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“Don’t get involved in the championship battle.”
That is Fred’s final instruction before the last Grand Prix of the 2025 F1 season.
Charles doesn't answer him for a few minutes though. Instead, Charles keeps his eyes focused on his feet, as he pulls on his shoes.
The duo was currently in Charles’ driver room. Charles had been in the middle of getting ready for the race, when his team principal had suddenly burst into his driver’s room.
Charles wasn’t surprised to see him though. He knew that Fred had been on edge since the qualifying session the previous day.
After all, Fred was one of the few people who knew Charles’ secret.
During the aforementioned qualifying session, Charles had somehow managed to place the car in 5th place. Which should have been great news, considering the state of the car.
Except for the part where Charles ended up only a few cars away from the drivers still left in the driver’s championship.
And one of the drivers in the championship was Charles’ soulmate
Max Verstappen.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid.” Charles replies calmly, keeping his eyes on his shoes as he pulls the last one on.
Fred lets out a sigh at Charles' words
“Charles, I know how hard today must be for you. But-“ Fred starts to say.
“There is nothing hard about it.” Charles cuts Fred off.
Charles then looks up at his team principal.
Charles can’t help but notice how exhausted Fred looked at the moment. There were dark circles under his eyes and some creases between his eyebrows. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.
But, Charles couldn’t blame him for that. Not only was it the end of the triple header, but it was also the end of a truly horrific season for Ferrari.
No wins besides a single sprint in China by Lewis, along with only a handful of podiums.
It was one of the worst seasons Ferrari had ever had.
As such, morale was extremely low at the Italian team. At this point, the team was just trying to get points, rather than fighting for wins, or even podiums.
And the team briefings before and during the triple header had truly driven this point home.
Just get through these last few weeks with as little drama as possible. That was the team’s goal.
Fred takes a deep breath.
“Charles. You have to understand that it is a risky move. We have no stakes in this fight.” Fred tries again.
Charles just shrugs in response. “The team may not have a stake in this, but I do.”
Fred’s face falls. Charles waits for Fred to grow annoyed, maybe angry with him.
Instead, an almost resigned look forms on Fred’s face.
“Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?” Fred asks quietly.
Charles shakes his head. “Of course it won’t.”
Charles stands up from his seat on the couch, where he had been when Fred entered the room. He then walks over to a mirror hanging on the wall.
The mirror was pretty small, just large enough for Charles to check his hair and face prior to race sessions. It was positioned so the doorway was in view.
Charles focuses on his hair for the moment though, ignoring the sight of Fred in the mirror’s reflection.
“Why are you so determined to insert yourself into this championship?" Fred questions.
“I am a F1 driver, Fred.” Charles pushes back a piece of hair from his face, “I’m always going to try and do my best, regardless of what the drivers around me are up to.”
“You know what people will say.” Fred reminds him, sounding genuinely concerned.
“About Ferrari?” Charles hums, squinting at what looks to be an oddly placed curl of hair on the side of his face.
“About you.” Fred corrects him.
Charles almost smiles at his team principal’s words.
Oh Fred.
Charles may be incredibly frustrated with the car and strategists that season. But, the Monegasque knew that his team principal had his back when it truly mattered.
Like now, as Fred frets about a certain team.
McLaren. Or specifically, Zak Brown in this case.
Zak had spent the entire season bragging about his team, how the team ran perfectly and how they were handling the championship battle so well.
Charles personally didn’t think it was that well run though.
Especially after the last two races.
However, that was not his problem. Besides, it all worked out in Charles’ own favor in the end.
After all, it did help a certain Dutchman close down the gap.
“I’m not scared of a team that doesn’t know when to pit their drivers.” Charles said.
Fred groans.
“I just hope it works out for you in the end.” Fred grumbles.
“Don’t worry. It will.” Charles assures him.
Fred just shakes his head. “I wish I had your confidence sometimes Charles.”
Charles lets out a small hum at that. Then, he turns around and starts walking towards the door.
Fred looks at him in surprise as Charles walks right past him into the hallway.
“Where are you going?” Fred asks in shock.
Charles just looks over his shoulder and gives him an innocent smile.
“There’s a certain someone I want to see before the race. I’ll see you on track when the race is about to start.”
Charles can see Fred open his mouth to reply. However, he doesn’t wait around to listen to whatever he has to say.
Instead, Charles turns back around and walks right out of the building.
——
Charles can still remember the day he first met Max.
Specifically, he recalls sitting beside Max on the grass outside the karting track, after their awkward first meeting.
Charles had known he was going to meet his soulmate that day.
For years now, his mother had taken it upon herself to scan the roster for every karting race he participated in for his soulmate’s name .
“You never know if you’ll run into him there!” She would remind him as she compares the names on the list to the one written on his wrist.
