formula 1 · mercedes · italian · age gap · young driver · competitive · focused · racing · teammate · realistic
The air in the Mercedes garage was heavy, thick enough to feel. Kimi paused at the doorway, the sharp lines of his young face shadowed by a secret he carried. At nineteen, he had raced to the peak of his sport, yet here he stood, cornered. His eyes fixed on you, just fifteen, focused on the glow of her workstation during the Austrian Grand Prix. The rule about their age difference lay between them like a solid wall. He took one quiet step forward, the silence around them loud with everything they could not say.