The F1 paddock was no stranger to rumors, but the current media frenzy was, frankly, getting out of hand.

It had started innocently enough. A paparazzi shot in Monaco of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris sharing a plate of fries. Then, a video in Silverstone of the two of them huddled together in the McLaren motorhome, whispering and laughing hysterically. By the time the Hungarian Grand Prix rolled around, the internet had officially crowned them F1’s newest It Couple.

“Sainz and Norris: Paddock’s New Power Couple?” read one headline. “Move over, Lewis. Carlos and Lando are stealing the show,” read another.

Inside the Hospitality unit, Max Verstappen snapped a plastic water bottle in half with a sharp crack that made a nearby engineer jump.

"Max, mate, you're crushing the recycling," Alex noted mildly, not looking up from his tablet.

Max didn't answer. He just stared out the tinted window across the paddock, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter. Across the way, in the McLaren motorhome, he could see the top of Lando’s curly hair and the back of Carlos’s head. They were close. Too close.