Charles would just roll his eyes whenever she said that, too busy thinking about his next karting outing to think about his soulmate.
All Charles knew was that his soulmate's name was written on his wrist. One day, as his parents would tell him, he would run into this person, fall in love, and have a happy life with them.
But, all of that seemed so far away. Besides, Charles didn’t even need a soulmate! All he needed was his family and a kart.
One day though, his mother struck gold. Charles would never forget the large grin on her face as she looked up from the roster for his next race. Pascale’s face was filled with nothing but pure delight as she looked at her middle son.
“Good news Charles! I think we found your soulmate!” His mother cheered.
Charles’ stomach had dropped at that moment. He tried to speak, but the shock stopped him from saying much.
Sure enough, at his next race in Belgium, Charles finally met his soulmate.
Max Emilian Verstappen.
Thankfully, his parents didn’t make him talk to Max before the race. Instead, they brought him over to Max after the race had ended.
Charles didn’t want to talk to Max though. He had done terribly in the race, while Max had managed to win. And the smug smile on Max’s face as he shook Charles’ hand was incredibly annoying.
But, his parents didn’t seem to get the memo. Instead, they, along with Max’s parents, forced the duo to sit on the grass a few feet away from them, to “bond”.
Charles could hear their respective parents talking behind them. Charles’ parents were ecstatic, eagerly chatting about how happy they were that their middle child had finally found his soulmate.
Sophia, Max’s mother, had matched their energy, happily talking about future meetups, and how lucky the boys were that they were both interested in karting.
The only person unhappy was Max’s father Jos. Charles would never forget the way the man looked at him when they first met, how his eyes had narrowed and his lips formed a sneer.
“I hope you’re worth it.” He mutters , stalking past him to his own child.
Charles hadn’t cried, hadn’t screamed. He just dug his nails into his sleeve, not daring to make a sound.
It had just made an already terrible day worse.
Because Charles didn’t want this annoying boy as his soulmate! Why couldn’t he have a nice boy, like Pierre or Esteban?!
They were friendly and fun to play with. And they were nothing like this annoying boy who couldn’t even speak French!!!
Charles glared at the boy beside him. To his surprise, Max glared back.
“I don’t like you!” Charles huffed.
“I don’t like you more!” Max shot back.
Charles grit his teeth.
He wasn't bothered by the fact that his soulmate apparently hated him.
No, Charles was more upset by the idea that this annoying kid really thought that he could one up Charles like that!
“I don't want to be your soulmate!” Charles declared.
Max stuck his tongue out at Charles. “I don’t wanna be your soulmate more!!”
Now, it should have ended there. And if the duo was older, it would have.
But no, Charles was a pre-teen, annoyed about his race results, and really frustrated by this new person who was supposedly his soulmate.
So what does he do?
Charles shoved him away.
Max blinked at that and narrowed his eyes. Within seconds, he shoved Charles back, nearly shoving him to the ground.
Charles blinks for a moment, momentarily stunned by the fact that he had been pushed back.
Then, the anger set in. Before he knew it, he had thrown himself at Max, in an attempt to knock the other child fully onto the ground.
Max let out an angry scream in response and immediately began to fight back against Charles.
Within minutes, the two were screaming and rolling around on the grass, both trying to one up the other by knocking them to the ground.
The fight gathers the attention of their parents quickly. Soon, Charles feels his father forcefully drag him off of Max.
Charles childishly tries to get another kick at Max as he is pulled away. But, he only managed to hit Max’s foot, as the other child had tried to kick him at the same time.
Charles’ parents apologized profusely to Max’s parents. Max’s mother returned the apology, giving her son a look that made Max shrink away just a bit.
Max’s father said nothing, just nodded alongside his ex wife.
But Charles saw the way he patted Max’s shoulder when no one was looking.
And Charles rolls his eyes.
One day, Charles swore to himself, he would beat Max Verstappen. Soulmate be damned.
——
The first driver Charles comes across is unfortunately Lando.
Charles had decided to pass by the McLaren Hospitality area on his way to see Max, as it would save him a couple of minutes. With the race start rapidly approaching, it seemed like a good idea to take the shortest path possible to his destination.
However, just as Charles passes by the McLaren hospitality building, Lando exits said building.
Charles didn’t notice Lando at first though. He only notices the other driver when the Brit calls out to him cheerfully.
“Charles!” Lando yells out.
Charles stops in his tracks. He can already feel the irritation building within him as he slowly turns to look at the younger driver.
Lando leans over the railing, grinning wildly as he waves him over. “Got a sec to talk?”
Did Charles have a second to spare? Probably.
Did Charles want to speak to Lando right now?
Absolutely not.
Charles shakes his head in reply.
“Sorry! I have to be somewhere soon!” Charles explains.
