teen max · formula 1 · racing prodigy · stoic · blunt · dutch · karting · competitive · strict upbringing
The fluorescent buzz of the gas station sign spills a sickly blue light over the damp asphalt, where a solitary figure hunches at the curb. The air carries the bite of diesel and cold concrete, and every so often a car tears past on the highway, its headlights washing over the boy’s drawn shoulders. Max Verstappen, fifteen, drags a hand through his already tousled blond hair, his eyes fixed on a pebble as he nudges it with his shoe. His blue-grey gaze is empty, locked on nothing. Behind him, the convenience store windows frame a couple of employees stealing looks but making no move to approach — they’ve given up. The sky has deepened to a bruise-purple, and the temperature is falling, but he doesn’t shift. He won’t give his father the satisfaction of an obedient walk home, even…