Do you belive in forever? (Max Verstappen)

Chapter 25

I clawed slightly in the seat because the G-forces were felt on my neck and rib, but I really wanted to do the interview: "Your favorite food?" I screamed as we were drifting around a bend. The scream was a mixture of pain and just a reflex.

Fully focused on reading the next question hadn't really heard him answering. You can't really imagine it but reading the questions in that car was really hard. Even though we were briefly on a more or less straight section of the track, everything wobbled so that I could hardly read anything from the cards. I really bothered to ask a new question as quickly as I could, but in a corner, it was impossible for me.

I didn't miss the eyes of the world champion: "Are you good?" He seemed to be really worried because he too knew about my accident and my injuries. In response, I always quickly raised my thumb and asked the next question. For all his criticism of him, Lewis was a good person of heart who did care about his fellow human beings. Of course, as a spectator it was boring only to watch him win, but what could he do if the other cars could not keep up with Mercedes. Hating him for it was really not fair.

Even though Lewis flew fast over the track, I felt safe with him. After all, you didn't become a world champion by building accidents and driving into the barriers. There were other drivers I was afraid to get in.

"Rather champagne or wine?" just as the answer came before we were over the finish line. I was a little relieved to see the pressure drop, Lewis went on the roll-out lap and was clearly off the gas. He had looked at me again, because I was probably a bit pale around my nose. This time I wasn't even sick, it was more the pain in my neck and rib that had caused me problems, but I wouldn't admit this so quickly.

Luckily, I got out of the car and immediately pulled off my helmet: "What do you think better or worse than Valtteri?" Lewis had just come next to me and had taken off his helmet. Although he admitted to having a good feeling, he did not seem to be arrogant at all. He just wanted to be the best and had confidence in himself, which was more than just legitimate.

"So Valtteri had 10 questions per minute last week and Lewis rounded up on 9 questions," the Briton surprised behind the camera to my recording manager. Because he had probably thought that he had answered more. But since we make a cut and then round up or down depending on the numbers, the feeling could be deceiving.

Immediately Hamilton was able to take this defeat with humor: "Finns always give so fast and short answers, we Brits have no chance to keep up. Congratulations to him, let's hope that the lead stays at Mercedes. Who's next?" I was a little overwhelmed when asked, because I had nothing to do with it. I was just the one who drove with these madmen and asked the questions.

"Next up is Max Verstappen," Thomas said. Immediately Hamilton wished Verstappen good luck and at the same time not because he did not want to be beaten by a Red Bull driver.

Laughing, I turned to the camera: "That's it for this race weekend with the driver's lap from Shanghai. Give this video a thumbs up if you like it and don't forget to subscribe to the channel. If you click here, you can see the video from Bahrain with Valtteri and here on the left you come to the highlights from the race. Cheers." I briefly waved into the camera, which Lewis had done too.

As soon as the camera was off, he turned to me: "You really don't have any pain, you looked a bit tormented." He didn't seem to be calm, but I just waved off. As soon as we were rolling out and the G-forces had decreased, so too had the pain. Since we got out of the car, they had disappeared completely, so I was able to calm the world champion down.

"Hanna, we have to keep going, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly are waiting," I looked at Lewis apologetically. But he was called by his press agent at that moment, so we said goodbye quickly and everyone went his way.

My way led me to the terrace of Red Bull building, there Udo and Leon were waiting for me, with them were already responsible from Red Bull. Max and Pierre weren't there yet, so I wasn't quite so late. Thomas hadn't come with me, so I felt a bit weird when all five eyes pairs were on me.

I kindly gave my hand to the three men of the Red Bull and introduced myself. Christian Horner was one of them and then two from social media and press department. I greeted my colleagues by simply raising my hand.

"Have we become so unimportant that you don't give us a hand anymore," Leon joked. That's why I put my hand out to him and greeted him in a highly formal and totally exaggerated way.

Immediately I looked at the cameraman asking, "Is that better?" He quickly shook his head and preferred the first version of the welcome. It was a lot of wonder how quickly you could get used to people and grow together. Of course, it was a little different in this profession, because we spent more time together than in other professions. But I enjoyed having a certain sense of family at work. You always felt more comfortable and the work was even more fun, because you could concentrate on your tasks.

"I'd rather stick to the hey from the beginning," I nodded approvingly. It also felt weird if I sat down with my colleagues to greet me. Only for fun I had been uncomfortable, because Leon was more like a good buddy already.

The man from the press department wanted to see my questions, which was no problem for me. Without saying anything about it, I gave him my papper with the questions. While he was a little offside with it, Christian engaged me in conversation.

Asked, the Red Bull Racing team leader looked at my embedded hand: "What did you do?" He had probably been one of the few who had not heard of my accident. The drivers had talked at the latest after the challenge with Lewis, but most of them had already known it through Instagram anyway. Friendly, almost all the riders followed me there, at least those with whom I always depended on and Lewis. I was really happy when the Englishman subscribed to me.