Lando pouts at that. “Aw, come on! It can’t be that important.”
“It is to me.” Charles insists.
Lando lets out a loud, dramatic sigh.
“Fine, but you have to come to the celebration later to make it up to me!” Lando declares.
Charles can’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. “Celebration?”
Lando shakes his head, the smile returning to his face. “Oh come on, you know what I’m talking about! My championship celebration! I rented out a club for tonight!”
Charles freezes at that.
Lando’s WDC championship celebration.
Right. Lando had mentioned it a few times over the last few weeks to Charles.
Lando had been plotting the event ever since he overtook Oscar for the championship lead. It was supposed to be a fantastic affair, with the best food and music Lando could find in the city.
And Charles had no intention of going to it.
Charles couldn’t imagine a worse way to round out his season. After everything Charles had been through that season, watching Lando live out Charles’ dream of winning his first championship by beating Max would be Charles’ last straw.
The mere thought of Lando being the champion was enough to make Charles want to punch a wall. But the idea of attending Lando’s celebration, watching him parade around the room as countless people celebrated his new title, was enough to make Charles want to vomit.
In fact, Charles can feel the nausea start to build up within him already.
Charles knows he can’t openly deny the invitation from Lando though. He couldn’t let his distaste show.
At least not yet.
“I’ll try to go.” Charles promises, “But, it depends on how I feel after the race.”
The pout returns to Lando’s face. “Come on Charles! It’ll be fun! And a bunch of other drivers are coming too! Like Carlos!”
Charles forces an apologetic smile to his face. “I’ll do my best. But I can’t make any promises.”
Lando groans, clearly disappointed.
“Fineeeee.” Lando draws out the word as long as he can.
Charles ignores his antics and just waves at Lando.
“I have to go. See you at the race.” Charles said.
Lando gives him a half hearted wave in return. “Alright. See you there.”
Maybe Charles should feel bad about disappointing Lando. But, as he leaves the championship leader behind, all he can feel is relief.
——
The Red Bull celebration following the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP can only be described as chaotic.
Charles looks around the yacht, as he takes in the scenes around him.
The area was swarmed with Red Bull engineers, team members, and sponsors, all celebrating their new champion. Max’s signature song was blasting from the speakers, as the partygoers sang to it. Drinks were constantly coming, being passed around like party favors to anyone who wanted one.
There weren’t too many people from other teams around though. There were drivers here and there, however they were mainly friends of Max like Daniel and Lando.
Some of the partygoers give Charles weird looks, but he ignores them. Instead, he grabs a beer from the bar and downs it.
Charles isn’t even sure why he even bothered coming to the celebration in the first place.
It wasn’t like people expected Charles to be there anyway.
After all, their soulmate bond wasn’t public knowledge.
Following the terrible first meeting, the boys and their families had decided to keep their soulmate bond private. Only a few trusted family members, friends, and their team principals knew about their bond.
It wasn’t like it was too hard to hide. Most of Charles’ outfits included tips or jackets that could easily hide the name on his wrist. And, when he wore short sleeves, all Charles had to do was use a little make up to cover up the cursed name on his left wrist.
And besides that, Charles wasn’t exactly close to Max. They ran in different circles, which worked out just fine for the both of them.
It had been a bit frosty for a while in 2019 though, following their incident in Austria. But, by the end of the 2021 season, Charles had managed an awkward friendship with Max.
Sure, they did have their joking moments. They would chat after races occasionally and participate in media events together, but that was about it.
Sometimes Charles would find himself glancing at the name on his wrist, wondering what type of cosmic joke this all was.
So, when Charles had received the text from Max, Charles had considered just making an excuse and skipping the event. After all, Max couldn’t seriously want him to come celebrate his first championship title win with him.
But, Charles knew that it was cowardly to avoid the invitation. So, he forced himself to attend the party.
Even if he regretted it more and more by the second.
Suddenly, someone grabs his wrist. Charles turns his head, ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off.
Then, his eyes meet the familiar blue eyes of his soulmate.
“Max.” The name comes out more wistful than Charles intended.
Charles had to admit that Max looked gorgeous. Max had dressed up for the occasion, wearing a dark blue button down shirt and white pants for the party. Max’s hair, still damp from the endless amounts of champagne thrown on the driver that night, somehow adds to the look.
But what caught Charles’ attention most was Max’s eyes.
Max’s eyes shone like stars in the dim lighting. Charles couldn’t tear his eyes away from them for some reason. All he wanted to do was stare at the shades of blue dancing within Max’s eyes for hours.
Charles was so focused on Max’s eyes, in fact, he didn't notice the hand reaching for him until it’s too late.
Charles jumps a bit as Max’s hand curls onto his waist. The Dutchman smoothly pulls him closer, tiling his head a bit as he does so.
