The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

Chapter 23

24. July 2016 

Everything was working out quite in their favor until it wasn't anymore. Joanna was in the lead, with both of the Mercedes behind her but that wasn't troubling her. She managed to install a gap of 5 seconds which would have already guaranteed her victory, had not her front wing spontaneously decided to leave her car. No desire to be there for the victory in Hungary.

Everything happened so fast and Joanna had trouble keeping the car on track because the aerodynamics suddenly were all over the place. Making the car undrivable, or well almost. 

"What the fuck is going on?" She was tense, asking Matteo to quickly explain the state of her car. Joanna knew that the Mercedes would change her strategy now. Before they concentrated on keeping Max behind them, while Joanna was ahead of them, increasing the gap between them, but now with the damaged car, they had a chance to screw up the Red Bull's race.

"Joanna, they've changed their strategy. They're hunting you down." Matteo informed her, checking how many laps were left again, but he knew that only a miracle would save them.

"Well, of course, but what is happening with my car?" The young Austrian knew that all she could do was performing at the top of her level and hoping that the race distance was working in her favor, but she realized that there was no reason to hope, as she saw Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes appear in her review mirrors.

"We're checking. We're checking." Groaning softly, Joanna wanted to snap at Matteo, that there wasn't much left to check after her front wing said goodbye, without any reason. 

"You're not helping. Stop talking to me." She told her race engineer, not in the mood to bear another bullshit strategy from her team. Joanna had quite enough. 

Joanna's lead began to melt until Lewis was right behind her, Nico and Max not too far away either. With a keen move, Max overtook the German Mercedes driver, while Lewis used DRS on Joanna, gaining the lead. But Joanna wouldn't be Joanna if she would simply let him get away with it. 

"No. That's my fucking win." She mumbled under her breath, using DRS herself. The Austrian fought back hard, regaining her position with clenched teeth and no front wing which was fucking magic.

"That's great racing! Just hang in there!" Joanna heard Matteo talking to her, but they all knew that she wouldn't be able to hold the position. Their only chance for a win was gone. Joanna only waited for the team to order her to come to the box, but the order never came.

"Radio silence NOW." The Austrian repeated, sure that the tension was audible in her voice, but she couldn't care any less. She was done with Ferrari. Once and for all.  

The three cars dashed closely behind each other towards the last straight before the finish, while somehow, they managed to shake off Nico. At least something, the Austrian fought, preparing herself to lose her win on the last meters. Max and Lewis would be able to use DRS in a few hundredths, but the race wasn't over yet. She still had a podium to defend.

Joanna saw in her mirrors, that Max and Lewis had opened their wings, using DRS, but she wasn't prepared for Max's move, and neither was Lewis. The Brit surely was surprised to see the Red Bull appear beside him. Trapping him in between Max and Joanna with no place to go.

The Austrian smirked to herself at her boyfriend's move, driving next to her and blocking Lewis. There was no room for the Mercedes as Joanna and Max were driving in total synch. Joanna knew that Max slowed down in order to fight off Hamilton together, but she kind of enjoyed it while it lasted, until Max overtook her in the last second, so he drove over the finish line first, followed by Joanna's Ferrari and on third a rather loudly complaining Lewis Hamilton.