The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

Chapter 28

Hey, this one is a little bit longer than normal and shit is about to get real. I hope you have a nice day. Enjoy reading!

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18. September 2016

Upon arriving in Singapore Joanna still felt slightly nauseous as soon as she saw or even worse smelled food, but she was a professional. So, she tried her best to joke around with the media people and smile for pictures with fans. The Austrian was seated next to Sebastian, enduring the meet and greet with some hardcore Ferrari fans while suffering under the hot Singaporean sun. Kiwi was trying to get her to eat something, but it always ended the same way which worried the PR agent greatly. Joanna constantly throwing up wasn't a good sign by any means. They needed to get her checked out as soon as possible, but Joanna was as stubborn as a donkey with no intention to see a doctor. 

"Want some water?" She questioned while presenting Joanna with a worried look, but the Austrian ignored it. Only nodding at her question, before unscrewing the cup and gulping down about half the bottle. Accepting the parasol Kiwi was handing her, the Austrian told her that she would take some time for a nice stroll around the track before going back to the facility, the emphasis was on alone, which got Kiwi protesting but in the end, she allowed Joanna to go.

To Joanna's disappointment, the stroll hadn't the intended effect, she only felt sweaty and disgusting after a few moments, so she decided that a stroll was a stupid idea. 

Leaning with her upper body over the pit wall, Joanna watched the F2 race, her ears protected with headphones, while she observed the next generation battle it out. It was very enjoyable. All the young blood that was desperate to climb further up the ladder.

"Uh, careful on the curbs." She muttered to herself as one of the young drivers violated the track limits which caused his chassis to skid over the curb, causing sparks to fly. Not pleasant but also not race-ending. The boy was driving in F2, he still had some time to learn. 

The younger Ferrari driver watched with a constant smile on her face. It was rare that Joanna genuinely smiled at something other than her friends but watching the next generation, their ambitions, and their motivation did put a smile on her face. Joanna wasn't sure if she was ever this eager to score a point but she liked to think so. 

Joanna was busy watching a fight between two youngsters, as Kiwi walked up to her. Normally she would leave Joanna to herself like the Austrian had asked her to, so she could enjoy the race of the minor series, but the Aussie seemed nervous since they've stepped into the paddock this morning and the Austrian's current condition wasn't helping with that, so Joanna allowed her to stay closer than she would normally do. Sacrificing the little moments of peace she could have every race weekend. Well, Joanna didn't tell her to fuck off, despite seeing Kiwi from the corner of her eyes, hovering behind her and pretending, very badly, like she was minding her own business. 

Turning away from the racetrack, Joanna lifted an eyebrow, while Kiwi didn't meet her eye. Only starring down at the floor while moving her weight from one foot to the other. Nodding at Kiwi shortly, the Aussie took it as permission to approach the younger Ferrari driver. 

"I haven't heard a whisper about the rumors we started. Which is strange. I wished I could tell you something helpful." Kiwi apologized, but Joanna had already expected this outcome after she had spoken to Toto on the night she signed with Mercedes. Still, it hurt to know that it was truly her father, who had pushed her in such ways to get what he wanted. Well, she always was only a piece on the board for him. 

"You just did." The Austrian replied, before turning around to watch the final laps. She made a mental note to remember the boy, who had just won the race. A young Monegasque, who showed a rare talent, maybe he would battle with the big guys in a few years in the top class. He had the talent, the only question was whether he also had the bite.