover up the disappointment and patted his shoulder.
"Yeah," I heard Verstappen say before he buried his head in a towel.
I couldn't understand it. How could he beat me? Again? It all looked so promising yesterday...
I was wiping the sweat from my forehead when they called us.
"Gentlemen, come with me, please."
We lined up in the hallway in the order we finished the race. Valtteri was called on the podium first since he'd finished third, so we stayed there only with Max. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to go next, but Max's hand prevented me.
"Stay away from her," he hissed into my ear.
I looked at him, puzzled, but before I could say anything, I heard my name from the speakers, and Max let go of me. Was he threatening me? I thought on my way to the podium. That little piece of s...
...
Anna's POV
"Shhh," he shushed me as he pressed his hand over my mouth.
I heard him locking the door of his driver's room behind my back before he crushed his lips against mine.
"Max, you..." I broke the kiss in protest.
"I'm stressed, Anna," he whispered greedily.
I chuckled, "no, you're not, Verstappen," I bit my lower lip sensually, "you should go fuck with your rivals, not with me."
He silenced me with a kiss again.
"I can do both," he grinned as he ran his hands under my dress.
"Don't think too highly of yourself," I whispered against his lips before I gave up.
"Max? Max, it's time," a loud banging interrupted us.
"Verdomme," Max cursed in a quiet voice.
"You better go," I looked at him from beneath my eyelashes and kissed him one last time before pushing him away.
"Fuck you later," he winked at me from the door and left.
...
Max had a decent start but not as good as the day before, and Lewis was right within him. However, Max withstood the pressure and defended first place going through the second turn. I drove Max's Red Bull forward with my eyes, straight into the Copse corner, one of the critical corners on the Silverstone circuit. Max was ahead, but Lewis tried it on the inside this time, and then...then they made contact.
Max's car was sent flying off into the gravel and landed in the tire barriers at high speed.
My heart stopped beating.
Formula One is a dangerous sport. It has always been and will always be. Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Petterson, or Ayrton Senna; for all of them, racing became fatal. Safety has been taken more seriously over recent years following the death of Jules Bianchi in 2015. The cars are now packed with vital safety features, including seat belts, headrests and padded cockpits, the much-debated halos to protect the driver's head, and a so-called survival cell to keep the driver safe in the event of an accident.
I knew it.
I also knew stories of those who survived the unsurvivable; Nikki Lauda, or, most recently, Romain Grosjean.
But still, when I saw Max's car slamming into the barrier, I thought the worst.
I watched the screen in terror, desperately waiting for Max to say something.
Anything.
"Max, are you okay?" GP asked, his voice full of worries.
Nothing.
Silence.
It felt like an eternity had passed when I finally heard Max groan.
"Aaaah, fuck ah."
My heart started beating again.
He was alive.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Thank God. Max...
I took off my headphones and ran toward the pit wall.
"... And thank God he's walked away unscathed, so I hope you're going to deal with it appropriately," I heard Christian say into his microphone when I reached them.
"Is he alright?" I asked frantically.
Looking at the screen in front of Christian, I watched Max getting out of the cockpit of his wrecked formula.
"Yes, he is. A medical car is on its way. He'll be there any minute."
...
Holding back tears, I'd been looking for the medical car to come.
Max...
Finally, I saw it approaching. It stopped in front of the health post across the paddock. Then its doors opened, and I saw him coming out; on his own.
"Max," I shouted as I ran toward him.
...
Max's POV
"Ouch," I groaned when she landed in my arms. I was sore and a bit dizzy after I'd lost consciousness, but alive.
When I looked down at her, I could see the tears falling down her face.
"Schatje, I'm okay, look, I'm okay," I pressed her to my chest even though it hurt. I didn't care anymore.
"I was so afraid, Max...so afraid," she sobbed.
Yeah. I know. I was afraid too.
"Mr. Verstappen," a medical staff member approached us, "we suggest taking you to the hospital for some additional tests."
...
Lewis's POV
I was standing on the highest step, listening to the hymn and the crowd chanting my name. I was moved. Deeply moved. That feeling, the feeling of winning your home race in front of your home fans, is indescribable. I was now an eight-time winner here at Silverstone, yet it felt just as amazing as winning for the first time. Yeah. But this time, there was one thing slightly spoiling my pleasure.
...
Max's POV
"All the tests look good, Mr. Verstappen, but we'll keep you here overnight for observation, just to be sure," a doctor informed me.
"I'm fine, doctor, I..."
"Thank you, doctor," Anna interrupted me, shook hands with the doctor, and he left with a nod.
"Anna, there's no need for me to stay here, really, I feel good," I tried to persuade her, but in vain.
She shook her head, "no, you don't, you stay, and I'll stay with you."
She carefully took me under my arm and led me toward my room.
"Auch," I hissed in pain.
She was right, I didn't feel good. Battered and bruised, I felt every inch of my body aching from the impact. Ah, fuck.
...
Anna's POV
Of course he tried to persuade me he was ok, but I knew he wasn't. I could see it.
I helped him change, and I put him to bed.
"Do you want me to get you some painkillers?" I asked, seeing his face twisted with pain when he lay down.
"No," he tried to put on a smile. "I'll try to get some sleep."
I covered him with a blanket and sat on the edge of the hospital bed when a nurse came and connected him to the vital signs monitor.
"If you need anything, just press this button, and I'll come, okay?" she said kindly, and I thanked her before she left us alone again.
I took Max's hand into mine and caressed it with my thumb.
"What about you?" he asked sleepily, "you don't have to stay here, Anna, you..."
I smiled faintly and kissed his hand. "I know, but I want to," I said as I lay next to him and put my head on his chest.
"I'll watch over you."
I couldn't imagine leaving now after all that had happened. No.
"I love you," he whispered in my hair.
"I love you more," I said before falling asleep to his heartbeat.
...
Lewis's POV
I heard Max was hospitalized after the accident, so I decided to ask Anna how he was, but she didn't reply.
I didn't think I was in the position to have to apologize for anything. We were out there racing, and he turned in on me, leaving me no space, but the stewards evaluated it as my fault, so I received five seconds penalty. That's called racing, right? What should I apologize for?
But the longer Anna left my message unanswered, the more I started to consider the apology.
...
Two weeks after Silverstone, we were racing again, this time in Hungary.
It was Thursday, and I just finished my press conference when I saw Anna walking with Max toward Red Bull's facility.
"Hey," I approached them.
It was the first time since the Silverstone incident that I met either Anna or Max.
"I...I just wanted to say I'm sorry, man, for..."
"No, you're not," she snapped.
"I saw how you celebrated your win as if you hadn't nearly killed him. That's how sorry you were."
"I..."
"It's okay," Max interrupted me, "thank you, Lewis," he nodded his head slightly before he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her away.
Baffled, I watched them leave. Why was she like that? Did she...Did she think I did it on purpose?