Adrenaline: A Lestappen Story

𝟏𝟔.𝟐 - 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫

SILVERSTONE GRAND PRIX

RACE DAY

Charles exuded confidence as he entered the paddock, en route to the Ferrari garage. His transformed demeanor swiftly captured everyone's attention, with the louder-than-usual clicks of cameras as photographers hurried to him. They expected to witness the aftermath of an injured driver but were instead greeted by Charles, who, apart from a few scratches on his face, looked as if he had secured pole position the night before.

Fueled by a determination to claim pole position, Charles received pats on the back from his team upon noticing his overnight change. They quickly briefed him on the car's stats, ready to tackle the race head-on.

A new sense of relief enveloped him now that the cause of their poor strategic calls was gone. Ferrari was once again filled with individuals aspiring for the next championship, looking to Charles to secure it. Mistakes from now on would be his to take accountability for, and he welcomed it.

With a focused gaze, Charles donned his racing suit and joined his team, walking towards his car as they discussed the day's details. Despite starting from the back of the grid, they were confident in the car's power, expecting the first eight overtakes within the initial three laps and aiming for points by mid-race. Charles's contagious self-confidence made it seem like Ferrari had already won, despite the race not commencing.

Seated in his car, Charles awaited his wheel and the signal to hit the track—preparing his tires and focusing as the scent of burning rubber surrounded him.

While Max had joked about not sharing a podium, Charles was determined to remind him of who his biggest threat used to be and still is.

Lights out.

Max surged forward like a bullet released from its chamber. The first corners were a blur as he executed his premeditated moves flawlessly, seamlessly navigating through the chaos of the opening laps.

Within the first lap Max had already overtaken Lando, to the disappointment of the crowds. The gap widened between him and his rival, leaving no doubt that Max would have an easy win on this track.

In alignment with the team's predictions, Charles ascended five places in the initial lap, primarily attributed to his car's superior speed compared to a few other teams. However, as he closed in on a Mercedes, it became evident that, aside from Max, every other position remained uncertain and up for grabs. With three additional overtakes in the next two laps, Charles transformed from last place to just two positions away from scoring points.

The Ferrari driver navigated the track with expertise, reminiscent of his karting days when he fearlessly took necessary risks. The impact of confidence and strategic precision was remarkable.

Despite his rapid progress, twelfth place seemed elusive as he faced stiff competition from Oscar Piastri. Approaching a curve, Charles momentarily abandoned his instincts, following the path Max had once taken on a different track. Though unconventional, it granted him a crucial split-second advantage, allowing him to surpass the McLaren and leap into point-scoring territory. What began as a seemingly bleak race was rapidly evolving into one of his most impressive performances.

With Max comfortably leading, the commentators shifted their focus to the Ferrari driver, capturing the captivating moments on camera.

Maintaining his focus on the gaps ahead and seizing every opportunity, Charles was oblivious to his impressive climb until his teammate trailed behind, announcing Charles's ascent to fourth place.

"Box, box," echoed the call over the radio, and without hesitation, Charles entered the pits. Despite momentarily dropping to seventh, fresh tires empowered him to swiftly reclaim his position. The team's calculated decision to pit sooner proved advantageous, considering the tire conditions.

With only five laps remaining, Charles approached third place, though his chances of winning had long faded. This race belonged to Max, but starting from the back of the grid had given Charles a glimmer of hope. With two laps left, a minor mistake by Redbull allowed Charles to overtake Checo and trail behind Lando, who was visible on the horizon. However, with time ticking away, Charles had to focus on fending off Checo's attempts to reclaim his position. Racing inches from the Red Bull, Charles treated it as practice for the upcoming week. Despite the impending challenge, he found joy in the current race.

As the checkered flag waved, Charles secured his podium position, trailing just behind Lando as promised. Ferrari members surrounded him in a rush of red, treating him as if he had won the race. While it was only third place, the celebration made it clear that the real reason they were celebrating was that a shot at the championship had opened up.

When Max finished his own celebrations with his team, he finally moved to the rectangular pole where he could remove his helmet and other parts of his setup. There was when he noticed the other cars that shared the podium with him, one of them being Charles's Ferrari.

The Dutch's attention was immediately driven to the roaring crowd of Ferrari mechanics and strategists cheering a happy Charles on next to the pit walls, he held a secret smile of satisfaction under his cheeks.

"Thought you'd have given some slack, given what I did for you yesterday." He heard the familiar voice of Lando Norris reach out to him, hooking his attention back to the action of removing his gloves.

"I owe you one, anything but a win, you have to earn it yourself." Max replied as he shook the curly-haired-man's hands. "Congrats, though." He signaled to him, tapping his back as the other driver left for the post-race interview.

Finally getting a chance to meet Charles, Max immediately went for a brief and friendly hug. "I knew you'd do it." Max said, grabbing onto his shoulder. "But fuck, I thought I was crazy for thinking that." he joked.

"I think you tend to forget I'm actually a decent driver," Charles joked back, running his hands through his hair to try and air out the helmet hair as much as possible, knowing he more than likely looked like a mess. "How about next race I take a turn at that number one spot?" he asked, taking a look behind him to see if Lando was nearly done with his interview, before he could head over.

"You owe me a party invite," Charles said with a wink, his demeanor holding a lightness that he hadn't possessed in a long time and that he didn't wish to let go of.

Once the customary pleasantries had concluded, the podium was ushered in, adhering to its familiar ritual. The dulcet notes of the Dutch national anthem filled the air, serving as a routine soundtrack. The routine triumph of Max Verstappen.

Once the anthem was over, it was time for fun and games. The classical podium theme began to play in the background and the three drivers, along with the constructors winner, raised their heavy bottles and let the champagne pour on the entirety of the stage.

Max went directly to face Charles, popping the champagne directly onto his face before he ever thought of switching his attention to Lando or his chief engineer. When they finally ran out of foam, the group united in the middle took sips of their bottles and went for a group photo on the podium.

There, Max wrapped his arm around Charles' waist. Tight enough for him to notice the strength of his grip but loose enough for no one else to notice so.

As anticipated in the post-race interview, the surge in Charles's positions during the race prompted an influx of questions the moment the group settled onto the couch. The curiosity and eagerness to understand the intricacies of Charles's remarkable ascent fueled a curiosity in the reporters.

"What a comeback!" They would exclaim, and proceed to make him questions about how he had managed to pull through all the sixteen positions without a single mistake.

When the questions were finally directed to Max, they seemed to take a different turn. After all, no one was surprised he had retained first place.

"Max, Charles's position on the race today narrows the gap in the championship between the two of you to just 100 points. This opens up a window for a chance in the championship for Ferrari. How does this affect your mindset and approach to the upcoming races?" Asked one of the interviewers.

"I guess I have some good competition now."