#2017 Formula Renault

[cheriladycl01]

Pushed Down and Down - Grid x Driver! Reader

Plot: Suffering with mental health issues as a driver isn’t easy - but when people actively don’t help it can only get worse.

Based on that one tiktok edit sound.

A/N: as someone who struggles with her own mental health this was a true comfort for me to write and reread. Drivers who talk about their mental health and how they do struggle literally have my whole heart (Lando, Lewis etc)

Warnings: Talk of mental health, depression, anxiety, etc, all drivers are a little mean to Y/N

From a very young age you were told you wouldn’t be able to do karting, and you wouldn’t get very far as it was strictly a man’s sport.

Your mum tried to sway your opinion as you were clearly the athletic type and get you into gymnastics or dancing. But the smell of the petrol and the adrenaline you got from going round the tracks was like nothing else.

Your dad on the other hand fully supported you, he was a mechanic so he did struggle to afford decent gear for you but you made do with what you had.

This however never stopped you, and as a child going into a teenager and young adult it didn’t affect you too much. You took your wins as and when they came and you worked hard for them and you took your losses as opportunity to learn from.

Oh how you wish you could go back to those days.

You proceeded to be asked in 2016 if you wanted to compete in British F4, you had your License and it seemed like you were this up and coming British talent.

You came 1st in the British F4 championship in 2017 right after Lando Norris and Max Fewtrell won the years before you. The two behind you being Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant. You didn’t win a race for the whole season, just pure consistency.

You then came third in the UAE F4 Championship in the same year. Oscar and Logan were also in that series with you. Logan being right on your toes coming in second place. This season you were close to taking your first win, but Logan had crashed you out taking the win for himself and leaving you down in P8.

Both Oscar and Logan of course moved up to bigger and better things in 2018. Both of them moving up to doing Eurocup Formula Renault whereas you weren’t offered anything.

In 2018 you competed in Formula 4 United States and came second place again. Your team let your American team-mate pass you on the last race of the season through team orders even though you were on equal points.

You took the loss and moved on because that just the kind of race driver you WERE.

In 2019 you were promoted to F3 and got to drive with Max Fewtrell, Logan Sargeant, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. You came second and you actually were insanely close to Robert, but it never felt like a win. You were with Prema, and you fought tooth and nail.

In 2020, Oscar and Logan rejoined you in the feeder series and were in the same team as you as you remained with Prema.

Prema, unfortunately for you and Logan prioritised Oscar and with an insanely dominant year for Prema Oscar won the championship through the help of team orders. There were many chances for you to take wins but you knew you couldn’t get promoted to F2 just get, even though you spend to years in Prema and come second both times.

This was when Red Bull noticed you and backed you paying for the rest of your career which was lucky really considering your dad wouldn’t have been able to afford another season for you in F3 with all the debt he was already in.

2021 came around and Red Bull helped you further your career getting lots of sponsor shops along the way and finally securing you an F2 seat for the 2022 season.

In 2021 you finally won a championship, but you didn’t feel like it was a win. Everyone had something to say about this achievement, that you’d only won thanks to the team, and that it wasn’t driver capability. As a young 21 year old these comments really affected you going into the F2 season.

Once you got into F2 in 2022, you were head to head with Felipe Drugovich. Red Bull also came forward asking for you to become a reserve driver for Red Bull alongside your F2 driver Liam Lawson. You were back in the standings with Logan too, Oscar having won back to back championships and now becoming the golden goose on his route to F1 with Alpine.

This year halfway though the season you had to experience the unfortunate passing of your dad, the only true supporter you ever had. It was utterly dismal for the few races that came afterwards.

The season was closing out and there were only 3 points between you and Felipe with Theo and Liam not far behind. With a dramatic qually in Abu Dabi that had most of you at the back of the pack when starting the race, you prevailed winning the race and taking the championship.

You got out of that car celebrating only to see your team not there for you. You awkwardly celebrated with the team of the drivers from 2nd and 3rd place but you couldn’t understand why they weren’t there for you.

But he was there for you…

Christian Horner in his Red Bull team gear, white envelope in his hand that he presented you in the quiet room.

He was the first person to truly believe in you and see see potential apart from your dad and it was refreshing getting the contract that was going to sign you on as a rookie along with Oscar and Logan in the 2023 season.

F1

Liked by y/user, f1mia and others

f1: BREAKING: RedBull announce Y/N Y/L/N to drive for them in 2023 meaning all seats for the season have now been filled.

#f1 #redbull #womeninthepaddock

View all comments

user1: oh Lord I’ve followed her since F3, so proud of her!

y/user: this is a dream come true! I can finally tell my mum I made it!

lewishamilton: so proud of everything you’ve done to get women this far in the sport @y/user

user2: god they just keep on ruining this sport

redbullracing: So excited to have Y/N join us on the team!

-> y/user: I’m so thankful to you guys to be given the opportunity!

user2: oh this year is gonna slap.

maxverstappen1: welcome to the RedBull Family!

First was the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was your 3rd time in and F1 car and you were obviously very nervous. It was your first race weekend and you didn’t know where to place yourself.

The whole weekend didn’t really feel like your debut it just felt glazed over with Sergio Perez leaving and no longer being in F1. A lot of the team had hushed whispers around the situation, and Max tried his best to make you feel welcome but his awkwardness made that hard.

“So like what do you do, you drink beer?” Max awkwardly asks as you’d both been sat in the hospitality together waiting for Christian or one of the engineers to come grab you.

��Oh erm, no I don’t drink at all actually” you smile with a little furrow in your brows.

“Oh … right” Max sighs and thankfully that conversation was cut short when Christian came round the corner to collect you both.

You both were racing and for a rookie you had incredible tyre management making the agreed one stop strategy seemingly start to work despite the temperature on track. You were very quick, maybe even more quick than Max.

However coming out the pits, your tires are already starting to complain and tyre marbles are going left right and center.

Y/N Radio: What happened guys, my tyres are degrading so quickly I thought we agreed on hards?

Static was all that was received back.

Y/N Radio: Guys did you put me on softs?

Race Engineer: Sorry Y/N mess up at the pits, pit in 5 laps.

And once word got out to the other teams that they’d fucked up your race strategy and that you were basically free game your race was pretty much over.

P4 wasn’t bad considering the mistakes made, but you knew you’d could have gotten a podium on your first race.

“Y/N amazing first race in F1 you really know how to make an entrance to the sport huh?” The interviewer says cheerfully happy that you’ve done as well as you did.

“Yeah” you say with a smile.

“Not happy with the result it seems?” She pushes and you sigh.

“I’m of course so happy, getting P4 was amazing and I know my team are happy and I’ve made eveyone at home really proud. Thank you dad and I hope you’re watching! But it’s always a little … disappointing? I don’t really know if that’s the right word for how I’m feeling right now, when the outlook of something is going so well and external forces out or your control tamper with that it’s not a nice feeling. I’m really proud of the team today and of course Max had a great win today so we collected a lot of points for the team and remain top in the constructors” you explain and she nods slightly shocked with how open and honest you had been.

Eventually you were taken away by your PR manager who was starting to worry about what you were saying, a little scolding that you weren’t sure what for afterwards.

People spoke too, Lando and Oscar shocked you most.

“Y/N was kinda dangerous on track today, can’t believe she was that ballsy as a rookie man” Oscar said having know you the best driving with you for as long as he had.

“She’s talented for sure but I can’t help but feel like she’s gonna wash out” Lando admits with a sigh.

Was he right, would you have one good season and then that was it?

Things went the same in Saudi this time you managed to place your car in pole position, leading the race while Max had an unfortunate start from P15.

However after team orders came in to let Max take over once he got to a close enough gap behind you made you obey the team, not wanting to get on their nerves and make them regret choosing you. After that a botched pit stop and Oscar driving like a lunatic and bumping into your side left you down from P2 to P6

“Y/N what an incredible drive despite all that happened and you’ve hauled some good points for the team! How are you feeling?” The interviewer asks pushing the mic closer to you.

“Hot, I’m so hot right now” you joke trying to lighten the mood, wiping the sweat away from your forehead.

“Yeah I can’t imagine with this heat and the fact that the car is incredibly warm here” she smiles back and you take a breath before answering the second question.

“Yeah I mean today didnt go as planned. I got pole, I was on track to win, I did everything right but I just don’t think it was meant to be today and you know I’m going to fight really hard in Australia and see where we can get us hopefully something better than what I’m doing now” you say with a polite tight lipped smile and nod before going to the call down room.

You sat against the cold plastic door of the room head against it as you held in your tears. You always told yourself to never cry over a loss as you can’t expect to win them all. But this was supposed to be your race and you can’t help but feel like if you had Max behind you defending the incidents with the pits stop wouldn’t have occurred as you wouldn’t have done that second pit stop that cost you time.

In debrief you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“Are you kidding?” You laugh looking towards Max and then back at Christian.

“You didn’t move out the way from Max quick enough and you should have caught up quicker! What were you even thinking out there colliding with Piastri like that!” Horner announces making your cheeks flush a little red from embarrassment.

You didn’t think the collision with Oscar was your fault, but maybe it was.

Then you’d heard Daniel talking to Carlos, and your thoughts continued to spiral.

“She’s a tricky one mate, can’t see her having that seat for long” Daniel admitted to Carlos at the restaurant they were at with some of the other drivers.

Y/N was sad when she didn’t get an invite seeing as many of them were there but she didn’t take it to heart having fun eating alone while people watching.

“Yeah, I wonder how many times they have to tell her team orders” Carlos had added.

The next race was Australia.

You had the faster car, better starts and you beat Max going into turn one. It was a ballsy move on your part but it was clean racing, no damage done.

Race Engineer: Y/N give back position now

Y/N Radio: But I have the faster car Zayn, I got fresher tyres and my deg is fine. I have the stats don’t tell me I’m wrong when I’m the one in the car

Race Engineer: Y/N Max is fighting for the championship, team orders slow down and give position back

And so you did, you gave Max his position back and trailed behind him creating a DRS train behind you, Hamilton and Alonso not being able to pass you to potentially overtake Max.

After this race you started to keep a mental health diary and your coach thought it would be a good idea to see a therapist to help with your quick thinking and decision making on track, of course not for your mental health and you start to struggle with coming to the terms that Max needs a second driver and that’s what Red Bull hired you for.

So you became his second driver.

Constantly being criticised by the team and Horner, constantly having Max tell you that you need to be a second driver for the season and that’s it. Nothing else. Having interviewers wondering why you keep having these near misses.

When your home Grand Prix the British Grand Prix came around you’d just about had enough of being called a second driver. You took matters into your own hands. You spend hours in the sim working out the best angle for the corners of Silverstone and seeing how much you could push the provisional car down the straights.

When it came to qualifying you smashed everyone out the park in all three sectors. The media were buzzing at your stone face for the duration of the weekend.

“Y/N what an amazing qualifying for you, you were really flying out there. And your starting on pole tomorrow with Max behind you, is there going to be team orders to let him through?” The interviewer asks smiling at you.

“I mean there have been the whole season no?” You laugh with less sparkle and glimmer in your eyes than the start of the season.

“Yes, so you’re saying Max will be let ahead tomorrow!” She asks and cock your head to one side.

“He’ll be asked yes” you nod before you leave.

Race day came and you did not listen to team orders.

Race Engineer: Y/N let Max through, then we’ll pit you first to defend the lead while Max pits.

Y/N: what about, no? Come on guys, I’ve done everything for the team you’ve wanted me for. Just let me race him.

Race Engineer: Max will race you too hard, you risk loosing both the cars Y/N let him through.

Y/N: im sorry, but i have to do this for me, to prove I’m as good a driver as i try to be.

Race Engineer: Y/N don’t do this.

And with that you celebrated your first race win. Max had ended up DNFing when he got a little caught behind and skidded onto the gravel trap trying to make up too much time to catch you.

It was a full Brit Podium, you Lando and Lewis. You were thankful you had both of them there to celebrate with you as your team didn’t show up again. Probably all consoling Max on his first DNF of the year. He wasn’t happy at all and you could tell.

“Are you okay?” Lewis had asked you as you guys had stepped away from the podium. The man wasn’t blind and could see the disappointment on your face when no one was there to congratulate you on your first win and celebrate with you.

“M’fine” you say shortly before leaving and going straight to your drivers room, tears following. You spend hours writing away in your self help book. But you couldn’t wallow it was time to take on the words of Taylor Swift in her Reputation Era.

You never thought something you loved so dearly could kill of your spirit so quickly and easily. But Max go tougher as the season went on. Only allowing you one more win in spa where you once again ignored team orders. Max was incredibly unhappy with you up there on the podium and you just knew the media would have something to say about the awful tension between you and Max. He didn’t celebrate with you in Spa only the third place podium which happened to be Charles.

The Red Bull team member immediately celebrated with Max and Charles, as much as you tried to join in however you weren’t able to get close enough. You were royally fucked off.

Singapore felt like a breath of fresh air for you when it happened, it was a new feeling that had your toes curling as you pressed on the brakes knowing that Carlos and Lando were leading with you hot on their tales and Max being nowhere in sight.

Celebrating with them felt different, but everyone could tell that the happy bubbly girl who they’d started the season with was no longer apparent.

The season closed, and honestly your team, Max and Christian all seemed like 2024 wasn’t worth sticking around for … as a great driver you owed it yourself to find your worth in F1 and that wasn’t with Red Bull

Taglist:

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[sxcretricciardo]

F1 Hit Couple

Daniel Ricciardo x Reader

You are now sitting in front of the cameras for the Netflix series Drive to Survive. You’re already a pro, being here since the first season, this is easy for you. But, this is gonna be the first time that you and Daniel get both interviewed as a couple.

You’re scrolling trough instagram on your phone when the door opens and Daniel steps in.

“Sorry for being late, mate” Danny says to the producer. You swear you fall in love with his Australian accent everyday. The team mics him up and then he sits beside you and gives you a passionate kiss. You haven’t seen each other in a week since he had to go to Australia because of his mother.

“It’s okay, Daniel. Well, we can get started then.” The producer says, smiling and the cameras start rolling.

“So, how did you guys meet?” The producer asks.

