Ready or Not?

22.

Max had reassured me a million times over that everyone at the team has been happy with me still attending the pre-race events at the Red Bull Ring, so we both arrived a few days earlier for the race and got involved with numerous media related activities. I spent most of my time on the sidelines with Joe and my laptop trying to edit all the posts we had worked on since getting here. I checked my phone in between  some of the filming and noticed yet another mysterious message from Carlos. 

Carlos  ❤️ 

Natalia

I need to speak to you

Can we meet before Thursday press stuff please?

Sure 

Why on earth did this man need to speak to me and since when did he start using the word please. I was kinda anxious but at this point, these guys could be having a wardrobe malfunction and they would make it sound super serious so I didn't think too deeply and continued editing away for the rest of the day whilst Max and Daniel took part in some crazy axe throwing tasks that I knew I didn't want to be near them for. I love seeing Max enjoy his job, it's a great sound to hear him laugh with so much realness, it makes the whole experience just worth it. We spend so much time away from our family and friends back home, but it seems like we have all the friends and family we would ever need out here too on the track and at the factory too.

After they were done the team all split up into their respective areas and we all got involved with several different dinner plans. Joe and I had booked this super chic Italian place that was one of very few that served some amazing cocktails with their food. So we led the media team here and spent all night catching up with each other, Rachel announced she was expecting her first baby and she and I both had to miss out on those cocktails. Joe had been dating someone since the Canadian GP so he was buzzing to tell us all about that, and I had to tell everyone the embarrassing story behind the ankle break. This atmosphere was going to be missed, as well as the individuals behind it. They made this all super special and I couldn't have been more grateful. 

I came back to the hotel and decided to call Carlos before heading up to my suite that I shared with Max. 

"Hey Sainz, what's up, why do we need to talk?"

"Natalia, not like this please, let's talk tomorrow over some lunch yeah? I will message you once I get to my hotel"

"Ok but please don't make this too dramatic if it isn't serious"

"I wouldn't"

He cut the call before I had the chance to ask him what this talk was about, and it was at this point I started getting nervous for our conversation. I walked into the suite to find Max laying flat on his stomach on the sofa bed unconscious, I imagine the tequila had got him down. So I managed to bring him upwards and onto his own bed before limping my way back to my room and I sleeping off all that pasta I had ate just a few hours before. 

Once I woke up, I found Max had already been dragged off to training, something I never envied from him. I made myself a coffee before heading out to Carlos' hotel which was just across the street from ours. He had messaged me early in the morning to let me know he was here and waiting, and I was getting more and more nervous to speak with him. 

"Hola Natalia, thanks for coming over, I'm sorry if I smell, I just finished training and need to eat before we have to go to the track. Shall we go together?"

"Yeah I guess I can have my lunch in the paddock, but will you tell me why you were making such a fuss for or no?"

"Oh yeah we can talk in the car, it's just me and you" And off we went in his Ferrari, but this time we couldn't really zoom off anywhere since their was bumper to bumper traffic most of the way there. 

"So...what was so urgent that you couldn't tell me over the phone"

"So you know that fight between Max and Lance, well I was there and saw what happened before and after it had all kicked off" "Max told you it was just Lance going round telling people about his special night with you, but it's worse" 

"How so?"

"He recorded it"

I had no words

"He was threatening to make it public and sell it to someone who could make it haunt you forever, that's what made Max flip. Max nearly killed Lance that night, it was only because of us we managed to split them. And then I don't know why Max went back to Lance's but I can only imagine it was to make some sort of deal so that he wouldn't share the video" Carlos reached for my hand but I rejected it as a reflex reaction. "Natalia, amor, I would never hurt you, I thought you deserved to know the truth but you need to know I thought it was disgusting that someone would do that to you." "If Max hadn't already tried to kill him that night then I would've done it myself and probably succeeded too" 

I still had no words

I didn't even have any tears at this point, those painkillers were working because everything felt numb right now