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WHAT IS F1 ACADEMY: RACE TO KOREA?
The FIA’s collaboration championship series, explained
Friday 7 February 2025 16:00
In “News”
With the 2025 Formula 1 season soon to be underway, many fans are looking forward to the series’ trademark high-octane racing and international appeal. However, others wonder what to make of the FIA’s upcoming and newest championship series — F1 Academy: Race to Korea.
Announced in November of last year, F1 Academy: Race to Korea, or simply Race to Korea, is a spin-off of the celebrated F1 Academy series, known for putting the spotlight on promising female drivers. As a joint effort with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Automobile Racing Association, Race to Korea aims for a similar goal while also promoting South Korean motorsports and testing potential tracks for future Formula 1 seasons.
This current iteration of South Korean inclusion in Formula series has been a long time coming. In April of last year, the mayor of Incheon, South Korea met with Formula 1 executives to discuss hosting a race as soon as the 2026 season, and in 2022, Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex hosted the two-race Formula E Seoul ePrix. Over a decade prior, the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam was infamously home to the Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix from 2010 to 2013, before being removed from the schedule indefinitely.
READ MORE: City of Incheon submits ‘letter of intent’ to host F1 street circuit for 2026 season
However, despite these and other attempts, Formula racing still has yet to find its footing in South Korea. Hosting results are varied, and Korean racers are few. One notable standout is Jack Aitken, who was born to a Korean mother and placed 16th at the Formula 1 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix as Williams’ reserve driver, albeit under the British flag. Drivers like Aitken aside, Formula series and motorsports as a whole simply do not attract the same level of attention in South Korea as they do in even other East Asian countries. This positions F1 Academy: Race to Korea as the latest bid to generate interest in the South Korean racing scene.
Race to Korea follows nearly the exact same system as the original F1 Academy, down to competition structure and distribution of points. Two races occur each week, with one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Drivers race in identical Formula 4 cars, and they earn points for top 8 finishes in Race 1 and top 10 finishes in Race 2. There is also an additional point for the driver with the fastest lap, as long as she places in the points, and another 2 points are awarded to the driver who takes pole in qualifying. Each weekend, practice and qualifying take place on Friday, Race 1 with reversed grid positions takes place on Saturday, and Race 2 with standard grid positions takes place on Sunday. Races and qualifying sessions are up to 30 minutes each, while practice is up to 40 minutes.
Six Korean racing teams will send three drivers each. As with F1 Academy, the 10 Formula 1 teams and 8 external sponsors will each support a driver with livery and sponsorship, completing the 18-member roster of Race to Korea:
BELIFT Motor Lab
- Yunah Noh (South Korea, Red Bull Racing)
- Moka Sakai (Japan, Racing Bulls)
- Iroha Hokazono (Japan, Red Bull Ford)
BPM Grand Prix
- Emma Song (South Korea, Scuderia Ferrari)
- Chloe Duong (Canada, Williams)
- Kelly Ha (South Korea, CGV Cinemas)
DSP Motorsport
- Sunhye Jeong (South Korea, McLaren)
- Yeonjung Wi (South Korea, Kick Sauber)
- Doeun Kim (South Korea, Logitech G)
Modhaus Motorsport
- Suhyeon “Jiyeon” Ji (South Korea, Cosmo)
- Yubin Gong (South Korea, Alpine)
- Kaede Yamada (Japan, Aston Martin)
TBL Racing
- Gawon Lee (USA, Rimowa)
- Rin Na (South Korea, Gentle Monster)
- Ella Gross (USA, Haas)
WakeOne Racing
- Jeemin Bang (South Korea, Olive Young)
- Koko Narai (Japan, Bioré)
- Jungeun Choi (South Korea, Mercedes)
These 18 drivers will compete across a series of South Korean tracks, and the winner will receive ₩50,000,000 (about $36,500 USD) of funding towards the next racing series of their choosing. The three races of F1 Academy: Race to Korea will be held over the Formula 1 summer break, with the following schedule:
- August 8-10: Korea International Circuit, Yeongam
- August 15-17: Inje Speedium, Gangwon
- August 22-24: Incheon Street Circuit, Incheon
The Yeongam and Gangwon races will take place on existing tracks, while the Incheon race will serve as the debut and testing grounds of the planned Incheon Grand Prix street circuit for the 2026/2027 Formula 1 season.
F1 Academy: Race to Korea will be streamed and archived for free on the F1 Academy: Race to Korea official YouTube channel. More information, including timing and regulations, can be found on the official website.
MONDAY — FEBRUARY 24, 2025
165 DAYS TO YEONGAM
Kamimoto Kotone loves her job — loves it, with all her heart, with every fiber of her being, and has never worked a proverbial day in her life. It is everything she’s worked for and the most recent in a succession of dreams come true.
She reminds herself of this every morning, because even at her lowest moments, it’s not as if she wants to quit the damn thing. It just comes with some downsides, is all.
Downsides like the disgusting coffee in the break room. Downsides like the hypocritical decisions from the top. Downsides like the loneliness, or the existential dread and uncertainty of what if she’s made the wrong choice, career spiraling down the drain, could have made something of herself would have been better to switch should never have signed should have stayed in Japan—
Nope. No, no, no. She’s not thinking about that right now. She loves her job.
Kotone takes a deep breath and clocks in for the day, still ruminating. Downsides like…
“Gooood morning, Kotone!”
…being cornered, before she’s even had the chance to sit down, by possibly the most irritating person in the office.
Hsu Nientzu, resident publicity manager and triple-threat media handler, slings a too-friendly arm around Kotone’s shoulder. “And to think I almost missed you! Good, you’re just in time.”
Kotone silently repeats her morning mantra — love and dreams and et cetera — just one more time, if only for the sake of it. “What now?”
“I’m doing profiles on all the important team personnel. ‘People to know’, you get what I mean?” Nientzu leans back just a tad, probably envisioning Kotone in the frame of a vertical phone screen. “There’s no way I’d leave you out of this one.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Like, quick interviews. Who are you, what’s your role on the team, fun fact about yourself. Here’s why we’re going to win — that kind of thing.”
As if Kotone doesn’t have anything better to be doing instead. “I’m not sure I’m a good fit for this,” she says, and tries offering up one of the other race engineers in her place. “Maybe Dahyun?”
“Oh, don’t worry, everyone’s doing it. Just wrapped on Dahyun’s piece, actually.” Nientzu tightens her grip, bicep curling firmly around the back of Kotone’s neck. “So? Got a minute?”
Kotone does not think about muscle against her skin. Kotone does not feel her heart stop beating.
Nientzu, it goes without saying, is very good at her job.
“Look,” says Kotone, breaking the spell, “I have sim runs to get to, and we both know it’s going to take longer than that. Yubin’s on a tight schedule.”
“My bad, my bad.” Nientzu backs off, hands held up in pretend innocence. “But what I’m hearing is, you’re free in the afternoon?”
Kotone shakes her head. “Engineer team meeting.”
“Then that’s perfect!” says Nientzu. “I’m sure Yooyeon won’t mind if you’re a little late.”
“That’s not how it—”
“Yup, see you then!” Nientzu is already on her way down the rest of the hall, an unstoppable force continuing its path of motion. “The setup’s in the west conference space, second floor. And if you don’t find me first—” She pauses before disappearing around the corner, shooting off a wink. “I’ll make sure to come and get you.”
A little less than six hours later, a weary Kotone slips into the meeting room and shuts the door behind her.
“Nice of you to join us,” says Seoyeon. From the other side of the table, she crosses her arms, seated alongside the rest of the supervisors. “What took you so long?”
Kotone cringes. She turns around and straightens, hoping she looks apologetic enough. As she does, she takes quick stock of the rest of the room: Seoyeon, chief strategist. Yooyeon, trackside engineering director. Sohyun, chief engineer trackside. And on her side, the other two race engineers, Dahyun and Jiwoo. Certainly not a meeting to miss.
“I’m really sorry,” she starts. “Media team wanted me for something, and it ran over the time we planned for it. I didn’t mean to get so caught up.”
Seoyeon narrows her eyes. On a technicality, she reports to Yooyeon, but she’s always the one to run these meetings. “We’ve had this on the schedule for weeks. What do you mean—”
“Oh my god,” says Dahyun, interjecting. “Nientzu got you, didn’t she?”
Kotone blinks. She’s braced herself for an earful, but at the mention of Nientzu’s name, a strange hush settles over the room instead. It doesn’t quite have the chill of fear, nor does it have the sharpness of anger, but there’s no missing the way Seoyeon and Sohyun exchange a long, pointed look.
“Yeah,” says Kotone, in lieu of trying to understand what it all might mean, “she asked me this morning about filming with her.”
More silence. There’s a range of expressions on everyone’s faces, from Yooyeon’s blank near-indifference to Dahyun’s total intrigue.
Finally, Seoyeon shrugs, curt and singular. “Well, if it was Nientzu, then it can’t be helped. Now sit already, we’re wasting time.”
Kotone sits and opens her laptop, more than a little confused. It’s not like she wants to be yelled at, but this is a first for her.