“Well, I had just entered the F1 joining Renault for the 2017 season. I had just came from F2 where I was champion and Renault took a chance with me and I happily accepted. I knew the team was expecting the best of me and I made sure to not let them down. Daniel was the second one to meet me, the first was Nico, obviously” You say, laughing. The crew laughed alongside you. “And he came down to our garage to meet the new driver. I guess everyone was expecting a guy, since Renault kept our contract a secret until the last minute, very few people knew that it was me joining the team. Once Daniel looked at me, and I still remember this very well, his face was of pure shock.”

“It wasn’t shock, really. I knew it was going to be a woman driver, and I was really excited to meet you because we never had a female driver before, and I wanted to make sure that you were welcomed with open arms. And the moment I laid eyes on you, I was star struck.” Danny confesses.

“What was your first thought when you saw Y/N?” The producer asks.

“That she was really beautiful and the second I got to know her the more, I knew that she had an even more beautiful personality. On top of that, she’s the funniest person I’ve ever met.” Danny says. You start blushing.

“That’s why you’re both called the funniest duo on the grid.” The producer says.

“Really? I didn’t know that!” You say, laughing.

“Really? I thought that was pretty obvious.” Danny says.

“How does competing alongside your partner in Formula 1 affect your personal relationship? Is it a positive or negative influence?” The producer asks.

“I think it’s very positive. Having someone that understands you and motivates you. We both know the sacrifices that we have to make to be in this sport and it helps a lot that we’re both in it because we get to spend a lot of time together.” You say.

“Yeah, I agree. I see the guys on the grid saying they’re missing their girlfriends and talking to them on the phone and I’m just ‘don’t mind me, I’m just gonna walk next door and kiss mine’ you know?” Danny says, laughing.

“What about summer break, do you also spend it together?” The producer asks.

“In the first two weeks Daniel flies to Australia to meet his family and I fly to see mine. Then, we spend the rest of the following days together.” You say.

“Do you ever give each other strategic advice during races?” The producer asks.

“Yeah, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t take the best out of Daniel’s advices. He has the experience and wisdom that I don’t have yet. He’s been trough a lot in his career and he’s my go to guy when it comes to advices.” You sincerely say.

From the corner of your eye you see Daniel smiling.

“Does Daniel go to you to get advices?” The producer asks.

“Sometimes, yeah.” You say.

“She sees the track with other eyes, you know? She has a completely bold strategy and I sometimes I really need to be bold.” Danny says.

“Daniel, what do you think are Y/N best individual strengths and weaknesses?”

“She’s fearless when it comes to driving that car. She doesn’t care about the risks when her eyes are only set on one goal, set on winning. She takes decisions that most of us wouldn’t have the balls to do so. And sometimes that can make her reckless and make poor decisions too and I think she has already realized this.” Danny says.

“Yeah, that’s true. I remember that in my first year of Formula 1 I would make poor decisions and as in result I had to retire the car because of that. Then, after those races, I would go to Daniel and ask what did I do wrong and he was brutally honest. I needed that.” You say.

“And what about Daniel? What is his best individual strengths and weaknesses?”

“He’s wise. He knows the tracks like the palm of his hands and knows the best strategies to basically fly through them. His weakness is that he thinks too much. Sometimes he has to take some risks in order to win.” You say.

“When one of you gets the podium and the other doesn’t, how do you guys react to that?”

“Well, it’s a mix of feelings. Of course you’re happy for your partner when they get the podium but, it’s undeniable that you’re also disappointed with yourself for not being there too. You need to separate the worlds. When Y/N is on the podium, you need to be the supportive partner and celebrate her, because there will be plenty of time to think about a strategy to beat her next.” He says and laughs.

“We agreed to separate the track from our personal lives since we started dating. And we’ve done that beautifully.” You say.

“Has ever been arguments about that?” The producer asks.

“Never!” You say.

“Let’s talk about a more sensitive matter.” The producer says.

“Love those.” Danny ironically says.

“Spa 2020.” The producer says.

“Ugh, I knew this was coming.” You laugh nervously.

“What happened?” The producer asks.

“I was on P4 when suddenly Grosjean’s car looses control and crashes into mine and we both hit the barricade at 200 miles per hour. I passed out for a few moments and when I woke up, I could only see fire around me. That’s when my fight or flight mode turned on and I try to get out of that car the fastest I can. When I go reach my seatbelt I find out that it’s stuck and it takes me a whole minute to get it out. Once I’m able to finally get out of the car, I only remember walking like a meter or so and then everything goes black.” You say, remembering the almost tragic day. “I only remember waking up in the hospital after that with a burned hand and getting some oxygen out into me because I breathed in too much smoke while I was trying to get out, that’s why I passed out.”

You feel Daniel’s hand on your lap, as a gesture of reassurance.

“That was a fun day.” You say, laughing to revive the mood of the room.

“It really wasn’t.” Daniel says, letting out a nervous laugh.

“How was it like for you?” The producer asks Danny.

“As soon as my engineer told me that was a red flag, I had this really bad feeling. I remember asking what happened and to who it happened and there was radio silence, I knew it was Y/N. And as soon as we all stopped in the paddock I remember getting out of the car and looking for Y/N. That was when they gave me the news that she had crashed and it was bad. My instinct was to immediately run to where she was and no one could stop me. When I got there, the paramedics told me that she was going to be okay and I got so relieved.” He lets out a nervous laugh and continues “I was not going to continue the race, all I wanted was to be with her but she was the one telling me to continue and remember me that in that track we’re drivers and that I needed to win that race. And that’s what I did.”

“You finally got P1 in that season.” The producer says.

“Yeah, but I didn’t really enjoy it. All I wanted was to get down that podium and run to the hospital, to be with her.” He says.

“There’s a lot of highs about dating when you’re in Formula 1 but the lows can be really low. Your instinct is to be with your significant other when they crash or have to retire the car but you know you need to race, it’s your job and you can’t get away with it. All you can do is win to have something to celebrate about. Deep down you know they are in the right hands.” You say.

“When covid hit, where were you guys?” The producer asks.

“We were living our lives, you know? We took that time off the track to really align ourselves with each other, to connect even more.” Danny says and you smile.

“And made the decision to get our own place. So, Covid for us was all about house hunting.” You say, laughing.

“What are your goals for the future in Formula 1?” The producer asks.

“Well, the championship is always my goal, it will always be. And I’m going to make sure that I win it next year.” Daniel says.

“And for you, Y/N?” The producer asks.

“Well, this past year was amazing for me. I got my championship and I’m really happy about that. But, next year I won’t be racing in the F1.” You say and look at Daniel who nods.

“And why is that?” The producer asks.

“I’m have to take a break for some time because I’m pregnant.” You say, smiling from ear to ear.

Everyone on the crew congratulates you and Danny.

You stand up and lift of your shirt just enough to show your little bump on camera. Danny gently presses his hand on your belly.

“Daniel Ricciardo Jr. is cooking in there.” He says, laughing.

“Well, if it’s a boy we’re definitely not calling him that.” You say as you sit down.

“Do you want a boy or a girl, Daniel?” The producer asks.

“I just want him or her to come healthy so it doesn’t really matter, mate.” He says.

“Well, next week we’ll know for sure.” You say and smile.

You feel realized. You have an amazing career, and amazing boyfriend and now you’re gonna have your little family. It’s heaven on earth.

[charleszleclerc]

Timeline

June 21st 1997

Evelyn Martin is born to Elise and Hugo Martin who already have one son named Adrien.

October 16th 1997

Charles Leclerc is born to Pascale Leclerc and Hervé Leclerc who already have a son named Lorenzo.

April 2nd 1999

Elise and Hugo have their last child. A girl named Arielle. He completed the Martin family and both Evelyn and Adrien were happy with their new sibling.

October 14th 2000

Hervé and Pascale welcome their third son. Arthur Leclerc completes the Leclerc family.

2001

Evelyn starts ballet dancing at the age of four because she had seen it on tv and wanted to be a ballet dancer

2005

Charles starts go kart racing competitively he was eight.

He wins the French  PACA Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008

Evelyn decided she wanted to be a professional ballet dancer when she grew up so she became more serious about her dancing and entering competitions.

2008

Evelyn fractures her foot for the first time when one of her jumps went wrong. She was out of dancing for awhile.

Charles won the French PACA for the last time

2009

Charles became a French Cadet Champion

Evelyn returned to ballet and won a few competitions. Her dancing outshone others and she was offered a place at a prestigious ballet school in Monte Carlo.

They both join the same secondary school

2010

Charles moved to the KF3 class where he wins the junior Monaco kart cup

Evelyn is having a hard time at the ballet school as none of the girls really like her but her love for ballet stops her from quitting

2011

Charles wins the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters

Evelyn joins her school’s photography group

2012

Charles partakes in Val D'Argenton track is hosting the second round of the WSK Euro Series season this is where max and he have their “inchident”

Evelyn attends the race with her family she meets max and they become friends

2013

Max and Evelyns friendship grows

Evelyns dream to be a professional ballet dancer and that’s all she cares about instead of school

Charles  won the South Garda Winter Cup and claimed sixth position in the CIK-FIA European KZ  Championship and finished second in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, behind Max

Evelyn and Charles meet at school and become good friends towards the end of the year

2014

Evelyn tears her Acl in January of 2014 and is told her dreams of being a professional dancer will never happen

Charles is there and supports her through it all. They start hanging out more.

Evelyn realises there is more to life than dancing. She puts her spare time into fashion and creating clothes.

In 2014, Charles graduated to single-seaters, racing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championship for British team Fortec Motorsports. During the season, he took seven podium positions, including a double victory at Monza, to finish runner-up in the championship behind Koiranen GP's Nyck de Vries

October 2014 Jules Bianchi crashes in Japan

Evelyn’s there for Charles immediately

Christmas day Charles and Evelyn decide to start dating

2015

Charles and Evelyn finish school at the age of 18

Charles joins F3

Evelyn applies to start a fashion design course

Their relationship is a bit rough when Jules dies but Evelyn stays by Charles side

2016

Charles and Evelyn’s relationship is stronger than ever

Evelyn decides to start teaching ballet to children to spread the love she had for it

Charles claimed three victories and took the title in his first year of the series, despite crashing out in the feature race of the season's final race in Abu Dhabi in the GP3 series

In 2016, Leclerc joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and he acted as development driver for Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari.

2017

Charles joined formula 2 for the 2017 season with the Prema racing team

Evelyn graduated and started working on trying to set up her own business  

Hervé Leclerc passes away

Evelyn is there for Charles day and night. Their relationship only grows stronger

Charles wins the f2 championship

2018

For the 2018 Formula One World Championship, Leclerc signed for the Sauber F1 Team as a race driver

Evelyn released her first clothing line

2019-present

Charles signed with Ferrari

Evelyn continues to release clothing items building her brand one step at a time

She also continues to teach ballet

Max and Evelyn’s friendship has continued to grow over the years

May 2024 Charles wins the Monaco grand prix

July 2024 Evelyn finds out she’s pregnant

December 2024 marked 10 years since they started dating, Charles has something to ask Evelyn

Here is a new post!! this is sorta a timeline and masterlist so if there is anything you would like a blurb/oneshot on send me an ask. I'm excited for this story but I am in college right now so updates might be slow. All the dates and events I took from Wiki so sorry if their wrong

[bon2bonn]

Driver profile : Y/N L/N

Name : Y/N M/N M/L/N

Nicknames : N/N , bella , demon spawn, amour , love , sprout.

Nicknames by fans : Valkyrie, the unofficial official grid mom , Merc queen, red bull princess, angel, f2 grid mom , stargirl .

Age : I estimated her to be around 27 (it's not fixed so you can change it to whatever you like)

Birthday : 23 . October . (Same thing , you can put yours or any other date🤷🏻‍♀️)

Birthplace : Sydney, Australia

Blood type : B+

Languages : fluent in English, french + (language of choice) , basic Dutch , Spanish , and a little bit of Arabic.

Resident : between Monaco, London, New York and Sydney.

Personality : spitfire on track , a power that install fear in the hearts of every team and any driver she's up against , believes in actions and hard work rather than words spewed around , so if you have the balls and nerves to poke her , you better have the results to back you up or you won't see the end of it from her or her fans or the rest of the grid .

Known as The grid keeper/ no#1 mom who keeps them in line but could be found in the midst of chaos leading them with their antics and pranks . off track , she's an introverted small bean that can scare the daylight out of you if you rubbed her the wrong way, shy and closed off is the first impression that everyone gets when meeting her but once you get to know her she's the sweetest and most genuine/spontaneous person you'll ever meet , her RBF hides a gentle kind soul , that makes her the best person to give comfort and assurance even if she denies it. Protective bear of her loved ones and won't stop at anything till she make sure they're okay. She either acts like an old lady that complains about her back and knees , or like a little kid on a sugar rush , it's a normal day to find her around the grid at the most confusing places : climbing motorhomes just because/hiding behind tyres while everyone lose their minds trying to find her /sleeping in an ice tup cause she got too comfortable.

Habits: play with her hands when nervous, pout unconsciously when she's too focused on something, pick at her fingers when uncomfortable/stressed (if close , Charles would give her one of his rings to play with , or others would let her play with their fingers to distract her) , jumps whenever she gets exited, tilt her head when confused, clenches her fists/jaw when she gets irritated ( the guys knows when to interfere to stop her from beating someone), sings/humms absentmindedly through her day , do a little dance when happy, talks to herself in a quiet voice.

Occupation :

Former Formula 1 driver

Years of work : (2015-2022)

Racing biography 🏎️ :

*‌Toro Rosso :

2015 alongside : Max Verstappen #33.

2016 alongside : Carlos Sainz #55.

*‌Renault(alpine) : 2017 alongside : Nico Hülkenberg #27.

*‌Alpha Romeo(sauber) : 2018 alongside : Charles leclerc #16.

‌*Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team : 2019 - July 2022 alongside : Lewis Hamilton #44.

Currently:

• CEO/founder of Ingrid and willows brand (2018-now) .

• CEO and representative of L/N international corps (2022-now) .

•reserved driver for (RBR) Red Bull Racing (2023) .