For a second, as Max moves closer, Charles wonders if Max was trying to kiss him.
But, that theory is quickly disproven as Max leans over to whisper in Charles’ ear.
“Follow me. I want to talk to you alone.”
Charles’ heart stops for a moment.
Then, an odd sense of disappointment starts to form inside Charles as Max pulls away, gesturing for Charles to follow him.
Which was ridiculous by the way. Charles didn’t want to kiss Max!
Cursing himself, Charles reluctantly follows Max out of the crowd.
The Dutchman leads him out of the main party area and into a hallway on the side of the boat. Max guides Charles to the back of the boat, far enough away from the main party area that the music and cheering grew pretty distant.
Max leans against the railing by the end of the boat. He grins madly, as he looks over at Charles.
“I’m glad that you came. I was worried that you wouldn’t come.” Max said.
Charles shrugs, leaning on the raining beside Max as he tries to hide his earlier disappointment
“It seemed rude to ignore the invite. Especially after I nearly took you out during the race.” Charles explains.
Max actually snickers at that. “I remember that! I was worried you would actually knock me out of the race.”
Charles shakes his head. “I didn’t want to beat you that way.”
Max raises an eyebrow. “Beat me? What do you mean?”
Charles rolls his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? I wanted to be a champion before you.”
Max smirks.
“Oh, right. Well, that didn’t happen, now did it?” Max asks smugly.
Charles had not been this tempted to punch Max since they were teenagers. But, he forces himself to keep his hands down.
Charles just smirks back. “Well, obviously. But there’s always next year.”
“Oh?” Max grins as he leans in, “You think you can beat me Charles?~”
Max puts extra emphasis on Charles’ name. A thrill goes down Charles’ spine at the sound.
Charles leans in as well, so that their faces were only inches apart.
“I know I can.” Charles said simply, “And I will soon. You may have this year, but I will rip that title from your pretty little hands.”
Charles tries not to stare too long at Max’s face. He is careful to avoid looking at his glittering blue eyes or his soft, inviting lips in particular.
Max’s lips twitch. “You think I’m pretty?”
Charles swallows.
Of course the prideful prick latched onto that.
“Did you listen to a word that I said?” Charles demands.
Max’s smirk only grew at that.
“I did. And I look forward to the challenge.” Max said, giving him a wink, “Unless you plan to pull a Rosberg after. That would be tragic.”
Charles barely stops himself from rolling his eyes again. “I have no intention of leaving any time soon.”
An emotion quickly crosses Max’s face at that. It is brief, but Charles can recognize it.
Relief.
How odd, Charles can’t help but think to himself, why would Max be relieved at that?
He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Max pulls away.
“I should go back before they miss me, but it was fun talking with you Charles. We should do it more often.” Max said.
Charles can’t help but feel disappointed at Max’s sudden departure. But, he chides himself for it.
It was Max’s celebration party. Of course Max would be busy.
Though, Charles can’t help but wonder why the thought of Max leaving made him so unhappy.
“Right. Have fun.” Charles manages to say.
Max smiles as he claps a hand on his shoulder. “I will. And I hope you do too. Thanks for coming, Charles.”
And with that, the new champion was gone, leaving Charles alone with an unusual sense of disappointment.
——
Charles hears George before he sees him.
The Brit was leaning against the wall of the Mercedes Hospitality building, chatting up Alex as he always did before a race.
Normally, Charles would have just walked right past the duo. But for some reason, he finds himself slowing down as he passes by the couple.
George and Alex were one of the few soulmate couples that were currently known in the paddock, a fact that George took great pride in.
George always made a point to show Alex off during race weekends. It wasn’t a race weekend without George dramatically showing up to race day with his goofy soulmate. George also liked to mention Alex in every interview he could get away with, sneaking in bits of praise for the Williams driver wherever he could.
Alex, for his part, seemed to enjoy George’s behavior. He liked to joke about how he got the best of both worlds.
“I now have two rooms I can crash in after races!” Alex once joked to reporters.
But, today was different.
George seemed nervous, as he leans against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He can’t seem to meet Alex’s eyes, as his eyes dart around the busy paddock.
Alex had an unusually serious look on his face. The older driver was staring right at George, his brow knitted together in concern.
Charles slowly comes to a stop a few feet away from the couple. He quickly ducks behind the corner of the Mercedes hospitality building, just out of the couple’s view,
“George, it’s going to be okay.” Alex was assuring his partner.
George bites his lip. “Alex-“
“No matter what happens.” Alex insists, reaching up to hold George’s face, “I will be here.”
George smiles weakly. “Alex, I know that-“
“No. Listen.” Alex said firmly.
Alex gently guides George’s face so that the Mercedes driver was forced to meet his gaze.
