Post Race: Baku
Hunt's team was ecstatically waiting for Hunt as he pulled up to the boards. For a moment, he just sat there in the cockpit relishing in the moment, he was sure it was going to be a long time before he got to be here again.
When he had gotten out of the car his first action was to celebrate standing atop his car before running over to his team members. He was enveloped in a big group hug as team members excitedly patted him on the back. He was gonna feel some of those tomorrow morning, but right now, all that mattered was celebrating the win.
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Cooldown Room
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Upon entering the cooldown room, he was approached by Max.
"Good race man, congrats on the win." He stated.
"Thanks, you almost had me there at the line. When you passed me on the lap before my jaw almost fell out of the car. I was sitting there going all out and then you just fly by. I thought I had lost it right there."
The two talked for a bit longer before they had to head up for the podium celebration. Hunt felt so proud standing up there as the UK's national anthem played.
After hosing Mark down with a bottle of champagne, Hunt just sat there on his podium step thinking about the day. Then the emotions came and he just started crying up there on the podium.
"Hey, you ok?" Max asked, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Yeah," Hunt nodded. "Emotions caught up with me."
Max nodded understandingly before heading off the podium.
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Hunt's Interview
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"Congratulations on winning the Baku Grand Prix," Claire said. "I'm sure you have things to say."
"Of course, It's really nice to be back up there again. I have my team to thank for that. I'm really grateful for all of them and all the fans here today to cheer us on. Brilliant strategy they put together today. I really have them all to thank for the win today." Hunt said
"What were your emotions like when you crossed the line today?"
"When I crossed the line I knew I won, but the feeling of winning didn't really set in until long after I crossed the line. I remember it feeling like a dream almost. I couldn't believe it."
"Were you unsure of the strategy at any point today?"
"When running a risky strategy like that it's almost a guarantee that there will be some uncertainties. But when you're against a car like that of the Red Bull you have to take risks, and today the risks paid off."
"Thank you for your time. I think your team's waiting for you"
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Verstappen's Interview
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"Unfortunate loss today Max, any thoughts on the race today?" Claire asked.
"It's really unfortunate, we had the pace to win it today, but Jaguar just had a better strategy and made better calls." Verstappen said. "We did the most we could, but in the end it was just not enough"
"If the race had gone on for a few laps more do you think you could have won?"
"Definitely, we had a better car and fresher, softer tires. If the race went on for even just 1 more lap, I reckon we would have won it."
"Ok, that's it for today, thanks for your time."
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Later…
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It had been a few hours since the race ended. His team had organized a team dinner at 9 to celebrate his win. And now he was on his way over. He walked into the restaurant and George immediately waved him over.
"Hey," George greeted. "Congrats on the win."
"Thanks." Hunt replied.
On the menu was fish, crab, shrimp, beef, chicken, and duck. Sides of salad and mashed potatoes were served along with the main course. After everyone ordered their meals, everyone dissolved into their own conversations. Hunt had taken to talking to George.
"Hey George," Hunt started. "Lando and I did some streaming over the break, next time we get some downtime, you want to stream again with the others?"
George pondered for a bit before replying "Sure. Why not? Good idea. I could see this going really well."
The rest of the dinner went by in the flash and before he knew it, dinner was over and everyone was saying their goodbyes. As Hunt drove back to his hotel, he was looking forward to the events that work coming up. Even though he should be celebrating, he was actually looking forward to the next race in Miami.
With that in his head, he headed back into the hotels, took a shower, and decided it was time to call it a day, with how soon he would have to travel the 16 hour time gap between Miami and Baku, he would need every single ounce of sleep he could get.