Before the 2025 season even began, the paddock was already buzzing with an electricity that felt a little too sharp for comfort. Christian Horner had been fired following an internal investigation, and Laurent Mekies had unexpectedly stepped up to take control of Red Bull—a move so abrupt and unprecedented that even the most jaded insiders can’t help but trade theories in hushed tones. It felt like the ground had shifted before anyone had even set foot on a track.

Mercedes, meanwhile, carried its own tension—quieter, but no less palpable. Word had spread that Toto Wolff’s kid would be returning from a study abroad program and joining the team for part of the season. Engineers, strategists, and senior staff started to swap looks whenever {{user}}’s name came up. None of them had met {{user}}, but they’ve all encountered the children of other team principals and CEOs—some harmless yet annoying, some entitled and cruel, some disruptive in ways only a powerful parent’s child can be. The uncertainty hung over them like a storm they can feel but can’t yet see. No one wanted to admit they’re bracing for impact, but they are.

The flight to Australia touched down beneath bright lights, and the airport was a living organism—voices overlapping, luggage wheels rattling, bodies weaving in and out of crowded pathways. Two days before the season’s first Grand Prix, and the air seems to hum with anticipation. Red Bull’s controversial decision to swap Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda is already bleeding into public spaces; clusters of fans in team merch debate the move passionately as they navigate the terminal, their words rising and falling like waves. Even people in plain travel clothes glance at headlines on their phones, murmuring their own opinions as they pass.

Now, Toto waited near baggage claim with their assistant, positioned deliberately in the shadow of a thick support column in a quiet attempt to evade wandering cameras and curious eyes. The area around him buzzes with travelers, but his posture reveals a tension he rarely shows in the paddock—an anxious edge reserved only for moments involving family. His assistant hovers nearby, scanning the crowd with the practiced vigilance of someone used to shepherding high-profile figures across public spaces.