One champion One Runner-Up

Maxiel 1. The Champion

I won. I won. Those are the only thoughts going through Max's mind. I am a world driver champion. The first Dutch formula 1 world champion.

"OOOO MY LORD MAX. OO MY LORD" Alex yells over the team radio. "YEEEESSSSS. YEESSS. OH MY GOD. HAHAHAH. YES." Max yells, while Horner tries to say something. Max can't stop yelling over the team radio. "WOOOOOH. YEEESS. OH MY GOD. HAHA."

After Max is done yelling Horner says one more thing: "Max Verstappen. You are the world champion, the world champion." Max feels himself getting a little emotional. At that moment Alex says something on the radio again: "Mate you... you absolutely deserve it. You absolutely deserve it. You've had no luck."

"Recharge on please. Recharge on." "Max we are so proud of you." "You have driven... like a champion all year, you deserve that." "You made it happen." "We love you. We fucking love you."

Max has no idea who is speaking or what is going on. All he knows is that after this long season he is the world champion. He made his dream come true. The dream he has had since he was 7 years old. He promised himself to make it come true when he won his first karting race.

When Max comes out of the car, he hears all the cheering. His team comes running to him. He is in high spirits. Everything that is happening around him is happening in a blur. Before he knows it Vicky is getting him to a microphone.

Max has no idea what he is being asked. Probably how he is feeling right now, but he has no clue how to describe what is going on inside his head. "It's insane. The guys at my team, at Honda, I love them so much," he says without really thinking about it "finally, a bit of luck for me. And I have to say a big thank you to Checo, he drove his heart out today."

He walks off and sees Lewis walking to him. "Congratulation's mate. Enjoy it" Lewis says with a broken smile. Max gives him a hug while saying "Thank you and let's make next year's battle just as sensational." Lewis smiles at him one last time before walking away.

All the drivers come to him to congratulate him. They smile at him, give him a hug and say something along the lines of how great of a driver he is. Max isn't sure who already came by, but he does notice that someone is missing. The one with the best smile of the whole grid.

Daniel is looking from a little distance at how Max is having all those happy drivers around him. The moment he heard Max won, a big smile had appeared on his face, this smile hasn't vanished from since.

 Daniel had taken his sweet time getting out of the car. He is happy for his ex-team and mostly for Max. Wish I was still with the team. A thought that was coming back to him throughout the season.

He wants to congratulate Max, but that boy was surrounded by people. Maybe I should call him a man now that he is a world champion. Before going to Max, he walks to Horner to give him a well-deserved pat on the back. 

"Hey Horner. Got some time for an ex-driver of Red Bull?" "Only the ones with a big smile like yours" says Christian with the biggest grin Daniel ever saw on his face. The same grin he had in the pictures that were made when Sebastian won the championship. Those pictures were all over Red Bull's headquarters, they were imprinted on his mind.

"Congratulations on your 5th world championship Christian. Probably doesn't feel so special anymore now." Christian laughs out loud at Daniel's joke, "Winning a world championship will always feel unreal. Every damn time. Maybe you will experience it once." Now it is Daniel's time to laugh.

"Time to praise that little boy of a driver of yours." Daniel says while walking away. Just as he is getting out of earshot Christian yells after him "You can call him a man now". Funny, that is exactly what I was thinking.