On the other hand, though — whatever. Nientzu is the publicity person, and everyone knows who she is. There’s an understanding that she’s got a special place at the company, and like Seoyeon said, it can’t be helped.
A memory from filming flits through Kotone’s mind. In front of a gauntlet of lights and tape markings on the floor, Nientzu had reached out to adjust a strand of her hair.
There. A smile, dangerously close. That’s better.
Kotone feels her face warm. Stupid Nientzu and her stupid projects, she thinks. She forces the image from her thoughts and, determined not to let it get to her, turns her attention to the projector screen.
Posted by @modhaus.motorsport
Who’s Who Series! Ep. 11
Take a seat at the pit wall with race engineer Kotone Kamimoto! Learn what it means to be an engineer, how to keep a cool head under pressure, and what her favorite cafeteria drink is!
For more about the Modhaus Motorsport team, visit our official website. Link in bio!
#ModhausMotorsport #F1ARaceToKorea
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
INTERVIEWER (NIENTZU): Tell us a little about yourself!
KOTONE: Um, okay, sure. Hi, my name’s Kotone, and I’ve been a race engineer with Modhaus Motorsport for almost three years now. I work with driver Yubin Gong.
INTERVIEWER: What do you do on a typical day?
KOTONE: It depends. At the factory or office, I’m all over the place — sometimes running simulators, sometimes going through the data, sometimes meeting up with other engineers or mechanics or suppliers — if it has an impact on a driver’s performance, I’m there. And on the track, I’m the only point of contact between the driver and the rest of the team.
INTERVIEWER: Wow, sounds like a lot. Tell me a little more about your race responsibilities. How many people do you communicate with at a time?
KOTONE: Oh, uh, it’s a little hard to pin down an exact number. But I have to take all the info from the directors and strategists around me, plus sometimes the people in the garage, and condense it down to clear instructions for the driver. If the driver has something to say, I also have to facilitate that with the rest of the team.
INTERVIEWER: Do you ever get overwhelmed?
KOTONE: Not anymore. When I was still in school, yes, but it’s been a while.
INTERVIEWER: I’ve heard that race engineers have to stay calm no matter what. How do you manage it?
KOTONE: I like to think I’m naturally a pretty calm person. Stretching before a race, even though I’m not the one doing the driving, helps me out, too.
INTERVIEWER: You’re a foreigner, correct?
KOTONE: Yes, I’m from Japan.
INTERVIEWER: What made you decide to come work in Korean motorsport?
KOTONE: Growing up, I’d always hear that Korea was going to be the next big thing in racing. (pause) That’s why I’m so excited about Race to Korea, because it’s such a huge opportunity to show the world what we’ve been working on for so long.
INTERVIEWER: Absolutely. What’s the best part of working for Modhaus Motorsport?
KOTONE: It’s just — it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. The employee cafeteria doesn’t hurt, either.
INTERVIEWER: Ooh, I know what you mean. Favorite menu item?
KOTONE: Uh… (laughs) They have sparkling ade in a bunch of different flavors. The peach is pretty good.
INTERVIEWER: You think a Modhaus driver will take home the trophy in Race to Korea?
KOTONE: I think we can do it. I really hope so.
INTERVIEWER: Great, thanks for your time! Don’t forget to like and follow Modhaus Motorsport, and see you all for the next round of Who’s Who!]
WEDNESDAY — MARCH 12, 2025
149 DAYS TO YEONGAM
“You’re not being careful enough with Turn 3. It’s good to push on the long straight out of Turn 2, but don’t get so focused that you forget about what’s coming up.”
Yubin, the driver half of Kotone’s particular partnership, throws up her hands in frustration. She’s sweaty, even from just the sim, and she breaks away to snatch up a water bottle and sip with a fury. “I thought I fixed that,” she says, straw falling out of her mouth, “like, two weeks ago!”
“Yes, I know we’ve been talking about this for a while,” says Kotone, who, one of these days, should really be awarded sainthood for her patience. “You’ve made improvements, but if there was anyone on your tail, you’d still be leaving yourself wide open.”
Again, Yubin groans. Kotone knows that most of that aggravation is directed at herself, as it is with all drivers — self-critical perfectionists to the very letter, the whole lot of them — but that doesn’t change anything about the fact that Kotone is the one paid to deal with it.
“Fine,” says Yubin, clearly still annoyed, but at least not too proud to take criticism. “What else?”
“In general, I’m seeing a lot of struggle with the sharper turns.” This is Yubin’s biggest weakness, closely followed by carelessness with her tire condition. She’s a classic hothead if Kotone’s ever seen one, a natural fighter that excels at raw speed and overtakes but lacks in anything that requires, well, a gentler touch. “Why don’t you experiment with different racing lines? We still have time, and that’s what sims are for.”
“I am experimenting,” says Yubin.
“Maybe it feels that way, but the data says you’re still falling back into old habits. You lose speed at the exact same spots every single time,” says Kotone.
Yubin’s mouth pinches in the middle. “Can I see?”
Kotone shows her the numbers, and Yubin concedes.
“Got it,” she says. If there’s anything that can surpass a driver’s ego, it’s the constant and continual hunger to improve. “I’ll try my best.”
“You want to plan out some lines right now?” Kotone slides over a printout of the track with the turn numbers marked.
“Actually, can I just get in the sim and do a couple laps? I like the hands-on stuff better.”
“I think Jiyeon’s in there right now,” says Kotone. “Though, what does the rest of your schedule look like?”
Yubin opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, there’s a knock on the door. It swings open without so much as a wait, and it’s none other than Nientzu.
“Hey,” she asks, “is this a good time to talk?”
Not really, but Kotone supposes it’s as good as they’re going to get. She sets her notes down and crosses her arms. “How can we help you?”
“I’d like to borrow Yubin for a piece,” says Nientzu. Upon a quick once-over, her eyes catch the sweat stains on Yubin’s shirt and the greasy glister of her forehead. “After she, ah, freshens up, though. Let’s say in twenty?”
Kotone frowns. “We’re kind of in the middle of something,” she says.
“But if you’re available, this is one of the only openings that lines up with Kaede’s. Narrow window and all that.”
“Kaede?” Kotone can’t hide her surprise. She’s no stranger to Modhaus and its cohort of drivers, but Kaede remains one of the few that she knows hardly anything about — never mind what she and Yubin might have in common, save for their shared participation in Race to Korea. “What do you need both of them for?”
Instead of answering, Nientzu parries Kotone with a question. “How familiar are you with the concept of soft power?”
Kotone is not an idiot. “I know what it means.”
“Right,” says Nientzu, “but what do you know about creating it?”
Now, Nientzu is not someone who Kotone would describe as “scary”. Pushy, sure, or even manipulative at worst, but never particularly fearsome. She’s nothing more than a trickster using her gifts for Instagram hits, and on a typical day, Kotone doesn’t see her as anything more than kind of off-putting and weird.
But here, as Nientzu speaks, there’s a glint in her eye that Kotone has never picked up on before — and it’s very, very unsettling.
“I’m… not sure I follow,” says Kotone, feeling something akin to vertigo.
The explanation doesn’t come. “Sorry, I’m getting carried away. So hey,” says Nientzu, “let’s not waste any more of your time. Is that a yes?”
Kotone has to remember who she is and what she’s been doing up until this point. “Uh, I. One second.” She turns back to Yubin. “Are you good to switch over?”
Yubin shrugs. “Yeah, I guess,” she says, “if you don’t need me for anything else today.”
“I guess that’s that,” says Kotone, slowly. She flips through her clipboard just to make sure she hasn’t missed anything crucial, then nods at Yubin. “Yes, all clear. Keep thinking about your notes, and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Awesome,” says Nientzu. “Yubin, get a change of clothes and wash your face. I have makeup on standby. And Kotone?”
Kotone looks back up. “What?”
Nientzu just smiles, pleasant as anything. “Thanks a lot. I owe you one.”
Posted by @modhaus.motorsport
Fast on the track, but even faster friends!
Drivers Yubin Gong and Kaede Yamada are set to compete in F1 Academy: Race to Korea this August. Get to know all about them and their relationship!
Stay up-to-date with the drivers of Modhaus Motorsport via our official website. Link in bio!
#ModhausMotorsport #F1ARaceToKorea
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
PROMPT — Introduce yourselves!
YUBIN: I’m Yubin Gong and I drive for Modhaus Motorsport!
KAEDE: My name is Kaede Yamada. I also drive for Modhaus.
PROMPT — How did you meet each other?
YUBIN: We joined Modhaus at the same time, right?
KAEDE: Pretty close. You joined earlier than me.
YUBIN: Yeah, we met at one of the orientation sessions. We’ve known each other ever since!
PROMPT — What’s your favorite part of being a driver?
YUBIN: Going fast!
KAEDE: Really?
YUBIN: I’m not joking. Come on, isn’t that when you have the most fun?
KAEDE: Okay.
YUBIN: Then what’s your answer?
KAEDE: For me, it’s hard to pick. I can’t imagine doing anything other than racing. All of it.
PROMPT — What does Race to Korea mean to you?
KAEDE: It’s everything. I’ve only driven in regional series up until now, so this will be the first time on an international stage, for me and everyone else.
YUBIN: I get to show the whole world what I can do. That’s pretty awesome.
