Do you belive in forever? (Max Verstappen)

Chapter 4

I wasn't quite awake when I went in the lobby five before eight o'clock the next morning. Today I would only have to work in the morning, because Sandra would attend the press conference in the afternoon alone. That's why I had picked out sights that I wanted to visit on my only free afternoon in Melbourne.

"Here is someone a morning person like my son, looks like it is a Teenager and young adulte sickness," Ralf's laughter rang out in front of me. Still slightly sleepy, I looked up from my phone into the face of the TV expert. I was far from the only one who wasn't really awake, which I made clear straight away. I took a big sip from my Red Bull, which should me help to get awake.

But this made Ralf laugh even more: "It wasn't a reproach, your looking so harmless and sweet if you are not quite awake." So immediately he swiped through my hair, which I took teeth crunching. If I didn't like something, it was when I was swerved through my long mane. Unfortunately, Ralf and some around us did not find scary, but only funny. Insulted, I looked back at my phone and answered my best friend's questions. These were only a little related to the work, so I was just annoyed to her reply that I wasn't in Australia for pleasure.

Arriving at the site, I wanted to get into the building and prepare for the interviews with the team leaders of Ferrari, Alpha Romeo, Renault, Haas and Red Bull. Not that I hadn't done this last night, but I didn't want to make a mistake in the talks.

"Hanna, I want to interdouce you to my nephew, he drives in Formula 2," Ralf called me to himself. So, I turned around in the doorway and smiled at my co-host and his nephew. Of course, I had also made myself smart about him because of his uncle and father. He should have great talent and hopefully drive in Formula One soon.

On the surface, Mick and I started talking when we noticed Ralf just stealing away: "What was that?" Shrugging my shoulders, I saw the young talent, I could actually think of it, but I didn't want to express my guess aloud. Later I would definitely talk to Ralf about it, but now I didn't have time for it. I had said goodbye to Mick before I almost ran up the two floors of the press building and hoisted into our room. Günther Steiner was already at Udo there. The team leader seemed to joke, which reassured me.

"Excuse me, I had been stopped. My name is Hanna Gasser, I'm happy to meet you," I said to Mr. Steiner. I wasn't quite trying to sound out of breath. I had been grinding my training a little bit lately, which I probably felt now.

I sat down in my chair and just waited for Udo and Leo to give me the OK to start: "Last year Haas finished fifth behind Renault, which increases the expectations of the spectators and fans. Where do you see Haas after the winter tests?" In short, Mr. Steiner also seemed surprised by my knowledge, but then gave a typical answer.

"And finally, what's your biggest wish for this season?" he paused briefly. Before a smile sat on his lips and he alluded to the many crashes. Of course, he also spoke of being fourth in the constructors' standings, which does not seem unlikely after last season, but the races had to be raced first.

Udo set about freeing the Haas boss from the microphone when I heard Mr. Steiner say quietly: "The little one is not bad. Over time, she will probably become a very good reporter." Standing with my back to them, as I had just taken something out of my pocket, she couldn't see my smiling. He probably didn't expect that anyone could hear it other than Udo. The man in charge of the sound only agreed with the team boss.

All morning I was busy interviewing the five team leaders about the upcoming season and the race. Since we hadn't made any real breaks in between, I was already done something when it was finally noon. Together with Udo and Leo I made my way out of the building and wanted to leave the premises, so I noticed a certain expert with whom I had something to discuss. I sent the two men off and then went to Ralf myself.

With his back he stood up to me and talked with Max and two other drivers, whom I could recognize as Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc. But I just ignored the drivers because I was hungry, but I wanted to have this matter sorted out. So, I definitely tapped on the man's shoulder right in front of me.
Surprised, he looked at me: "What's the point of your nephew? You can't just walk without saying something. Do you know how weird it was for us?" While Daniel and Charles looked back and forth between Ralf and me, as they didn't understand anything, Max watched the conversation tensely as if it were an action movie.

"Come on, you both didn't find it that bad. In addition, you could get to know each other much better without an uncle watching you," so he had really tried to couple me with his nephew. Max seemed to have understood this without being there.

Without realizing it himself, the Dutchman's face had darkened, and he would have liked to have thrown something in, but then he realized that he actually had nothing to say about this matter. Daniel had watched his former team-mate and noticed the emotions in the otherwise emotionless Dutchman. Since I was busy with Ralf, I hadn't looked at the three drivers and therefore didn't notice.

I just shook my head without understanding: "You can't just try to couple me up with your nephew, you don't even know if I have a boyfriend." With the word friend, Max stretched himself again, somehow, he did not like the idea of a man by my side, even if he himself did not understand why. Ralf, on the other hand, raised only one eyebrow and at the same time looked amused.

"And do you have one?" he looked at me. I rolled my eyes briefly and then denied that I wasn't concerned with whether I had a boyfriend or not, but about principle. It was nice to mean by him, but he knew me for 24 hours and already interfered in my love life. Well, I didn't have a love life. Not since my last ex left me for an ice hockey club in America.

