Pole Sitter

by Desiree Champagne

Season 2, Book 1

Despite winning the Formation 2 championship, reserve driver Julien Dubois has sat on the sidelines for three years, frustrated and unable to show anyone he can still race. When full-time driver Rafael Souza suffers a collarbone fracture, Julien is given six races to prove he deserves his own seat.

But real cars are harder to wrangle than the simulators he's accustomed to. To get the best result, Julien makes a deal with Rafael—his hand for driving advice, his mouth for a good Qualifying result, and the rest of his body for a spot on the podium.

Their strategy might not be PR-approved, but Julien will do whatever it takes to come out on top.

For fans of

Driver x Reserve Driver
Brother’s Best Friend
Power Bottom x Service Top
Found Family
Workplace Romance
Tutor x Student
Guy Who Needs a Hand x Guy Who Has Two Hands
🏎🏎🏎🏎🏎/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶/5


Though the Formation 1 series is a series of interconnected stand-alone novels and novellas, this book is from Season 2. It happens after the events of the first season (Dirty Air, Switch Positions, and Coming Second), so I would recommend reading those books first.

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2026

About the author

DESIREE CHAMPAGNE is a Sparkling Author, produced and fermented on the west coast of the United States. She pairs well with her wife and cats, but keep her away from social obligations and out of direct sunlight.

She is passionate about single seat racing series and the characters who bring the sport to life. She can only hope that her Formation 1 series does them justice.

Reviews

[Lily S (Cover Lover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: 3.5 stars

Cover: 4.5 stars

This was a longer book than the first stories were but I think it would’ve worked better if it was shorter. There was a lot of driving in this and I do like that but it was a bit too much. Rafael had a lot of feelings I’m sure but we needed his pov.

I really disliked Thomas here but I thought the sibling rivalry was a great idea. I did like how the hook ended though.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

this year was ferraro's year

[Nicole Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

💙🏁💙

Desiree, my friend, you’ve done it again. I am absolutely obsessed with the Formation 1 series and this book was no exception.

If you like friends with benefits, workplace romance, power bottom and lots of racing strategy PLEASE read this book.

After an injury during off season, Rafael is under able to start the season. Julien is Ferraro’s reserve driver and a Thomas’ little brother. Thomas is the other driver for Ferraro. All Julien life, he’s been in the shadow of his older brother. He sees this opportunity to really showcase his racing skills. With a little help from Rafael, Julien is crushing the circuit and the two find themselves in a friend’s with benefits situation.

I am absolutely obsessed with how bossy Julien is in the spicy scenes. He just takes over and makes Rafael putty in his hands. I will never look at a paper cone water cup the same way again… thank you for that. The spice in this book was next level and I absolutely ate it up. Julien is such a power bottom and Rafael can’t help but submit to him.

I cannot recommend this series enough. Everyone needs to read this and discover how truly talented Desiree Champagne is. I cannot wait to see what’s next 👀

[Olive · Rating 5 out of 5]

meet your new favorite book

This installation of the Formation 1 series has everything I love about the first three books—including cameos from the MCs and lovable side characters—mixed with the spicy sweet story of Rafael (earnest, cocky) and Julien (determined, skeptical). Diehard f1 fans will love the way racing politics encapsulates the couple as they navigate their tricky arrangement

[ronniebug !! · Rating 5 out of 5]

devoured this in one afternoon... i love life i love being born in this century