PROMPT — Do you consider yourselves rivals?
KAEDE: We’re all rivals.
YUBIN: Even me?
KAEDE: Yes. Why not?
YUBIN: Nahhh, you’re way too good. Out of my league.
KAEDE: She’s exaggerating.
PROMPT — If the other person was an ice cream flavor, what would they be?
YUBIN: Tiramisu.
KAEDE: Rocky road.
PROMPT — Compliment time! What’s something you admire about the other person?
KAEDE: You first.
YUBIN: No, no, you first.
KAEDE: Are you sure?
YUBIN: Yeah, I need time to think.
KAEDE: Wow. Is it that hard for you?
YUBIN: No! I mean — no, I just want it to be, uh—
KAEDE: I have mine. You’re cool, Yubin. You have a courage that I look up to.
YUBIN: Aw, man.
KAEDE: Your turn.
YUBIN: I… really think you’re perfect, Kaede.
KAEDE: Perfect??
YUBIN: As a driver. A perfect driver. No weaknesses.
KAEDE: That’s not true.
YUBIN: Well, if I’m going to beat you, I have a lot to catch up on.
KAEDE: ‘Not rivals’, hm?
YUBIN: Shut up.]
TUESDAY — APRIL 8, 2025
122 DAYS TO YEONGAM
From the moment the day begins, the whole building is ablaze with nervous energy. It’s not a head-down, number-crunching kind of workday. It’s a media one. That means best behavior for everyone, even if the photoshoot is relegated to just one wing of the ground floor to keep distractions to a minimum.
Kotone, like most of the other employees at the Modhaus headquarters, is a technical type. She’s not much inclined to any kind of glitz, but at the same time, it also comes with the territory of being a race engineer. She’s well-spoken and has just enough training to represent the garage once reporters get bored with drivers and team principals.
What that means, then, is that she can hold her own in an interview — not that she has any sort of contractual obligation to get involved with marketing any more strictly necessary. But alas.
She pushes open the door to the photoshoot room and finds herself instantly out of her element. It’s like being thrown in a blender of high-strung art school graduates. Between the directors, photographers, stylists, lighting assistants, hair and makeup, and whoever else Kotone can’t name, there’s a lot of people in the room to do a lot of different jobs.
Kotone is just here for damage control.
“Sorry about this. Sorry. My mistake,” she says on repeat, wading through the crowds of disgruntled photography staff. “I misread the ending time for sim training. Yubin will be here in just a moment.”
It isn’t the truth. Yubin overslept and threw off the schedule on her own, but it’s easier for Kotone, about as secure in her job as it gets, to take the blame over Yubin, for whom a dozen other drivers are willing and able to take her seat.
Though, if Kotone is being blunt, Modhaus probably doesn’t have the money or time to find a replacement anyway. She’ll consider this a complimentary gesture of goodwill and hope that Yubin remembers it the next time they’re on radio.
A few minutes later, Yubin bursts through the entrance. “I’m here!” she says, stating the obvious.
Not far behind are the other two drivers and Nientzu, acting as their collective handler. The styling staff descend upon them and shepherd the drivers to curtained-off dressing areas. Nientzu surveys the setup.
“Oh, hey!” she says mid-look, catching Kotone’s eye across the room. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Kotone pushes down a grimace as Nientzu sidles up to her, in nothing short of her comfort zone. “It’s a surprise to me, too,” Kotone manages. “I wasn’t planning on it, but I ended up covering for Yubin.”
“You mean…?” Nientzu points at the photo space, with its appropriately racing-related set pieces. “Were you up there in the Alpine suit or what?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” says Kotone. She lets out a short huff. “She just came from training with me, and I was letting everyone know that she’d be late.”
“Nice of you to do. Jiwoo’d probably just throw Jiyeon under the bus,” says Nientzu, referring to one of the other driver-engineer pairings.
“Jiwoo’s smarter than me in that way.”
“And Jiyeon’s more responsible for it, too.” Nientzu pauses to turn a discerning eye on the photoshoot operations before coming back to Kotone with renewed interest. “Hey, I just remembered. For the other day — I still haven’t paid back the favor.”
“Don’t need it,” says Kotone immediately.
“Aw, don’t be like that. It’s only fair,” says Nientzu.
“You got what you wanted. You’re already done.” Justified or not, Kotone can’t help but be suspicious. Nientzu doesn’t run on the logic of engineers and strategists, where there are immutable rules to obey and then succeed within. Nientzu’s whole job and, seemingly, life’s purpose is to instead navigate the fickle tempest of public opinion. “What’s it to you?”
And what am I to you, thinks Kotone without meaning to, shaken by the silent echo that chases her words.
Nientzu appears to simply find the whole thing funny. “Everything’s give and take. What kind of person would I be if I only did the one half? And not even the fun one, at that.”
“You think this is fun.”
“So sue me,” says Nientzu. “I love people. I like making connections. Why else would I be here?”
That doesn’t make any sense to Kotone, who finds people to be the most difficult component of her job, but that’s why she’s not the one in charge of publicity. “It’s fine, really.”
“Can I buy you a drink?” Nientzu still asks. It’s not really a question. “Caffeinated, alcoholic, an excuse to go out and make a day of it — that’s all on the table. What’s your favorite?”
“I’m not telling,” says Kotone, because if that’s the way Nientzu wants to play, then this is her move.
“Wait — I remember.” Nientzu snaps her fingers. “I’ve got it, don’t you worry.”
“Sorry, what?”
“You don’t even need to say a word. That’s,” says Nientzu with a smug look on her face, “exactly how good I am.”
Fine. Kotone doesn’t look forward to seeing what Nientzu has in mind, but it’s better than letting this drag on. “If you don’t mind, I have work to get to.”
“By all means.” Nientzu walks her over to the door and waves on her way out. “See you around!”
“Goodbye,” Kotone says, and doesn’t look back.
If Kotone had her way, she’d be putting the photoshoot out of sight and out of mind for the rest of the day. It’s also Kotone’s luck, though, so of course she doesn’t.
One blissful hour of deskwork is cut short when Seoyeon leans over her cubicle wall, dangling a briefing printout in front of her face. “Get this to Yubin, will you?”
Kotone groans inwardly. Even though she already knows the answer, she’s desperate enough to ask, “Can’t you just email it to her?”
“Yes, because Gong Yubin is known across the land for checking her email and responding in a timely manner.” Seoyeon’s voice is dry enough to wither. “You know where she is. Just make the walk, okay?”
So Kotone does, because she is nothing if not a good employee. She drags her feet all the way back to the room holding the photoshoot and pushes open the door.
Inside, Kaede is just finishing up. Her hair is pulled back into its usual ponytail and she’s clad in her branded racing suit, just like both of the other drivers here. There’s a series of clicks, and the head photographer takes one final look at the monitor.
“Kaede, that’s a wrap. Yubin, you’re on!”
Kotone catches up to Yubin just as she stands from the chair where she’s been waiting. “Hey, real quick.” She hands over the briefing. “Make sure to read all of this, okay? We’ll go over it tomorrow.”
“Oh, sure.” Yubin turns and sets it with the rest of her stuff. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t know what it is, but Seoyeon asked me to deliver it,” says Kotone. “I’m sure it’s nothing bad.”
“Let’s hope,” says Yubin, practicing her smile. She shakes out her shoulders, and then goes to take her place in front of the lights.
At the same time, Kaede steps down to be met with Nientzu, who is holding a vlogging camera. “A couple words for the fans?” asks Nientzu, practically sticking the lens in Kaede’s face. “How was it?”
“I’m used to shoots,” says Kaede. “Everyone’s working hard, so I’m looking forward to the photos.”
“One step closer to the competition, right?”
“Right.” Kaede nods. “It’s always felt real, but this really hammers it home.”
Kotone watches the whole interaction with a growing bafflement. She’s no veteran of photoshoots, but she’s also sure that she’s never seen this before, whatever it is. Surely no one needs or cares to know what little Kaede has to say about her media duties, obligatory as they are.
It’s this momentary daze, though, that gives Nientzu the perfect opportunity to turn the camera on her. “Kotone! Perfect timing.” She parts the crowds with ease and makes her way over. “Anything to say?”
“About what, exactly?” Kotone asks, instinctively wary.
“You know, about the photoshoot. What it’s like seeing the drivers in their suits for the first time, or how you feel about the upcoming series. Anything, really.”
Kotone’s easy-out exit strategy drops off her tongue. “No comment.”
“None?” Of course Nientzu won’t take that for an answer. “Yubin’s been your driver for quite some time, and this is a big moment for her. You must have something to say.”
“I don’t,” says Kotone. “Our business together is in racing, not promotion.”
“Ah,” she laughs, “okay, I get it. Thanks anyway.” If that isn’t Nientzu in a nutshell — extracting everything she can get right up until it’s gone, then unceremoniously dropping it for the next juicy thing. “Guess I’ll go bug Kaede some more.”
Nientzu turns away, but nothing about the scene sits right with Kotone. Here, the staff are giving their all to get these photos finished. Here, the drivers are pinning their hopes on a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Here, she’s making precious space for this, her own schedule having been disrupted time and time again, only for Nientzu to buzz around making something absolutely useless.