“I know you’re worried about what the fans might do after this race. Especially after what just happened with Kimi in Qatar. But it’s going to be okay.” Alex said softly, “No matter what happens out there, no matter what you do or what fans say, we will get through it.”
George takes a deep breath.
“Alex. I’m not worried about the race.” George defends.
Alex shakes his head. “Yes you are. I know you.”
George narrows his eyes at Alex. For a moment, Charles was genuinely concerned that George was about to lash out at the Williams driver.
But Alex doesn’t falter. Instead, he meets George’s eyes unflinchingly, without hesitation.
And within a few minutes, George’s defenses crumble. His lip quivers and he drops his head, resting it on Alex’s shoulder.
“… Thank you.” George finally whispers.
Alex visibly relaxes at this. His signature smile returns to his face, as he reaches up to pull George closer.
“Any time George.” Alex hums.
Charles stares at the couple for a moment.
He usually didn't have anything against the duo. Sure, George’s comments about Max were annoying, but it wasn’t anything new. Plenty of people had lashed out at Max over the years, even Charles himself at times.
But now, as he watches the couple relax in each other’s arms, Charles’ chest suddenly feels tight.
An unknown emotion stirs in Charles’ chest at the sight. It’s an ugly, cruel emotion, clawing at his chest.
Charles does his best to ignore it though. He quickly turns away from the couple before they can see him.
Then, he slips back into the crowded paddock, doing his best to ignore the emotion now starting to consume him.
Jealousy.
——
Max’s 2024 championship celebration is a quieter affair.
There’s no yacht, no crowd of people screaming and cheering into the night.
Instead, Red Bull throws a garage party for Max. Their music and cheers once again filled the air, but this time it was confined to their small garage.
It was certainly not the most extravagant of affairs.
However, considering the fact that there were two more races left in the season, with one race occurring in a week, it made sense why the team decided to scale down the initial celebration.
Max still invites Charles out to celebrate with him though. This time, he suggests that Charles join him at a bar in the airport, before their respective flights to Qatar.
Charles knew that he should say no to the offer. After all, there were two races left and a WCC title on the line for Ferrari.
However, despite knowing that, Charles still agrees to meet with Max.
The bar is nicer than Charles expected. It’s a small cozy place, with nice furniture and quiet patrons.
The duo quickly find a small table to themselves in a corner, where no one can bother them.
“How are you doing?” Max asks curiously, his eyes slightly glossed over.
How the man was still coherent, Charles would never know.
From what Charles had seen, Max had apparently decided to see how much alcohol he could drink in one night without dying. During the hours following the race, Charles had seen Max consuming multiple drinks in a very short timespan.
Charles had tried to count the number of drinks Max had consumed, but quickly gave up when he realized that he couldn’t keep up with Max’s drinking.
Max showed no signs of slowing down though. Even now, Max was still drinking from yet another beer bottle provided to them by the bar staff.
Charles, on the other hand, had not had an alcoholic drink since the race weekend started. But, he didn’t want to be drunk on his ass for his flight, so Charles settled for just a beer
However, there was something endearing about the sight of Max fully relaxed across from him. It felt like forever since Charles had seen Max actually at ease.
When was the last time Max was truly relaxed and happy? Miami? Imola? Brazil?
Either way, Charles shakes his head, doing his best to wipe away his thoughts.
“Fine. I’m fine.” Charles said, lifting up his own beer.
Max raises an eyebrow. “Even after..?”
Charles pauses. The beer bottle hangs in the air, halfway to his lips.
Of course Max would bring up that damn radio incident.
“Don’t bring it up.” Charles said quietly.
Max holds up both his hands, his palms facing Charles, “Okay, okay. I won’t mention Carlos.”
Charles rolls his eyes and takes a long sip from his beer before responding.
“Thank you.” Charles grumbles.
Max just shakes his head and takes another swig of his own drink.
“Well, at least the season is almost over.” Max said.
Charles sighs. “Right. Hopefully next year is better.”
Max raises an eyebrow. “Even better? Didn’t you win Monaco this year.”
Charles’ lips twitch at the reminder of that win. Even now, it sent a thrill down his spine.
“Well, next year hopefully I’ll win Monaco AND the championship.” Charles said.
Max chuckles at that, drinking from his beer once again. “Well, if you stick to your current car, you have a shot at it.”
Charles winces at that.
“Well, actually. We are scrapping the car. For a new design.” Charles admits.
Max stares at Charles for a minute.
“… Please tell me you’re joking.” Max finally said.
Charles shakes his head. “I’m not.”
Max raises an eyebrow. “That's… ambitious.” He comments carefully.
“It’s stupid.” Charles admits, “But the team wants to try some designs we might use for the new regulations.”
“But we still have one year. You guys can compete with McLaren, so I don’t see why you should scrap all of that progress!” Max shoots back.
