At six thirty in the evening, Sander knocked on Julian’s apartment door right on time.
Julian opened the door looking sleepy, his hair a complete mess.
“Awake?” Sander smiled.
“Let’s go.
The welcome party is about to start.”
Julian rubbed his eyes and nodded.
He ran a hand through his hair and followed Sander out.
When they arrived at the base cafeteria, it was already packed.
Every mechanic, engineer, and staff member was there.
Over a hundred people in total.
Seeing Sander bring Julian in, the room erupted into enthusiastic applause.
Most of the mechanics had already heard about the simulator run.
They knew just how absurdly good this seemingly harmless new kid was.
Add in the fact that he was the only son of their biggest sponsor and the future crown prince of the team.
Naturally, everyone was overly enthusiastic, clapping loudly and hoping to get on his good side.
Only one person wasn’t clapping.
In the corner, Dennis Hauger stood leaning against the wall, holding a glass of sparkling water.
His blonde hair was neatly slicked back, revealing sharp Nordic features.
He was twenty years old and stood a hundred and eighty two centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
He had the textbook physique of a professional driver who spent as much time in the gym as he did on the track.
He looked at the slender teenager following Sander, the one looking a bit shy.
Dennis shook his head dismissively.
Just another guy who bought his way onto the team.
Looking at his slight build, a strong gust of wind could probably knock him over.
Let alone driving an F2 car, he probably couldn’t even hold the steering wheel.
Dennis had been in the gym and the physio room all afternoon.
His phone was on silent, so no one had told him what happened in the simulator room.
He only knew that the team suddenly swapped out their planned number two driver right before the season for some unknown guy.
Rumor had it he was the son of the new major sponsor.
He wasn’t unfamiliar with this kind of thing.
Every year in the paddock, there were one or two pay drivers.
Their skill levels varied wildly, but they all shared one common trait.
They never lasted long.
F2 competition was too brutal.
Anyone without real talent would be crushed by reality within half a season at most.
Dennis watched Julian being ushered toward the long tables by the crowd.
The kid took very small steps, clearly unaccustomed to being stared at by so many people at once.
Someone handed him a drink.
He took it with both hands, nodded, and his lips moved as if he said thank you.
Pretty polite, at least.
Dennis finished the last sip of his sparkling water and shook his head.
But F2 wasn’t a place where you could survive on politeness alone.
Sander led Julian to the stage at the front of the cafeteria and clapped his hands to quiet the room.
“Alright everyone, settle down,” Sander’s gruff voice echoed through the microphone.
“Today, we welcome a new member.
This is Julian Vance.”
The applause started up again.
Julian stood on the stage, feeling a bit embarrassed under the gaze of over a hundred pairs of eyes.
His face flushed.
He gave a slight bow to the crowd, then waved his hand.
His voice was soft.
“Hello everyone.
I’m Julian Vance.
I’m really glad to be here.”
After speaking, he quickly hid behind Sander.
The crowd laughed.
They thought the teenager was incredibly endearing.
“Next, I have an important announcement,” Sander’s expression turned serious.
“After consultation with Technical Director Paul, we have officially appointed Julian Vance as the number two driver for MP Motorsport in the new season.
He will partner with Dennis Hauger to compete in the 2023 F2 Championship.”
As soon as he finished, the cafeteria fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, it exploded with even louder applause and cheers.
Dennis curled his lip, silently cursing the management as greedy vampires who didn’t care about results at all.
Sander ignored Dennis’s expression and continued.
“Now, let me introduce Julian to his team.
This is Technical Director Paul.
This is his race engineer, Mark.
And this is his fitness trainer, Tom.”
The men named waved and smiled at Julian.
Tom, the fitness trainer, was a burly Black man.
He stepped forward and patted Julian’s shoulder, speaking enthusiastically.
“Hey Julian!
Welcome to the team!
Tomorrow morning at eight, meet me in the gym.
I’ll take your body metrics first, then we’ll build a custom diet and training plan for you.
Honestly, you really need to bulk up.
Otherwise, after lap twenty of a race, you won’t be able to hold the steering wheel.”
“Got it.” Julian nodded obediently.
Tom’s pat nearly knocked him off balance.
Tom quickly reached out to steady him, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Sorry, my bad.
I forget how strong I am.”
After the welcome ceremony, it was time for everyone’s favorite part, the buffet.
The cafeteria was stocked with a massive feast.
Steaks, burgers, pizza, salmon, and everything else you could want.
Julian grabbed a plate and found a quiet corner to sit in.
He picked up a double beef burger and took small bites.
While he ate, mechanics and engineers kept coming over to say hello and chat.
“Julian, your simulator run this afternoon was insane!”
“Yeah, I was completely blown away!”
“We’re counting on you to lead us to the championship!”
Julian responded politely the whole time, a shy smile on his face.
He held onto that burger for a long time.
Every time he took a bite, someone would walk up.
He’d have to put the burger down, wipe his hands, and greet them.
Once they left, he’d pick it back up and take another bite.
Repeating this process, he still hadn’t finished the double burger after nearly forty minutes.
Dennis Hauger sat at the opposite end of the cafeteria.
In front of him was a plate of chicken breast pasta, its calories meticulously calculated by the fitness trainer.
He held his fork and knife with perfect posture, the kind of etiquette trained specifically for the cameras.
He kept looking over at Julian.
It wasn’t a deliberate stare, but his eyes kept drifting over there unconsciously.
He watched the slender teenager surrounded by mechanics, holding a half eaten burger.
Every time someone approached, he’d quickly put it down.
His expression was always a mix of slight awkwardness and earnest sincerity.
Dennis put a piece of chicken breast in his mouth and chewed slowly.
He didn’t understand why everyone was being so enthusiastic about a pay driver shoved onto the team by a sponsor.
Who in the paddock didn’t know what a pay driver was really made of?
A polite greeting was enough.
Why line up to chat with him?
Of course, Dennis didn’t know the truth.
Because he had been in the gym all afternoon with his phone on silent.
No one had told him what happened in the simulator room.
Paul stood by the large window in the cafeteria, holding a glass of champagne.
He watched everything unfold, took a light sip, and said to Sander beside him.
“This is interesting.”
Sander followed his gaze.
He saw Julian nodding at a female mechanic who had just walked over.
The burger in his hand was completely cold, but he was still eating it.
“What’s interesting?” Sander asked.
“Dennis is watching Julian.” Paul nodded his chin toward the other end of the room.
“He’s been watching him the entire meal.”
Sander looked over.
Dennis was currently looking down, cutting his chicken breast, his face completely expressionless.
“He’ll find out eventually,” Sander said.
Paul chuckled and downed the rest of his champagne.
“Yeah.
The look on his face when he finds out is going to be priceless.”