Kotone’s hand shoots out with a mind of its own, latching onto Nientzu’s arm. “What on earth,” she hisses, “do you think you’re doing?”
“Filming a behind-the-scenes video of the photoshoot,” says Nientzu. She glances away from the camera only to flash Kotone a grin. “Idols do it. Have you ever seen those?”
Kotone isn’t looking to be reminded of her high school K-pop phase. “They’re not idols,” she says. “They’re professional athletes.”
“Doesn’t matter,” says Nientzu.
“Do you have approval? A sign-off?”
“When do I not?”
“Hey, I’m serious,” says Kotone. “Stop messing around. These are our drivers!”
This, finally, gets Nientzu to set down the camera and face her. “You sports fans, always thinking you’re so different from everyone else.”
Kotone stiffens. Off in the distance, the shoot continues, none the wiser. Yubin poses with one foot on a tire, the flash goes off, and no one sees Nientzu lean a little too far into Kotone’s personal space.
“It is different,” Kotone insists, haplessly holding her ground. She doesn’t have Nientzu’s height or confidence. It’s an endeavor born to fail.
“No,” says Nientzu, looming closer still, “so let me tell you a secret. Numbers are all the same, whether they’re points or stats or views. And numbers?” That eerie look again, in Nientzu’s eye. She taps Kotone on the temple, twice. “Well, numbers are power, Kotone. Don’t forget it.”
Nientzu picks her camera back up, the matter already behind her. Kotone can only look on, speechless, as she imposes herself on Kaede once more.
Just what are you planning? Kotone thinks.
She’s used to having answers, solutions, plans of action. She doesn’t like not having this one.
Posted by Modhaus Motorsport Official Channel
[Behind the Scenes] All suited up! Modhaus F1A: Race to Korea Photoshoot Episode #1
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT (EXCERPT, 3:54 - 4:12):
YUBIN: Kaede! Oh my god, your suit!
KAEDE: What?
YUBIN: You look so fancy.
KAEDE: Says you.
YUBIN: No, seriously. You’re… wow. Green is your color.
KAEDE: Thanks. Send your compliments to Aston Martin.
YUBIN: Let’s take a selfie.
KAEDE: I don’t know…
YUBIN: Please? For my Instagram? I’ll tag you.
KAEDE: I still don’t have one.
YUBIN: That’s going to change. Now get over here!]
WEDNESDAY — APRIL 9, 2025
121 DAYS TO YEONGAM
There’s an ice-cold peach sparkling ade on Kotone’s desk, fresh from the company cafeteria. A note is stuck to the side, damp from the condensation.
Enjoy ;)
From, your obvious admirer
P.S. — Consider us even.
Kotone wads up the note and tosses it in the trash. Waste of breath, she thinks to herself. Nientzu can angle her way into brand deals and pseudo-stardom, but not her favor. Not this easily.
In the trash, the ink bleeds until the note is illegible.
The drink is empty before Kotone has even finished her first report of the day.
FRIDAY — APRIL 25, 2025
105 DAYS TO YEONGAM
So, like, maybe Kotone is being a little unfair. She’s not Nientzu’s boss. She’s not anyone’s boss. It’s none of her concern what somebody else does, to say nothing of an employee in a completely different field, and maybe she would be happier if she practiced the art of minding her own business.
Then again, Nientzu is making it her business. Kotone has no real choice but to take issue.
If that wasn’t bad enough, at a normal time for Modhaus — that is, racing in bottom-of-the-barrel series with hardly a hope of upward trajectory — Kotone still might not find herself so vexed. Race to Korea, though, is the kind of prospect that happens once and never again. There won’t be another season, and there won’t be other competitions like it. Everyone from FIA officials to randos commenting on Motorsport.com will, for three momentous weeks, have their eyes turned to their corner of the world.
Kotone doesn’t have the words to say how much she needs this. How much it means to her. And as loath as she is to admit it, she’ll do anything to make it happen.
As a child, Kotone couldn’t have loved anything other than racing. Her parents were fans — still are — and they used to make day trips out to Fuji Speedway and Tsukuba Circuit, even Suzuka when they could. She still remembers the first Formula 1 race she ever saw: the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. It was a day of perfect weather, and on the train home, she could still hear the cheers for Kobayashi’s podium.
And yet even more than that, she remembers watching not the drivers, but their crew. She remembers trying to get any possible glimpse of the pit wall. She remembers dreaming. Kotone saw that efficiency, that purpose, and just… knew.
From that moment on, Kotone put every ounce of effort into becoming a race engineer. She read the right books and took the right classes. She caught and took notes on all the races she could. She hated math, and studied it anyway.
Then, in her first year of high school, she heard the rumors.
Japan’s oversaturated, overly competitive. None of the teams are hiring. Korea will be where all the jobs are at, just you wait and see.
Kotone added Korean to her list, then, too, polishing off her physics homework and practicing pronunciation long into the night. By the time she entered Tokyo Institute of Technology, majoring in mechanical engineering with an automotive specialization, she could hold a halfway decent conversation. By the time she graduated twenty-fifth in her class, she had perfect TOPIK II scores and all the vocab needed for industry.
In other words, she should have been set. But the year is 2025, and Korean motorsport is still barely taking its first steps. Kotone remains nowhere near success, and nowhere near Formula 1.
Race to Korea is only that first domino in a long, long line. It has to go well. It has to.
And that means there is no room for error — especially not in the form of a busybody publicist who knows nothing of racing, nothing of work, nothing of the sacrifices that Kotone has made to be here.
Nientzu is not going to ruin this for her.
Kotone will make sure of it.
SATURDAY — JUNE 7, 2025
62 DAYS TO YEONGAM
Kotone is beat.
With two months to go until the inaugural race weekend, the entire team is in crunch mode. It’s readouts and meetings and training sessions, all day long, from morning to night, packing the workweek to the brim.
There’s hardly time to breathe. Though, from one way of looking at it, Kotone supposes she should consider herself lucky. She still gets a weekend — for now. When it comes time for the races, she’ll be on seven days a week, three weeks in a row.
She tries to placate herself by locking herself in her apartment and promising to be as lazy about it as possible. The intentions are there, and so is her heart, but she’s never been good at relaxing. It only takes a couple idle clicks on YouTube for her mind to start wandering back to work.
I need to get those reports done on Monday, is her first thought, followed by, At least I’ve been productive lately. No one to bother her when she clocks in. Just uninterrupted peace and quiet, which is exactly what she needs.
Come to think of it, though, it’s been a little too quiet — which leads her to her second, less welcome thought. That’s weird, and, far worse, I wonder what Nientzu’s been up to.
One idle thought becomes another, then another. Is she still at it? If not me, then… who?
It’s both self-aggrandizing and inane. Of course Nientzu isn’t going to spend more time hunting her down, not when the spotlight is and always will be on the drivers. Who is Kotone to assume otherwise? Who is she to care?
Nope, Kotone couldn’t give less of a damn, and that’s why she finds herself scrolling through the Modhaus Motorsport channel until her fingers cramp on the trackpad.
Say What? Karaoke Challenge With Modhaus Motorsport’s Race to Korea Drivers
[Behind the Scenes] Pumping it Up! Modhaus Motorsport Driver Conditioning Episode #3
Get Ready With Formula Racer Suhyeon Ji — No-Hassle Blush Look
Nientzu has been busy, all right. Kotone shouldn’t have expected less.
The once-barren channel has been transformed into a page bursting with everything that could possibly be related to racing, and then some. Kotone won’t go so far as to call it a rebirth, but the view counts are far beyond anything she could have imagined. Just a year ago, they hovered in the single-digit thousands, the typical amount for a nobody sports team in a vastly more glamorous sport.
Now, they’re breaking a hundred thousand on each video with room to grow. And if all the signs are pointing to what Kotone thinks they are, then Nientzu has no plans to stop.
Minigames. Challenges. A trip to the petting zoo. All sitting pretty on the screen, a mere click away.
Kotone knows she shouldn’t. It’s unwise, and what’s more, it’s unprofessional. She’s not just some stranger on the internet. She works so closely with these people whose other sides she’s not sure she wants to see.
But, well. The siren song is simply too sweet. Where Nientzu’s job is to make something irresistible, Kotone’s job is instead to make the right call under pressure — in every scenario but this.
Posted by Modhaus Motorsport Official Channel
Truth or Dare! With Modhaus Drivers Kaede and Yubin
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT (EXCERPT, 7:29 - 8:20):
YUBIN: Truth or dare?
KAEDE: Truth.
YUBIN: What’s the most annoying thing about me?
KAEDE: Sometimes you don’t know when to stop.
YUBIN: Ouch…
KAEDE: You asked. Truth or dare?
YUBIN: Uh, truth.
KAEDE: When was the last time you lied to me?
YUBIN: Dare. I mean dare.
KAEDE: You can’t do that.
YUBIN: I said dare! I always said—
NOTICE — Penalty for Yubin Gong. Must serve both truth and dare.
YUBIN: A penalty!? We had those ready the whole time?
KAEDE: I’ll let you choose which one to do first. Nice of me, huh?
YUBIN: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Truth, I guess.
