[F1] The Paddock, Your Fanfic Emperor Has Arrived

[Just putting up a placeholder blurb for now. No guarantee I'll start writing this, or that I'll write this particular story.]

Theophil Laurent: the heir apparent to the title of the team's fourth driver, cursed to find gravel whenever he gets behind the wheel, master of the weather who gets rain when he switches to slicks and sun when he switches to wet tires, this season's biggest victim of yellow flags and safety cars, and the man who, as legend has it, comes closest to the championship and ends up farthest from the podium.

A driver with top-tier talent among the new generation, Theophil has had such terrible luck that before he could reach the top step of the podium, he earned the title of the unluckiest man alive.

After one race in which his engine failed on lap 52 while he was leading, forcing him to retire, Theophil genuinely began considering giving up F1 and spending the rest of his life enjoying his trust fund.

But just then, a voice claiming to be a promotion System appeared in his mind.

System: Know this red-and-white website? The increase in your tag count can be converted into good luck for your next race.

Theophil: You want me to play up a story? No way.

At the Italian Grand Prix, Theophil's P1 qualifying car was towed away during the formation lap.

Theophil: ...

Theophil: Let me see what this thing actually is.

Finally, after he had 8,888 "indecent" works on the red-and-white website, Theophil's races could proceed normally again. That didn't mean he was guaranteed to drive fast every time, but at least his mechanics no longer had to make faces like, "What did this lousy engine choke on today?" or, "How did this lousy suspension turn into potato chips again?"

Theophil planned to retire the System once its job was done.

So when his bromance-baiting partners once again extended an "olive branch," Theophil calmly and firmly dodged their physical contact, on-camera interactions, and party invitations.

"What did I do during the summer break? Played video games."

"What? No, not with Charles, and definitely not with Lando. Max? No, I don't know him well."

"Did I say I was going to see George's new yacht over the summer break? Uh, you know how it is. The game was pretty fun."

While Theophil complained to himself that people remembered these things so clearly, he casually turned away from the reporters and rounded a paddock corner, only to find someone blocking his way to the garage.

His heart skipped a beat. He looked up and met someone's eyes.

Theophil wondered if it was already too late to back out.

The male lead is an aggressive flirt with a soft underbelly, a pure-play king of bromance bait.

Pairing: The Emperor of Racing (not guaranteed)

With respect for competitive sports, the male lead's System is only there to cancel out luck as bad as if Head, Leclerc, La, and Lando were all combined...

(The inspiration actually came from a certain Bernese Mountain Dog at Williams, who was going all out flirting with his teammate a while back.)

Theme: The winner takes all