Raging Bulls || Max Verstappen MV

05. The Man

"And I'm so sick of them coming at me again

cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man."

⁂

"What is his problem!" My voice filled the car as Mick and I drove to the track.

"Look, Till...I'm so happy you decided to ride with me today but, do you talk this much with Oscar and Logan? Cause I'm starting to think I did them a favor."

"Bru!" I smacked Mick's arm and he chuckled. "That's just mean."

"I mean...why does there have to be an explanation? Sometimes people are just mean." Mick turned the corner and my hair flew with the wind.

"All I'm saying is I've done nothing to him. I ju–"

"Till...I literally let you pick the songs for our drive and you're talking over them." He laughed and I couldn't help but smile. Mick had that effect on people. He was the twin that always helped, was complimented for being such a 'nice boy' and effortlessly made people love him.

Even after being let go by Haas, Mick didn't stop looking. Toto offered him a spot as the reserve driver at Mercedes and we supported him fully. We'd talked forever about the two of us racing for either Mercedes or Ferrari and now...Mick was in a great place to make that happen. We turned into the teams' lot and Mick found a space easily. There were already reporters waiting and we both breathed for a moment.

"Ready?" He looked at me and offered a reassuring smile.

"No."

"At least you're honest." We pushed our doors open and began walking towards the paddock entrance. Questions flew from all directions but Mick and I kept our heads low. Once inside, I let out a relieved breath.

"We made it!" I smiled at my brother.

"Mick! Mati!" A voice called from behind us.

"Spoke too soon." Mick stopped and looked to see who was calling after us.

"Hey you two!" Ted Kravitz for Sky Sports stood there slightly out of breath. "Do you have a moment?" His face was full of hope and I exchanged a look with my brother. He shrugged,

"Sure Ted, what do you have for us?" The reporter almost shook with excitement.

"Well first off, how does it feel to be here together? I mean you two haven't raced together in a while. Well, Mick you're not–I–that's not what I meant. Just–well–just is it nice to have a sibling here with you this weekend?" I spared another look at Mick and found amusement on his features.

"I'm excited to see what Till can do today. She supported me even from the Red Bull garage last year and I have every intent to do the same." Ted nodded and I felt my eyes burn slightly at Mick's words.

"I can't explain how much it means to have him here, even if he is in a rival garage." The three of us laughed for a moment.

"On that topic, Mati, does your family support your decision to race for Red Bull?" The laughing immediately ceased.

"Um...yeah they do." My brother was silent, "did we talk about racing for Mercedes or Ferrari? Yes, but Red Bull offered and it wouldn't have made sense for me to turn that opportunity down." The conversation continued and an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. Ted was asking questions that Mick and I really had to think about in order to avoid a compromising answer. The interview continued entirely too long and finally I shot a look in my brother's direction.

"In terms of viewership Mati, you have done amazing things! I mean...female viewers have had lots of eye candy over the years...but male fans have been very excited to see you on their screens." A nervous laugh escaped my lips as I froze.