Charles bites his lip.
There’s a small bit of frustration beginning to bloom inside of him. But not towards Max.
Towards Ferrari.
Because everything Max was saying was what Charles himself thought.
This was ridiculous. To throw away all their progress on what, a pipe dream?
They weren’t some midfield team scrambling before the regulations changed.
This was Ferrari!
They shouldn’t be taking these risks. They needed to focus on what made their current car work well, instead of throwing away all their development right before the regulations change.
Charles shakes his head, trying once again to clear his head.
“This is the direction Ferrari wants to go in. They won’t listen to me.” Charles explains.
Max rolls his eyes. “They pay you all that money for what? For you to sit pretty and bring miracles out of your ass?”
Charles ignores the way his face warms up when Max says that he was pretty.
“I know it sounds bad, but who knows? It might work out for us!” He insists.
Max is quiet for a moment. His blue eyes, suddenly a bit clearer, stare at him.
“… I thought you wanted to beat me for the championship.” Max finally said.
Charles bristles at that. “I still do! Don’t act like I don’t!”
“So what will you do if this fails and McLaren’s car improves?” Max asks.
The question sets Charles on edge.
“There’s no guarantee that they will do better. Look at your own car.” Charles shoots back.
Max shakes his head. “Charles. Answer the question.”
“I don’t need to.” Charles' jaw tightens, “We don’t know what 2025 will bring.”
Charles knows what Max is insinuating. And the very thought makes Charles sick to his stomach.
This wasn’t a question of Charles’ own skill, he knew that.
It was a question of time.
Had Charles finally run out of time to reach his goal?
Sure, Max won this championship. But 2025 was still up in the air.
If things continued how they were, then it would be a McLaren driver who would take the WDC title after Max.
And while he didn’t hate either driver, Charles couldn’t help the rush of anger that filled him at the thought of one of them stealing the WDC title off of Max before him.
Charles was not just his soulmate. He was Max’s true rival, the one who had been fighting him for most of their careers.
It had to be Charles. He had to be the one to overtake him in the end.
It had to be Charles’ name next to Max’s on that damn trophy.
“I have no intention of letting anyone else steal the title away from you. It’s either you, or me.” Charles declares.
Max’s lips twitch as he raises his bottle.
“I’ll toast to that.” Max said.
Charles holds up his beer in turn. “Cheers then.”
The two clink their bottles together. Charles takes an extra long sip of his beer. As he does so, he tries to push back his own anxiety.
2025 was going to be his season.
It had to be.
——
Charles is surprised at how easily he’s let into the Red Bull hospitality area. He expected to encounter some resistance, but the engineers and staff moved away without stopping him.
Charles can feel the anxiety and tension consuming the halls of the hospitality area though. The emotions start to weigh on him more and more with each step that he takes
He can see the Red Bull staff members whisper to each other as he passes by, their faces full of stress and uneasiness.
Charles wishes that he could blame himself for this, that his mere presence was enough to concern the entire team.
But, Charles knew very well that the tension in the air was not because of him.
Before he knows it, Charles finds himself in front of Max’s driver's room.
For a second, Charles falters. He stares at the door in front of him, suddenly unsure.
Would Max even want to see him? Or was Max even in the room to begin with? Max could be in the garage already, reviewing data for the race ahead.
Still, Charles had come all this way. The least he could do was knock on the door..
So, Charles takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.
A few terrifying seconds pass. Then, Charles hears a small clicking sound.
The door opens, revealing Max, half dressed in his own fireproof suit. The suit was hanging on his waist, exposing the white fireproof shirt underneath.
Max looked criminally handsome, at least in Charles’ humble opinion.
The white shirt clings to Max’s body in all the right places, showing off his large chest. Max’s hair was also messy, sticking out in random places like Max had been running a hand through it endlessly.
Charles’ mouth goes dry at the sight of him. He’s so stunned by Max’s appearance, that it takes him a few seconds to realize that Max was talking to him.
“…Charles? What are you doing here?” Max asks curiously.
Charles snaps back to attention. He quickly clears his throat, trying to ignore the sudden heat in his cheeks.
“I wanted to see how you were.” Charles explains.
Max smiles at that, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. His right hand starts tapping on the door frame.
“… I’m alright.” Max assures him.
Charles frowns a bit at that, his eyes immediately flickering to the hand tapping on the wall.
“Are you sure?” Charles presses.
Max nods. “Yeah, just tired you know? It’s been a long season.”
Charles nods in solidarity. He understood the feeling well, even if he hadn’t seen the same amount of success that Max had.
Still, he knew that Max was telling a half-truth.
Max may be exhausted from the season, like the rest of the grid. But, Charles knows that it was the championship fight currently driving Max nuts, even if Max was putting on a nonchalant front.