Hobbies/skills : reading, playing piano, camping, hiking, cooking in general (loves backing) , painting specially with her youngest brother, singing, fast learner , have a very strong memory , is a pro at reading people and could tell their emotions and can almost alway tell when someone's lying , skilled stealthy prankster when provoked (by lando and max)..... .etc .

Family members :

‌father : f/N l/N .

‌mother : m/N M/l/N .

‌older brother: Edward l/N .

‌younger brother: Thomas l/N

Father :

Name : F/N M/N l/N

Occupation: CEO/founder of L/N international corps.

Social status: single father of (Edward , Y/N , Thomas l/N ).

Resident: London , UK.

Name : M/N M/l/N

Occupation: not found.

Social status: not found.

Status: alive .

Resident : Rome, Italy.

Name : Edward/Eddie M/N l/N

Age : 30

Occupation: CEO/founder of wildonwall (a worldwide known professional architectural company that deals in designing/building and supervising projects around the world).

Social Status: married to ( Alison Graham ) , father of two (one boy : Marcus/Marc , one girl : Ingrid/gigi ).

Resident: London , UK.

Name : Thomas/Tommy/ben M/N l/N

Age : 22

Occupation: student of fine arts , Oxford university.

Social status: a single Pringle who don't know how to mingle.

Resident: Monte Carlo , Monaco - London , UK.

Facts and background infos :

‌she's the only daughter of the L/N family , but chose to race with her grandmother's maiden name instead . She wanted to establish herself away from her father's name .

‌very independent , and mature beyond her age .‌

she's the backbone of her family, both her brothers and father own it to her for helping them through their lives .

‌she had a complicated relationship with her mother to say the least, she was the one who suffered the most when she left .

‌her parents split up when she was only 5 . her mom walked away leaving them with her baby brother who was barely months old .

‌her mother tried to forcefully take Eddie (the eldest) along with her while their father was out with Tommy, but he refused to part from his sister , resulting in a very traumatic day for the two kids.

‌she watched her dad as he struggled with taking care of them three , feeling like a failure who couldn't tend to his own children.

‌so she took it up on herself to help him take care, comfort and nurture her baby brother.

‌he tried to get her to live her age but she won't stop worrying about her brother and he won't settle unless she's close .

‌just hearing her voice got him from screaming his lungs out to cooing and giggling.

‌their bond only grew stronger as they grew up .

‌he was at his best behaviour when she's around, forgetting about the tantrums and wailing matches he had with his traumatized babysitter who quit the moment their father came back home .

‌her childhood wasn't the most ideal but she got her family with her and that was more than enough for her.

‌her dad was more than relieved when she finally had interest in something other than studying or taking care of them .

‌he watched as her love for racing grow untill he offered to take her to her first grand Prix.

‌she didn't sleep for days after .

‌daniel was her first friend in the sport .

‌they met through one of her uncles friends back in Australia , both didn't like eachother at all .

she was the quiet observing kid and he was the bouncing ball of energy , but they bonded through their love for racing .

‌she moved to Europe (between UK and France) with her dad where she found more suitable competitions to partake in, but she tried to keep in touch with him through the years , but they both got busy and lost connection.

‌she kept to herself and worked hard to build her skills.

Maintaining a healthy balance between her studies and racing .

‌untill she met some of the kids older/close to her age , most didn't take her seriously and even encouraged her to drop racing . But she also met little max .

Both acknowledged the other but kept their distance on the beginning.

‌the boy was blunt and she was unfazed.

‌they respected the other hard work and we're motivated to beat eachother at every race.

‌they surprisingly became best friends with time .

‌both acting too mature for their own good but unknowingly, they both got eachother to act their age as they grew closer .

‌they gave eachother tips and pointers as they sat away from the others before every race they were in together .

‌he'd talk her ears off after every race explaining every detail and every corner and she'd patiently listen to him , adding her own opinion here and there .

‌they were at eachother neck every race, but their friendship was as strong as it could be.

‌they celebrated the winner and encouraged the loser , both hated to lose , but they raced fairly.

‌she got discovered by Christian , and found her way to red bull academy program, Max a year after her .

‌and guess who's there ? Daniel Joseph Ricciardo.

‌they reunited after years , both inseparable even more when she got a seat at Toro rosso .

‌the team was on the brink of a collective breakdown, they already had Seb to worry about , now add those two with Max?

‌cue chaos and mischief , sirens going off with Seb laughing and Christian screaming in the background.

‌fernando saw her and declared war upon whoever dares to hurt this small bean .

Forming a small protection squad (more like him forcing Seb Kimi and Jenson to participate)

Kimi got robbed into it , he didn't even know until he found himself along with the others planning to slash a reporter tires for calling her slow and ignorant .

He thought they were getting coffee !?!! .

‌she was supposed to move to red bull in 2016 but Marko opposed, max was promoted instead, and she left to Renault the following season.

‌in 2018 she moved to alpha Romeo (saubar) alongside Charles leclerc .

Rookie Charles was low-key scared of her , he knew her from their carting days but still felt uneasy with her quiet personality and focused mentality.

The first time they met was a disaster at it's finest.

But she knew how tense and overwhelmed rookies could be in their first season so she tried her best to help him through it .

‌it was an exhausting season but they both survived .

Charles moved to Ferrari and her to Mercedes.

‌Toto offered her a Merc seat for 2019 .

‌lewis had his share of teammates and it didn't end well to say the least with his former friend/teammate (RIP brocedes) or valtteri after .

‌so when she first came in it didn't go well for her .

‌both her and Lewis are hardheaded and closed off, refusing to acknowledge the other Or give in to know eachother.

‌they stayed professional and moved out of the other's way, untill she came around, finding him in the back of his driver's room, sitting on the floor , his head on his hands after a shitty with a dnf .

‌she kept quiet and sat down with him letting him have his moment of silence but assuring he don't have to be alone .

‌after an hour or so, she took out her phone , showing him her family dog pics and videos , getting him to crack a smile and even few laughs before she let him talk about his own Roscoe, promising to let her meet him when they go to Silverstone.

‌the roles reversed when he found her in an empty office at the back of the garage , she got an earful from Toto and couldn't get a word in , her notes are always dismissed and her engineer wasted time until it's too late to listen.

‌he sat beside her, letting her lean on his shoulder in a way of comfort , letting her play with his rings to calm down.

‌they built a support system . and it resulted in building a solid foundation for a dynamic team.

But that won't mean she'll let her work go to waste because of the team's orders.

... : Y/N.

Y/N : yes?

James : Y/N, This is James, listen.....

Y/N : no James! You listen! Just because..........

Her radio messages never disappoint.

Yeah they give her a hard time , but they didn't know what was waiting for them .

She adapted quickly to the new team and their methods of work , it went as well as it could be up to 2021 .

Shit hit the fan and she almost die/quit .

But she stayed put , ending the season in 3d 🥉.

2022 things moved up a little, with her chances of getting the championship almost equalling Max's, him being ahead with only 24 point .

But Mercedes had their own plans.

Mid-season change in plans Leading to her leaving/getting replaced with George Russell , concluding her journey with Mercedes AMG team.

*Let me know if I missed something ✨

[thissying]

FORMULE 1 Magazine, 2017, number 6

former go-kart opponents about Max

Jordy Lievens karted against Verstappen from 2006 through 2009

"At Spa I once had a good weekend. During practices and the races I had made a fairly strong impression. Max said: "Wow, he's fast!" Even then you knew you were doing a good job if Max Verstappen said something like that about you. I started my karting career when I was about seven years old, at the same time as Max. In my first race he lapped me but at the end of the season the gap was smaller. With the rest of the field anyway, because nobody could beat Max. The rest of us fought for second place. The number of races he didn't win could be counted on one hand. And that would be because of a rare mistake, or engine failure.

"At first we didn't really know who Max was and that his dad had been a Formula 1 driver. After some time we found this out. My dad and I even bought a go-kart from Max and Jos. We went to pick it up at their workshop. Our jaws were on the floor: racks full of karts, their own test bench, engines to choose from. If you compared that to us… I had one kart per season. When we weren't driving, I played at the track with the other drivers my age. Max was a very friendly boy. You could chat with him and you wouldn't be able to tell he was head and shoulders above the rest.

"Now that Max has made it into F1, I follow him with extra interest. I did race against him for years after all. Despite being from Belgium, I'm more of a Max supporter than a Stoffel Vandoorne one. Simply because of all the experiences and memories from the past. A while ago friends of mine met Max. The mentioned my name and he remembered me. As long as he hasn't forgotten me, I'm satisfied."

Bas Lammers karted against Verstappen in 2012 and 2013

End of 2013 I was at the start with Max in Las Vegas. That's where they have a traditional kartrace right in the city center, in the parking lot of the Rio hotel. The very best go-karters from America and Europe participate. Max won all the heats. He just had to finish first in the final and then he'd win ten-thousand dollars. He had a great start but his engine stalled. Huge bad luck even though everyone was already blown away by him. That year Max and I drove in the European and World Championships. He won both. He really was superior. Everywhere we came, Max was was on it from the first practice. For us, he was the reference point. On very rare occasions he made a mistake; we had to take advantage of that immediately. He did get defeated sometimes because nobody is unbeatable, but it took a lot of effort.

"Before I karted against Max, I'd driven Formula Renault. That went well but I didn't have the right people around me to help me along in autosport. That's why I returned to go-karts. When I raced against Max there for the first time in 2012, it was clear right away that he was exceptionally quick. But I knew that right from the beginning. I talked to Jos every now and then on the track and knew he puts everything aside if he wants something.

"From the moment Jos put Max in a go-kart it was clear: he had to go to Formule 1. Max did everything to get there as well. He was always busy watching race footage. After every practice and race he cleaned his go-kart. I'm very happy and proud that I had the privilege to race with Max. Most F1 drivers left karting a long time ago, but not Max. That's why he's actually a go-karter in an F1 car. He is one with his car like he was one with his kart. He shows that karting has taught him a lot, which makes me very proud as well."

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Carlos Sainz

Updated December 2024

Name: Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro

Age: 30

Nationality: Spanish

Years in F1: 9 ( Toro Rosso 2015- Oct 2017, Renault Oct 2017-2018, Mclaren 2019-2020, Ferrari 2021-2024, Williams 2025)

Number: 55

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Sainz is most well known for his strategy more than anything. Regularly during races it is his suggestions on strat that are chosen, and most often they yield positive results. Beyond strategy, he has a calm and effective tire management and calculate decision making skills. All of this together leads to very intelligent driver, and allows him to be one of the smoothest drivers on the track. While he can be aggressive when needed, it is tempered by his patience (similar to teammate Charles Leclerc). The negatives about Sainz is that he tends to overthink in races. This is mostly due to his strategic and cautious way of racing, but it does not let him make split-second decisions very easily. He tends to not rely on his instinct very much.

History:

Sainz is the son of Rally World Champion Carlos Sainz Sr., and with his fathers racing fame came pressure at a young age. Sainz started his career in karting in 2006, after participating in smaller series in Spain. In 2008, he won the Asia-Pacific KF3 title, as well as finishing runner-up in the Spanish Championship In 2009, he also won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup, and was runner-up in the European KF3 Championship. In 2010 at age 16 Sainz raced in Formula BMW, and was added to the Red Bull Junior Program. He finished his season in Formula BMW in 4th place.

(Young Sainz sitting in Fernando Alonso's Renault)

During 2012, Sainz raced in both the Euro Series and British F3 Championships. He did well in both series, gaining multiple pole positions and podiums, but did not get particularly close to winning the championships.

In 2013 Sainz signed with a GP3 team to compete in that years championship. He was a midfielder during this time, and his highest finish was P7. He then competed in Formula Renault 3.5 the same year, and had a difficult year there as well.

In 2015 Sainz was brought up to Formula 1 to drive for Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team, opposite Max Verstappen. His time with Toro Rosso was difficult for Sainz, regularly experiencing mechanical problems and crashes. His first season with them he would find himself 15th in the championship. 2016 would see Sainz get his best career finish of P6, but still is counted as a rather negative year for the Spainard. 2017 was Sainz's best year with Toro Rosso, finishing at the Singapore GP in 4th place. Shortly before this race it was announced Sainz would be on loan to Renualt for the last 4 races and the 2018 season. Sainz stated it was unlikely he would return to Toro Ross. He never did.

(Sainz with teammate Verstappen)

The 2018 season with Renault saw Sainz have significantly more positive results. He qualified in the top ten for the beginning races, and finished in the points for all but one. For the next races, he would consistently score points. however, this was not enough for Renault and he was replace by Daniel Riccardo for the 2019 season. Happily for Sainz, he was able to sign a contract with Mclaren to replace his one with Renault.

(Sainz when he was with Renault)

The 2019 season and his first year with Mclaren saw Sainz achieve even better results. While his first three races were unfortunate, after he consistently scored high points right behind the top 3 teams and finished above his teammate, Lando Norris. He would go on to get his maiden podium at the Brazilian GP after Lewis Hamilton received a post race time penalty. Unfortunately the rest of the season was rather negative for Sainz, encountering engine problems, pit problems, and other things that made him DNF multiple races. 2020 was a more positive year, which saw him achieve more podiums and finish 6th in the championship.

(Sainz in his Mclaren)

In 2021 Sainz joined Ferrari opposite Charles Leclerc, by the far the most successful team he has been a part of. While he had some issues during the year, he also had a majority of his highest results, finishing the season in fifth and ahead of his teammate. 2022 saw his maiden win at the British GP. Won in a difficult rain race, he showed that he had the chops to keep up with his Championship battling teammate, and had a variety of positive results that year. He ended in fifth in the championship that year, this time behind his teammate. 2023 was a rough year for every team but Red Bull, however Sainz was the only non-Redbull winner that year at the Singapore GP, which was a mark of honor that year.

(Sainz after securing maiden win)

2024 Sainz had a relatively positive year, with a few standout performances and a few terrible results. Notably he crashed out of both Baku and Brazil. However, he won in Australia and Mexico, so kind of a mixed bag. He finished 5th in the standings.

He is set to join Williams for the 2025 season.

