𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 // 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐

💫8

>< the start of the 2019 season ><

To say Carlos was overwhelmed was quite an understatement. The Mclaren Technology Centre was truly stunning, with the lake at the front, the beautiful Mclaren cars lined up next to each other, worth tons of money. The heels of his new PR Charlotte were clicking against the stone floor, while Carlos walked behind her. It was actually difficult to keep up her pace, as Carlos kept looking around at all the amazing stuff that could be seen.

He's had a difficult time behind his back. The Redbull environment wasn't always great. He was stood in the shadows of the young Max Verstappen, who got promoted to the bigger team after already a year and a half. He stuck with Toro Rosso till the end of 2017, seeking for an escape at the French team Renault, alongside Nico Hülkenberg for the last bit of that season. He drove with Renault to a 10th place in the championship.

Everything was all fun and games, until a very unexpected announcement went to shake everything up. Daniel Ricciardo to leave Redbull and join Renault. And you can guess what happened after that. It almost felt like he got kicked out of his usually warm and welcome home. Like a stray dog on the streets, walking in the rain all alone. He got kicked out of the team, because the star was joining, and Carlos didn't seem to be enough.

And then there was Mclaren. His savior really. They welcomed him with open arms and warm smiles, even if it really was the only option Carlos had. He knows this team has a broad history. Incredible even. So many legends have raced for this team. So many championships, wins and pole positions are written in their history, and Carlos was allowed to write in those history books as well.

But, the recent years haven't been that great compared to their golden era. Unfinished races, Gp2 engines, and a lot of driver problems. Yep, this was the danger Carlos was about to step in to. The Mclaren team had some devastating years. But, Carlos definitely wasn't about to give up. There would be changes in the management of the team, as like a new team principal. And there are also two new drivers in the team, which he was one of.

The atmosphere at Mclaren was insensible at the moment. He didn't know what was about to happen right now and he didn't know what was about to happen the rest of the year. The team isn't having it easy money-wise, which also brought a bit of tension. Some good performances would really help the team out, and Carlos was more than willing to get them to the top again. It will be difficult, but he knows what for kind of challenge he's up to.

And he's very ready to take on this challenge.

Today he would meet his teammate, too. Obviously it was discussed with him whom his teammate was about to be, and he could vaguely remember the name of Lando Norris. Apparently he's just finished his Formula 2 season, securing an impressive second place. Carlos didn't know what to expect from a rookie teammate, compared to the quite a bit of experience he got, but he was nonetheless excited to meet his future teammate.

For some reason, the name felt incredibly familiar to him. Like he already knew the boy. Every time he heard Charlotte say something about the man, Carlos felt all weird tingles in his stomach. It were probably just the nerves of getting to meet him. Yes that was definitely it. He's always gotten along quite well with his teammates, he would say. Max and him had this kind of tension, but it was alright. He got along with Daniil well too, and Nico is still a very good friend of his.

So what caused him to feel like that? If he just acts like himself and be nice to his new teammate, and the other would do the same, everything will be perfectly fine. Carlos really hoped it wasn't some cocky, arrogant guy with an ego as big as the world. Obviously, every f1 driver is a bit selfish, else they wouldn't be able to kick it very far in the sport. He just hoped they could work together well. Especially with the new surroundings for both of them.