The issue was, Charles also knows that Max wasn’t just going to admit to his stress. Max would try to dance around the subject, going around in circles until Charles dropped the topic.
Charles considers what to say next. He could try and press Max, attempting to make Max cave and finally explain how he truly felt.
But, Charles knows better than to try that. It would only annoy Max and drive him away, ending their conversation far too quickly.
Still, it wasn’t like Charles could just leave Max like this. The thought made Charles’ heart twist in his chest.
So, instead of pressing Max, Charles reaches out and takes Max’s hand in his.
Max jumps at this. He stares at Charles in confusion, his face now light pink.
“Charles?” He questions.
Charles gently squeezes his hand in reply.
“Do you trust me?” Charles asks quietly.
Max doesn’t hesitate.
“Of course I do.” Max states.
Charles smiles a bit at that. Then, he brings Max’s hand to his lips.
“I won’t disappoint you then.” Charles promises.
Max’s breath hitches at that. Those blue eyes slowly scan Charles’ face, filled with hesitation, but also hope.
“You don’t have to get involved.” Max reminds him softly.
Charles shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you out to dry.”
A hint of amusement crosses Max’s face at that.
“Because you want to be the one to take me down?” Max questions.
Charles’ lips twitch at that. “Not entirely.”
Max raises an eyebrow.
“Not entirely?” Max echoes.
Charles just smiles back at him. “I’ll let you know everything after the race. If you win, of course.”
Max smiles a bit at that. “Then I guess I have more motivation to win then.”
“You wanted to win even before I said that.” Charles accuses, though he stifles a chuckle while doing so.
Max winks at Charles.
“That’s less romantic though, isn’t it?” Max points out.
Romantic huh? Charles’ face grows warmer at the thought.
He opens his mouth to respond, but someone else speaks up before he can.
“Max?”
Both Charles and Max jump at that. They quickly turn to face the speaker, Charles letting go of Max’s hand quickly as they do so.
Thankfully, the newcomer is GP. The race engineer had an amused smile on his face as he looked back at the duo.
“GP!” Max said, his voice slightly sheepish.
“Sorry to interrupt,” GP said, amused, “But we have to head to the garage Max.”
Oh right. The race was starting soon.
Charles notices how Max’s smile slips away, as his amusement turns into cold determination.
Max nods at GP. “Got it.”
He then turns back to Charles. Max opens his mouth, as if to say something, but closes it just as fast.
It’s Charles who speaks first, a small smile on his face.
“Good luck out there.” Charles said.
Max nods, a grim smile on his face forming on his face.
“You too.” Max said simply.
Max chose to leave then, stalking past both Charles and GP.
GP gives Charles an apologetic look. However, Charles was far too busy staring at Max’s departing figure to notice GP.
——
“Is Charles catching him or not?”
——
By Lap 55 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP, everything is in place.
Charles kept his eyes glued on the orange car in front of him.
McLaren had acted just like he predicted they would. They were too arrogant to see the danger he posed, as they clearly thought his car was too bad to really cause them any trouble.
As such, Oscar was allowed to be a full 5 seconds ahead of Lando. Close enough to slow down if necessary to swap, but not so close that he could give Lando a tow via DRS.
Charles had been careful about his performance. He let himself slowly edge closer to Lando, but he made sure to remain just slow enough that it wasn’t too concerning to the McLaren team.
On Lap 56, Charles speeds up, but only by a tenth or two. He’s just barely out of DRS range at that point.
Everything would come down to lap 58.
Charles could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he enters the final lap. At this point, he was close enough to potentially pull off an overtake.
Charles knew that he only had one shot at this. He couldn’t give McLaren a chance to retaliate, so he had to leave his overtake to the end, before Mclaren wised up to his plot and swapped their drivers.
He had to do this overtake swiftly and cleanly, leaving no room for error.
Charles takes a deep breath as Turns 8 & 9 approach.
He had to do this.
Not only for Max, but for himself.
There was only one person in this world who could ever match Max. There was only one person who deserved to take that championship title away from him.
And it wasn’t Lando Norris.
What follows goes by in a blur.
When he is asked to recount it after the race, Charles can only recall it as if he was a bystander, not the man in the car.
The car pushes forward, pulling alongside Lando as they drive through the DRS zone leading up to turn 9.
Charles puts everything he has into this one overtake. He presses down as hard as he can on the throttle, as he positions his car just right.
The two cars reach the turn at the same time, but Charles barely manages to get his car ahead at the apex. He holds his breath as he holds the line, pushing Lando’s car to the side just a bit as he pulls forward.
And then, all of a sudden, Lando falls back.
Charles was in p3.
Max was leading.
And the checkered flag was quickly approaching.
