Mitchell Kowalski, (ex) Formula 1 racing driver

The pain comes searing back in full **** and you almost falter, but you keep up the pressure and...

Ah.

Now it's all coming back.

You're the American, Mitchell Kowalski. Born in May 1, 1995. Your family had a deep connection to all sorts of motorsports, from karting to endurance racing to NASCAR, among others. Either your old folks raced in them or they were friends with some influential people inside those racing series. When they ended up birthing you out, they immediately decided that they wanted to train you in the art of driving fast cars as well, so as soon as you were able to walk on your own, they strapped you into a go-kart. It wasn't competitive or anything, it was just driving around in an empty parking lot with cones placed everywhere, with your friends, having a grand time.

By 6 years old you were already competing for trophies in junior karting, and by 11 years old you were sat in the midfield in Formula Ford.

Your ability to know exactly what the car is doing at all times, along with infamously nailing your braking points at the perfect spot nearly all the time, on every lap, on every corner, naturally got you noticed by top-of-the-pile A-listers, so at 15 years old, your parents found you a Formula 3 team that had a decent enough car and an owner who had ,,miscalculated" his spending and had run out of money, and was willing to accept your terms. For the complete pile of shit that the car eventually turned out to actually be, you did fairly well in the series, eventually finishing 15th in the standings out of a total of 32 drivers, 13th the following season, 14th the next, with people knowing you for your signature "swing-around" move, where you would stay behind a driver for a few laps, then suddenly drop back, and then the next lap suddenly speed up and overtake.

This move had less to do with showmanship and more to do with observing the driver, finding his weaknesses, whether it's braking or accelerating out of a corner, whether he cracks under pressure or not. Most spectators were none the wiser, but the more skilled drivers in the paddock saw right through it, and you quickly got a reputation for having an analytical mind that weighs pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, gains and losses.

By the time you hit 18 years old, you had signed with the Formula 1 team called the Watson-Glen Enduracers, who had the fifth best cars, and from there your career in single seater open wheel really started to steam forward.