Formula 1 | One Shots (1)

Chasing Cars | Max Verstappen

Author's Note: but why am I getting jealous of my female OC's in these stories..... 

Done in 3rd person POV, enjoy ❤️ 
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It was a particularly snowy day in the mountains of Ardennes, Belgium, where F1 champion Max Verstappen was taking his winter holiday break, alone. This was something new for him. He wanted to truly disconnect from those around him, following a draining 2024 season. He had just the essentials with him and only told a select few from his family and team where he'd be.

The 2024 season was the most difficult of his career. An unchallenged 2023 made Max assume 2024 would also be the same. From Australia, Miami, Monaco, Austria and so forth, he was constantly on his toes, no longer comfortable in the expected. He was happy for his friends, but the little voice inside his head said "you need to do better."

Halfway through the season, he ended things with his long term girlfriend to focus on his career. He knew he was too comfortable in that relationship, it no longer gave him that spark and it wasn't fair to either on them to continue on like that. He spent the rest of the season truly dedicated to his racing.

He had won the 2024 WDC, but only by 2 points, the smallest gap there had ever been between two drivers. Charles Leclerc would have won if it wasn't for a safety car that aided Max's strategy in Abu Dhabi. It made him realize he couldn't be comfortable anymore. Sure he put lots of effort into his driving, but he had a strong car to work with as well. What would happen if next seasons car wasn't as strong?

Despite all the chaos and fun he had this season, he was truly excited to disconnect and get back to his basic roots. He chose Belgium as a homage to his background. He was about a ten minute drive from the small town, but otherwise no one was close enough to his cabin to disturb him. He loved the idea of being in utter silence. 

Prior to arriving, he had created a daily calendar of 'to-do's' for his month alone. Meditation, daily affirmations, cleaning, working out and swimming were just some of the things on his list. He had found the perfect cabin to rent with a fully stocked home gym, an indoor sauna and an indoor heated pool. 

When he finally arrived, he made a quick trip to the market to stock up on food. He decided he'd buy a week's worth of food at a time. Aside from essentials, he made sure to stock up on lots chocolate, wine and stroopwafels...his guilty pleasures.

The first day he spent unpacking all his things and getting familiar with the cabin. It was a homey decorated house with touches of modernness. There were 3 bedrooms tastefully designed and he took the master, of course. He loved the shower especially, since it was huge and the inside was fancy marble. 

That evening he retired to the living room couch, after cooking himself a simple dinner. He sat next to the wood fire he started. He felt completely at peace with himself and the universe. He had no urge to check social media, text anyone or read any gossip articles. He sat there and enjoyed his own company, a glass of red wine in hand. 

The second day he started his training regimen. His schedule called for lifting weight for an hour and cardio in the form of swimming or running. After lifting for an hour, he retreated to the indoor pool. If there was one thing Max loved, it was swimming. He loved the feeling of being in the water in general. He dived into the deep end, relishing in the slightly warm water on his skin. He could get used to this.

One week had passed and Max fell into a routine. He was starting to get a bit stir crazy, so he decided he wouldn't cook dinner tonight. He opened up his UberEats app, seeing if any restaurants would deliver to his far location. His eye caught an Italian cuisine shop a few miles away. It look authentic and family owned so he got excited while he picked out his options. He placed his order which said it would take slightly longer due to the distance of his cabin.