KAEDE: You never answered my question. When was the last time you lied to me?
YUBIN: No, come on.
KAEDE: When. Was. The last time. You lied to me.
YUBIN: (long pause) Last week. You asked me if I stole your shirt and I said no. I still have it.
KAEDE: That’s what I thought.
YUBIN: Sorry…
KAEDE: I want it back.
YUBIN: It’s comfortable!
KAEDE: Get your own!]
FRIDAY — AUGUST 1, 2025
7 DAYS TO YEONGAM
With the first race right around the corner, tension is in the air, but for one night only, spirits are high. At the end of the last week before the series begins, Modhaus Motorsport opens its doors for Friends & Family Night.
It’s about tradition more than anything else. Every team, from Modhaus to Mclaren, makes sure to host employees and their loved ones at least once a year. It’s an evening of food and drink and celebration, and a chance to show off the admittedly impressive headquarter building. Rumor has it that the CEO might even put in an appearance.
For this, Kotone, like everyone else on payroll, is allowed a plus-one. And Kotone, like pretty much everyone else on payroll, will be showing up solo. After all, Modhaus is a young team with young staff, and the working hours of the racing industry don’t exactly lend themselves to active love lives.
That doesn’t stop Kotone from feeling, well, bad about it. She considers skipping out entirely, but her attendance isn’t so much of a choice as it is a strongly-worded suggestion. The food will be free, in any case, and the dress in the back of her closet will have to do.
She gets there fashionably late, though not on purpose. There’s open seats at a table occupied by only Sohyun.
“Hi,” says Kotone, approaching.
“Hi,” says Sohyun. “You look nice.”
“Oh, thanks.” It’s not like anyone is used to seeing Kotone in anything but company polos and jeans, anyway. “Are you here with anyone else?”
“Yeah,” Sohyun nods, “my… friend came along, but she’s in the bathroom right now.” She pushes out a chair. “You’re welcome to join us, if you like.”
Friend. It’s an open secret that Sohyun is a lesbian. She’s always showing up to functions with said “friend”, the one she’s lived with since college, but no one really bothers to ask — keeping her plausible deniability intact, of course.
What’s more, she isn’t even that much of an outlier. Women in motorsport are often queer, and Kotone has her honest suspicions that Modhaus’ personnel are no different. Still, policy and the good-old-fashioned division of personal and professional lives keeps it all under wraps. It might be 2025, but Formula series are still a boys’ club, and a very rich, straight, and European one at that.
Sohyun, at least, is happy to let people fill in the obvious blanks. Kotone can’t say the same. She’s not out, she doesn’t know if she ever will be, and the plus-one will remain a plus-zero into perpetuity.
Super cool.
“I’m going to take a look at the food first,” says Kotone, “but I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Sure thing.” For someone who spends a lot of time barking orders about temperature thresholds, Sohyun is really quite kind. “Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.”
Kotone grabs a plate and gets her dinner for the night. It beats having to eat her own cooking, no question there. But as she turns back to the sitting area, she realizes she’s not incredibly interested in making small talk with her coworkers. They’re fine; there’s nothing wrong with them. She just doesn’t feel like it.
What comes to mind instead is a spot behind the building where Kotone likes to take her lunch breaks — barely a courtyard and more like four squares of concrete underneath a tree. It’s sheltered by electrical boxes on one side and that same tree to the other, with patchy grass coming up between the cracks.
She takes her food and makes her way outside, and isn’t surprised when no one notices her leave. What startles her instead is that, once there, she’s not alone.
Kotone rounds the tree and almost drops her plate. “Nientzu?”
“Oh, man, you caught me.” Nientzu leans against the trunk, half-eaten melon skewer pinched between her teeth. She yanks it out, taking her sweet time to chew and swallow the piece of watermelon, before continuing. “Ditching an event I helped plan — naughty, I know.”
There are smarter things to say in response. Kotone doesn’t think of any of them. “You planned this?” she asks, like a dumbass.
“Who else?” Nientzu replies. She grins. “Did I do a nice job?”
Something compels Kotone to be honest. “I think so, but I don’t really know,” she says. “I kind of just got here.”
“Long enough to get food, though.”
“Well,” cringes Kotone, “yeah—”
“Good, because that’s the best part.” Nientzu holds up her own plate, piled to the brim. “Now what’s someone like you doing out here?”
The answer, though essentially the truth as well, is uninspiring. “I just… wanted to get some air.”
“Seen enough of that crowd, I bet,” says Nientzu. “You’re all working your tails off, spending a lot of time together. I’m not surprised it gets old.”
“It isn’t that,” says Kotone, even though maybe it is. “I think I might not be cut out for parties.”
Nientzu laughs. “If this is a party, then I’m Guenther Steiner.” She polishes off the rest of her melon skewer and starts on another. “Seriously, though. Try getting out some more. A little excitement’s always good for your health.”
The very thought makes Kotone wrinkle her nose. Some people come to motorsport for a taste of the fast and glamorous life, but she’s not one of them. “I’ll get my share soon enough.”
“Eh, guess that’s true,” says Nientzu. “You’re looking forward to them, aren’t you?”
She means the races. In this line of work, it can’t ever mean anything but the races.
“Of course.” Kotone couldn’t hide it even if she tried, and as she comes to realize, she’s not trying. Not tonight. Maybe it’s the commemorative air, or maybe it’s the fact that Nientzu hasn’t so much as bumped into her in months, but something about this encounter makes it feel oddly okay to tell all.
“I’m looking forward to them, too. Three whole weeks of getting to show off, flex our stuff. Can’t ask for more,” says Nientzu.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘showing off’—”
“I mean, sure, I’m just spinning it—”
“—but I need this,” says Kotone, surprising herself with her own ferocity. She’s never been this vulnerable or this hungry in front of anyone — much less Nientzu, on a Friday night, in a tiny empty lot while the festivities play out unseen.
“Oh,” says Nientzu, eyebrows raised.
“I can see it. It’s so, so close,” says Kotone. She’s rambling now, but she doesn’t want to stop. “If Race to Korea succeeds, people will start paying attention to Korean racing, and Modhaus will be put on the map. I’ll be recognized for my skills. I’ll be able to move up, go to bigger series. I’ll — make it all worth it.”
Nientzu is uncharacteristically quiet, and as she watches Kotone, a small but genuine smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “Ah, I should have known. You’re not ordinary at all.”
“What?” Kotone flushes, then scowls. “Don’t act like I’m the weird one.”
“I didn’t say you were weird. I said you weren’t ordinary.” The look that Nientzu gives her isn’t its usual fervent, piercing gleam. It’s softer at the edges and not so tempting to turn away from, but no less astute. “Race to Korea means a lot to everyone here, of course. But you stood out from the beginning, and now I know why.”
“Right, so.” As simple as Nientzu makes this out to be, Kotone still has no idea what she means. “Forgive me if I haven’t been… on board with your work.”
Nientzu finds this hilarious, barking a loud laugh to show it. “Well, there’s where you aren’t alone.” She pops a grape into her mouth, and around it, says, “I don’t have a lot of fans here. But I don’t need ‘em.”
“I,” hesitates Kotone, “didn’t know that.” She’s seized by an unfamiliar guilt, overcome with the need to apologize. No matter how annoying Nientzu likes to be, it can’t be a good feeling, knowing her role is disliked as much as it is. In a crowd of mechanics and engineers, she’s already an odd one out.
“Nah, it’s nothing,” says Nientzu. Her sheer confidence banishes any possibility of pity. “Sometimes I have to step on some toes. That’s how the sausage gets made, right?”
Horrible, horrible mixed metaphor. Kotone tries not to dwell on the image.
“What I’m saying,” Nientzu continues, “is that I understand, Kotone.” She looks her straight in the eye. “I don’t think we’re so different. You can count on me.”
And Kotone, for the first time, thinks she might actually believe that. “Okay,” she says, “I will.”
THURSDAY — AUGUST 7, 2025
1 DAY TO YEONGAM
Load-in day. Kotone isn’t responsible for much of the heavy lifting, which she’s grateful for. Of course, she still has to run around and check in on the systems setups, plus help out wherever else the team could use a hand, but she’s happy to keep busy in a way that feels familiar. Better a practiced regimen than an unpredictable whirlwind. Better this, than the all-consuming flutter in the pit of her stomach.
It’s really happening, she thinks, whenever she’s still enough for the thoughts to come creeping in. She’s finally here.
The Korea International Circuit is every inch the legend that haunts the admittedly brief history of Korean racing. Its buildings loom in the gray sky, utterly dwarfing the tracks that Kotone has worked before, and the vast plain surrounding it leaves nothing to the imagination. This is the biggest and most prestigious of the three tracks they’ll race on. For the opening, no one would have it any other way.
In fewer words: it’s a beautiful track, and the history alone makes it worth it. What was once a source of shame is, for at least the next three days, a chance to start anew.
The management seems to have cleaned up their act as well. Kotone’s heard the horror stories from the old Korean Grand Prix races, and she knows of the complaints that still linger. She won’t be able to speak to the audience experience — of which she can’t yet believe will exist — but the facilities are clean and Kotone has no trouble getting authorized for where she needs to go.
