born to die | 𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧

𝐢𝐱.

chrissy 🫡 : Team meeting at 9am.

marie 🤓📊 : And Julie DON'T YOU DARE BE LATE!!

me:

dutch guy 🙄🇳🇱 : okay will be there

marie 🤓📊 : no complaints? That's new!

chrissy 🫡 : Julien you better be there as well.

me:
Will you give me contract for
the next season?
*read*

I enter the headquarters greeting the lady behind the reception as I scan my card and enter.

"Oh, hey Max!" I greet Max who I assume was also walking to the conference room for our team meeting.
He quickly looks up from his phone and greets me back.

"Slept well?" He asks me and I smile recalling the old times when he used to ask me this every single morning.

"Yeah pretty good, and you?"

"Good, couldn't fall asleep for a while but yeah good,"

We talked all the way to the conference room. Laughing and joking about everything. I completely forgot how it felt to be in his presence.

He opens the door for me and we both walk in together laughing.

"Well that's a nice surprise," Marie chuckles when she sees us. "Friends again, that's what I like to see," she adds.

"Good morning guys," I greet others as I sit at my usual seat with Christian on my left side and my engineer on the right side with Max sitting opposite me.

"Good morning Max and Julie," Christian greets us and the meeting can finally begin.

"First let's do a review of the race in Silverstone," Christian starts "First to say I'm more than happy with both of your performances, you did great and brought home P1 and P2," he announces and everyone smiles at us as a form of congratulation.

"I'm also glad that the war between you two is finally coming to an end," he looks at me and then at Max.

Christian then continues to talk about what we are to expect at the next race and what we should improve.

When the meeting is finally over we all happily stand up glad to have this over.
"Julien you stay for a few more minutes please," Christian speaks and I want to disappear in that moment.

Why is it always me? I just want to go get breakfast at the cafeteria.
I look at Max just to see that he is already looking at me wondering why do I have to stay for an additional chat. I shrug my shoulders to sign that I have no idea and he leaves.

When the room is clear and the only people left are me, Christian and Marie, we all sit down again.

"What were you doing at the Mercedes hospitality?" Marie asked me calmly with curiosity.

"I just wanted to say hello to Sussie and ask her how is F1 academy doing," I reply and she nods.

Did they think that Mercedes wanted to give me an offer to drive for them next year? Were they questioning my loyalty to the team?

"But I must ask you as well, how does it look with my redbull seat for the next season? I know there is still a lot of time to make that kind of decision but I also need to know where am I standing,"

"I understand you Julie, but unfortunately we haven't made our decision yet but we are very happy with your performance but there are still more things to consider," Christian replies and I nod. That's fair I guess but it would be nicer knowing that the team I am driving for is or isn't going to replace me.

After a few more hours spent at the headquarters, I'm free to go home.

But before I can drop dead in my bed and start watching some new Netflix series I decide to check my emails.

There are a lot of them. Yeah, I should probably be checking them more often.

As I scroll through the emails one certainly catches my eye. It's an email from Mercedes AMG Petronas. An email from Toto Wolff himself.

I quickly open it and read it. They are interested in offering me a seat for the 2024 season and are asking if I'd be interested in having a meeting with them regarding it.

Mercedes is offering me a seat.