I'm the sort of person who hides behind a cushion when things get awkward during a movie. The married couple seated next to the mistress in a restaurant, the heroine's fiancee being the sidekick's one night stand... It makes my soul cringe.
So does real-life awkwardness, such as the Max Verstappen-Daniil Kvyat driver swap that Red Bull announced last week, and which will manifest itself in Barcelona this weekend.
While I would be hiding behind a cushion, Kvyat has taken the news on the chin. But however brave a face he puts on things - and make no mistake, Kvyat is a good-humoured and good-natured chap - the fact that the seat swap is taking place in Barcelona of all places is going to hurt.
From a team perspective, the start of the European season is probably the best time to put a new driver in the car, should a replacement be needed. With four races under their belt, the mechanics and engineers have a pretty good idea of how to make the most of the machine they're working with, and for the bulk of the grid Barcelona marks the first major upgrade of the season.
The European season also marks the return of the team motorhomes, and that's where Kvyat is likely to feel a particular bruise. During winter testing, Toro Rosso and Red Bull have separate mini motorhomes. But during the summer season, the two teams share the giant Energy Station, with STR employees turning left and RBR staff turning right. The potential for awkwardness abounds.
While Kvyat has fallen prey to the high expectations Red Bull places on its drivers both junior and senior, he also has those same high expectations to thank for the fact that he only had to swap his seat, not lose it. Sebastien Bourdais was dropped by Toro Rosso mid-season in 2009, making way for Jaime Alguersuari, who found himself out of contract and with nowhere to go at the end of 2011.
Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber declared himself unsurprised by the swap, which the Australian said was typical of the team. ""Helmut doesn't see that. He just wants performance. He wants the fastest guys in the best scenario as quick as possible. I'm not surprised. It's probably on the cards even before Russia. You could feel there was something brewing. He's had a year there and they don't believe that he's done enough. Normally they wait until the end of the year but that doesn't happen sometimes, particularly with Red Bull. Bang."
Expectations of those signed up to the Red Bull driver development programme are just as high, and the list of those dropped for failing to deliver is a long one: Brendon Hartley, Antonio Felix da Costa, Lewis Williamson, Beitske Visser, and Robert Wickens, to name but a few. At present, none of those currently in the team's young driver programme are quite ready to make the step up to F1, buying Kvyat his stay of execution at Toro Rosso.
It is now up to the young Russian to make the most of it, as his young Dutch replacement will certainly do at Red Bull.
While Kvyat's time as a member of the Red Bull family certainly appears to have a 2016 expiration date, it is by no means certain that he is out of F1 come the end of the year. Much will depend on the extent to which he can get down to business and deliver solid results for Toro Rosso without making a public fuss of the indignity of his promotion. By showing himself to be reliable, a learner, and a workhorse, Kvyat can make himself an attractive option to other teams seeking an experienced driver - particularly those teams with business interests and partnerships in Russia.