(Sainz getting champagne poured on his head by teammate Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Australian GP)

Major Races:

2019 Brazilian GP - Sainz first podium finish, he achieved it after Lewis Hamilton received a time penalty post race. Regardless, he has a strong race and was able to compete with top teams ina. midfield car.

2020 Italian GP - Driving withe Mclaren, he achieved a P2 finish, his highest at the time. Again, we see Sainz has a talent for pulling the maximum out of his car.

2021 Monaco GP - His first podium with Ferrari, the Monaco GP is a prestigious and difficult race. On top of that, it is an early race, and displayed how fast Sainz adapted to the Ferrari car.

2022 British GP - His first win, this race was a wet one which saw multiple DNF's from other drivers. His skill in wet weather allowed him to battle with top drivers like Hamilton and take the win.

2023 Singapore GP - As the only non-Red Bull winner that year, this race result will always show how strong his race craft is. Whiel he held the lead for most of the race, a late safety car threatened his position. In a spur of genius he used Mclaren driver Lando Norris as a buffer to the attacking cars behind, keeping Norris within DRS range but not allowing him by. By far the most impressive use of DRS I have seen from a front car.

2024 Australian GP - Shortly after his appendix surgery, Sainz won through pure race skill, and got Ferrari there first 1-2 of the season, giving them a major lead in the championships.

Cheers!

-B

[blorbocedes]

In his own words: Christian Horner on world champion Max Verstappen

Verstappen won another world title on Saturday.

written by: Christian Horner, originally published on The Independent, 08, October 2023 [x]

I remember raising it to Helmut Marko – Red Bull’s motorsport consultant – that this kid looks the real deal. Helmut watched him at the Norisring in Germany and he was convinced.

There was interest from Niki Lauda and Mercedes, but Red Bull could take him to Formula One immediately. So, he came to us a very young age. He was 16. And I remember in his very first outing for us – a demonstration run in Rotterdam – he took the front wing off the car! But you could tell in the seat fitting the confidence he had for a young guy was exceptional.

All of the drivers that came through the junior categories learned their trade out of the spotlight, but Max became the youngest driver in Formula One ever. He was only 17. Every move and every mistake he made was scrutinised.

Jean Todt, who was the FIA president at the time, changed the regulations to ensure someone as young and inexperienced as Max could not enter F1. There will never be a driver that moves so rapidly from karting to F1 again. But the way he dealt with it mentally made him a standout character.

It was obvious in his first full F1 season when he drove for Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso, that he was an emerging talent, and at the beginning of 2016 he was performing beyond the capability of the car.

Daniil Kvyat was struggling, and there was a lot of interest in Max. We made the decision to move him to Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Mercedes did their thing when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed into each other on the first lap and Max, who started fourth which was already stunning, made the one-stop strategy work to win in his first Grand Prix with the team. He became the sport’s youngest ever winner, aged 18. It was a fairytale. Max had arrived.

He won races in 2017 and 2018, and in 2019 he became the team leader following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure to Renault. He grew up, and it was a transformative year for him.

In 2021 we had a car and an engine that could take the fight to Mercedes, and that season will go down as one of the most competitive sporting duels the sport has ever had.

From the first race in Bahrain through to Abu Dhabi, Max and Lewis were like two heavyweights going up against each other. Max was a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t let it go. And you couldn’t script that they would head to the final race tied on points.

Max was very cool. He put the car on pole, and we took our opportunity under the final safety car. Max had one lap to get the job done. I don’t think Lewis expected Max to attack in the corner that he did, and people overlook that he still had to beat Lewis. He still had to win the race. It wasn’t about two unlapped backmarkers. It was about Max reacting to the circumstances and getting the job done. And under the most intense pressure he did just that. He sent it down the inside and the whole place went bananas.

To see him and his father, Jos, celebrate was a very special moment because it was the culmination of all the effort that his father had put into him at a very young age. Max achieved his goal, and anything after that was the icing on the cake, because for him, it was all about becoming a world champion.

Max has still got all the tenacity he had when he got in the car as a 17-year-old, but he now marries that with experience. Outside of the car, he is a normal guy, too. He has his feet on the ground and he hasn’t had his head turned by fame and fortune. He still loves racing, and he has got good, grounded principals.

He is competitive and wears his heart on his sleeve. He is very honest. He will give you everything, but he expects everything in return.

He can go on to achieve so much more. We are riding a wave at the moment, and we want to continue riding that wave for as long as we can.

Will Max be in Formula One for a long, long time? I don’t think so. He has ambitions beyond F1 and beyond racing. And at 26, 36 seems a long way away.

We have a long-term agreement with him until 2028, and he has always said he will be happy to start and end his career here, but motivation will be a crucial factor.

[leclercarchive]

Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver tells his story: «I feel good only with the helmet on my head»

At 26, the young Monegasque has already entered the legend of Formula 1. Thanks to his cold blood and the audacity of a driving style that does not contemplate fear, Charles Leclerc has become "The predestined" for his fans. Since he was a child he loved red cars and with Ferrari he fulfilled his dream…

Almost 130 Grands Prix in Formula 1, 28 podiums, 22 pole positions and five victories: at 26, Charles Leclerc is already making history. His favorite driver is Ayrton Senna but «there are many I admire: Prost, Lauda, James Hunt, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. However, Ayrton Senna (the Brazilian champion who died in a tragic accident at Imola in 1994, ed.), is my all-time idol. From what I was able to see in the documentaries that tell his story and by speaking with those who knew him in life, I discovered that he was a special person to say the least, not only behind the wheel - he was perhaps the best driver in history - but also as a human being." Leclerc's childhood is marked by a deep bond with his father Hervé (he bears his name on his helmet) who was also a pilot - «dad was my number 1 fan» – and by his untimely death in 2017. «I was four years old, I told my father that I wasn't feeling very well and didn't want to go to school. Of course I was pretending like all kids do. However, I don't know why, he indulged me and took me to the go-kart track of his best friend, Philippe Bianchi. Seeing other children running on the track, I wanted to try it too. For my first car I chose the color red. And I think I fell in love with this sport after just three laps." On that go-kart track Leclerc lives his dream of one day becoming a Formula 1 driver and there he meets his lifelong friend, Jules Bianchi, Philippe's son. In karting, Charles Leclerc collected one victory after another, also because "I didn't know the concept of braking". At 17 years old in 2014, he entered the “Formula Renault 2.0” with the Fortec Motorsports team. He took seven podiums and collected two victories, earning second place in the championship. In 2015 he moved to Formula 3 and, despite an accident on the Zandvoort circuit (Holland), which compromised the final position in the standings, and the death of his friend Jules Bianchi in July, after the accident at Suzuka on 5 October 2014, Leclerc he doesn't lose the desire to compete. «Formula 1 killed people I loved, but I can't help it», he declared some time later.

What was your first ever Grand Prix? «Macau in 2015. But I like to remember the first time I saw one. I was still a child, I had a friend whose apartment had a balcony overlooking the Monte Carlo circuit. Obviously I was already rooting for the red cars, even though I didn't yet know that they were Ferrari. It was simply my favorite color." In the 2016 GP3 season he won the title with the "ART Grand Prix" team, even if, during the last championship race in Abu Dhabi, he chose to retire. Does a pilot ever feel afraid? «I am a human being, even if I run at 300 kilometers per hour. Beautiful moments alternate with very difficult ones, I'm not a superhero. It was in 2017, when I thought I wouldn't be able to become a Formula 1 driver, that I felt a real feeling of fear." But it is precisely in 2017 that the turning point arrives. A year earlier Leclerc had taken part in the Ferrari Driver Academy. With the first free practice session of the British Grand Prix in 2016, he began his experience as a test driver for Haas and then for Ferrari. Over the course of the following year he became increasingly noticed, thanks to a series of victories - among them that of the FIA Formula 2 championship - and multiple tests of skill at the wheel of his car. In the 2017 championship he participated in four free practice sessions with Sauber, the first of which in the pouring rain on the Sepang circuit (Malaysia), and it was with the Swiss team that he became a Formula 1 driver. On board the Sauber C37, despite some difficulties, Leclerc demonstrates consistency and ends the 2018 season in 13th place in the drivers' standings with 39 points, voted "rookie" of the year. But what happens before a Formula 1 race? «Before running, a lot of tension builds up. I have been doing breathing exercises since I was a boy. They help me stay calm, so I can achieve a level of concentration that maximizes my potential. Preparation is 90% of the total work in a race." Before getting into the car there is also space for a ritual moment. «I only feel good when I wear the helmet and everyone comes out of the pit lane», he says, «the cockpit is like a nest, I don't feel any sensations, zero tension. There I relax while waiting for the race."

In September 2018, Scuderia Ferrari announced that the Monegasque driver would replace Kimi Räikkönen, alongside Sebastian Vettel. «I was on a boat in Monaco. I had put the phone on silent mode, I find the call from Maurizio Arrivabene (head of the Ferrari team ed.). I told the friend I was with to turn off the engines, that the head of Ferrari had called me and I wasn't hearing well. I understand that he wouldn't have taken me to Ferrari. It seemed a little strange that he called me to tell me, I was disappointed. Fifteen seconds later he called me back and told me he was joking. I attacked and dived into the sea, it all seemed so surreal. Me in Ferrari…". Even though his first time in Maranello dates back to a few years earlier as he reveals in the book “Le prodige” written by Rémi Boudoul: «I was 11 years old, but I didn't enter. I sat in the parking lot and imagined a structure similar to the one seen in “The Chocolate Factory”. With the Oompa Loompas running around." In 2018 his first race of the season in Australia ended with a fifth place, but the real affirmation came with the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he won his first pole position and finished the race in third place. The season continues with ups and downs. After a first victory in Belgium came the triumph on the Monza Circuit, in front of the delirious Scuderia Ferrari home crowd. Leclerc also arrived in pole position in Singapore and Russia, and ended the season in fourth place with 264 points, consolidating his reputation among the most promising talents in Formula 1. 2020 began with a second place in Austria. However, the Ferrari SF1000 demonstrates some limitations in subsequent races. Leclerc retires in Styria and ends up outside the points in Hungary. A bad accident in Monza, from which he emerged unscathed, represents a critical moment in that unspectacular year, which ended in eighth place in the drivers' standings.

The following year, the new Ferrari SF21 proved to be more competitive, allowing Leclerc - now at the Prancing Horse with Carlos Sainz Jr. - to achieve good results, including fourth places in Imola and Spain. In Monaco, he takes pole position but retires due to damage to the car before the race. His only podium came in Great Britain, finishing the season in seventh place in the drivers' standings. 2022 is more than positive. He wins the Bahrain Grand Prix, followed by a second place in Saudi Arabia and victories in Australia and Austria. He finishes in second place among the drivers, behind Max Verstappen. In 2023, with his SF23 single-seater, he achieved the second podium of the season in Austria, while in Great Britain he finished ninth. In Belgium, after some changes to the car, he gets pole and finishes third. In the Italian Grand Prix, in Monza, he started on pole and finished fourth. Beyond the races, twenty-six-year-old Charles Leclerc, just appointed ambassador of the Monegasque jewelery brand APM Monaco, tries to spend as much time as possible with his friends. «Ricardo, Alex, Thomas, Guillaume, Nico, Hugo, Joris. I'm happy with them, we go to the beach, to the restaurant, we play five-a-side football, we're all sporty and we train together. However, we have different lives, while they study, I live my passion. But I love racing, I love Ferrari." Ferrari which is not only synonymous with engines but also with fashion and Leclerc is a proud ambassador of the brand led by Rocco Iannone. «I often wear items from the Ferrari line, they are aerodynamic and the materials range from the more technical ones - which I am used to wearing every day in my work - to the more refined ones. I like that couture feel and above all the color that dominates in the Ferrari collections, a color that I don't think I need to specify...>>

[fortheloveofaussiegrit]

@fortheloveofaussiegrit 's deep dive into Mark and his love of twinks...

Sebastian Vettel 

Where does one even start when trying to explain this... that's his twink of the past, present, and future— his forever. [first: debatable but the beginning of martian at the Fuji GP 2007 when Seb crashed into the back of Mark ruining both of their races, they were running 2nd and third. second: the day i lost my sanity, Abu Dhabi 2022]

Oscar Piastri

His twink of the present [i don't think i need to say anything... but photos above are from Mark's website from his blog post about Oscar winning the F2 championship and how Mark stayed in Abu Dhabi with Oscar after the GP for the young driver f1 test...]

Mitch Evans

Without Mitch we wouldn’t have got Oscar/Mark... (this is what oscarmark could’ve been but not sure i would’ve been able to handle oscar posting mark the way mitch did) Started in 2010, Mark then went on to manage him and Mitch even moved into Mark’s home in England, down the drive but point still stands [first: Mark Webber takes protege on birthday tour, 2010 (speedcafe.com) second: Mark embracing Mitch after he took maiden victory in Formula E, 2019 (📷Sam Bloxham) bottom two: from Mitch’s IG circa 2014] 

Daniel Ricciardo

i like that belt buckle mate [first/second: F1 Paddock 2013 (📷skysports.com) third: Mark & Daniel’s BBQ on the beach ahead of the Aus GP 2011 (📷flickr) fourth/fifth: Dutch GP 2022.]