Max had relaxed again when I shook my head. Daniel had now found his fun watching the Dutchman, while the Monacan looked interested between me and Ralf back and forth but did not understand a word.

Annoyed, I looked at the older man: "It's nice that you want to take care of my love life, but I get that myself. If you apologize me now, my stomach desperately needs something to work." I had said the last part in English before I left. I didn't notice Max's gaze in my rage, but it didn't escape the Australian. With a broad grin, he looked at his former teammate, who looked at him only confusedly.

Not knowing where my staff had gone, I decided to get something back in a takeaway and go to the beach. With fries and chicken nuggets I sat on the beach and looked into the vastness of the blue sea. The wind in my hair and the sun on my face made me feel like I was in a dream again. Through my work, I still couldn't quite comprehend that I was on the other side of the world sitting on the beach.

Max POV:

After lunch I needed a walk to get my head clear, so I found my way to the beach. First I just enyojed to cold wind from the sea, but then I saw a woman in the sand. As more as I focust on her, as clearer I cold see that it was Hanna, the swiss reporter from Sky Sport germany. Shortly I thought about goning to her and sit next to her, but my phone stoppt me before I could move any muscel. 

I had putten an alarm in so that I would be on time back at the track, then the media worke wasn't finished. Badly today was no interview with Hanna, just a press conference. I really had no desire for that, but it was part of my work. 

Before I went back, I couldn't resist and taken a foto of Hanna in the sand. After that I was going quiek back to the paddock, my dad would of sure wait ther for me. 

Dad had been waiting impatiently for me: "What's going on with you and, where were you?" So, besides the track he did not know me, but he already had a guess. I just shook my head and told him that I was on the beach for a short time. Knowingly, Jos Verstappen nodded and sent me to the other drivers for the press conference.

Hanna POV:

While the drivers had to face the official press conference, I had set out to find the Victoria Market. It had taken me an hour to get there. It looked quite nice, but it wasn't that special. That's why I was a little annoyed about the long road. The time It took me to go to the hotel.

I would have liked to have called my friend now, but at home it was just over 3 o'clock in the night, as not the time when you should call someone. So, I decided to go back to the beach. But before that I had taken a selfie, so it was worth at least something.

On the beach I dropped the sand and enjoyed the solitude until I heard a group of chaots: "There's Hanna, lets go to her. She was very nice at the interview yesterday." I had to giggly, which the boys then heard. With a laugh on my lips, I turned to the young drivers.

"So, I'm very nice? And you remembered my name, must I be afraid that you stalk me?", Lando grinned at me the same way. Max, who had been completely looking, seemed to stab my buddy with his eyes. But my attention was just on the half British and half Belgian, who had previously described me as nice.

He looked at me as disturbed as possible: "I already know everything about you. You come from the Czech Republic, have four siblings and grew up on a farm. Your only friends were the cows whose milk you had fed on. Then you were kidnapped by traffickers in Germany and sold to Sky." I could hardly hold myself to laughter, this boy definitely had too much imagination.

"Do I look Czech or why the Czech Republic?" Lando shrugged, as did the rest of the riders. In addition to Lando and Max, Alex, George, Charles, Pierre and Carlos were also present. Since a circle has formed when sitting down with me in the San, Max sat next to me on the right. When he accidentally touched my hand, I got a punch again, but it felt good. Outwardly, I didn't let anything be noticed.

In order not to let the conversation stall, I looked into the round: "Do you have nothing more to do? No annoying journalists waiting for you?" A brief laugh went through the troops.
"We're already sitting with the most annoying of them all. But what really surprises us, where you can get the many languages from and then still fluent," it had been Charles. He sat on my left, so it was a bit tedious to look at him.

So, I took my gaze from him and looked at my counterpart what the two Britons Lando and George were: "I am Swiss, so from the German-speaking part, I learned French and English at school and I taught Italian to myself via an app because this is also a national language. Through hockey players I also speak broken Finnish and Swedish. Languages are easy for me and I like to learn new ones." The drivers looked at me in a stunned but not negative way.

"Then you absolutely have to learn Spanish," Carlos quickly chipped in. With a nod, I confirmed his statement. Actually, I was already in the process of acquiring this language, as it was very similar to the Italian language, but I still did not feel safe enough.

Max next to me quipped: "Or Dutch would be practical too." I covered my face. Dutch was probably the one language I would never learn; Jessica had tried it many times. The mother of my best friend was Dutch, which is why Jessi also looked like a typical Dutchwoman, tall and blonde.

"My best friend has tried it several times, but thanks to Swiss German I understand some things very little," I confessed. But the Red Bull driver's grin only got wider.

He leaned back a little: "Then your friend is just a bad teacher. From now on, we all only speak to you in our mother tongue, if we are not all together, then you will learn Spanish and Dutch." While I would have liked to have called no, Carlos was the only one to have a fire and flame for this idea. The Spanish pace scared me. French could ever be bad, but Spaniards were extreme. I couldn't think as fast as the languages. That would be something else with the drivers.