❝ 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥. ❞
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Debuting in the F1 world is never easy, especially when you have to work for F1's talented driver Max Verstappen. But there's nothing Madelyn...
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A few days after their day in Sao Paulo, it was time for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The whole weekend would be one big drama surrounding the rivalry between Lewis and Max. On Friday, Lewis was disqualified after qualifying for a flexible rear wing. That same afternoon, Max received a $50,000 fine for touching this wing. On Saturday, it was time for the Sprint Race. Lewis had to start from the back because of his disqualification and managed to put down an excellent catch-up race. He managed to get through the field like a rocket ship. Max ended the Sprint Race in second place and was determined to get that first position during the head race the next day.
Almost everyone had hoped for a peaceful Sunday race, but unfortunately, it did not come to that. After starting in tenth due to an engine change penalty, Lewis was unstoppable. Within twenty laps, he was already behind Max, who had overtaken Valtteri at the start and was driving in first. Lewis made several attempts to get past Max, and the two even ended up off the track once. The stewards eventually decided to put the incident under "hard racing," although that was somewhat debatable. It didn't matter because, on lap 59, Lewis caught up with Max and disappeared on the horizon. He was just too fast.
Madelyn and the team watched from the garage as Max crossed the finish line in second place. After brief applause, some mechanics got ready to bring both cars inside while the others walked with Madelyn toward the podium to celebrate P2. Madelyn knew Max wouldn't be too happy when he got out of the vehicle. So she thought it would be a good idea to stand at the front so she could cheer him up a bit.
After a while, Max arrived at Parc Ferme. When he came to a stop, he climbed out of the car and walked toward his team. He first shook hands with several mechanics before getting to Madelyn. He hugged her and held her tightly. He had longed for her hug since he crossed the finish line. After a shit race like today, that was what he could use the most.
"I'm so proud of you," Madelyn said after they let go. Max didn't reply to her since he was still grumpy from the race. He looked down and wanted to walk away to get it over with faster, but Madelyn stopped him. "Hey, you did everything you could, okay? I want you to be proud of yourself," she said to him.
"She's right," they heard a voice beside them say. Both turned their head and saw Christian standing there. "You drove a great race today, Max. Take some credit."
"Thanks," Max mumbled to his team boss before he turned to Madelyn again. "Will I see you in the back later?" He asked.
Madelyn nodded. "Yeah. Try to enjoy the podium, okay?" Max gave her a weak smile, even though it was not visible through the helmet he still had on, before walking away and following Bradley inside.
When Max walked past Lewis, he gave a slight nod but nothing more. Madelyn watched from a distance. She was a little saddened to see the rivalry between the drivers. While it was great for the fans to experience this battle, it came at the expense of respect between the two. There was nothing left of that since this season.
After the podium ceremony, Madelyn walked to the hallways behind the stage. She met with Max before they walked toward the media pen together. Most of the questions asked were about when they got off the track together. Max professionally answered the questions at each sports channel. When he and Madelyn arrived at Ziggo Sport, he was allowed to show a little bit more of his own opinion since that footage wasn't used by other media platforms often.
Max and Madelyn left the media pen and headed toward his dressing room after all the interviews. He had calmed down a bit by now, but Madelyn could see clearly that something was still bothering him. Madelyn closed the door behind them when they entered the room and sat on the couch.
"How long do we have until you have to leave for debrief?" She asked her boyfriend. Max took a sip of water and set the bottle on the table before answering. "About an hour and a half," he said before he turned around. He watched Madelyn cross her legs and tap the space next to her on the couch. "Come sit."
Max looked at her doubtfully from across the room but finally gave in, sighing, and walked to the couch. He took a seat in the spot Madelyn pointed out and allowed himself to lean against her. Madelyn put her arm around them and played with his hair. "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours," she mumbled.
"I thought we'd agreed on not bringing any negativity from work into our relationship," Max said with a little chuckle.
"I know. But I also know that if you hold this in for too long, you'll explode and probably make things worse," Madelyn said and kissed his crown. "You don't have to talk. Just remember that you can if you want to."
Max sighed and repositioned his head against her shoulder. "Maybe tonight. Now, I just want to lie down and relax for a bit."
"That's okay," Madelyn said and leaned back so that her back met with the back of the couch. Max shifted to lying on the sofa with his head resting against Madelyn's shoulder and closed his eyes. Silently Madelyn focused on playing and fidgeting with Max's hair until she noticed the slow breathing coming from Max. She smiled as she rested her head on his. She did not close her eyes because she knew that otherwise, she would also fall asleep. Someone had to stay awake to get Max to the debrief on time.
Instead, the past few weeks played through her mind. It had been a hectic few weeks for the championship and their relationship. She had enough time to herself to take occasional moments of rest for herself, but Max obviously did not. That was evident now. Max never took naps as he did now during a race weekend. He was always very focused on getting the best out of the car. Max always maintained a high profile and told her that everything was fine. But at times like this, Madelyn could tell that was a lie.
Madelyn decided to let him sleep for about an hour. In the meantime, she answered some important texts and scrolled through social media to kill time. When it was time to head toward the debrief, she softly nudged her shoulder to wake her boyfriend up. Max groaned before he slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he looked confused around him before he looked up and saw Madelyn.
"Did I fall asleep?" He asked her. Madelyn nodded, smiling. "Yes. You needed some rest, apparently."
Slowly Max got up and moved his neck due to the stiffness. "What time is it?" His voice sounded a little hoarse from his nap, which was very attractive, according to Madelyn.
"Time to leave to debrief," Madelyn answered, causing Max to groan again. She got up and reached her hand out to him. "C'mon. You can sleep again when we get back to the hotel."
Reluctantly, Max grabbed her hand and got off the couch. Together they walked out of the room toward the debrief, Max leading the way. Madelyn watched him as they walked through the hallways of the motorhome. Three more race weekends they had to go. After that, all the frenzy would be over, and they could hopefully go home with the championship trophy.
