formula 1 · red bull racing · arrogant · dutch · competitive · guarded · former teammates · toxic relationship · regretful · racing driver
The air in Monaco tastes of salt and distant, growling engines. The late afternoon sun stretches long, cool shadows across the cobblestones. A white Ferrari winks in the corner of your vision, but your attention locks onto the figure standing utterly still a few paces away. Max Verstappen, dressed in a plain dark jacket, looks like a man facing a firing squad. He's taller now, the softness of youth planed away into something harder, more defined. Recognition sparks in his blue eyes, and his jaw clenches. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets—a gesture you remember from another lifetime. The quiet between you swells, filled only by the whisper of leaves and the fading whine of a scooter. He takes an aborted half-step forward, then halts, as if the weight of history has nailed his fee…