 

Fernando Alonso

again do i need to say anything? i think this sums it up (thank you to @seafoampearlygirl for the screen shot and your help too, much appreciated!!

and this... [Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella, Fernando Alonso & Mark Webber for Benetton Renault 2001 F1 launch]

Lewis Hamilton

If there's one thing about Mark that you need to know its his love of twinks with world championships... @mwebber​ has a post here on these two! Mark always loves talking about Lewis and the way they look at each other.. [first: Mark and Lewis during the post-qualy presser at the Spanish GP, 2010 (📷Sutton Images) second: during the pre-race presser at the Aus GP, 2013 (📷Hoch Zwei) third: Abu Dhabi GP, 2017 (📷James Moy)]

Nico Rosberg

from teammates at Williams to Mark snapping pics of the back of Nico in 2023… [first: Mark talking to test driver Nico Rosberg during the German GP, 2005 (📷Pakusch) second: Monaco ePrix 2023]

Max Verstappen

like i said... twinks with championships [first: ‘bumped into these two over easter and managed a few k on the trails’ Apr, 2018 (Mark’s FB) second: Hangar-7, 2019]

Felipe Massa 

yeah... [first: Brazil 2012, i think (📷sky-sports.com) second: Brazil 2013 (📷xpb images)]

Brendon Hartley 

he’s already featured a few times, but from rbr junior driver to teammate... yeah.. is there a pattern? [first: Spanish GP 2009 (📷DPPI Images) second: Brendon, Mark & Timo after winning the 6 hours of Bahrain and the WEC Drivers Championship 2015 (📷fiawec.com)]

Jenson Button

and finally we get to Jenson Button, who, yes, is younger than Mark so makes it onto the list... the ultimate twink on twink... you cannot tell me this wasnt a couples holidays covered up as ‘training’. you cannot tell me they were not fumbling around in their bedsheets at night. you cannot tell me— [redacted redacted redacted] — [pre-season training session in Lanzarote, Spain. 4 Jan 2001 📷Mark Thompson]

[herohimbowhore]

Daniel Ricciardo: Castles Crumbling

Revisionism and recency bias are perhaps two of the most common things that you'll see in Formula 1 and discussions of how we view drivers. It all goes back to the saying "You're only as good as your last race." This, while true in some sense, is only part of the picture when it comes to a driver and the legacy they'll leave in the sport. One race does not define a driver, just as a small portion of a driver's career does not define the driver.

But in commentary and fan discussions, we continue to see that revisionism and recency bias continue to define driver's careers on everchanging standards.

This season, the argument would be that that Carlos Sainz is a better driver than Charles Leclerc due to any of the following reasons:

He's won a race this year

Ahead in the points

Consistently finishing races in the points

But looking at their careers as a whole, the argument falls apart.

Another case of this is Lewis Hamilton in 2022. He finished behind his teammate in the points, didn't win a race, etc. And that year alone had people questioning if Lewis Hamilton was washed or if he should retire. But again, looking at the career as a whole and not zeroing in on one piece of it, makes the argument fall apart.

A driver's legacy isn't based solely on a piece of their career. Alex Albon's career isn't going to be defined just by the Red Bull years, nor is Pierre Gasly's. Sebastian Vettel's career isn't just defined by his time in Ferrari or Red Bull or Aston Martin. Nor is Carlos Sainz's career going to be defined by his time in one team.

However, when it comes to Daniel Ricciardo, the revisionism and hate is strong. Especially in fan spaces like Twitter.

The two years at McLaren are by many considered to be a definer of Daniel's career, completely ignoring or disregarding what he was able to do in Red Bull and Renault.

In one instance he's a PR merchant, in another he can't draw a crowd.

He gets the car to Q3, qualifies 4th, and spends the whole weekend in 10th -> well then people will say it's the car.

Both he and his teammate don't make it out of Q1 with about .006 separating them -> well then obviously the driver and not the car on that specific track

Castles Crumbling is a song that inherently fits the change in the narrative around Daniel. The premise of Castles Crumbling is your legacy falling apart and no longer being loved by people who were once fans. This is a defining feature of Daniel Ricciardo's public perception in recent years as everything he does is defined by the McLaren stint.

Once, I had an empire in a golden age

I was held up so high, I used to be great

They used to cheer when they saw my face

Now, I fear I have fallen from grace

Once, I was the great hope for a dynasty

Crowds would hang on my words, and they trusted me

Their faith was strong, but I pushed it too far

I held that grudge 'til it tore me apart

Despite what people perpetuate now, coming into McLaren, Daniel was highly regarded and considered a great driver. He was THAT guy.

Netflix's Drive to Survive did a lot in helping Daniel transcend from the normal bounds of an F1 driver. He was the first one to be fully on board and give them so much access to him, his thoughts, and his life. A move that wasn't reciprocated by other drivers, so in that first season, it was all about him from start to end basically. He also had the personality to match.

But even before that, Daniel has been the the guy. Just look at any number of grown men that have taken his sweaty race boots and drunk champagne out of them.

Gerard Butler (USA 2016)

Christian Horner (Malaysia 2016)

Max Verstappen (Malaysia 2016)

Nico Rosberg (Malaysia 2016)

Mark Webber (Germany 2016)

Lance Stroll (Baku 2017)

Sir Patrick Stewart (Canada 2017)

Martin Brundle (Austria 2017)

Adrian Newey (Monaco 2018)

Lewis Hamilton (Imola 2020)

Zak Brown (Monza 2021)

Lando Norris (Monza 2021)

Any number of Red Bull staff over the years

People all around the paddock

Some happily, some with pure disgust, others taking the shoes right off Daniel's feet for a shoey.

Daniel at Silverstone in 2017: "DC took my shoes off and then in Austria, Martin was frothing for it."

Daniel wasn't just his personality as so many would like to say. The racing was there.

In 2014, Daniel came into Red Bull and beat his four-time world champion teammate. He was Red Bull's only race winner that year with three wins. During his first year with Red Bull, Daniel finished third in the championship, just behind the two Mercedes.

Once more in 2016, Daniel finished third in the championship, just behind the two Mercedes. His only win of the year was Malaysia 2016 and with it came the iconic podium of Daniel, Max, Nico, and Christian all taking turns to drink out of the same race shoe.

Nico Rosberg in 2023, talked about his time racing against Daniel in 2016 and said:

"He's such an awesome personality, one of the best wheel-to-wheel racers out there. If I saw in my rear-view mirrors, [Ricciardo] was one of the last guys I would like to see there at the time, with Max Verstappen."

2018 for Daniel was filled with reliability issues and engine problems. Out of the 21 races that year, Daniel retired in 8 of them. He had two wins that year - China and Monaco.

Going into Renault, Formula 1 World Champion and Renault Advisor, Alain Prost, called Daniel worth every penny that the Renault would be paying him

"Daniel is more expensive than other drivers. When you need that to help the team we did it. Money is not a problem but it has to be justified. We have two top drivers, maybe one of the best lineups in F1 today."

With Renault, people forget that 2020 was one of his best years. While he didn't win any races, Daniel did have two podiums. He gave Renault their first podium in about nine years. Additionally, Daniel finished 5th in the championship, higher than anyone would have expected out of the unreliable Renault. He was doing wonders with that car.

Going into McLaren, Daniel was a highly valued asset. And while many like to say he went to McLaren for the money, salary estimates show that going to McLaren was actually a significant pay cut.

With an approximately $22 million pay cut in cash earnings, the move to McLaren cannot be defined as a cash grab. Doing something for the money doesn't usually mean lowering your value by millions.

My foes and friends watch my reign end

I don't know how it could've ended this way

Smoke billows from my ships in the harbor

People look at me like I'm a monster

Now they're screaming at the palace front gates, used to chant my name

Now they're screaming that they hate me

Never wanted you to hate me

So how did we get from being a highly valued driver to endless public hate by fans?

Well revisionism and recency bias.

Daniel’s time with McLaren was admittedly very bad.

(sidenote: Dropping Daniel was the best thing that McLaren could have done for all parties involved. No one can deny that, but how McLaren and Zak Brown conducted themselves was wrong. Say what you will about Red Bull's ruthlessness; Red Bull is upfront about it, and they don't drag the driver around making apologies or videos promising to try harder and signing another driver while doing all that.)

The car and driver did not mesh. But what most people tend to ignore is that the car design was inherently difficult to drive. It was unpredictable. One could argue that Lando was performing well in the car., but Lando has only driven a McLaren. Whereas Daniel's driven an HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and a Renault. Instead of helping Daniel with the learning curve or setting the car up in a manner that aligned with his driving style, Daniel had to change how he drove.

With all the McLaren struggles, people have chosen to focus on just that phase. Completely ignoring that Daniel was doing wonders with the Red Bull when the car wasn't great and he was doing wonders with the Renault.

Daniel's time post-Red Bull was not all bad and certainly not deserving of the vitriol and hate he receives when there are other drivers who have much less to show for on the grid.

He got two podiums with Renault in 2020 -- the first podiums that Renault had gotten in years. He was 5th in the standings.

And let's not forget that Daniel got McLaren its only win since 2012. Maybe you can say that the only reason Daniel won is due to the Max and Lewis crash or that Lando was told to stay behind. However, Daniel overtook Max at the start while Lando lost a position to Lewis. Daniel had been the one to take his shot when it mattered. As for the team orders to hold position, well Daniel could have gone faster if he wanted to as we can see with him pulling out the fastest lap on the final lap.

(A random thought that came to me during the research for this: do we think Christian Horner wants a Daniel-related tattoo as well and hates that Cyril and Zak have Daniel-related tattoos? Because if I was in Christian's position, I would want that tattoo. Like you put all this time and investment into a driver and then two other team principals that either took him away from you or couldn't get the most out of him have tattoos chosen by Daniel.)

[redsnowdrop]

Carlos Sainz x Sportweek interview -Translated in: English, Spanish and Italian-

Hi guys, sorry it took so long. I wasn’t expecting such a long work. I apologise if I have wrote something wrong, I have smoke coming out of my ears and here you can also find my F1 Masterlist for more! Enjoy and let me know what do you think!

xoxo

English 🇬🇧

There will be no room for him in Ferrari next year.

But the Spaniard doesn't argue, he wins when he can and in the meantime he looks ahead. «It's my style, that's how they educated me. The Cavallino showed me what passion is and I helped it grow. Leaving is not my choice, but maybe there will be better things to come."

text by: GIANLUCA GASPARINI

photo by: MATTIA GUOLO

styling by: GIANLUCA ZAPPOLI

He was born in Madrid and will join Ferrari from 2021

The Spanish Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, 29 years old. He has been racing with the Red team since 2021 and has won three GPs in Formula 1, the last of which was a month ago in Australia.

"I smile at the future

And I want to be the best."

A man's style, because at almost thirty you are a finished man, is measured in moments of adversity. Carlos Sainz comes from an elegant Madrid family, he can boast a father who not only wrote a few pages of motoring history in rallies, but in his adventure in F.1 he never found a downhill road ahead of him. Less than three months ago Ferrari let him know that there will no longer be a place for him in 2025. He could react badly, fall into victimhood, lose himself, exaggerate to impress everyone. He did the exact opposite. Starting from the words spoken then, in February. «Hamilton in Maranello was a hard blow, I didn't expect it. I was pretty sure that I would renew the contract with the Rossa. But it will be my last year with the team and I just want to think about doing my best for the Cavallino." Honest, sincere. With style, indeed. «Style is not something you choose - he says -, it is something that largely derives from the education your family gives you, from the values ​​you have cultivated. And that then translates into how you behave and how you do things. But I can't say I have my own particular or studied style. I just try to be natural."

What a start!

Excellent start to the season for the Spaniard in 2024, with the victory in Melbourne and two third places in Bahrain and Japan.

At the moment you are going faster than your teammate Charles Leclerc, and this has also given rise to some doubts and regrets among the Red fans. Do you think you still have room for growth as a driver?

«For me, all the years in F.1 can offer the opportunity to progress. With each season that passes I feel like a better rider and it's also clear that over time you have experiences that make you grow as a rider and as a person, let's say that I continually make progress on both fronts."

For next year you are in the sights of several top teams, starting with Mercedes. But there was also talk of Red Bull. Does this interest make you feel good, after a difficult and delicate season's eve?

"Yes I'd like that. In reality, I am already part of a top team like Ferrari, and doing well here as I am actually doing makes the others keep an eye on you. In the end it's what I've always wanted as a driver, that is, to be considered a good name to occupy the best seats in F.1. And frankly I hope it goes like this for many years to come."

Identikit Carlos Sainz

Family tradition, he races in F.1 since 2015

Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro was born in Madrid (Spa) on September 1st 1994. Son of the two-time rally world champion Carlos Sr, he grew up in karting before moving on to Formula BMW, then Renault and GP3. His debut in Formula 1 was in 2015, in Australia, with Toro Rosso, where he remained until October 2017, when he moved to Renault. The 2019-2020 two-year period was at McLaren, where he achieved the first two podiums of his career: third in Brazil in the first season and second in Monza in the following one.

Since 2021 he has been at Ferrari. In red he scored his first pole and his first victory at Silverstone in 2022. The other two successes came in Singapore last year and in Australia a month ago. For him, overall 21 podiums in 187 Grands Prix.

«For 2025, seeing how I'm going, I would like a competitive single-seater. I'm happy to be in the crosshairs of several top team"

Finding an agreement with a new team could take a long time: is it a thought? Can it affect your performance in any way?

«All options are open, but it takes time to reach similar decisions. Little has happened in recent weeks, from this point of view, but this doesn't affect the way I race, my work on the track. Choosing takes time for everyone. They often ask me whether it is better to think about next year or the long term when deciding. I think it depends on what they offer you. As a driver you always look at the option that the fastest single-seater presents to you, because you think that in that way you can achieve podiums and victories like I'm doing this year. But the possibilities in the medium term are also interesting, considering the change in regulations in 2026. Each side of the coin has pluses and minuses, but the best thing is that today all options remain open."

You don’t seem worried

"No. I smile thinking about the future even if what will happen does not depend solely on me. I just have to wait for it and do my job well. If it takes time, that's fine. Also because, in light of the regulatory change in 2026, it is almost impossible to know who will go fastest. And so the decisions also depend on what the teams "sell" you, but no one has a real idea. For 2025, given how I'm going, I would like a competitive single-seater... in any case the situation doesn't disturb me: I know how to keep the track and the questions from journalists and fans about the future divided. When you run, run. I've been in F.1 for 10 years, I know how to manage my weekends."

How much has competing for Ferrari changed you, on a human level?

«He introduced me to the passion that people can have for a team, and you only see this if you race with the Cavallino and are surrounded by the Red fans. You don't feel a warmth like this in other teams. Humanly I was involved and this affects you, it has an influence on you. I heard it."

Hamilton and Leclerc are great fashion lovers. Do you like it also?

«Fashion is not something that occupies my mind in my free time, it depends a bit on how I feel day by day or on the phase I go through in my life. With the change in age I adapt in the way I dress, but it doesn't come naturally to me to think and research what I wear. I understand those who make it a passion, but it doesn't change my life."

