Formula 1: The GOAT

November 20, 2019

”Is he okay?” Seraphina, who was in Fatih’s living room, asked Rümeysa, Fatih’s mother, as she turned her head towards his room upstairs.

”No one would be alright after that news,” Rümeysa said as she pinched her eyebrows, not knowing what to do. She knew her son was used to having most things go his way without much pushback, but as the final step was just in front of him, he had been met with his first direct refusal, and a major one at that. Knowing her son, who had earned millions as a defense mechanism due to him witnessing his mother being pressured by their sponsor during his first karting year, she didn’t know how he was going to react.

”Oh, the internet is not silent at all,” Seraphina said as she turned her phone screen to show Rümeysa what was on it. It was an article about Fatih’s situation, already posted less than an hour after they had received the official denial. Rümeysa picked up her phone and immediately searched for the article, wanting to read it fully.

[HEADLINE: FIA SHUTS DOWN F1’S NEXT SUPERSTAR: YILDIRIM FORCED TO WAIT!**

In a move that has stunned the motorsport world, the FIA has denied Red Bull prodigy Fatih Yıldırım an early entry into Formula 1 for 2020. Despite a junior career of unprecedented dominance, the 16-year-old sensation has fallen victim to the controversial ’Verstappen Rule’ - a rule created because of his own future teammate. Fans will now be robbed of seeing a generational talent on the grid next year, as Red Bull is forced to shelve their star pupil for an entire season....]

She read the article with squinted eyebrows as she swiped down slowly, going through one paragraph after another. Once she was done, she immediately looked for other articles about the topic, and like a drop of rain in a wider storm, they were a mixture of both pro- and anti-FIA or Fatih, with very few being neutral. As she went through them one after another, she was met with all types.

Ones with a calm and neutral analysis:

[ANALYSIS: Why the FIA’s Hard Stance on Yıldırım’s Super License is a Necessary Stand

...While Fatih Yıldırım’s talent is not in question, the FIA’s decision to deny him a 2020 super license exemption was both predictable and necessary for the integrity of its regulatory framework. Granting an exception to the very team that necessitated the age limit rule would have set a dangerous precedent. This decision reinforces the importance of the FIA’s structured ’Road to F1’ and proves their resolve in enforcing their own rules, even in the face of extraordinary talent...]

Then there were the ones that were pro-Fatih:

[A PETTY FIA ROBS FANS OF A LEGEND IN THE MAKING

Let’s call this what it is: a bureaucratic power play. The FIA, still smarting from being outmaneuvered by Red Bull and Max Verstappen years ago, has chosen to make an example of Fatih Yıldırım. By rigidly enforcing the ’Verstappen Rule,’ they aren’t protecting the sport; they’re strangling it. They’re telling the world that a driver who has conquered every single challenge placed before him - an F3 title, an F4 title, 4x CIK-FIA Karting World Championships, 4x CIK-FIA European Championships, 13x WSK Championship titles, and even more since he was a child - is somehow not ’ready.’ It’s a decision dripping with hypocrisy. The FIA had a chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation talent. Instead, they chose to punish him for the ’sins’ of his team, leaving fans to wonder what might have been in 2020.]

And finally, the pro-FIA and anti-Fatih ones:

[HUMILITY OVER HYPE: YILDIRIM AND RED BULL ARE REMINDED THAT RULES APPLY TO EVERYONE

In their relentless pursuit of the ’next big thing,’ Red Bull and Fatih Yıldırım seem to have forgotten a fundamental tenet of sport: the rules are not merely suggestions. While Yıldırım’s talent is undeniable, the audacity to request an exemption from a rule specifically designed to prevent such early debuts borders on pure arrogance. The FIA’s firm denial is not an attack on talent; it is a defense of process, maturity, and safety. A year away from the F1 grid will not derail a true prodigy. Instead, it offers a crucial lesson in patience and humility, qualities as vital for a future champion as raw speed. The system, for once, has worked precisely as intended.]

The more articles she read, the redder her face became from sheer disbelief and anger at how the world was treating her son, as if he were some sort of villain for them to defeat. That was just from the official articles; she couldn’t even imagine what social media was like.

She paused for a moment before she immediately stood up, saying, ”Let me check on him,” before starting to go to his room. She was worried that he might have read one of the articles or opened social media to see what people were saying and wanted to prevent that, or stop him if he was already reading. Although he looked tough mentally and sometimes mature for his age, she knew that was only when it came to racing. For everything else, he would react with the same mentality.

When she arrived in front of his room, she paused for a moment before knocking and opening the door, only to find something that caused her heart to drop. Fatih was eating in front of a computer, his mouse scrolling on something she couldn’t see due to the screen’s position, making her think the worst. But Fatih’s red eyes told her everything she needed to know.

She immediately rushed over and was about to turn off the screen, only to pause midway when she saw it was showing satellite images.

”Is something wrong?” Fatih, who was caught by surprise by his mother’s sudden appearance, asked.

”I thought you were looking at articles talking about your application denial,” she said as she pinched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.

Fatih looked at his mother, and as his mouth was spreading for a smile, he was caught by surprise as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. It was as if something he had been holding back through sheer willpower and distraction couldn’t be held back anymore and was let go.

All the frustration, anger, and disappointment of having something he had dreamed of his entire previous life, worked extremely hard for in this life, and was about to have in his grasp after a sixteen-year-long wait was snatched away from him, and he was told to wait another full year.

All of it was finally let go, and for the first time since Fatih was five years old, Rümeysa got to see her son crying, and Fatih let it all out.

Rümeysa, who was caught by surprise, didn’t say anything and just hugged her son, letting him let it all go as she caressed his head and patted his back.