𝘽𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍, max verstappen

chapter fifty.

the heat of the asphalt on the yas marina circuit wasn't the only thing close to burning this weekend.

because over this weekend, two passionate rivals were set to light it on fire, chasing relentlessly, down to the wire.

the build up to the penultimate championship finale was all anybody could talk about. which honestly, camila and max found completely valid. they knew how much the world loved watching their battles, and being able to witness it twice, that made this weekend set to be the most dramatic showdown since.

they'd spent the week off in monaco, training relentlessly. then, when their days would end, max never failed to take camila on a romantic dinner date, then sealing the night off with being tangled under the sheets, their hearts and souls intertwined.

max had never been in a more comfortable position in his entire life, he'd never felt more prepared to race for the championship than he had right now, and so did camila.

they'd won races plenty of times, they'd already had championships under their names, but this time, it was different. because when they were with each other, they both wanted to just race more then they wanted to win. it was a rare feeling, not only chasing the thrill of winning, but for being by one another's side as they did it.

camila was sat comfortably in the garage, reviewing and adding to her race notes. she was focused and determined for a good qualifying today.

but, dread creeped up her insides when she'd thought about how qualifying went for her last year — the screaming of the mercedes garage and the screeching of tires as she collided into the barriers was an experience that continued to haunt her, and she refused to make that same mistake again.

her fate was looming across the paddock, one wrong move, and she'd fail again. she needed to prove to herself now that she was capable of winning. she no longer had anyone else to prove it to, she no longer lived with the burden of her fathers threats, he no longer controlled her feelings on the track. it was all up to her now, and camila needed to prove that all she needed to win was herself, not him.

and that was exactly what she did. as camila leaped into the teams arms after securing pole position, by less than half a second to max.

although the fight wasn't over, at least camila could tick one thing off her list — pole position, it was a done deal, she sealed it.

"cami!" bruna cheered, running into her arms. "pole position!"

camila grinned at her friends excitement, the two of them shaking their shoulders excitedly.

pulling off her race helmet and balaclava, as she turned her head, she met max's eyes.

he smiled, and camila noticed the way his eyes lit up, as he playfully shook his head, making his way over to her.

"fuck... that was a good lap" he admitted, pulling camila into his chest, as she wrapped her arms around his torso, smiling just as bright as him.

"let's see if you can catch me tomorrow then" she shot back with a challenging grin.

max and camila both began to pose for pictures with the team and do their post qualifying interviews, carlos joining them as he'd qualified third.

"cami, don't tell max, but i'm rooting for you" he grinned cheekily, as camila sneakily nodded her head.

"thanks carlos" she laughed, as they both made their way back towards their respective teams, carlos especially soaking in these few moments, it was his last race for ferrari after all, he was moving to alfa romeo next year, waiting till the team was set to rebrand to audi the following year.