"My car wanted to kiss a tree while I had a not so nice awakening. But is only half as bad, the hand is only bruised and a rib. It will hit my wallet worse, and I could bury my car," I clarified soberly. No matter how many times I had to tell this story, I was always slightly uncomfortable. Something from the first thing you learn, even as a child, tired or alcoholic, you don't drive a car. I had and would pay a high bill for it, but I knew the Swiss authorities too well. It's a miracle that I didn't get the fine on Monday. But I could be sure that I would get it this week, so much was certain.

I couldn't really read anything from Christian's facial expression: "Better the purse and the car than any bones from you. If you want to drive a little more cautiously, we still need good female journalists." You didn't get a compliment from Horner every day, so I quickly thanked him.

"The questions are okay," I looked a little surprised to the right. The press type of Red Bull stretched out the paper again, which had overwhelmed me at first, but then I took the peaper on myself. I looked over the questions myself to make sure he hadn't deleted one. Sometimes this really annoyed taboos, because they could unsettle you as a journalist.

Christian had turned to his employee: "You don't have to worry about her, about inappropriate questions, at least Max and Pierre meant it. My drivers just rave about you, especially Max. Even some colleagues like Günther seem to think a lot about you, sky sport can probably count itself lucky to have you." Since my cheeks probably turned red like tomatoes, because these were a little too many laurels for me. Basically, I did the same job as thousands of other people in the world. That's how I felt, one of a thousand who could turn their passion into a profession.

"I would like to convince myself of your skills, but unfortunately the work calls. Hopefully we'll see you and if not, I wish you a good recovery," I shook Horner's hand again. At the door into the interior of the motor home, his drivers approached him. To whom he said something briefly before Christian disappeared in the building and the two drivers came to me.

Pierre hugged me without hesitation to greet me. Max and I, on the other hand, didn't know how to greet each other, which ended in a weird hug. Luckily, nobody said anything about it, and I could just forget the situation.

Since I wasn't wired yet, Udo had his hands full, and I more or less wired myself: "Is the transmitter switched on?" I only wanted to know about Udo when I showed my ass, where the station was, to him. Laughing, the man answered in the affirmative for the sound as he sat down with headphones to a small mixing desk, otherwise I couldn't describe the thing.

"Could you sleep well after market visit yesterday? With Antonio's dog of sure," Pierre asked. We just sat down and just waited for my team to do the okay. But Leon was just busy focusing the camera, so we had a short time for private conversations.

I briefly shuddered when I thought of the slit snake the day before: "The dog seems to have helped, at least I can't remember any nightmares. And you both? Have you encountered creepy fish in your sleep?"

"No, because we don't need Antonio's dog for that," Max's biting undertone could be clearly heard. I couldn't understand why he was still doing such a drama about this dog. Antonio just wanted to be nice, and he immediately made a doomsday out of it.

Slightly pissed off, I wanted to give the Dutch an answer when Leon told me, "Camera is so far, you can start." Immediately I started laughing and Pierre didn't try to look quite so nervous either. Only Max still looked like it had been raining for days. The fact that Pierre was sitting between me and Max probably didn't help the Frenchman feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

"Welcome to China to the Shanghai GP. I'm here at Red Bull and I'm joined by both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen. Welcome you both," thanked them both more or less kindly for the invitation. I smiled cheerfully at Pierre as I looked at him and he felt uncomfortable. Max, on the other hand, seemed to be the camera sausage, so he got warning glances from me. He was supposed to pull himself together for this quarter of an hour.

Up to one question, the interview went pretty well: "What can you suffer the least?" While Pierre had to think, the Dutchman knew immediately what he wanted to say.

"If I'm constantly ignored and always has to run after a person just to be ignored again," Max looked me firmly in the eye. I would have liked to have said something about it, but I couldn't, because otherwise I would have betrayed myself in front of the camera. So, I could only look him in the eye and try to make it so clear to him that I regretted my behavior towards him.

Poor Pierre, who was between us, slipped back and forth in his seat: "I hate it when two friends argue, even though there is no reason." Iamb, Max and I looked to the Frenchman. We both had forgotten everything during our eye contact, including the French between us. He looked back and forth between me and Max.

"Uh, yes... Then at the end just a question, what do you like to do in your free time at a race weekend?", Pierre had really brought me out of my concept. As restrained as he was, otherwise, I did not expect such an intervention. But when I could see Max wanting to open his mouth, I quickly got into the new question, so that he certainly didn't get too swayed.

Again, Max was the first to answer: "Eat with the others. Most of the time we don't have more free time." I tried to read from Max's gaze if this was a yes for the date tonight but couldn't find out definitively.

"Yes, the food together is always very nice or other things like visiting the market", so I loosened my eyes again from Max and looked at Pierre. I smiled cheerfully at him, so he smiled at me.

But I immediately turned to the camera: "That's it with the interview in Shanghai and with it back to you Sandra."