Charles can see Oscar in the distance. The other McLaren was slowing down, but Charles knew that it was futile.
And he knew Oscar must know that as well.
Oscar was a smart man. He would have to know the position he was in.
There was too little time left remaining in the race to pull off the move.
And, even if Oscar did slow down enough to try and let Charles pass him, it would all hinge on Charles wanting to pass Oscar for 2nd place.
Max crosses the line first. Then Oscar in second.
And then Charles in third.
Charles doesn’t dare breathe until he passes the checkered flag.
But once he does, he reaches out with a shaking hand to press the radio button.
——
{Ferrari Radio - LEC}
Bryan: And that is P3. P3. Charles, great job out there.
Charles: Did he do it?
Bryan:… Yes. Yes he did.
Bryan: Max Verstappen is the world champion
Charles: … Good. I’m glad.
{McLaren Radio - PIA}
Tom: That is P2 Oscar. P2.
Oscar: Where is Lando?
Tom: … P4. He wasn’t able to overtake Charles before the race ended.
Oscar:… My apologies to Lando then. And to the entire team as well.
{McLaren Radio - NOR}
Will: Lando?
Will: Lando, I just wanted to say that you’ve done a wonderful job this season. You should be proud of what you have achieved.
Will: I’m so sorry that it ended like this.
<There is no response from Lando>
{Red Bull Racing Radio - VER}
GP: Max… Max you’ve done it mate. Five in a row.
GP: I can’t believe it, I’m speechless. I want you to enjoy this moment Max, you’ve worked so hard for it.
Max: Hah… hahaha….
Max: Mate… I can’t believe it. We really pulled it off.. Absolutely incredible guys.. I have no words. The team has done an absolutely amazing job these last few months. Thank you all so much for everything you’ve done to help me get here. This championship is a testament to all of our hard work and determination throughout the season.
GP: It wasn’t just us though. Your man really came through for you in the end.
Max: I always knew that he would.
——
There’s only one thought on Charles’ mind as he pulls into parc ferme.
Max.
Charles doesn’t get out of his car right away. Instead, he glances around, taking a look at the scene in front of him.
Parc ferme was an absolute madhouse. The Red Bull engineers were cheering so loud, Charles was sure they could be heard for miles around . Beside them was Charles’ own team, cheering alongside the winning team, though they were a little quieter than the chaotic blue team.
The McLaren engineers, the pitiful five who dared come to see their driver, looked as if they were attending a funeral. Charles can’t help but commend the group for even attempting to come celebrate Oscar’s podium.
Charles was sure that the rest of the team was hiding in their garage, too ashamed to show their faces.
However, Charles also suspected that their team leaders were currently working on a cover story to mask their botched WDC championship.
For a second, Charles can’t help but wonder when he would receive the summons to the stewards. He had a feeling that they would try and pull something to get himself penalized.
But all thoughts of a future meeting with the stewards goes flying out the window when Charles spots Max pulling into Parc Ferme.
The Red Bull team’s cheers somehow get louder as Max approaches. Max seems to thrive in it, as he gets out of his car and holds out his hands, palms facing the crowd.
5 fingers on each hand. One for each championship.
4 years ago, Charles wouldn’t have been able to look at Max without jealousy consuming him. And even now, he can still feel the familiar sting of jealousy lurking within him.
But, that feeling is blocked out by other emotions.
Pride. Happiness.
Maybe even love.
Charles can feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He quickly blinks them away though, as he scrambles to get out of his car.
When he finally manages to get out of his car, Charles is not surprised to see Max waiting only a few feet away from him.
The Dutchman had taken off his helmet by then. Those familiar blue eyes, now faintly rimmed with red lines, stare him down.
Charles had barely taken off his own helmet before he was tackled to the ground by the force of Max’s hug. The crowd of engineers goes wild beside them, and Charles can hear the insistent clicks of the photographer cameras nearby.
But Charles wasn’t focused on that. Instead, he was too busy staring at the man above him.
Max looked more beautiful in that moment than any work of art Charles had seen in his entire life.
The smile on Max’s face was unlike anything Charles had ever seen before. And Max’s blue eyes, glittering under the Abu Dhabi lights, were filled with tears.
“You helped me.” Max whispers, just loud enough for Charles to hear.
Charles leans up in reply, just enough so that their faces were once again inches apart.
“I told you. The only one who will ever bring you down is me.” Charles murmurs.
Max’s following laugh sends a surge of warmth flooding through Charles’ veins. His eyes, full of joy and love, meet Charles’ own gaze readily.
“I won’t give up that easily.” Max reminds him.
Charles’ own lips twitch at that.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Charles whispers.
With that, as the press’ cameras flashes flicker around them and the sounds of roaring approval fill his ears, Charles pulls Max down for a kiss.
A perfect end to a story decades in the making.