Unpack, set up, test once and then once again. The day passes without difficulty, and when everything is taken care of at last, Kotone slings her backpack over her shoulder and drags herself to the hotel.
She’s collapsed on the floor of her room, scrolling through a delivery app, when a voice calls for her outside.
“Room service!” it singsongs. It’s Nientzu, always, of course.
Kotone, begrudgingly, peels herself off the floor. After a quick glance in the mirror, she opens the door and plays along. “I didn’t order anything. Maybe you’ve got the wrong room?”
“Oh, really?” asks Nientzu. She fake-frowns and pretends to read something off of her hand. “But it says here — invitation for one Kamimoto Kotone, to get chicken and watch TV together. You familiar with any other Kotones?”
“I mean,” says Kotone, “that is me, but that wasn’t in my plans.”
“It’ll be fun,” says Nientzu.
“I have an early day tomorrow.”
“Pssh, we all do.” Nientzu waves her hand, dismissing the thought. “And mine starts with trying to wake Yubin from REM sleep, so don’t say I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Kotone winces. She often forgets about Nientzu’s other duties as a handler, and they are certainly unenviable, but they still don’t involve being alert enough to prevent possible and highly injurious disaster. “I really don’t think I can.”
“So what are you eating for dinner?”
“Um,” says Kotone, “I’m still figuring it out—”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Nientzu takes Kotone by the hand, pulling her into the hallway. “Now come on, I won’t keep you long.”
Nientzu’s room is the one directly next door. Inside, the layout is the same as Kotone’s — single bed, television stand, a door leading to the bathroom. A duffel bag has been set on the floor by the wall.
“Go ahead, sit on the bed if you want,” says Nientzu.
“I’m in my outside clothes,” says Kotone.
“I don’t care,” says Nientzu. “It’s a hotel room. I don’t actually live here.”
It’s only then that Kotone notices the takeout boxes ordered neatly on the TV stand, steaming away just beneath the screen. She’s been expected, or a little more than that, so it seems.
Nientzu catches her staring. “I ordered too much,” she stage-whispers behind her hand. “Had to get someone to help me out, you know?”
Kotone rolls her eyes. “If all you wanted was to get together, you could’ve just told me.”
“And you would’ve said no,” replies Nientzu.
There’s nothing Kotone can say to argue that, but here she is, and food is food. She gingerly takes a seat at the foot of the bed and makes herself some semblance of comfortable.
Meanwhile, Nientzu is busy clicking through options with the remote. “Do you watch Netflix a lot? Any recommendations?”
“Not really,” says Kotone. “It’s not my thing.” Then, after a beat, she adds, “You?”
“Oh, same. I watched a ton of dramas when I was younger, but now I don’t keep up with anything, either. Hmm.” Nientzu screws up her face in thought. “Maybe we’ll just do something for the background.”
It’s funny — even though Kotone is quite good at focusing on several things at once, down to a job where she looks at multiple screens and talks to multiple people at a time with very little margin for error, she’s not much for it in her off-time. Call her old-fashioned, but it is what it is. “Maybe we should just—”
“Ooh, Fireplace for Your Home: Birchwood Edition!”
So definitely not that. But before Kotone can vehemently disagree, and before Nientzu can click into a full hour of logs burning on a fire, there’s a shriek from the other side of the wall.
“Are you cheating!?”
“No, that’s a legal move!”
Kotone tenses up, shaken by the sudden noise. Nientzu, though, simply gives her a good-natured shrug.
“I told Yubin the deck of cards was a bad idea,” she says, “but she’s got a mind of her own. Though I’m sure you know that better than I do.”
“Yubin?” asks Kotone. She’s surprised, but not as surprised as she is with her second and more pressing revelation. “And the other person?”
Nientzu looks at her like she’s grown another head. “Kaede, obviously.”
“Sorry,” sputters Kotone, “Kaede??”
Drivers almost always get solo rooms. It’s better for their headspace, and Modhaus has the budget for it. The only exception that Kotone’s ever heard of is for personal preference, and she has yet to work with two drivers who consider themselves good enough friends to do anything of the sort.
“Are they… close?” asks Kotone.
Nientzu looks amused, possibly at Kotone’s expense. “You could say that.”
Chalk that up to yet another thing Kotone had no idea about — that Yubin and Kaede would be sharing a space, or that they’re apparently thick as thieves. What she does at least know for a fact, though, is that Nientzu booked the rooms, and of course they’d have to come to her to put in the request.
That in mind, Kotone tries not to think too much about the fact that she and Nientzu are ever-so-conveniently neighbors. It doesn’t mean anything if the other race engineers are much further down the hall.
“Do you like working with Yubin?” asks Nientzu, changing the subject and interrupting Kotone’s train of thought.
“Yes,” says Kotone, after a moment. “She’s got a… personality, for sure, and she still has all the shortcomings of a young driver, but she has the right passion and the right work ethic.”
“She has the least experience out of all of them.” Nientzu means Kaede’s achievements in Formula 4, and Jiyeon’s long stint in one of Korea’s first driver development programs. Compared to them, Yubin’s open-wheel career is only in its infancy.
“Sure, but.” Kotone doesn’t give these kinds of compliments lightly. “With the right focus, I think she could really go places.”
“And you?”
Kotone blinks. “What about me?”
“You’re her engineer,” says Nientzu — lightning-quick and straight to the point, the way she always is. “You want to get noticed, move up. But right now, you’re tied to Yubin and her success. When she goes places, will you?”
“I don’t — I don’t know what you’re asking,” says Kotone.
“Ah,” Nientzu shrugs, “never mind. It was a weird question, anyway.”
“It doesn’t really work like that for engineers,” Kotone answers, a beat too late.
“No, no, you’re right,” says Nientzu. “I guess what I meant was, anything could happen this weekend.” She cocks her head to the side. “Like you said, Yubin has the right stuff, and she could really take off. Would you be ready?”
“Well,” says Kotone. She remembers her place. She imagines the near-impossible. “I wouldn’t know what to do with the attention.”
“All attention is good attention.”
“All attention is good attention,” Kotone agrees, slowly.
“Then that settles it.” Nientzu grabs a box of fried chicken and brings it over, plopping onto the bed with a huff. “You must be hungry. Let’s eat.”
Kotone picks up a wing, still puzzled, but she’s never really understood Nientzu in the first place. Whatever this is, this peculiar peace, this halfway mark between friendship and animosity, she supposes it’ll come with an adjustment period.
Before taking a bite, in lieu of a toast, Nientzu holds out her fist. “To a good race?”
Kotone bumps her knuckles against Nientzu’s, feeling soft skin against the backs of her fingers. “To a good race.”
Posted by @modhaus.motorsport
D-1 to Yeongam! Let’s get it~
#ModhausMotorsport #F1ARaceToKorea
[VIDEO DESCRIPTION: Drivers KAEDE and YUBIN are in a hotel room, performing a dance challenge. Their bags are placed on the beds behind them. At the end of the dance, YUBIN trips over KAEDE’s leg and falls out of frame.]
FRIDAY — AUGUST 8, 2025
YEONGAM, QUALIFYING
The first day. The beginning of the beginning. On a clear summer morning, the Korea International Circuit opens its doors for Race to Korea’s maiden audience.
Kotone pulls herself out of bed, washes her face and brushes her teeth, and then she’s out the door with an energy bar in hand.
Compared to the industrious team-only hustle of the day prior, the abrupt presence of racegoers is a bit of a shock. It has nothing on a proper Formula 1 crowd, of course, but Kotone’s never seen anything like it, and it’s still early. To top it all off, there’s the news outlets with their cameras and their staff on the beat. There are real, living, breathing people who are eager, and who are invested.
It feels unreal. Kotone almost forgets how to navigate her way. The places she has to go aren’t crawling with reporters, per se, but they’re not entirely free of them, either, and she has to dodge at least three microphones on her way to the garage.
As becomes immediately clear upon her approach, though, she’s just on the periphery.
Yubin, Kaede, and Jiyeon are already fielding questions from a small pack of media personnel gathered just outside the entrance. Nientzu hovers close behind. Even with a pleasant smile on her face, she gives off the distinct air that it would be unwise for the reporters to try anything funny.
“Jiyeon! Is it true that your contract with Universal Academy is over?”
“Kaede! Would you say that, with your participation here, you’re carrying on your family legacy?”
“Yubin! What inspired the switch to Formula racing?”
Rather intelligent questions, all things considered. Kotone is surprised, but then she looks over at Nientzu’s satisfied expression, and she can immediately surmise why every major news outlet came prepared with brain cells and background knowledge.
“Hey,” greets Nientzu, as Kotone passes.
“Hey,” returns Kotone. “Doing all right?”
“Better than all right.” Nientzu gives her a wink as Kotone continues into the garage. “Never underestimate the power of a good press kit.”
Inside, Kotone talks with Yooyeon, with Seoyeon, with Sohyun, with the mechanics, with the team principal. None of the information is particularly new: conditions are good, keep an eye on Turns 4 through 6, DSP will probably try to play mind games, the usual. Then she goes to her station at the pit wall and makes sure everything is good to go, which it is. There are some last-minute notes for Yubin, though, and she needs to transfer them to her tablet, so she turns and crosses back over to the garage.