What style do you follow in dressing? Do you buy what you wear or do you have someone who makes it for you? And when you were a boy did you choose on your own or did your mother take care of it? Have you ever argued about how you dressed?

«I almost never buy. When it happens it's because I go with my girlfriend (Rebecca Donaldson, Scottish model; ed.), my sisters (she has two, Ana and Blanca; ed.) or my mother. It has never happened to me that I am somewhere, in a hotel or at home, ® telling myself: "Now I'm going shopping". The idea never comes to me. It always has to come from someone else and this already shows that it is not my priority. Then I get dressed too, of course. And the style I like to follow is classic, elegant and traditional.

I feel comfortable and at ease. Until I was 20-25, all my clothes were bought by my mother, sisters or girlfriends of the time. And I never argued about it because I accepted everything they said, I didn't have an opinion...".

You are very close to his father, whom you have always admired but without avoiding some clashes: what relationship do you have now and how much does it matter for your career?

«When we are young, we all have moments of disagreement with our parents. It is part of the normal dynamic between father and son and there is an age in which you continually express a different opinion regardless, for bias, there is a period of your life when it seems like you do it on purpose. That age has now passed, but I remember that I liked arguing with him, even clashing, but with education and respect.

There was never a really bad moment when we called each other bad words. Dad always raised me to respect everyone. Now we have an incredible, very beautiful relationship. He taught me everything I know in life, in the end I feel privileged to be able to enjoy such a strong bond with him and to be able to have such an important person in my life close to me."

Who inspired you while growing up? Both in the sporting world and outside of sport.

«My father always used it as a reference

Rafa Nadal. And I really like it too, for the competitive spirit and the respect with which he does things. With clarity and a shape that says everything about him. In turn, I want to be the best on the track but also off it." What do you like to do away from the circuits?

«I am a very sporty person, my hobbies are mainly linked to that. I have always practiced golf, padel, skiing, now a lot of cycling, for training but also because I enjoy it. And in my free time I follow a lot of sports on TV."

«Nadal has always been my father's legend and he has become mine»

Hobby? Only sport: golf, skiing, padel and lots of cycling, for training and because I enjoy it"

Madrid, your city, is full of beautiful museums. Do you go there every now and then? Do you like art?

«I'm honest: no, I'm not going. I made all the visits when I was 13,014 years old with school and practically my attendance at museums ended there. But if someone sits down to explain it to me, even better: art interests me. But going alone to watch an exhibition, I don't do that. And it's curious because if someone talks to me about a work of art, why it's made that way, about its history, I like it and I enjoy it."

And in Ferrari from 2021, leaving at the end of the year will not be easy.

«I have mixed feelings. The three seasons spent in Maranello, of hard work, living there, with time spent in the factory, helped the team progress. Now we are starting to see the growth of the project, the single-seater is better and I have confidence in driving it after it has "implemented" all the indications given in the past. It makes me feel happy for this year and at the same time sad that we won't continue the journey together. Somehow we have recently taken the right path for the future, and it shows on the track. But it's life, it's the way life decided it should go. It wasn't my decision, but maybe there will be better things to come. When I look at the past, at the choices I made by leaving Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, I see that everything makes sense. Maybe in a little while I'll look back and figure out whether to leave paid".

There are still 20 GPs to go: what do you dream will happen for you and for Ferrari between now and the end of the season?

“More victories, more podiums and see where it takes us.”

Italiano 🇮🇹

In Ferrari non ci sarà più spazio per lui il prossimo anno.

Ma lo spagnolo non polemizza, quando può vince e intanto guarda avanti. «E il mio stile, così mi hanno educato. Il Cavallino mi ha fatto conoscere cos'è la passione e io l'ho aiutato a crescere. Andare via non è una mia scelta, ma magari ci sarà di meglio in arrivo»

testo di: GIANLUCA GASPARINI

foto di: MATTIA GUOLO

styling di: GIANLUCA ZAPPOLI

E nato a Madrid, dal 2021 in Ferrari

Il pilota spagnolo della Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, 29 anni. Corre con la Rossa dal 2021 e in Formula 1 ha vinto tre GP, l'ultimo dei quali un mese fa, in Australia.

"Sorrido al futuro

E voglio essere il migliore”

Lo stile di un uomo, perché a quasi trent'anni sei un uomo fatto e finito, si misura nei momenti di avversità. Carlos Sainz viene da una famiglia madrilena elegante, può vantare un padre che nei rally e non solo ha scritto qualche pagina di storia dell'automobilismo, ma nella sua avventura in F.1 non ha mai trovato davanti a sé la strada in discesa. Meno di tre mesi fa la Ferrari gli ha fatto sapere che nel 2025 per lui non ci sarà più posto. Poteva reagire male, cadere nel vittimismo, perdersi, esagerare per impressionare tutti. Ha fatto l'esatto contrario. A partire dalle parole pronunciate allora, a febbraio. «Hamilton a Maranello è stato un duro colpo, non me lo aspettavo. Ero abbastanza sicuro che avrei rinnovato il contratto con la Rossa. Ma sarà il mio ultimo anno con la squadra e voglio solo pensare a fare il massimo per il Cavallino». Onesto, sincero. Con stile, appunto. «Lo stile non è qualcosa che scegli - racconta -, è qualcosa che deriva per gran parte dall'educazione che ti da la famiglia, dai valori che hai coltivato. E quello si traduce poi nel modo in cui ti comporti e in come fai le cose. Ma non posso dire di avere uno stile mio, particolare o studiato. Cerco solo di essere naturale».

Che inizio!

Per lo spagnolo eccellente partenza di stagione, in questo 2024, con la vittoria di Melbourne e due terzi posti, in Bahrain e in Giappone.

In questo momento sta andando più forte del suo compagno Charles Leclerc, e la cosa ha fatto nascere anche qualche dubbio e rimpianto nei tifosi della Rossa. Pensa di avere ancora margini di crescita come pilota?

«Per me tutti gli anni in F.1 possono offrire la possibilità di progredire. Ad ogni stagione che passa mi sento un pilota migliore e in più è chiaro che con il tempo vivi esperienze che ti fanno crescere come pilota e come persona, diciamo che faccio continui passi avanti su entrambi i fronti».

Per l'anno prossimo è nel mirino di diversi top team, a partire dalla Mercedes. Ma si è parlato anche di Red Bull. La fa star bene questo interesse, dopo una vigilia di stagione difficile e delicata?

«Sì, mi fa piacere. In realtà sono già parte di un team di vertice come la Ferrari, e far bene qui come in effetti sto facendo porta gli altri a tenerti d'occhio. Alla fine è quello che come pilota ho sempre desiderato, cioè essere considerato un nome buono per occupare i sedili migliori in F.1. E francamente spero che vada così per tanti anni ancora».

Identikit: Carlos Sainz

Figlio d'arte, corre in F.1 dal 2015

Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro è nato a Madrid (Spa) l'1 settembre 1994. Figlio del due volte iridato rally Carlos Sr, cresce nei kart prima di passare in Formula Bmw, quindi Renault e GP3. Il debutto in Formula 1 è del 2015, in Australia, con la Toro Rosso, dove resta fino all'ottobre 2017, quando passa in Renault. Il biennio 2019-2020 è in McLaren, dove conquista i primi due podi in carriera: terzo in Brasile nella prima stagionee secondo a Monza in quella successiva. Dal 2021 è alla Ferrari. In rosso centra a prima pole e la prima vittoria a Silverstone, nel 2022. Gli altri due successi sono arrivati a Singapore l'anno scorso e in Australia, un mese fa. Per lui, complessivamente 21 podi in 187 Gran Premi.

«Per il 2025, visto come sto andando,

vorrei una monoposto competitiva.

Sono felice di essere nel mirino di diversi

top team»

Trovare l'accordo con una nuova squadra potrebbe andare per le lunghe: è un pensiero? Può condizionare le sue prestazioni in qualche modo?

«Tutte le opzioni sono aperte, ma serve tempo per arrivare a prendere decisioni simili. Nelle ultime settimane è successo poco, da questo punto di vista, ma questo non incide sul modo in cui corro, sul mio lavoro in pista. Scegliere richiede tempo per tutti. Spesso mi chiedono se nel decidere sia meglio pensare all'anno prossimo o al lungo periodo. Credo dipenda da cosa ti offrono. Come pilota guardi sempre all'opzione che ti presenta la monoposto più velo-ce, perché pensi che in quel modo puoi conquistare podi e vittorie come sto facendo quest'anno. Ma sono interessanti anche le possibilità nel medio periodo, considerato il cambio di regolamenti del 2026. Ogni faccia della medaglia ha dei più e dei meno, ma la cosa migliore è che oggi come oggi tutte le opzioni restano aperte».

Quarto in classifica

In classifica, Sainz e quarto con 69 punt preceduto dal compagno Charles Leclerc (76) Primo è Verstappen (110), secondo Perez (85)

Non sembra preoccupato

«No. Sorrido pensando al futuro anche se cosa succederà non dipende unicamente da me. Io devo solo aspettaree far bene il mio mestiere. Se poi servirà tempo, va comunque bene. Anche perché, alla luce del cambio regolamenta re nel 2026, è quasi impossibile sapere chi andrà più forte. E così le decisioni dipendono anche da cosa ti "vendono" le squadre, ma nessuno ha un'idea ve-ra. Per il 2025, visto come sto andando, vorrei una monoposto competitiva... n ogni caso la situazione non mi distur-ba: so come tenere divise la pista e le domande dei giornalisti e dei tifosi sul futuro. Quando corri, corri. Sono da 10 anni in F.1, so come gestire i miei fine settimana».

«La moda mi interessa poco, non compro quasi mai nulla, ci hanno sempre pensato mia mamma, le mie sorelle, la fidanzata. Amo la comodità»

Quanto l'ha cambiata, umanamente, gareggiare per la Ferrari?

«Mi ha fatto conoscere la passione che può avere la gente per una scuderia, e questo lo vedi solo se corri con il Cavallino e sei circondato dai tifosi della Rossa.

Un calore così non lo senti in altre squa-dre. Umanamente sono rimasto coinvolto e questo ti tocca, ha influenza su di te. Io l'ho sentito».

Hamilton e Leclerc sono grandi amanti della moda. A lei piace?

«La moda non è qualcosa che occupa la mia mente nel tempo libero, dipende un po' da come mi sento giorno per giorno o dalla fase che attraverso nella mia vita. Con il cambiamento di età mi adatto nel modo di vestire, ma non mi Viene naturale pensare e ricercare cosa indosso. Capisco quelli che ne fanno una passione, ma a me non cambia la vita».

Che stile segue nel vestire? Compra lei quello che indossa o ha qualcuno che lo fa per lei? E quando era ragazzo sce glieva da solo o ci pensava sua mamma?Avete mai litigato per come si vestiva?

«Comprare non compro quasi mai. Quando succede è perché vado con la mia ragazza (Rebecca Donaldson, modella scozzese; ndr), le mie sorelle (ne ha due, Ana e Blanca; ndr) o mia madre. Non mi è mai successo di essere da qualche parte, in un hotel o a casa, ® dirmi: "Adesso vado a fare shopping"

L'idea non viene mai da me. Deve sempre arrivare da qualcun altro e già questo dimostra che non è una mia priorità. Poi mi vesto anch'io, certo. E lo stile che mi piace seguire è classico, elegante e tradizionale. Mi sento comodo e a mio agio. Fino a 20-25 anni tutti i miei vestiti li compravano mamma, le sorelle o le fidanzate del periodo. E non ci ho mai litigato perché accettavo tutto quello che dicevano, non avevo un'opinione...».

È molto legato a suo padre, che ha sempre ammirato ma senza evitare qualche scontro: che rapporto avete adesso e quanto conta per la sua carriera?

«Tutti, quando siamo giovani, abbiamo momenti di disaccordo con i genitori.Fa parte della normale dinamica tra padre e figlio e c'è un'età in cui esprimi continuamente un'opinione diversa a prescindere, per partito preso, c'è un periodo della tua vita in cui sembra tu lo faccia apposta. Quell'età adesso è passata, ma ricordo che mi piaceva discutere con lui, anche scontrarmi, però con educazione e rispetto. Non c'è mai stato un momento davvero brutto in cui ci siamo presi a male parole Papà mi ha sempre educato a rispettare tutti. Adesso abbiamo un rapporto incredibile, molto bello. Mi ha insegnato tutto quello che so nella vita, alla fine mi sento privilegiato nel poter godere di un legame così forte con lui e poter avere vicino una persona così importante nella vita».

Chi l'ha ispirata mentre cresceva? Sia nel mondo sportivo sia fuori dallo sport.

«Mio padre ha sempre utilizzato come riferimento Rafa Nadal. E anche a me piace molto, per lo spirito competitivo e per il rispetto con cui fa le cose. Con chiarezza e una forma che dice tutto di lui. A mia volta, voglio essere il migliore in pista ma anche fuori».

Cosa le piace fare lontano dai circuiti?

«Sono una persona molto sportiva, i miei hobby sono legati soprattutto a quello. Pratico da sempre golf, padel, sci, adesso tanta bicicletta, per allenamento ma anche perché mi diverte. E nel tempo libero seguo un sacco di sport in tv».

«Nadal è sempre stato il mito di mio padre ed è diventato il mio.

Hobby? Solo sport: golf, sci, padel e tanta bici, per allenamento e perché mi diverte»

Madrid, la sua città, è piena di musei bellissimi. Ci va ogni tanto? L’arte le piace?

«Sono sincero: no, non ci vado. Tutte le visite le ho fatte quando avevo 13 014 anni con la scuola e praticamente la mia frequentazione di musei è finita li. Però se qualcuno si siede a spiegarmela, me-glio: l'arte mi interessa. Ma andare io da solo, a guardare una mostra, questo non lo faccio. Ed è curioso perché se poi uno mi parla di un'opera d'arte, del perché è fatta in quel modo, della sua storia, mi piace e mi diverte».

È in Ferrari dal 2021, andarsene a fine anno non sarà facile.

