Julia Erin Wolff is daughter of Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes. As a result, she grew up mostly in paddocks or travelling with her parents and always felt a certain connection to driving and F1. Now, when it's time to be on her own, she deci...
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"Juli, there you are. You were fantastic." dad greeted me with delight and a tight hug.
"Thank you. It really feels great to be back on track." I chucked, replaying the last couple of hours in my mind.
"I still have some work to do, but you know what? I know you've put in a lot of effort to study everything about this year's grid and teams, but how about you take a stroll around the paddock and get to know some more people while I finish up?" he advised with a warm smile. Just as George Russell was passing by, Dad beckoned him over. "Ah hey, George. Are you doing anything important at the moment?"
"No, is there something you'd like me to do?"
"Oh yes. Could you do me a favor and show my daughter around the pit lane a bit? She's newbie of this season at the paddock."
"Of course," George confidently answered, turning towards me and extending his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm George Russell, Number 63," he greeted me with a warm and self-assured smile. I reciprocated with a friendly handshake and introduced myself as well. Despite hearing others label him as overly confident, he seemed perfectly fine to me. I blew a small kiss in my dad's direction and set off to explore everything with the driver I had just met.
-☆-
"So, what are your thoughts on Formula 1? I know it can be a bit confusing at the beginning, but don't worry. It's really thoughtful of your dad to include you in this incredible sport," George started, unaware of his complete misunderstanding of the situation.
"Huh?" I asked, feeling little baffled.
"I mean, it's wonderful that your dad arranged for you to be here, to be close to him, you know? And he made an excellent choice by selecting me as your guide if you want to learn all about it," he chuckled and fixed his hair the fourth time in past two minutes.
"What? No, you've got it wrong. I'm not here because of my dad. Well, technically I am, but he didn't get me the job, and I'm no novice when it comes to racing. Did you really think Toto has never taken me to a race before?" I cleared up the confusion between us.
"Well, uhm, he mentioned that you're new around here?" he said, giving me an even more puzzled look.
"I'm actually a newbie only for this season," I replied, "I was studying in Singapore and didn't have a chance to attend any races for a couple of seasons. And let's just pretend I didn't hear the part about my dad helping me land this job." I flashed a playful smile, noticing George's face turning crimson as he mumbled an apology. I reassured him it was fine, and we continued our conversation on a lighter note.
-☆-
"Lando, mate!" George shouted, beckoning him over. Lando turned around and swiftly made his way towards us.
"What's up, Russell?" he asked, ruffling George's hair. George let out a groan and promptly fixed his hair in the nearest reflection. I chuckled and extended my hand to the British McLaren driver.
"Hey, Lando, it's great to finally meet you in person. I'm Julia Wolff, the new reporter," I introduced myself.
"Toto's daughter?" Lando grinned, matching my friendly demeanor.
"That's right. But I'm not here just because of my father's influence," I jokingly clarified, causing George to roll his eyes.
"Julia, I already apologized," he groaned, but quickly followed it up with a smile directed at me.
-☆-
Now accompanied with Lando, we continued our adventure. We strolled past the Williams garage, pausing for a quick chit-chat with Alex Albon, crossed paths with the second McLaren driver, Daniel Ricciardo, as he was making his way back to his garage, before eventually making out way to his garage.
The sun cast a dazzling reflection on the stunning blue and yellow livery of Max Verstappen's car and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the beauty of it. Just then, Max himself strutted out of the Red Bull garage and noticed us.
"Julia? What are you doing here?" Max exclaimed and pulled me into a tight hug.
"You know, just paying a visit to my favorite driver! But let's keep that a secret from Lewis," I chuckled, while Max was still looking at me with a mixture of pure joy and pleasant surprise in his eyes.
"Wait, you guys know each other?" Lando's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Oh yeah, we go way back," I responded with a playful grin, adding a hint of nostalgia to my tone.
