[1/?] NPCS IN ALEX’S LIFE → TOBIAS SCHWARZ.
Arguably Alex’s greatest rival on the track; they met they were 18 years old, competing in the Formula Three championship. They were both always way ahead of the rest of the field, and both of them were closely watched as future world champions. Alex’s move to Formula One took him to McLaren as a reserve driver, while Tobias won the championship the year after his debut. After Alex took to the second racing seat at McLaren, one of the greatest rivalries in the sport was born; in the 1993 season, Alex and Tobias took all the wins, except one. Despite the fierce competition on the track, the duo became close friends off the grid. Alex took a while to warm to Tobias (he still maintains that Tobias brake-checked him at one of the Formula Three races, causing him to crash), but that all changed after the accident. Tobias saw Alex crash and stopped his car to pull him out of the wreck in case the car caught fire. It cost Tobias the race win, but earned him Alex’s lifelong friendship.