Neighbours, Friends, Lovers

22. Baby

꧁ Charlotte's Pov ꧂

Yesterday qualifying made me being the most anxious person in this whole world.
Seeing Max and Charles battling for the fastest time was a literal torture.
I think my heart never went that crazy till yesterday but at the end it was worth it.
I wasn't able to go and wait him to get out of the car and congratulate him because I wasn't in the box. I hide in a corner of the hospitality watching the qualy through the screen.

After my soft lunch the things escalated pretty quickly and with that even my happiness.
I started to read comments that were really personal and so mean to me.
I tried to delete as many j could of the comments but more I deleted and more were coming so I stopped and muted my notifications.
People know how ti be really mean sometimes but the fact that I didn't do anything to deserve this is what makes me upset.

I decided to stay off the public eye for this GP.
I can't handle hate right now.

So here I am sat on my usual spot of the many sofas, with my hands all sweaty, my heart hammering on my chest.

He is starting from the pole posit and our friend group knows how ends when he usually starts from the pole... Hopefully today will not be it.

My heart starts hammering on my chest while the warm up lap and when they all are lined up on the gird I literally feel like the head is spinning from the much pressure and anxiety.
Charles gets a really good start while I have both hands fingers crossed placed right next to my lips that I'm nervously biting, my elbows rested on my knees that are trembling from the nervousness.

Fifty eight laps, fifty eight. Today it's the day that I'll die from a heart attack. I'm pretty sure of it.

"Fuck!" I scream standing up with holding the breath still, not believing what I'm seeing through the screen. A red car that goes right on the gravel and my chest aches at the tough of Charles ending his best opportunity to win this race right at the second lap but then I notice that the colour of the helmet it's not white and red but black and red.
"That is Carlos Sainz! Who looks like he's beat that Ferrari in the gravel in the exit of turn 10!" the commentators screams.
I let out a breathe trying to ease the pain in the chest and checking that Charles is still on the track.

At lap 24 Charles is still leading the race brilliantly having a gap of +6.477 . It's incredible. The car is incredible and Charles driving skills are something ... something that not every driver has.
I see a Safety Car getting deployed and then the imagines are showing Seb's car right in the middle of the track. Not a scene that I wanted to see as a Ferrari fan and a Seb fan.
When the Safety Car returns to the pits I start shaking my breathe as Charles and Max start to fight. The good thing when it comes to the two of them is that they always fight so clean because they respect each other but it's always an heart attach seeing both of the coming side to side right before a turn.

At lap 36 Charles has +5.601 of advantage from Max that it's making us all breathe normally and worry a bit less even if in this sport nothing it's guaranteed and everything can happen till the last corner of the last lap.

I gasp when I see a Redbull parked on the side of the track and when I read the name of Max Verstappen right below it I slap a hand on my lips.
"There's no fucking way that this is happening right now." I say so shocked from what's happening.
There's no way that Charles got this lucky today because let me tell you... when it comes to bad luck on the f1 paddock there is just one name and it's Charles... from strategies, to tyres, to engine malfunctions... to everything.

"Woo!!" I scream all alone in the room with my heart on my throat watching Charles cross the finish line first. Euphoria running through my veins imagining how large Charles grin is right now inside of that helmet.
"Charles Leclerc keeping up Ferrari's happy hunting grown in Australia! His three previous career wins have come from pole, make that four career wins from pole position as Charles Leclerc takes the fastest lap of the race and wins the Australian Grand Prix!" the commentator screams with such a joy.