«Provo sentimenti contrastanti. Le tre stagioni passate a Maranello, di duro lavoro, vivendo lì, con il tempo speso in fabbrica, hanno aiutato il team a progredire. Adesso inizia a vedersi la crescita del progetto, la monoposto è migliore e mi fido nel guidarla dopo che ha "recepito" tutte le indicazioni date in passato. Mi fa sentire felice per quest'anno e allo stesso tempo triste perché non continueremo il viaggio insieme. In qualche modo abbiamo imboccato da poco la strada giusta per il futuro, e in pista si vede. Ma è la vita, è il modo in cui la vita ha deciso che doveva andare. Non è stata una mia decisione, ma magari ci sarà di meglio in arrivo. Quando guardo al passato, alle scelte che ho fatto andando via dalla Toro Rosso, dalla Renault, dalla McLaren, vedo che tutto ha un senso. Magari tra un po' di tempo mi girerò indietro e capirò se andarsene ha pagato».

Ci sono ancora 20 GP da correre: cosa sogna che succeda, per lei e per la Fer-rari, da qui a fine stagione?

«Più vittorie, più podi e vedere dove ci porta».

Español 🇪🇸

No habrá lugar para él en Ferrari el año que viene.

Pero el español no discute, gana cuando puede y mientras tanto mira hacia adelante. «Es mi estilo, así me educaron. El Cavallino me mostró lo que es la pasión y la ayudé a crecer. Irme no es mi elección, pero tal vez vengan cosas mejores".

texto de: GIANLUCA GASPARINI

foto de: MATTIA GUOLO

Diseño de: GIANLUCA ZAPPOLI

nacido en Madrid, desde 2021 en Ferrari

El piloto español de Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, 29 años. Corre con el equipo Rojo desde 2021 y ha ganado tres Grandes Premios de Fórmula 1, el último de ellos hace un mes en Australia.

"Le sonrío al futuro

Y quiero ser el mejor".

El estilo de un hombre, porque con casi treinta años eres un hombre acabado, se mide en los momentos de adversidad. Carlos Sainz proviene de una elegante familia madrileña, puede presumir de un padre que no sólo escribió algunas páginas de historia del motor en los rallyes, sino que en su aventura en la F.1 nunca encontró un camino cuesta abajo por delante. Hace menos de tres meses Ferrari le hizo saber que ya no habrá plaza para él en 2025. Podría reaccionar mal, caer en el victimismo, perderse, exagerar para impresionar a todos. Hizo exactamente lo contrario. A partir de las palabras pronunciadas entonces, en febrero. «Hamilton en Maranello fue un golpe duro, no me lo esperaba. Estaba bastante seguro de que renovaría el contrato con la Rossa. Pero será mi último año con el equipo y sólo quiero pensar en dar lo mejor de mí para el Cavallino". Honesto, sincero. Con estilo, por cierto. «El estilo no es algo que eliges - afirma -, es algo que deriva en gran medida de la educación que te da tu familia, de los valores que has cultivado. Y eso luego se traduce en cómo te comportas y cómo haces las cosas. Pero no puedo decir que tenga un estilo propio, particular o estudiado. Sólo trato de ser natural"

¡Qué comienzo!

Excelente inicio de temporada para el español en 2024, con la victoria en Melbourne y dos terceros puestos en Bahréin y Japón.

De momento va más rápido que su compañero Charles Leclerc, y esto también generó algunas dudas y lamentos entre la afición roja. ¿Cree que todavía tiene margen de crecimiento como impulsor?

«Para mí, todos los años en la F.1 pueden ofrecer la oportunidad de progresar. Cada temporada que pasa me siento mejor piloto y también está claro que con el tiempo vas teniendo experiencias que te hacen crecer como piloto y como persona, digamos que continuamente avanzo en ambos frentes”.

Para el próximo año está en la mira de varios equipos top, empezando por Mercedes. Pero también se habló de Red Bull. ¿Este interés te hace sentir bien, después de un final de temporada difícil y delicado?

"Sí, me gustaría eso. En realidad, ya formo parte de un equipo de primer nivel como Ferrari, y hacerlo bien aquí como lo estoy haciendo realmente hace que los demás te vigilen. Al final es lo que siempre he querido como piloto, es decir, ser considerado un buen nombre para ocupar los mejores asientos de la F.1. Y, francamente, espero que siga así durante muchos años más".

Identikit Carlos Sainz

Tradición familiar, él corre en F.1 desde 2015

Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro Nació en Madrid (Spa) el 1 de septiembre. 1994. Hijo del dos veces campeón del mundo de rallyes Carlos Sr, creció en el karting antes de pasar a la Fórmula BMW, luego a Renault y a la GP3. Su debut en la Fórmula 1 fue en 2015, en Australia, con Toro Rosso, donde permaneció hasta octubre 2017, cuando se mudó a Renault. El bienio 2019-2020 fue en McLaren, donde logró los dos primeros podios de su carrera: tercero en Brasil en la primera temporada y segundo en Monza en la siguiente. Desde 2021 está en Ferrari. De rojo consiguió su primera pole y su primera victoria en Silverstone en 2022. Los otros dos éxitos llegaron en Singapur el año pasado y en Australia hace un mes. Para él, en general 21 podios en 187 Grandes Premios.

«Para 2025, viendo cómo voy, Me gustaría un monoplaza competitivo. Estoy feliz de estar en la mira de varios el mejor equipo"

Llegar a un acuerdo con un nuevo equipo podría llevar mucho tiempo: ¿es una idea? ¿Puede afectar su desempeño de alguna manera?

«Todas las opciones están abiertas, pero se necesita tiempo para llegar a decisiones similares. Desde este punto de vista, poco ha sucedido en las últimas semanas, pero esto no afecta mi forma de correr, mi trabajo en la pista. Elegir requiere tiempo para todos. A menudo me preguntan si es mejor pensar en el año que viene o en el largo plazo a la hora de decidir.

Creo que depende de lo que te ofrezcan. Como piloto siempre miras la opción que te presenta el monoplaza más rápido, porque piensas que así puedes conseguir podios y victorias como estoy haciendo yo este año. Pero las posibilidades a medio plazo también son interesantes, dado el cambio de normativa 2026. Cada cara de la moneda tiene más y menos, pero lo mejor es que hoy todas las opciones siguen abiertas."

No parece preocupado

"No. Sonrío pensando en el futuro aunque lo que pasará no dependa únicamente de mí. Sólo tengo que esperar y hacer bien mi trabajo. Si lleva tiempo, está bien. También porque, ante el cambio regulatorio de 2026, es casi imposible saber quién irá más rápido. Y entonces las decisiones también dependen de lo que te "venden" los equipos, pero nadie tiene una idea real. Para 2025, tal como voy, me gustaría un monoplaza competitivo... en cualquier caso la situación no me inquieta: sé mantener divididas la pista y las preguntas de periodistas y aficionados sobre el futuro. . Cuando corras, corre. Llevo 10 años en la F.1 y sé cómo gestionar mis fines de semana".

«La moda me interesa poco, no compro casi nunca nada, mi madre, mis hermanas, mi novia siempre se encargaban de ello. Amo la comodidad"

¿Cuánto te ha cambiado a nivel humano competir para Ferrari?

«Él me presentó la pasión que la gente puede tener por un equipo, y esto sólo se ve si corres con el Cavallino y estás rodeado de la afición Roja. No se siente una calidez así en otros equipos. Humanamente estuve involucrado y esto te afecta, te influye. Lo escuché."

Hamilton y Leclerc son grandes amantes de la moda. ¿A usted le gusta?

«La moda no es algo que ocupe mi mente en mi tiempo libre, depende un poco de cómo me siento día a día o de la etapa que atravieso en mi vida. Con el cambio de edad me adapto en mi forma de vestir, pero no me resulta natural pensar e investigar qué me pongo. Entiendo a quienes hacen de esto una pasión, pero eso no cambia mi vida".

¿Qué estilo sigues al vestir? ¿Compra lo que usa o tiene alguien que se lo haga? ¿Y cuando era niño eligió él solo o se encargó su madre?

¿Alguna vez habéis discutido sobre cómo vestía?

«Casi nunca compro. Cuando pasa es porque voy con mi novia (Rebecca Donaldson, modelo escocesa; ed.), mis hermanas (tiene dos, Ana y Blanca; ed.) o mi madre. Nunca me ha pasado que estuviera en algún lugar, en un hotel o en mi casa, ® diciéndome: “ahora voy de compras” La idea nunca se me ocurre. Siempre tiene que venir de otra persona y eso solo demuestra que no es mi prioridad. Luego yo también me visto, claro. Y el estilo que me gusta seguir es el clásico, elegante y tradicional. Me siento cómodo y a gusto. Hasta los 20-25 toda mi ropa la compraba mi madre, hermanas o novias de la época. Y nunca discutí por eso porque aceptaba todo lo que decían, no tenía opinión...".

Es muy cercano a su padre, al que siempre ha admirado pero sin evitar algunos enfrentamientos: ¿qué relación tienes ahora y qué importancia tiene para su carrera?

«Cuando somos jóvenes, todos tenemos momentos de desacuerdo con nuestros padres. Es parte de la dinámica normal entre padre e hijo y hay una edad en la que continuamente expresas una opinión diferente independientemente, por prejuicios, hay un período de tu vida en el que parece que lo haces a propósito. Esa edad ya pasó, pero recuerdo que me gustaba discutir con él, incluso chocar, pero con educación y respeto. Nunca hubo un mal momento en el que nos dijéramos malas palabras. Papá siempre me crió para que respetara a todos. Ahora tenemos una relación increíble, muy hermosa. Él me enseñó todo lo que sé en la vida, al final me siento un privilegiado de poder disfrutar de un vínculo tan fuerte con él y poder tener cerca de mí a una persona tan importante en mi vida."

¿Quién te inspiró mientras crecías? Tanto en el mundo deportivo como fuera del deporte.

«Mi padre siempre usó a Rafa Nadal como referente. Y me gusta mucho también, por el espíritu competitivo y el respeto con el que hace las cosas. Con claridad y una forma que dice todo de él. A mi vez, quiero ser el mejor dentro de la pista pero también fuera de ella".

¿Qué te gusta hacer fuera de los circuitos?

«Soy una persona muy deportista, mis aficiones están ligadas principalmente a eso. Siempre he practicado golf, pádel, esquí, ahora mucho ciclismo, para entrenar pero también porque lo disfruto. Y en mi tiempo libre sigo muchos deportes en la televisión".

«Nadal siempre ha sido la leyenda de mi padre y se ha convertido en la mía.

¿Pasatiempo? Sólo deporte: golf, esquí, pádel y mucho ciclismo, para entrenar y porque lo disfruto”

Madrid, su ciudad, está llena de preciosos museos. ¿Vas allí de vez en cuando? ¿Te gusta el arte?

«Te soy sincera: no, no voy. Todas las visitas las hice cuando tenía 13.014 años con el colegio y prácticamente ahí acabó mi asistencia a los museos. Pero si alguien se sienta a explicármelo, mejor aún: me interesa el arte. Pero ir solo a ver una exposición no lo hago. Y es curioso porque si alguien me habla de una obra de arte, de por qué está hecha así, de su historia, me gusta y la disfruto."

Lleva en Ferrari desde 2021, marcharse a final de año no será fácil.

«Tengo sentimientos encontrados. Las tres temporadas pasadas en Maranello, de duro trabajo, de vivir allí, con el tiempo pasado en la fábrica, ayudaron al equipo a progresar. Ahora empezamos a ver el crecimiento del proyecto, el monoplaza es mejor y tengo confianza en conducirlo después de haber "implementado" todas las indicaciones dadas en el pasado. Me hace sentir feliz por este año y al mismo tiempo triste porque no continuaremos el viaje juntos. De alguna manera, recientemente hemos tomado el camino correcto para el futuro, y eso se nota en la pista. Pero así es la vida, así es como la vida decidió que debía ser. No fue mi decisión, pero tal vez vengan cosas mejores. Cuando miro al pasado, a las decisiones que tomé al dejar Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, veo que todo tiene sentido. Tal vez dentro de un tiempo mire atrás y comprenda si marcharme valió la pena".

Aún quedan 20 grandes premios: ¿qué sueñas que sucederá para ti y para Ferrari de aquí al final de la temporada?

"Más victorias, más podios y veremos adónde nos lleva".

[alexiavettel]

chapter one

“The world was whole then, the sun and moon together as one”

pairing: charles leclerc x fem¡stroll!reader

word count: 2k+

warnings: asshole!charles, asshole!reader, some business stuff, shitty father, mentions of Jules (this one actually trigger me) eventual smut, use of Y/N and will be a miniserie

summary: Your father, Lawrence Stroll, and basically your boss have a good opportunity of linking Aston Martin with Ferrari’s stocks. But for that Binotto demanded that you, first driver of your dad’s formula one team, with your impeccable reputation start a fake relationship with the Ferrari’s golden boy Charles Leclerc. Which happens to have a not so good popularity, publicly cheating on with his ex girlfriend plenty of times and being a complete asshole with his ex teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who now is your teammate.

disclaimer: any photo used is not supposed to represent the reader, are all Pinterest pics that matches the context

(Y/n) Stroll POV:

No. I’m definitely not doing this.

“Dad no. I would rather die than pretending to be in love with that bastard!” I said after waiting for dad to finish telling me the worst thing I ever heard come out of his mouth.

“Sweetie I know it’s a shitty thing to ask for, but I need your help okay? You want to keep your seat in formula 1, don’t you kitten?”

“Yeah, of course I do!”

“You’re such a great driver and we worked really hard on your reputation, to keep it untouchable. I helped you a lot through your career and I hope you can help me now. Use your brain, sweetheart… Would be good for our business, our team, your career, everything!” Lawrence leans forward and put an arm around my shoulders, speaking in low volume.

“Can I just have a moment to at least think about it?” I shrugged finding a way out of his arm.

“Sure, just think wisely…” he reassured and leave me alone on his meeting room.

This isn’t the first time something like this happens, my father ALWAYS use his power over me. How he can easily take my seat away from me, take me out of the team and make my career a little bit harder than already is.

