Chapter Text
The smell of champagne and sweat hung in the air. Drenched in both, stood the winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Two of them were veterans.
Sebastian took P1, eyes brimming with tears. He probably got the best farewell anyone could’ve asked for, winning his final race, in his retirement year. He had chosen to step away from the sport to spend more time with his family. A Velarossa driver, a five-time world champion, the latest title won four years ago, and that too, with Velarossa.
On P2 stood Miguel, the champion of the current season. Good friends with Sebastian, he was clearly trying to keep it together. They’d driven alongside each other for over a decade. They started as rivals but over the time became close friends.
And on P3 stood the rookie, Satoru Gojo, grinning like an idiot. A fan favourite. The critics weren’t so sure about him, but here he was, driving a midfield car, Orion, and finishing P3 in the race and third in the driver standings.
A result no one saw coming. A prodigy, they called him.
He stood out in his white race suit, the same way he always did. Effortlessly.
After the champagne had been sufficiently sprayed and emptied onto each other, Gojo hugged Sebastian, someone he looked up to and congratulated him on an incredible career.Sebastian had driven his team to multiple constructor titles. And now, with Gojo signed as his replacement at Velarossa next year, he has some very big shoes to fill.
The media swarmed Gojo, all desperate to get a soundbite from the sport’s most outrageous rookie. He gave them that wide, boyish grin, the one that made fans lose their minds.
“You must be excited to be Velarossa’s driver next year,” one reporter said. “Planning any special training before the season kicks off ?”
“Nah, not really. I was born ready,” he answered, practically radiating confidence.
“Don’t you think that sounds a bit arrogant?” Mei Mei, an anchor from a major media house, asked.
“Not arrogance, just confidence,” he said, taking a slow sip of water. “See, I told you I’d finish high in the standings and be on the podium today.”
He pointed at another reporter near Mei. “You said my midfield car wouldn’t even get me close. And yet, P3. I don’t make false promises.” He winked at the camera.
“That’s overconfidence, Gojo,” the reporter replied, pushing his glasses up. “This sport has a way of humbling people. And don’t forget, your new teammate at Velarossa, Geto, already has a year of experience. He knows the machinery better than you do.”
“Oh wow, you worry so much about me,” Satoru said, pouting dramatically. “Thank you. But please… don’t worry.”
The press moved on to the other podium drivers, but Gojo was already done.He headed back to the Orion garage, getting back pats and hugs from everyone.His chief engineer, Mark, wrapped him in a bear hug.
“You’re a pain in the ass,” he said, “but you actually did what none of us dared to dream. So, thank you. From all of us.”
“Thanks, Mark. Couldn’t have done it without you guys.”
The team principal, Julian, came over and hugged both of his drivers , Gojo and Landon.
“We’re going to miss you, Gojo. Especially the social media team.”
“Aww, I’ll keep popping up now and then, make sure you guys still get engagement. I know it hurts to lose your star driver—”
“Excuse me? You can’t say that while I’m standing right here,” Landon said, punching him in the arm.
“Hehe, just kidding,” Gojo laughed, turning to the mechanics. “I’m really going to miss you all. I might actually cry now.”
“Shut up,” Mark groaned, already opening a fresh bottle of champagne. “We’re not crying. We’re celebrating your podium.”
“Everyone!” Mark called out, “We’re going to party! And enjoy our holiday!”
The garage roared in joy.
✿✿✿✿✿
A cold breeze made Utahime Iori shiver. She got up and closed the window. The championship had ended, and it was officially vacation time. But Utahime, as the PR and Communications Manager of Aurex Velarossa, was still working today, nothing heavy though, just reading through material her team had sent for approval before uploading to social media.
Utahime sipped on her coffee , black, as she preferred. Currently, her inbox was flooded with articles about Seb’s retirement and all the tributes pouring in. He had been an exceptional driver and, honestly, easy to work with. Maya, his Press Officer, had cried a lot during his farewell. He had spent his entire career with the same Press Officer, and they shared a great bond. Seb was close with all the mechanics and team members, obviously, everyone was going to miss him.
