dear hazel, | lewis hamilton

18

5th of December, 2022

Dear Hazel,

It's been a year since it all fell down.

And I'm to blame for every single bit of it.

after their talk during the silverstone, you'd think things would've changed for the better. but it didn't.

it was currently the last few laps of the abu dhabi grand prix, the final race of the season- which also happened to be the championship decider.

for the majority of the race, the lead was lewis', which made a string of groans echo in the redbull garage. and while hazel was silently cheering for lewis, a larger part of her wanted max to win.

it sounded bad, which was why she kept that thought silent.

any ordinary wife would cheer her husband on and only want him to win. but then again, she was no ordinary wife.

with max winning, it meant she has an impact. it meant that she didn't have her job just because she was a hamilton, but because she earned it and was actually good at her job.

there's a large difference between planning with a pen and paper and executing it in reality. that's where everything blossoms.

and god, the longing for it to blossom was far stronger than anything else. it was selfish of her, yes. to want her career to do better than her husband's, but after being on the sidelines for so long, shouldn't it be her time to shine for once?

hazel singlehandedly carried redbull to the top in the 4 years she'd worked there, and while her efforts haven't gone unnoticed - winning the championship was the final seal to the deal.

she knew how phenomenal it would be if lewis won his eighth championship, a record breaking number that not even micheal schumacer surpassed.

her breath caught in her throat when max overtook lewis at turn 5, the roars of approval from the grandstands echoing until the garage, even she let out a squeal of excitement.

the two battled closely, and up till the final corners, it was anyone's race. anyone's championship.

crofty's voice loudly pulsated throughout the entire paddock, "the championship can only be won by one, and it's going dutch in 2021!"

the austrian team members excitedly flooded out of the garage as max's car flew past the checkered flag, claiming his first and foremost championship.

hazel joined in on the celebrations, jumping up and down in the arms of the team, their chants of her name echoing through the air as max did his victory lap.

even max enveloped her in a soul crushing hug, expressing his many thanks to her.

although max was titled world champion, hazel was the true champion. she was the supporting rails, the map that guided them to such a superior and thrilling win.

she got lost in celebration, leaving her beaten husband sulking in silence of his formula one car.

it was only after the podium celebrations when she followed him to his drivers room, in an attempt to comfort him.

"you did your best, lulu." she softly rubbed his arm, "there's always next year."

"it would've been mine if your stupid team didn't cheat." he suddenly exploded, making her take a few steps back.

"excuse me?" she bit her lip, refraining from snapping back so soon.

"you heard me," the anger on his face was unlike anything hazel had ever seen before, "what you let the fia do for you was cheating."