NERVOUS, lewis hamilton

01

Seraphina liked being the centre of attention.

Actually, love would be a better word for it.

She enjoyed having everyone's eyes on her. People looking when she entered a room, cameras pointing at her and people screaming her name. It was exhilarating.

Being in the media was more than fun. No matter the reason for being there. Whether it was good or bad. Good was always better, but still. She didn't mind both and usually, when it was a bad reason there was some story spun to make her look like the bad guy, which was a role she was more than happy to play.

Being a villain is more fun than being a hero.

And as the Formula One season was starting—already the Thursday of race week—all eyes were on her. The thirty-three-year-old rookie. The motor racing driver who hadn't lost a championship in eight years—excluding the three times she won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2013, 14 and 15. She was on every news outlet of mainly motorsport but also just sports in general. The favourite worldwide news.

God, it was fun.

It wasn't exactly normal for a rookie to be in her age range. Some say she's set up for failure, others actually took into account her worldwide success. Seraphina found it more than amusing to just sit back and watch the drama unfold around her, which she had only needed to be herself to create. She just signed a contract and then announced it and you should have thought the world imploded in on itself.

She hadn't made a single comment since. Everyone else just did the heavy lifting for her. It was like watching a reality TV show where she was the main character and drama unfolded around her simply because she existed.

Five was such a nice number. Five drivers all sitting next to each other with microphones in their faces and behind a table covering them. Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc on her right and Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen on her left with her perfectly in the middle.

Seraphina was fully aware she had an ego. She wouldn't call it arrogance or a superiority complex, it wasn't that bad. She didn't think she was necessarily better than everyone around her. Maybe some but not all.

Okay, who was she kidding? She's always been the best ever since she was a child. It could have been very boring, but she usually had an equal one who always challenged her at every turn. That was until she didn't have one anymore. It was history now and at the moment didn't matter.

"I, uh, have a question for Seraphina."

Her eyes shot up to meet the reporter once she heard her name tumble from his lips and she smiled at him so he'd start talking.

"You are one of our rookies this year," he started and she smiled, sharing a look with Alex, who sat next to her. "And, I truly mean no offence, but since you are a little older do you feel that puts you at a disadvantage for the season?"

"Not really," she shook her head softly with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, I've been a rookie a bunch of times over the past decade and most of them have been very successful."

She continued, feeling the need to add, "Honestly, I think the term rookie is kind of stupid. It puts this idea in people's heads that we're almost set up for failure. Also the whole 'rookie mistake'," she held up her hands, curling both of her pointer and middle fingers down as she said the two words. "Is also somewhat dumb. Everyone makes mistakes, especially stupid ones. Even drivers with years and years of experience. It's just a mistake, nothing to do with rookies being bad. There have been so many great rookies over the years since the 50s, some greater than others, to prove otherwise. I already know that my fellow rookies this year are pretty damn good, at least from what I've seen."