In a high stakes 2025 season where every millisecond is a battle for survival, the long standing rivalry between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc reaches a volatile breaking point. As they navigate the suffocating pressure of the paddock and the ghosts of their own pasts, the line between hating a rival and needing a savior begins to blur, forcing them to confront a hunger that neither can outrun.

A formula 1 groupchat There will be some boyxboy ships in here I will try to update regularly

Max Verstappen is a champion on the track, but behind the scenes, he's battling a darker fight within himself. Struggling with overwhelming feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and trauma, Max spirals deeper into self-destruction, pushing away the people who care for him. As he navigates a dangerous mental health journey, his relationships with friends and loved ones are tested, including his complex connection with Charles Leclerc. Can Max confront his demons and accept the love and support of those around him, or will the weight of his pain prove too much to overcome? This emotional and gritty story follows Max's journey through the depths of depression, self-doubt, and the possibility of healing. A tale of love, friendship, and the harsh realities of mental health in the world of Formula 1.

"You keep staring." "You keep giving me reasons to." They were never supposed to touch. Now they can't stop. When model and celebrity Charles Leclerc starts receiving threats from an obsessed stalker, Max Verstappen - stoic, sharp-eyed, and painfully off-limits - is assigned as his full-time bodyguard. But when late nights blur the line between protection and desire, teasing turns into tension, and power plays turn into something neither of them can resist. - Max Verstappen x Charles Leclerc short Lestappen AU I don't own any formula one drivers.

"What are you doing?" Pierre asked in English, finally snapping Charles out of whatever haze he was stuck in. "Hm? Listening to you?" Charles looked up to meet his best friend's eyes and immediately heard the thought that followed. *You were very clearly ogling Max just now.* Charles's eyes widened. "I did not!" he said, voice cracking as his ears turned red. Pierre only grinned wider. *Oh calamar, you think I haven't noticed you staring at him since you got the superpowers.* Or the one where Charles can read minds, and Max's thoughts ruin everything (or fix everything).

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑 : This story is inspired by the rivals-to-lovers dynamic of 'Heated Rivalry' by Rachel Reid and adapted into an original story set in the f1 world. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭" "𝘖𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶" "𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺", 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. ⏾⋆˚⟡₊⊹⭒ -------- ❥ 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 ❥ 𝐠𝐚𝐲/𝐛𝐢 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ❥ 𝐠𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲/𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 ❥ 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 originally published in january 2026.

F1. Cars, speed, thrills, podiums and champagne. Hearts of gold that bleed at each spark that flickers. Stolen stares and wicked smirks on the track that makes blood boil. Charles and Max. Two lost souls that need to be found. Winning is the goal. But is it winning the race, the championship? Or is it winning at love?

It's two minutes past midnight. Max is the head chef of the restaurant downstairs; Charles is the playboy neighbor upstairs who brings a different woman home every night. ​It's a routine they know by heart: the date fails, the woman leaves, and Charles stumbles down to Max's kitchen, hungry for pasta and comfort. To Charles, Max is just the grumpy best friend who fixes his mess. To Max, Charles is a beautiful, oblivious chaos. ​Max plays his part perfectly: he cooks, he listens, and he swallows his jealousy. ​Max can make breakfast exactly how Charles likes it, but he can't make Charles love him back

"𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫." 2 young men. 2 teams, 2 cars, 2 colors. 1 goal. what is their destiny? it all started in karting. Max Verstappen had grown up hating Charles Leclerc. mostly, had learned too. yet Charles had always felt a pull towards Max, unable to stay away. but how will it work between them if one of them is in it with their whole heart while the other is selfish? Lestappen fanfic. 𝐓𝐖: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘. 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐊. #2 on hatred 8/7/25 #1 on redbull 28/7/25 #1 on karting 31/7/25 #1 on rivals 4/1/26 & 11/2/26

Max Verstappen was built to win. But under the steel nerves and ruthless consistency lies a boy forged by fire, silence, and fear. Charles Leclerc shines in scarlet - on posters, podiums, and screens - but no one sees the bruises beneath the brilliance. Their story begins in silence and secrecy, threaded with tension on and off the grid. But when Charles crashes and everything stops, Max is forced to reckon with what he's been too afraid to name. A slow-burning journey of healing, secrecy, and love - in the paddock, on the track, and in the hidden corners of their hearts. This is not a fairytale. But maybe, just maybe, it can still end in gold. crossposted on ao3 as ReadNowSleepLater