#Rookies

[jariten]

ROOKIES, Masanori Morita

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Max's ducklings

Heyy guys, I hope you enjoy this Max one-shot with the rookies. If you want to read more stories of mine here's my masterlist.

The first time you jokingly referred to the rookies as yours and Max’s ‘kids,’ it had been just that—a joke. A harmless, offhand comment made while watching Kimi tail Max through the paddock like a lost puppy. You hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but then Gabriel had started tagging along too, and soon, Oliver was trailing after them both.

It became a running gag between you and Max. Every time you saw one of them lingering near your boyfriend, you’d nudge him and whisper, “Your sons are waiting for you.” Max would roll his eyes, grumble something in Dutch under his breath, and pretend not to care. But over time, the joke started feeling a little too real.

You were the one who noticed it first. Max would casually check on them in the garage, making sure they had everything they needed. He’d offer Kimi a few words of advice about tyre management, remind Gabriel to stay out of trouble on the track, and even critique Isack’s qualifying performance like a strict but well-meaning father. And it wasn’t just them—Liam, Oliver, and Jack, who had already taken their first steps in F1, had somehow joined the ever-growing group.

“They’re not my kids,” Max insisted one evening after a race, arms crossed as you teased him about it. “They’re grown men. They don’t need parents.”

You smirked, sipping from your drink. “Oh, really? Then why did you tell Kimi not to overwork his tires like that again? And why did you give Gabriel that pep talk about confidence? And why did you tell Isack to ignore the media when they criticized him?”

Max scowled, grumbling into his beer. “They’re just young. They need guidance.”

“They need parents,” you corrected playfully. “And, like it or not, you’ve become a dad.”

Max groaned dramatically, but he didn’t argue.

The paddock caught on quickly. Social media was soon flooded with memes about ‘Papa Max’ and his ‘ducklings.’ A particularly viral post had an edited picture of Max and you, your faces photoshopped onto a mother and father goose, with Kimi, Gabriel, Isack, Liam, Oliver, and Jack waddling behind you. Even Christian Horner joined in on the joke one day, patting Max on the back and saying, “How’s fatherhood treating you?”

You expected Max to brush it off, maybe even get annoyed. Instead, he just sighed and muttered, “Exhausting.”

The real shift came after a particularly rough race weekend for Isack. He had made a mistake during the race and spun out, leading to a wave of criticism online. Pundits started questioning if he was even good enough for F1, and some of the comments were downright cruel. Normally, Max stayed out of these things. He rarely engaged in media debates that didn’t involve him directly. But that day, in the middle of a press conference, a journalist brought up Isack’s struggles, asking Max if he thought the young driver was cut out for the sport.

Max’s response was immediate. “Isack is a talented driver. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t. It’s easy to sit behind a screen and criticize, but racing at this level is incredibly difficult. He’s learning, like all of us did when we started.” He leaned forward slightly, gaze sharp. “Maybe people should stop expecting rookies to be perfect and let them grow.”

Your phone buzzed almost instantly with messages. ‘DAD MODE ACTIVATED’ read one from Lando. Another from Liam simply had a bunch of crying emojis.

When you saw Max later that evening, you couldn’t help but tease him. “I think that was the most dad-like thing you’ve ever done.”

Max groaned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, please. You defended him like a protective father.” You wrapped your arms around him from behind, resting your chin on his shoulder. “I think deep down, you love your little ducklings.”

He huffed, but there was no real irritation in it. “I just don’t like seeing young drivers get ripped apart when they’re trying their best.”

You grinned. “Uh-huh. Sure. And next, you’ll be giving them bedtime stories.”

“If they stop making stupid mistakes, maybe.”

From that moment on, Max stopped fighting the joke. He still pretended to be exasperated when the rookies stuck to him like glue, but he never turned them away. When Liam had a tough weekend, Max was the first to check in on him. When Kimi finally had a strong race, Max clapped him on the back and muttered, “See? Told you it’d come.”

One day, as you watched the six young drivers standing around Max, hanging onto his every word as he gestured animatedly about car setups, you smiled to yourself. He’d never admit it, but Max had fully embraced the role.

Later that evening, as you two walked back to the motorhome, you leaned into him with a grin. “So, how does it feel to be a dad?”

Max groaned, shaking his head. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

He sighed, glancing back over his shoulder toward where the rookies still lingered in the paddock. “Fine. Maybe… maybe it’s not so bad.”

You grinned, slipping your hand into his. “Our little family.”

[call-of-duty-incorrect-quotes]

At the base gym.

Soap: Today we’re going to focus on the strongest muscle.

Soap: The heart.

Soap * hugs Ghost *

Rookies: ...

Ghost: …

Ghost: It's super effective.

[tyrannosaurus-maxy]

max & his rookies

[shitapril]

gabi bortoleto joking about how ollie will have the most following because he’s british oh that’s fernando’s son alright

[cashordashdoesntmatter]

He needs to be on NXT every week.

That is all.

[dzdv]

Grid Dad Max

Max adopting all the 2025 rookies just makes my heart burst bro. They follow him around like little duckies. Bro talked to Kimi for 5 minutes and the kid went 'you are papa now'

[eobe]

Sergeant O‘Niner! He‘s on my underrated clones list, because I think he‘s a strict but caring clone dad to the Domino Shinies on Rishi. And he‘s a silver fox 😎

It would have been his right to chide them for their bicker, but he just went into the room and started easy and impressive to explain how important their work is and why. This is what I call a paragon and he would have deserved more screentime! 🥹

Taglist: @eclec-tech @lonewolflupe @bixlasagna @returnofthepineapple @sunshinesdaydream @covert1ntrovert @general-ida-raven @vrycurious @dystopicjumpsuit

[sleepylapa]

rookies(ollie,kimi,jack,franco,liam,gabriel,isaac): wow,we are in formula 1,this is so cool,now everything will be serious and adult!

meanwhile the adult part of the grid:and so guys we play puddle tennis for a wish,whoever loses we paint them like a clown and send them to the media!this time without cheating,because we all remember what happened last time,and now we run to see who is faster to the court,whoever is last is the loser!

rookies:...

abults *ran away pushing each other and screaming like children*

rookies *belatedly ran after the others*: wow,this is more fun than we thought!

[evilhorse]

Marvel Universe Cards Series I 85: New Warriors

[saintsavsfan]

Why am I just now seeing this Cam and Kate hug? 🥹🫶 #Braidtwins

[jariten]

ROOKIES, Masanori Morita

[seb-boo]

"Like two of you are my age together!"

Part 2 of this interaction.

[call-of-duty-incorrect-quotes]

Price: We’re glad to see so many of you embracing therapy.

Ghost: A few of you need an exorcism, though.

Soap: Rookies, say hello to Rudy’s abuelita.

[fortheloveofsportsandcamaraderie]

The rookies in 2K25. Who has the most realistic in game character?