Kotone is digging through the pockets of her backpack when she feels something cold press against her cheek. “What—”
She whips away, and Nientzu is there, eyes turning into bright crescents as she laughs. “Whoa there,” she says, “it’s just me.”
“What was that?” asks Kotone, holding a hand to her face, lingering on the still-cool skin. “You scared me!”
“That’s my bad,” says Nientzu. She doesn’t look the least bit sorry, but somehow Kotone doesn’t feel angry at all.
“I thought you were overseeing interviews,” says Kotone.
“I ended them early to give the drivers more time to prepare. And anyway, I just wanted to give you this before quali starts. Think of it as a lucky charm.”
In Nientzu’s hands is a plastic bottle, fresh from the fridge. Twenty ounces. Pink label. Electrolyte drink, peach flavor.
“Can’t get the sparkling ade here,” says Nientzu, “so I thought this would have to do.”
Kotone looks at the drink and feels a warmth rush in to replace the chill on her cheeks. “You didn’t have to,” she manages to say.
“Eh, I kind of did. We can’t have you getting dehydrated,” replies Nientzu. She clasps the bottle into Kotone’s hand, giving her arm a pat for good measure, and turns to leave. “Now knock ‘em dead for me.”
“Wait,” says Kotone. She almost can’t believe what she finds herself asking. “Will you be watching?”
Nientzu laughs, like it’s a given. “Of course.”
“Then—”
“Top floor of the motorhome,” Nientzu says. “Come find me when you’re done?”
“Yes,” says Kotone, strangely breathless, “absolutely.”
To this, Nientzu just grins, and slips out the door. Kotone is left watching her go.
In truth, she thinks, Nientzu isn’t so bad. Maybe it just took a little getting to know each other for her to learn that.
DRIVER RADIO — GONG, YUBIN
QUALIFYING, YEONGAM
[TRANSCRIPT (EXCERPT):
Kotone KAMIMOTO: Keep going, you’re almost there.
Yubin GONG: These fucking turns, I swear—
KAMIMOTO: You have pace. Focus.
GONG: Okay, okay.
KAMIMOTO: Yes, last one. Easy now, just push.
GONG: Copy.
KAMIMOTO: And — clean finish. Yubin, that’s P9. I repeat, P9. We’ll see you at the garage.
GONG: Ugh… I mean, got it. Thank you.]
Ninth in qualifying. Solidly in the middle of the pack, and just shy of being able to benefit from the reversed grid.
You’re starting from the same spot for both races, Kotone reminds Yubin, so just keep your head down and drive.
Easier said than done, of course. If anyone, however, is capable of gritting their teeth and producing results where it really counts, it’s Yubin. She thrives in the pressure cooker and all but welcomes a challenge.
(In more private moments, Kotone sometimes wonders if that’s the only time when Yubin can perform without flaw, but for now she puts the emphasis on words of encouragement and nothing else.)
There’s cooldown, and debrief, and then a bunch of other meetings for Kotone attend while the drivers go through a round of media. Sometimes she sneaks a glance at the monitors to see what they’re up to, what Nientzu is doing, but it’s never anything too interesting.
Nientzu remains a dutiful shadow behind the drivers and their microphones. Kotone sits at long tables and talks about numbers, and numbers, and numbers.
Then finally, they’re both free, and Kotone hits the pavement and climbs her way up through the motorhome. She finds the office assigned to Nientzu in the back left corner, and she pushes open the door.
“Hey,” Kotone says, suddenly aware of how sweaty she is, “sorry that took so long.”
Nientzu looks up from a company phone, where she must be putting the finishing touches on a post. “Not at all,” she says. “Good work today.”
“Ha. You’re just saying that.”
“I do stretch the truth sometimes, but I don’t create it.” Nientzu pushes her chair back, getting to her feet. “Come take a look at this.”
Kotone doesn’t know what she expects. Her mind flashes through images of dumb selfies and mortifying challenges, but they all stop short when Nientzu puts the screen in her face.
One million followers.
Wait, that can’t be right. Kotone blinks hard and looks again.
There it is, evident and undeniable: 1M in big bold text, right at the top of the account, despite logic, despite everything.
“Oh my god,” says Kotone.
“I know, right?” Nientzu’s smile could buy a yacht. “We’re going places, all of us.”
Maybe it’s the improbability, or maybe it’s the post-qualifying adrenaline, but Kotone struggles to reconcile what she sees with what it can only mean. “People are noticing.” She hardly believes it. “People really care.”
“Sure do,” says Nientzu, “and it’s only the start.”
The vast rush of emotions is almost too much to handle. Kotone can feel her heart pounding in her chest, heavy with hope and incredulity, as she grabs Nientzu’s hands. “You know what this means, right? What we’ll be able to do?”
“There’s still a long way to go, don’t get me wrong.” Nientzu looks pleased, regardless. “But you keep working hard, and so will I.”
Once confusing but now sparkling with perfect clarity — Nientzu’s methods were the key to Kotone’s dreams all along. One million whole people who care about the efforts happening at Modhaus Motorsport. One million whole people who will hear Kotone’s voice over the radio, who might be able to attest to her greatness in places beyond.
“Thank you.” There’s nothing for Kotone to do but pull Nientzu into a hug, holding her tight for all it’s worth. I’m sorry for misjudging you. I’m sorry for not trusting you until now. “Thank you, thank you for everything.”
Nientzu throws her head back with laughter. “I’m just doing my job — don’t even mention it.”
TEAMS AND DRIVERS OF F1 ACADEMY: RACE TO KOREA
Stats, profiles, and more
Friday 8 August 2025 18:00
In “News”
(ARTICLE EXCERPT)
MODHAUS MOTORSPORT
Modhaus Motorsport is a relatively young team, lacking the pedigree or firepower of others but backed by several big-name investors from the tech industry. Its founders, Jaden Jeong and Joseph Baek, have seen several other successful ventures in e-sports and financial services. Their stated mission is to create a team of “all possibilities”, and they have announced their eventual plans to expand across Asia and into other racing formats. Recruitment methods are undisclosed, but appear to favor popular, if lower-level, drivers.
SUHYEON “JIYEON” JI
Career Number: 24
Racing under the South Korean flag
Supported by Cosmo
Having made a name for herself as a member of Universal Academy, one of the first driver development programs to be based in South Korea, Suhyeon Ji appears to have been signed by Modhaus after a moderately successful career in karting. Ji is backed by Cosmo, a cryptocurrency trading app created by the same founders behind Modhaus Motorsport.
KAEDE YAMADA
Career Number: 9
Racing under the Japanese flag
Supported by Aston Martin
Modhaus’ Japanese driver is none other than the daughter of Super Formula racer Kazuya Yamada, and expectations from both family and public alike saw the younger Yamada in her first kart at 3 years of age. Boasting a healthy résumé with the F4 Japanese Championship, and having placed as high as 17th during the 2023 season, Yamada is without a doubt the team’s most formidable driver.
YUBIN GONG
Career Number: 8
Racing under the South Korean flag
Supported by Alpine
Yubin Gong is perhaps Modhaus’ least known driver, having bounced around from series to series without much recognition. Despite this, Gong has attracted enough attention to gain the backing of Alpine, and rumors maintain that Gong will be offered a spot in Alpine Academy following satisfactory performance in Race to Korea.
SATURDAY — AUGUST 9, 2025
YEONGAM, RACE 1
Yubin stalls the car.
Yubin stalls the car and gets all of P15, but it doesn’t even matter, because the Modhaus Motorsport accounts are gaining followers, likes, tagged posts by the minute.
This is what success looks like, Kotone is coming to learn. The world of sport isn’t as much of a meritocracy as it pretends to be, and to claim victory off the track, one must leverage every tool at hand.
Modhaus may not have BELIFT’s dominance, or TBL’s connections, or even WakeOne’s sheer shamelessness, but they have public favor. They have devotees lining up on their digital doorstep, and they have casual fans picking them as favorites even when the math paints them, at best, as midfielders.
Of course, Kotone doesn’t waste her time looking into the specifics. She knows the numbers look great, and the more, the better. As for what people are actually saying, she doesn’t find it of particular concern.
She floats through post-race procedures on a cloud. The usual celebratory measures are on pause until after tomorrow, so there’s nothing to worm her way out of, either. Kotone merely does what she’s supposed to do, and it’s easy — just beautiful routine and the knowledge that it will, it is paying off.
When she returns to the hotel, Nientzu is waiting in front of her door.
“Dinner?” asks Nientzu. Kotone doesn’t even need to think about her answer.
They pick a halfway fancy joint within walking distance, and they split a platter of braised meat. Nientzu monopolizes the side-dish bean sprouts and Kotone doesn’t even mind.
Eventually, Nientzu comes up for air long enough to remark, “Unlucky day today, huh?”
“Not at all. I mean,” amends Kotone, “what happened to Yubin is unfortunate, but it happens all the time with inexperienced drivers. It’s only the first race. There’s still time.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” says Nientzu. She shoves a wad of perilla wrap in her mouth and, with it still balled-up in her cheek, asks, “And how do you feel?”
“Me?”
Nientzu nods.
