Three Dumb Ideas | Formula 1 fanfiction

113: Maeve is-

Max's point of view.

RADIO: Max there is a red flag, red flag.

I look into my mirrors but I can't see anything.

MAX: They okay?

RADIO: Uhm- yes Max. Everyone is okay. We-

There is a lot of noise, lots of gasps, I even hear some people crying.

MAX: Who is it? Big impact?

RADIO: We- We can't say who it is. Big impact Max. Return to pit entry.

MAX: Will Maeve follow after?

RADIO: She-

SEBASTIAN: Listen to me Max *panting* You drive to your garage and you go immediately to your dressing room, you hear me? You do not talk to anyone.

MAX: Sebastian? Why?

I drive into the pitlane.

SEBASTIAN: I can't tell you, promise me Max. *Panting even more, almost like he's crying*

MAX: I promise.

I drive into our pit box and I spot crying faces. Someone gets me out of the car and puts his hands before my eyes.

'What the fuck is happening?', I ask.

'Don't look at the screens, give me your phone. You stay here until we get you out of there, you hear me?', the man hisses.

I nod my head and I hand over my phone.

'Can I at least talk to Maeve?', I ask him.

'No, she's currently resting, stay here'.

Luciana's point of view.

Our first instinct was Maeve's safety. We can't see shit, smoke is all around the circuit, especially where Maeve crashed... fuck I can't even think about it without crying.

We're running to the Red Bull garage, after all Horner has access to every team radio and we want to know if Maeve is getting out.

The whole garage is crying or in shock, Horner is running around like crazy. Max's car is in park mode.

Max.

Where is Max?

'Horner!', Sienna yells. He turns around and comes running towards us.

He embraces us in a hug. 'We're getting her out of there, we will be okay'.

'What about her? Is she breathing? Is she responding to the team radio?', I ask crying.

'She is not responding, she's mostly passed out because of the smoke. I have to be honest girls. The crash was approximately 60-70g'.

Sienna falls to her knees after hearing that message, breaking down in tears.

'Horner... she won't survive that, she's in the barrier surrounded by fire', I cry out.

Horner sighs and gets called away. 'Keep hope'.

I feel Sebastian's presence beside us, his arm tightly around Hanna as she cries into his shoulder, her heartbreak raw and real. He glances at me, his expression pained but controlled.

I help Sienna get up and we move towards them. Hanna notices us and throws her arms around us, hugging us until we almost can't breathe.

'Luciana,' Sebastian says quietly, his voice strained. 'Charles is out, you should go to him'.My mind instantly becomes a little clearer. Charles.

Charles. My mind snaps to him, the part of me that can still think jolted awake by the memory. He was involved, too.

The scene around me blurs, voices fading into the background as I push through the crowd toward the medical tent, barely seeing the people, the cars, or the worried faces of crew members and fans. I just need to get to Charles. To know he's okay.

When I spot him in the tent, my breath catches. He's sitting on the edge of the bench, his eyes unfocused, hands balled into tight fists as if holding himself together. There's a dullness to his expression that makes my stomach twist, a haunted look I've rarely seen in his eyes. The medics are speaking to him, but he's not really listening.

'Charles', I murmur, stepping close, my voice unsteady.

His gaze snaps to mine, and relief floods his features. 'Luciana', he whispers, reaching for me. His hand is warm but his grip is rigid, and I feel the weight of his guilt, the sense of responsibility he's carrying for something far beyond his control.

'They told me... sixty to seventy g', I say quietly, barely able to say it out loud. My throat tightens. 'She's... she's still in there, Charles. They're trying to get her out'.

He closes his eyes, jaw clenched as he lets out a shaky breath. 'I should've... I should've done something different', he mutters. 'Maybe it wouldn't have come to this'.

'No', I say firmly, desperate to snap him out of that spiral. 'Charles, you did nothing wrong. This isn't on you'. I take his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. 'You're here. You're safe. That's all that matters'.

He swallows, nodding slightly, though the pain remains etched in his expression.

'Luciana, Charles', my dad walks into the tent.

'Dad', I cry as I bury my head in his chest.

He holds me close. 'They got her out...'

My head jerks up, looking at his expression.

My father looks devastated, miserable.

'No-', I realize what that means.

'No... no', Charles whispers.

'Say it, please. I need to hear it out loud otherwise my brain can't process it', I beg.

'Luciana. Maeve is-'

ONE YEAR LATER

Max's point of view.

'We are here with Max Verstappen a year after one of the worst crashes in history. The crash of Maeve Vettel, your old teammate and girlfriend', the interviewer says. 'Max, can you remember anything of that day? What is something that comes to mind when you think of that dark Sunday?'

I clear my throat, ready to let the words roll out. 'In a perfect world, I would've known she crashed. In a perfect world, I would've parked my car. In a perfect world, I would've jumped out and saved her. In a perfect world I would have been George and Maeve would have been Zhou during Silverstone 2022. But this is not a perfect world. I live in a world where I am surrounded by fans who support me and haters who bring me down. I should've run to her like in a Wattpad story. In a perfect world, I would've saved her, stayed with her then perhaps she would still be driving next to me now. But it's not a perfect world, I did what I had to do, I did what I was told to do, get a podium, be world champion. That day cost me everything, sometimes even my will to live', I say.