78: As ready as I'll ever be

Thursday

Sienna's point of view

'Happy birthday baby', Lando whispers in my ear.

I open my eyes and I notice the room is decorated with balloons and garlands.

'Ahw baby', I smile at the sight of the colorful decoration.

'Officially 22 today, sweetheart', he kisses me.

'Only a two-year gap between us now', I joke.

'I really don't care if it's 2 or 20', he smiles.

I know he tried to sound sweet but this shit sounds illegal.

'Excuse me?', I laugh.

His face changes into complete horror. 'Gross! No that's not what I meant'.

I laugh at his ways of trying to rephrase his sentence.

'I get it, baby. I get what you meant', I kiss his neck.

'Okay, so I have two surprises for you. You may choose if you want the first one or the second one first', he smirks.

'Oh god, okay give me a hint', I smile, surprises might be my favorite thing.

'So one of them is delicious and the other one is also delicious', he smiles.

'Okay then I want the first one first', I decide.

'Then you get the breakfast later... for surprise one you kind of have to take your clothes off', Lando laughs.

I roll my eyes. 'It's my birthday, can't you do it?'.

'Well... only because it's your birthday', he smirks as he slowly lifts my top.

I giggle when I feel his lips on my neck.

Best birthday ever.

Maeve's point of view

'Happy birthday!!', I Facetime the group chat while riding with Max to the meet&greet tent.

'Happy birthday, Sien', Luci yells through the phone.

'Thank you dears, I feel old', Sienna giggles.

'Girl you could pass for 18', I roll my eyes, to which she laughs even harder.

'Where u going Maevey?', Luce asks.

I flip the camera to Max, who then sticks up his thumb.

'Congratulations, Sienna! Have a nice day!', he tells her.

'Thank you Max!!', she smiles. 'Going to the meet&greet?'.

'Yeah, Horner made us go. Also, it is the first time I have an actual meet&greet. My f2 manager didn't allow it because it made me egoistic', I roll my eyes.

'Well then you two better enjoy it, it's really really really fun', Luci smiles.

'Happy birthday, Sainz!', Charles yells.

'Merci!'

'Alright y'all, we better get goin', I say in my 'Southern' accent.

'Okay, never do that again. You will embarrass yourself', Max tells me.

'Max, be nice to our lady friend', Sienna tells him.

'Sorry Miss Sainz-Norris, won't do no more', he smirks.

She flips him off, but I won't tell him that.

'Alright well we'll see you tonight! Bye Sien, bye Luce', I say.

'Byee! Have fun'

I hang up the phone and put it in my bag, finding a snicker bar in the meantime.

'Hey! Give me one!', Max asks.

'No, I only have one', I sneer.

'Please, Maevey. Please', he begs.

I split the bar in half and I hand him the smallest part.

'Thank you, even tho it's the smallest one', he winks.

'No problem, bestie'.

Max's point of view

The Dutch Grand Prix is always a big deal for me, it is my home race and all. It's only Thursday, race week has 'just' started and the circuit is already surrounded by people. It is busy with excitement. Maeve and I have changed into Redbull clothing. The air is filled with the scent of freshly cut grass and there is a distant roar of engines practicing on the track. I walk alongside Maeve towards the event area, which is a big tent, Charles already told me about it. I can't help but feel a surge of nervousness, even tho I did this so many times.

'Ready for this, Maevey?', I ask with a playful grin, my eyes scanning the bustling crowd already gathered ahead.

Maeve adjusts her cap, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 'As ready as I'll ever be. It's always a thrill, isn't it?', her German accent slips out, which makes me laugh

'Absolutely. These moments with the fans make all the hard work worthwhile', I smile. 'Although I'm really glad you are here to help me'.

'Help you? Bitch I'm a fucking driver, I'm here because of myself', she laughs.

Maeve's point of view

I feel the energy surge as fans clamor for our attention. They wave flags, shout our names, and eagerly await their turn to meet us. Taking our seats behind the table, Max and I exchange quick glances, sharing a moment of excitement and nerves intertwined. An uneasy feeling pops up in my stomach, the feeling I felt a lot lately.

The first fan in line is a young girl, her face lighting up with pure joy. She hands me a notebook filled with sketches of race cars. 'Miss Maeve, I drew these for you! Can you please sign them?'

I laugh at her calling me Miss Maeve, I take the notebook and flip through the pages with genuine delight. 'Wow, these are amazing! Of course, I'll sign them for you.'

As I sign each page, to her request, the girl beams with pride. "Thank you, Maeve! You're my favorite driver!"

"You're very welcome," I reply warmly. "Keep up the great work with your drawings."

Max's point of view

Watching Maeve interact with the fans, old and young, is so inspiring. She effortlessly connects with each person, showing genuine interest in their stories and making everyone feel special. I admire her ability to balance her racing career with these personal moments, I remember I couldn't... people called it my 'Mad Max Era'

A teenage fan steps up next, holding out a poster featuring both of our racing numbers. 'Max, can you sign this for me? I love you two'

'Sure thing," I reply, taking the poster and signing my name alongside Maeve's. "Thanks for coming out today.'

Maeve then takes the poster and signs it too, writing kisses underneath it.

The boy smiles and walks away giggling.

'God I could use some water', my throat is itching.

'Here', Maeve hands me her water bottle.

Keep in mind she's a big germaphobe for people she doesn't trust that much.

Maeve's point of view

The meet and greet continues with fans of all ages sharing their stories, asking questions, and expressing their admiration for Max and I. One elderly fan, sporting a vintage Red Bull Racing cap, steps forward with a nostalgic smile. I recognize that racing number immediately, number 5. 'Maeve, your father was a legend, and you're proving to be just as talented. Sebastian would be proud.'

His words touch my heart deeply. 'Thank you so much,' I reply sincerely. 'I hope to continue his legacy in the best way possible.'

The fan interactions continue, each one bringing its own unique moment. Max and I exchange playful banter throughout, our easy friendship obvious to everyone around us. It's moments like these that remind me why connecting with fans is so important, they support us through everything, and their enthusiasm drives us forward.

A fan hands me a racing helmet to sign, along with a cheeky comment. 'Maeve, Max seems pretty awesome. Any chance of a friendly competition between you two?'

I chuckle, glancing at Max who raises an eyebrow teasingly. 'We're competitive on the track every weekend,' I reply with a grin, 'but maybe we'll have to settle this with a golfing match sometime.'

'Not fair, I can't golf for the life of me', he laughs.

Max's point of view

A curious fan steps forward, noticing the 'matching' bracelets that Maeve and I wear. 'What's the story behind the bracelets? I've seen them in photos.'

I chuckle softly, glancing over at Maeve. 'Ah, these bracelets? They're our way of keeping track of our friendship status. Left wrist means we're on good terms, right wrist means we've got some work to do'. I laugh. 'Notice how it says M.H.H.V? It stands for Maeve Hanna Heike Vettel'.

The fan laughs, intrigued. "That's clever! Are they on the left today?"

I nod with a smile. "Yes, they are. We're all good."

Maeve adds with a playful grin, "But who knows what tomorrow brings, right?"