“Well — amazing.” It’s no shortage of the truth. “It’s just… so nice to know that I’m not doing all of this for nothing. I’m remembering, again, why I wanted it in the first place.”
Nientzu chews, swallows. “I can tell. You look a lot happier.”
“Yeah?” Kotone reaches for the back of her neck as a tender heat spreads across it. “It’s that obvious?”
“Maybe not,” says Nientzu, “but I’m in the business of reading people. And I,” she says with a grin, “find you very, very interesting.”
Kotone bites her lip and looks away. Nientzu makes her a wrap and holds it out for her to eat, making ridiculous airplane noises as she shepherds it across the distance from plate to mouth.
It’s good. It’s always good.
She could get used to this, Kotone thinks. To success, to Nientzu’s company, and to the promise of a brighter future.
SUNDAY — AUGUST 10, 2025
YEONGAM, RACE 2
Rain on the way, is the whisper that makes its way through the paddock. The forecast isn’t promising, but barring severe meteorological anomaly, the race will go on. In the garage, Sohyun huddles with the mechanics, checking and double-checking with no end in sight.
Kotone battens down the metaphorical hatches and steels herself for what lies ahead.
Yubin hasn’t had enough experience driving in rain, especially not with this car. A wet race would spell catastrophe. Forget points or placements — Kotone worries first and foremost for her safety. If it were up to her, Yubin wouldn’t race at all.
The decision, though, has never been hers to make. Rain or shine, she knows there is nothing Yubin wants more than to drive, and in any case, the race stewards will be the ones making that call.
The clouds hang back. The race will proceed.
It’s warm-up, it’s lights out, and the track remains dry.
Yubin tries for an overtake at Turn 1, and again at the chicane after Turn 4. Ahead of her, Noh of BELIFT defends ferociously, refusing to give an inch.
It’s the second lap, then the third, then the fourth, and the track remains dry.
At Turn 15, Yubin has a lockup. She skids off the edge of the track, and during the time it takes for her to get back on her original path, nearly half the grid goes by. She unleashes a flood of curses over the radio. Kotone tells her to stay focused.
Distant lightning. A few seconds later, thunder.
DSP’s Wi in the Sauber nicks the wall on Turn 10, spitting debris out onto the asphalt. Yellow flag, and the track remains dry.
Four more laps. The debris has been removed. Push, instructs Kotone, and Yubin guns the engine to go wheel-to-wheel with Kelly Ha.
Up above, light gray is turning to bruised, wrathful blue. Down below in the stands, the crowd murmurs amongst itself, and online, far beyond Kotone’s ears, the same sentiments multiply and echo.
The track, for now, remains dry.
Kotone leans toward the altar of her screens. On the back of her hand, with knuckles turning white around the edges of her workstation, a single drop of water makes contact with skin.
Kotone’s seen crashes before. Cars slamming into barriers, cars slamming into each other, cars screeching and spinning out and tumbling over themselves while sparks fly and smoke gasps from the chassis. The safety car. The medical car. The collective held breath, waiting for an announcement that cannot be delayed and yet is never slow enough to come.
Modern safety regulations mean, thankfully, that she’s never seen them result in anything worse than a fracture. Drivers walk away from crashes that would have killed them twenty years ago.
It doesn’t make them any easier to watch.
But the thing about crashes is this — they happen. They just happen. Kotone has heard people swear up and down that they know when a collision is coming, that they can feel time slow down, but she doesn’t agree.
One moment, everything’s fine. The next moment, it’s not.
In the minutes after the Sunday race, Kotone is left feeling like she’s witnessed a crash. Not because of any real disaster. All the drivers are safe, and Modhaus has good results. Jiyeon places in the points, Yubin simply manages to have a proper start and finish her laps, and Kaede—
Well, Kaede gets P2. Podium. Nothing short of brilliance from the girl with the world on her shoulders.
Kotone is among the mob that rushes to lift Kaede from her car, pulling her into a roaring embrace as she pumps her fist in the darkening sky. She’s hoisted on shoulders, clapped heartily on the back. Someone waves around a preemptive bottle of champagne. Modhaus may not have many honors to its name, but those it has, it knows how to enjoy.
In the rush, Kotone is dimly aware of two things:
One. Nientzu, hanging back, snapping photos. She looks calm. She looks — almost reserved, something Kotone doesn’t expect and would never have imagined.
And two. Yubin, barely having parked her own car, all but shoving her way past the rest of the team to get to Kaede’s side. It takes a couple of dogged shoulders, but eventually the crowd parts to let her through.
“Kaede!” she calls, voice hoarse from exertion. “You did it!”
Kaede turns. Her expression is unreadable under the visor, but her posture softens with something like relief. “Yubin,” she returns.
Yubin runs forward, arms outstretched. Swift on the ground as she is behind the wheel, she flies.
Kaede is there to catch her.
They collide, two separated magnets finally allowed to reunite. Yubin grabs Kaede by the waist and tugs her close until their helmeted foreheads meet. Glove to carbon composite shell, she reaches out, stroking a hand over the side of Kaede’s face, whispering, “I’m so proud of you. I knew you could, I knew you would.”
It’s a touching moment, if unexpectedly intimate. Kotone wonders if she should avert her eyes, but her shyness is no one’s fault but her own. She should be happy for them, and that’s all. No one else is shrinking away. No one else minds.
As a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite. Click, go the cameras, and flash, go the lights. Chatter, chatter, chatter.
The audience loves every second. The team pays no mind. The reporters can’t get enough of it, and neither, so it seems, can Nientzu. She aims her lens at the action, preserving every fragmented instant with steadfast, practiced skill.
It’s only then that Kotone realizes the phone in Nientzu’s hand isn’t company-owned, nor is it her personal phone with the case that she’s come to recognize. It’s plain and secondhand; a burner.
The flag in Kotone’s vision waves bright and dangerously red.
She moves without thinking. People swim in and out of her vision, her sights locked on Nientzu and no one else, as she seizes her bicep in a desperate grip.
“What are you doing with that,” Kotone asks. Her words are strained, difficult to form. She almost can’t ask — for fear of the answer.
Nientzu coolly taps a last few inputs on her screen, then looks at Kotone with quiet resolve etched into her eyes. “Only what’s necessary,” she replies.
“Why—” Kotone can’t get it out. She gestures at the burner phone, at a loss she doesn’t want to feel. “What’s the meaning of this?”
There’s a moment of pause. Nientzu holds out the phone, offering it up and yet indifferent to Kotone’s judgment. “See for yourself.”
Twitter is open on the screen, tracking a trending hashtag and updating as the posts flow in. It’s moving too fast for Kotone to follow, but she sees Yubin’s pink-and-blue suit, Kaede’s emerald green. They won’t stop coming — the quotes, the video clips, the same photo over and over and over.
And the one thing uniting them all:
#gongmada
10.2K posts. Then 10.3k, 10.4k.
“No,” breathes Kotone. “This whole time, you…”
Betrayed me, she wants to say. Used me, used us all, promised everyone at Modhaus the stage, only to turn it into this.
Nientzu does not repent. “I’m just doing my job.”
One moment, everything’s fine. The next moment, it’s not.
Kotone drops the phone and does not hear it clatter to the ground. Lightning, sharp and blue, carves unforgiving shadows across Nientzu’s face.
Thunder booms, the crowd cheers, and the sky opens up and pours.
DRIVER STANDINGS as of YEONGAM, Race 2
1. Iroha HOKAZONO, RED BULL FORD operated by BELIFT — 14 pts
2. Emma SONG, SCUDERIA FERRARI operated by BPM — 13 pts
2. Kaede YAMADA, ASTON MARTIN operated by MODHAUS — 13 pts
4. Jungeun CHOI, MERCEDES operated by WAKEONE — 11 pts
4. Yunah NOH, RED BULL RACING operated by BELIFT — 11 pts
4. Moka SAKAI, RACING BULLS operated by BELIFT — 11 pts
7. Sunhye JEONG, McLAREN operated by DSP — 10 pts
8. Gawon LEE, RIMOWA operated by TBL — 6 pts
9. Rin NA, GENTLE MONSTER operated by TBL — 4 pts
10. Suhyeon JI, COSMO operated by MODHAUS — 2 pts
11. Jeemin BANG, OLIVE YOUNG operated by WAKEONE — 0 pts
11. Chloe DUONG, WILLIAMS operated by BPM — 0 pts
11. Yubin GONG, ALPINE operated by MODHAUS — 0 pts
11. Ella GROSS, HAAS F1 TEAM operated by TBL — 0 pts
11. Kelly HA, CGV CINEMAS operated by BPM — 0 pts
11. Doeun KIM, LOGITECH G operated by DSP — 0 pts
11. Koko NARAI, BIORÉ operated by WAKEONE — 0 pts
11. Yeonjung WI, KICK SAUBER operated by DSP — 0 pts
TEAM STANDINGS as of YEONGAM, Race 2
1. BELIFT Motor Lab — 36 pts
2. Modhaus Motorsport — 15 pts
3. BPM Grand Prix — 13 pts
4. WakeOne Racing — 11 pts
5. DSP Motorsport — 10 pts
5. TBL Racing — 10 pts