Kimi might have been young but he already carried himself like a seasoned veteran. When you arrived, nerves buzzing through you, he was the first to notice.

“Relax” he murmured before your first qualifying. “You have done this before. The only difference is the cameras.”

He had a way of grounding you, of stripping away the noise. When you panicked he slowed you down. When you doubted yourself he reminded you of every lap you had nailed in the simulator.

Kimi was not loud about it. His help came in the form of quiet tips, steady glances, a hand brushing yours as he passed you a water bottle.

“You will figure it out fast” he told you after your debut race, voice low but certain. “And when you do, no one will catch you.”

The way he said it, you almost believed it already.