She approved the articles that looked good and sent back the others with remarks for changes. Cracking her fingers, she moved on to the next slot. Her face grimaced at the photo in front of her.
“Tsk. Gojo Satoru.”
She’d known him since they were kids. They ran in the same social circles. He’d always been a brat, no respect for elders or rules. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, he was now joining Velarossa as their new driver. He might be a fan favourite for being unfiltered, but he was a PR nightmare. Velarossa believed in tradition and Gojo believed in chaos.
She sighed. She’d keep things super professional with him. No drama. At twenty four, she already had enough to worry about. She wasn’t going to add a man to that list.
She’d check in with Maya later to see if she was okay with being Gojo’s Press Officer. If not, Utahime would have to find a new one. She rubbed her temples and prayed Maya would agree.
She moved on to the next slot, Geto. He’d joined last year and had been great so far. He was also very close friends with Gojo. Their joint content would probably get good engagement, Utahime thought. Geto came from a traditional upbringing and fit in almost too well with the Velarossa atmosphere.
They all went to the same school. She was their senior. Gojo had been a menace back then, held records for upsetting teachers, always mouthing off. If it weren’t for his parents’ money, he probably would’ve been expelled. Not that Utahime had much room to judge, she was super privileged herself.
A sudden knock on her office door pulled her out of her train of thought. “Please, come in,” she said, sitting straighter in her chair. The door creaked loudly as it opened she really needed to get that fixed.
Yaga peeked in slowly. “You’re still working?”
“Oh hey, Dad. Yeah, just wrapping up.”
“Dad? Who are you? I don’t know you,” Yaga fake gasped. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know you’re the Team Principal’s daughter.”
“Yes, because everyone has left. The floor is empty,” Utahime rolled her eyes.
She didn’t want anyone treating her differently, which is why she kept her mother’s surname, Iori . She wanted to earn her place like everyone else.
Masamichi Yaga was a well-known F1 driver in his time. He’d won races, had the grit and the talent, but an off-track accident forced him into early retirement at just twenty-five. He’d completely disappeared from the public eye. Years later, Gakuganji reached out, asking if he’d join as Chief Engineer. He agreed. After seven years in that role, he was promoted to Team Principal.
“Ready to go home?” Yaga asked, casually browsing through the cabinets in her office.
“Yes, just wrapping up,” Utahime replied, sending her final email.
Before she could close her laptop, Yaga’s eyes landed on a certain photo. “Our new driver,” he said. “The team’s excited to have him.”
“Tsk. Not the PR team,” Utahime muttered. “He’s a walking nightmare for us.”
“He’s a bit wild, sure. But with his track record, we see great potential,” Yaga said. “He’s been exceptional all through his career, wins and championships in karting, F4, F3, F2. And even in F1, as a rookie, he dragged that midfield car to a couple of podiums and two wins. His teammate, with the same car, finished tenth in the standings, and he? He finished third.”
Utahime said nothing as they began walking down the corridor. She knew he was exceptional. He had always been good at everything. She’d seen it. Ever since they were kids.
The evening breeze was cooler than earlier, and she tightened her hoodie so the cold air wouldn’t reach her ears. She smiled. She really, really loved winters. Her phone pinged, a message from Maya, confirming that she was okay to be the Press Officer for their new driver. Utahime sighed in relief.
✿✿✿✿✿
It was 7th December, Gojo’s birthday. And also the official day the team would release the photos of their drivers in race gear and team merchandise.
A big collection of photos of Satoru Gojo laid out in front of Utahime. She squinted at the screens for a better look. As much as she wasn’t his fan, but damn, he was photogenic. Had he not been a Formula 1 driver, modeling could have easily been his next move. He was really easy on the eyes.
