RACE 2 - Max Verstappen

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"Come on," Lando insisted as Daniella was busy taking photos of the packed audience. "It's Daniel's birthday dinner. You can't just not go."

Daniella gave her friend a challenging look as she continued clicking photos. Both were dressed in their racing suits, ready for free practice.

"I know it's Daniel's birthday," the Mercedes driver replied. "And I also know Max is going to be there. It's for the best if I don't go. It will only ruin the dinner and I don't want that."

Lando looked at Daniel who was watching from the McLaren garage, urging him to convince her. Lando gave a defeated look to his teammate but in return got some hand gestures, asking him to try harder.

"You know, it's not fair that you are avoiding spending time with your friends because of your failed relationship," Lando said a bit sternly.

"What is not fair that you are asking me to jeopardize my mental peace by going to the dinner," Daniella looked at her friend. "Besides, I am staying late at the garage so I will have dinner here."

"So I have been begging for the past half an hour for nothing," Lando sounded disappointed, not liking the fact that all his efforts faced a dead end.

Daniella gave an innocent smile and shrugged.

"You are mean," Lando pointed an accusing finger at her. "You are really really mean."

"I know," Daniella plainly replied.

***

"Don't eat that," Daniel said to Michael, his performance coach, and friend as he was able to touch the cake in the shape of a shoe. It was placed on the table in the McLaren motorhomes along with a nice bottle of expensive wine and a new set of headphones.

"Why not?" Michael whined. "You are the one who is going to race, not me. I don't have to watch my diet."

"It's from Daniella," Daniel pointed out as he examined the gifts. "It might be poisoned."

Michael gave the driver an annoyed look.

"Why would she poison the cake? She is the sweetest person I know. She would never do that."

"Okay, first of all, right now she is the opposite of sweet and we can blame Max for that, and second of all she is mad at me right now and I wouldn't put it past her to try and kill me," Daniel argued. "But I love the wine and the headphones... I have been meaning to buy it for a while now."

The McLaren driver admired the gifts, trying on the headphone and immediately securing the bottle of wine, deciding to save it for later.

"You are not worried that the wine might be poisoned too?" Michael asked.

"Dani is mad at me right now, but she is not a monster," Daniel replied. "She would never poison the wine."

"Then the cake is also not poisoned," Michael said as he cut a big piece and shoved the entire thing in his mouth.

Daniel watched him, hoping for a positive response.

Michael chewed a couple of times before his eyes went wide and he immediately spits out the cake.

He ran to the sink and rinsed his mouth.

"What... What was in the cake?" Daniel asked as he followed his friend.

"Toothpaste."

***

After free practice Daniella gave a few interviews, talking about the car pace and the expectations for the weekend. She was also asked a couple of questions about her relationship with Max but she straight up refused to answer those questions and told the interviewer that if they are so curious they can ask Max, who made it public.