THE ROOKIE driver ✔

Chapter 4: Baku City Circuit

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At 7 a.m., the Baku City Circuit lay in the soft light of the early morning, casting long shadows across the paddock. Inside his motorhome, Matteo was already awake, the nerves of race day pulling him out of sleep at 6 a.m. He sat alone on the couch, scrolling through his phone with a distracted gaze. The anticipation and jitters had become a familiar feeling over the last few weeks, but this morning they seemed more intense than usual.

The door to the motorhome opened with a gentle creak as Adam came in carrying a tray of breakfast. 

"Morning, Matteo," Adam said cheerfully, setting the tray down on the table. "I come bearing breakfast. The chef worked his magic this morning."

Matteo looked up from his phone, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Hey, Adam. Thanks. What's on the menu today?"

Adam lifted the lid to reveal  scrambled eggs, avocado toast, a side of fresh fruit, and a smoothie packed with vitamins and electrolytes. "Your usual—nothing too fancy, but it should do the trick. I know nerves can make eating a bit tricky."

Matteo sat up, grabbing a fork. "Yeah no, I really have no appartie right now."

"to bad because you need to eat" Adam said as he took as seat across of Matteo. 

"Yeah, I know," Matteo said, rolling his eyes with a smirk, trying to play it off like a joke even though the frustration was real. Honestly, he hated how every single thing he ate, said, or did was constantly under a microscope. It was like living in a fishbowl, and no matter what, he couldn't escape it. Sure, Adam meant well — Matteo knew that. He got it. Adam was just looking out for him, trying to keep him on track. But man, it was suffocating sometimes. Matteo felt like he couldn't make the smallest decision without someone weighing in, and it drove him nuts that he wasn't in control of his own life anymore.

They sat in comfortable silence for a good while just eating before Adam spoke up. "So, how's the pre-race mindset shaping up? Ready to conquer the streets of Baku?"

Matteo chuckled, taking the tiniest bite of the avocado toast. "Well, I'm definitely ready to drive, but the mindset... it's a work in progress."

Adam raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing. "A work in progress, huh?" he said mimicking air quotes with his fingers " hat's code for 'I'm a bundle of nerves.' right?" 

Matteo laughed, shaking his head. "yeah I actually don't know if Im going to trow up, cry or shit my pants that's how nervous I am" 

"why? its not like this is your first race, what makes this one different?" Adam asked as he lent back into his chair, crossing his arms around his chest. Matteo quickly put down the barely eaten  toast and sighed 

"I don't know!" he said almost sounding frustrated 

Adam nodded, his expression a mix of empathy and amusement. "you need to remember that you've prepared for this. You've put in the hours, both on and off the track. The only variable you need to focus on is the one in the driver's seat."

Matteo took a sip of his smoothie. "I guess it's just hard to turn off the overthinking part of my brain."

Adam grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Now that's why you have me" he said making Matteo smile slightly. 

"You know," Adam began, leaning back in his chair with a playful smirk creeping onto his face, "if I had a dollar for every time a driver said they weren't ready before a race, I'd probably have enough cash to buy my own Formula 1 team by now."

Matteo let out a laugh, shaking his head. "And if I had a dollar for every time I thought I was about to mess everything up," he shot back with a grin, "I'd probably be funding my own team too."