Utahime saved the photos she liked and skipped the ones where he was making stupid faces. Then she moved on to Geto’s pictures, picking out the ones she thought looked better. She stood with her team, guiding them on which photo would go where.
The serious-face ones would be plastered on the garage front. The softer, smiling ones would go on Velarossa’s social media. Ten-photo collections of each driver in their race suits and team merch. And one joint post with both of them together. Formal, not casual.
She carefully read through the blogs shared by the Content team and gave her approval on what to post. The messaging needed to be serious they wanted to send a strong signal that the team was here to win. Confidence that they will put everything they had, but not arrogance. The other teams were also good.
Leaning back in her chair, she rubbed her eyes. One by one, the uploads began. Media channels flooded with likes, shares, and comments. Fans were clearly excited. And yeah, they definitely noticed the spike in follower count right after Gojo’s photo went live. His fans were flooding the comment section already.
Utahime left the meeting room and headed to the cafeteria. She took her time scanning the menu, and ended up ordering a sandwich and making herself a black coffee. She debated getting a cupcake too, but decided against it , the team was throwing a birthday party later that evening for their new driver. She’d enjoy the cake then.
About thirty minutes later, on her way back to the office, her phone suddenly buzzed with notifications from her group chat. She’d set a different ringtone for this group on purpose so if anything urgent ever came up, she wouldn’t mistake it for some other app.
Maya (Gojo’s Press Officer):
Uta
have you seen what Gojo just posted?
Miwa (Content Team):
Did you approve that photo, Utahime? 👀
Mitch (Content Team):
Technically, the photos are ours. The caption though… 😅
She blinked, opened Instagram, and saw it.
@satorugojo had uploaded a new post.
In the first photo, Gojo was perched on a stack of tyres , his red suit half unzipped, sunglasses on despite it being a studio shoot. His helmet was placed at his right side. His smile was smug. Hair ruffled. The Velarossa logo shining bright on his chest.
In the second photo, he was lounging on a sofa, probably someone’s house, in a black T-shirt, with his driver number, 6, on the right side, and sweatpants from the official team merch. Hair ruffled again. This time, holding the ear rest of his sunglasses between his teeth.
Caption:
You’re looking at the champion of the upcoming season and
you can take a screenshot for your phone’s wallpaper. 📸✨
Before she could even react, she accidentally refreshed the page , and boom. There it was. Posts and comments from rival fans and critics already rolling in:
“Can’t wait for this to age like milk.”
“This’ll make a killer meme if he crashes in turn one.”
“Save this for the ‘confidence vs reality’ montage.”
She clicked back to Satoru’s profile. Yep , follower count was definitely up. She reopened the post and scrolled through the comments.
@blindedbybeautyofgojo
screenshotting with shaking hands 😩
@whitehairsupremacy
rivals mad bc their drivers don’t look like greek gods in race suits 😌
@gfofgojo
idc if he crashes every race, he already won my heart 😭💍
@queenofnumbersix
that little gap between his sweatpants and shirt is a public service🙏🔥
@satoruslapme
he could run me over in that car and i’d thank him 💅
Utahime choked on her coffee.
“What the hell??” She opened the group chat again.
Utahime:
WHY would he post that.
Do you know how much PR damage control we’ll have to do if he DNFs next race??
Miwa (Content Team):
Let’s not be pessimistic . He kind of… is following the vibe?
You told us to go for “serious winning energy.”
Utahime:
Yes. Not “God complex energy.”
Maya (Gojo’s Press Officer):
It’s already being reposted on F1 meme pages 😭
Miwa (Content Team):
On the bright side… engagement is through the roof? 😅
She groaned. She scrolled to her contacts and dialed Satoru Gojo. It rang. And rang. And then went to voicemail. She dropped him a message, asking him to call her ASAP.
Running a hand through her hair, she stood in the empty corridor and stared into nothing, wondering how in the hell the upcoming year was going to look like.