I’m not dumb, I know I deserve my seat. Obviously, I got into f1 rather faster than the others, because Stroll’s influence (and money) but I do deserve my seat. Ever since I got into the championships (F3, F2 and F1) I got the spotlight right in my face being the only woman on the grid only because “my daddy’s money”. But when I, as a rookie in Renault, got my first points only in the third race weekend getting a P8 everyone was looking at me a little bit different.

I had secretly received two emails showing interest on me: one from Mercedes to assume their second drivers seat in 2024 after Lewis supposed retirement and one from McLaren for 2023 after Daniel Ricciardo showing an interest to leave the constructor.

So yes, I do have a plan B. But I still need a seat to end this season. The best would be wait till the end of this year, and see what to do next. And what is dating the worst person that I ever met compared to the dream I have since I was 5.

The hate for Charles is old. More specifically since 2017 when we were teammates for prema for the Formula 2 championship. We didn’t like each other, almost everybody knew it because he made it very clear in all his interviews.

“(Y/n)! It’s lovely to see you again, congrats for the amazing win today! Even with today’s win Leclerc still a few points ahead of you in the championship, what you have to say about it?”

“Hm, thank you. Was it really an amazing race today, feeling good to have the opportunity to show myself a bit more this weekend. But yeah, I believe he’s these points ahead because Markelov crashed into me in Hungary and I lost engine last race”.

“But you both leading the championship it’s not good for prema?” The woman asked me while turning her head a little confused.

“Oh it is, but I would like to win the championship as much as Leclerc. It’s only a friendly competition between us” I just said smiling even tho my throat burned to say those words.

Charles Leclerc POV:

“Hi Charles awesome race, you did an amazing job today! But (Y/n) managed to overtake you in the very first laps, how do you fell about it?” Really? I haven’t noticed before…

“Well she’s a good driver but to be honest my car wasn’t feeling really great today so that’s probably one of the reasons she overtook me so easily” That’s true? No. Do I care? Also no.

“Okay, hm you surely want to win the championship but how you plan to do so with your teammate, and probably friend, chasing you only some points behind?”

“We are just teammates, okay? Not friends or anything. And I’m planning to give all of me in the next races and fight very bravery for the championship, no matter what is in the way” Or no matter who is in the way…

(Y/n) Stroll POV:

Was always like that… Me holding back my words and Leclerc almost writing in his forehead with a neon marker his hate towards me.

We grew up very far from each other, well until my dear dad decided to move to UK and we started karting together throughout Europe.

“But (Y/n) that was just a rivalry, don’t be dramatic” I heard that too many times. It’s not “just a rivalry” when your rival pushes you off the track making you brake some bones, or when he invents lies to your father yell at you in front of everyone before a tournament or worst when he treats your teammate like shit and still thinking that he is a god!

He is so damn stubborn and egocentric, he thinks he’s the best in everything. Paddle? Swimming? Skiing? Learning languages? (okay in this case he will never beat me and he knows it) Singing? Dancing? He thinks he nails it, even if he looks like a lizard doing everything.

But at driving… he always knew that I was at his level maybe even a little bit better than him. A competition to him, someone who didn’t get immediately on their knees in his first appearance, who his older brother always liked and especially someone who never cheer him up every time he wins.

But well it’s for my seat anyways so I texted my dad that I was up for it on my way home. If we really are going to do this it’s gotta be only after tomorrow, I’m really tired and with all this bullshit I’m even more.

•

“WITH HER?” I heard in the exact moment I walked into the conference room.

“Charles… It’s the deal. You alright signed” Lorenzo, his dear brother and manager, said to him. “I told you to read it before tho”

“Well I trust my team so I didn’t think they would do such a shitty thing like this”

“Shut up Leclerc you think I’m happy about it?” I said while going to a hug with Lorenzo “How you still have patience after all this time Lo?”

“Too many years, hun”

“Kitten, Binotto is already on his way. Why don’t you have a sit?” my father said and Charles held his laugh at the nickname so I discretely fixed my hair with my middle finger.

“Good morning guys, pleasure to see you all here today” the old man’s voice with a thick italian accent which could be recognised everywhere in the paddock entered the room.

“Binotto what the actual-“

“Sir can you please explain to Charles why this deal was created” Lorenzo interrupted his brother almost immediately.

“Exactly because of that… Your brother is a amazing driver but too hot headed, don’t know when to say the things, when to lie and etc. But with (Y/n) it’s different since everybody loves her, the media specifically which is the most important…”

“So it would be good to the both sides if you guys faked a relationship! Our companies somehow together, and your reputation so much better!” dad completed for the Ferrari’s team principal.

Watching Leclerc slowly and visibly dying inside can enter the list of favorite moments right now.

“Can we speak about it alone?” Charles said after almost a entire minute in silence.

“A-Ah sure” this caught everyone surprised.

“If you’re okay with that (Y/n)…” Lorenzo said getting up.

“Sure…” you will not surprise me Leclerc, I know you very well. He probably just gonna try to persuade me to forget about this as his last hope.

“Why’d you accept it?” was the first thing he said after everybody left.

“It’s good for the company” keep it short (Y/n).

“How your old man convinced you?”

“Doesn’t matter, but you know what does? We already accept and signed it and you are not going to change my mind”

“You must be really desperate to date me then huh?”

“You must be really desperate to save your shitty reputation to sign a contract without reading at least two lines of it”

“You don’t know shit about it!” Okay, there it is…

Stage one of mad Leclerc: starting to get pissed off.

“Ow don’t I? Your team accepted the very first offer they received to try to get your reputation better, even if that meant a partnership with a smaller company and basically selling you! Just because you can’t keep your shits down and keep losing sponsors” I am fucking good about getting him mad.

“You might be right about it but you accepting it just can mean one thing: you’re obsessed with me and this is the only chance you have to get at least a little closer to me or your family company it’s broking”

Stage two: teasing Leclerc (my least favourite).

“You have such a big head and still with a small brain! Maybe have crossed your mind that these are neither of my reasons?”

“So why you don’t tell me? It’s not like you having to choose this deal is my fault”

Stage three: trying to gaslighting.

“It’s not your fucking business”

“Always so foul-mouthed for what? For keeping everything that happens inside of yourself to anyone have any possibility of truly liking you?”

Stage four: pretend to be my therapist but just insults me.

“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I just don’t like you and want you the farthest way possible of me? So that’s might be the reason I don’t tell you anything?”

“Oh shut up you’re just so stubborn and a fumier and a folle and stupide you think you’re the best even if you’re just an afraid little girl” if I didn’t know him for such a long time I wouldn’t understand what he is talking about because of the strong accent.

Stage five: multiple languages, strong accent and pouting like a kid.

“You’re over?” God he makes me sick… “Guys you can come in” I open the door and say a little louder so they can hear from the waiting room.

“So the deal still up?” My dad asked a little taken back.

“Sure” we said in unison.

“Nice! Since you both already signed the contract your respective pr managers already know about it. Now you guys just have be civil, determine rules between you two but remember: you NEED to look like a real couple and keep this deal down, the least amount of people knowing the better”

Welcome to hell.

•

“CAN YOU BELIEVE IT DEREK?” I screamed at my pt while running on the treadmill.

“Okay, so your dad got mad with you because you let Leclerc scream at you? How does that make sense?”

“It doesn’t! That’s the whole point! I’m so tired of his shit…”

“Take it easy it just needs to last to the end of this year, you can do it!”

“The season didn’t even started yet! Basically one year of this bullshit”

“Well, at least you got summer break…”

“I might have a break from my dad but not Leclerc. Or do you thing girlfriend and boyfriend, ew, spend their summers away from each other!”

“Yeah, you’re fucked” he tried to smile sympathetically.

“God I wish someday I’ll be just like you mate, married to an incredibly hot woman and got a cute little son running around and working for a amazing person”

“You were being too cute to be true… How do you manage to pass through a door with that big ego my girl? Don’t know how I still work for you”

“I pay well plus you love me” I said smiling after drinking water.

“Yeah you’re right-“

“WAIT YOU FINALLY SAID ‘I LOVE YOU’”

“No I didn’t-“

“In a weird way but you did, admit it!”

•

“We need to set some rules if we are actually doing this shit” I said seating before Charles disgusting Leclerc.

“You are calling our relationship ’shit’? This is it! I wanna break up”

“Stop being dramatic” this was actually funny what the hell?

“Just joking sweetheart”

“First we need to know what to call each other. I hate princess and kitty”

“Ew why would someone call their girl kitty? That’s not a weird name for pussy?”

“That’s one of the reasons I hate it”

“Unlike some people I love to be called by prince or king” he said moving back an imaginary long hair.

“I’m definitely not doing this” I might actually throw up. “Just say what you hate and I’ll try to avoid”

“Nothing particular maybe just mon loup. It makes me feel like I’m Toto Wolff”

“Okay the backstory Lorenzo and Liv (my pr manager) already created-“

“Wait they did?” He interrupted me.

“Yeah it’s basically our normal story, how we met and our ‘little fights’ all the same shit. The only thing it changed is that we fell in love with each other during the winter break”

“So it’s kind true isn’t it? You fell in love with me during the winter break but that was in 2016”

“Can you just shut down your ego for two seconds, please? We both know that would never happen”

“Yeah sure keep lying to yourself babe”

“Second rule: nothing of unnecessary PDA. Third: don’t get our careers involved”

“It’s exactly because of our careers we are in this situation-”

“I mean whatever comes out of this deal should not affect our careers.

Forth: don’t get yourself in trouble! We receive a lot of shitty questions and your dumb brain answers all of them the way the media want to just ruin you. You’re not doing this, not when we are ‘dating’, you heard me?”

“So what? Are you going to control me?”

“I intend to. We gonna do a plenty of press together so I will interrupt you every time I think it’s necessary”

“Fifth: not seeing other people while we are doing this…” okay that caught me off guard.

“Well you are the not so loyal one-“

“I didn’t cheated!”

“Ow so half the globe is blind and dumb?”

“WE WEREN’T DATING! When the photos came out we already had broken up for about 3 months”

“Yeah sure I don’t want to know the details of your love life. I just don’t wanna look like a dumb trophy girlfriend of a cheater. Sixth: you are not speaking shit to or about my teammate and my friends, my family is allowed but that just work for my father”

“You say like your dear teammate doesn’t know why we discussed so much… But okay. So that’s it? Can I go now?”

“Sure you can but don’t forget we have a ‘date’ tomorrow night” god that sounds so wrong and so gross at the same time.

⇨⇨⇨ next part

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Mexico 2018

-“Forget your Sunday siesta, it’s time for the Formula One fiesta”

-A title deciding race; makes sense since Kimi paused that in the last race (US 2018)

-“Where Valterri Bottas recorded the fastest speed for a formula 1 car ever” Why is this man in a Sauber?

-Red Bull locking out the front row for the first time in five years!

-Daniel pole!!!

-I still find it so hard to believe that Sebastian’s never won from below the top three

-Ayyy Renault p7 and p8! Nice!

-“Charles Leclerc out qualifies his teammate once again“ He’s just always been that guy

-I feel like I’ve watched so many races where Pierre qualifies at the bottom because of an engine penalty

-I just smiled at Daniel smiling on the screen, so embarrassing

-“Sebastian has to win to keep the championship”

-“Longest turn 1 in the calendar”

-Mexico really be so loyal to their drivers

-Aaah Daniel lost position

-Go Max!!

-Ocon pitting lap 2? Oh there was contact

-That start from Lewis was actually pretty cool

-Oh Max hasn’t made pole yet?

-Carlos to McLaren next! Definitely watching that season soon.

-Fernando Alonso out

“…Farewell to Formula 1” ??

“There goes the chance for Fernando Alonso to end his Formula 1 career with the most laps raced by any driver”

-Are we talking about the same Fernando Alonso here? The same Fernando Alonso that is going to have his 400th start this weekend? That Fernando Alonso??

-“That is a record Fernando Alonso now can not get” hahahaha

-Come on Daniel! Close that gap!

-Mercedes double stack!

-Checo in points!

-Lap 14 and the leaderboard looking like the US GP 2024 (Ferrari, Ferrari, Red Bull)

-These fans are actually so crazy for Checo (affectionate)

-“Raikonnen losing two positions in one turn”

-Such cool driving from Lewis and Daniel

-Ferrari double stack?

-And the leaderboard is back to being a Red Bull sandwich, with Lewis in the middle

-Was the Toro Rosso ever good?

-I need to witness a Red Bull 1-2. Come on Daniel! You got this!

-No! Daniel don’t lose podium!

-No Carlos no! Why do I even try being hopeful for the Renault?

-Virtual Safety Car

-“Drivers must reduce speed by 40%” That’s such a random number

-At least Checo and Ocon got a good pit stop out of this

-Sebastian so close to Daniel right now

-“What a great tussle between the two former teammates” I always forget they were teammates

-I should probably watch one of those races as well

-Aah can’t even be mad at Sebastian cause that was really good

-Charles and Checo! “And what a brilliant battle that is!”

-Daniel: “What f*cking joke, these guys” Yeahhh

-Go Checo! Hometown hero!

-“He’s scored points in every race so far in Mexico” Let’s go!!

-“I don’t think he’s in a particularly passive mood today” Why would any of them be?

-Woah! Sebastian p2!

-“15s away from the leader Vertsappen”

-Perez in 16th place??? How???

-He took out Kevin??

-They really jinxed him getting points in every home race

-That’s so sad

-All the fans being sad too; that must really suck

-“Not a very good day for the Spanish speaking drivers in this race: Alonso, Sainz, Perez, all out” WHO CURSED THEM

-Lewis complaining about his car vibrating; did the 2024 Merc somehow time travel to this one moment?

-Come on Daniel! At least make podium!!!

-“Last of the late breakers Daniel Ricciardo” I don’t know why that makes me so emotional

-Kevin’s still in the race btw, albeit in last place

-Oh shit! Lewis locked up!

-Daniel p3!

-You know last time Lewis won a championship in Mexico (in 2017), he also won it from off the podium

-Lewis: “Nothing left guys, these tires are dead”

-Sebastian pitting too?

-Nobody do anything! It’s a Red Bull 1-2!

-Bottas locks up too! That was almost identical to what happened to Lewis

-“Verstappen pits and still comes out leading the race”

-Still so many laps to go

-Oh no, we’re going to have a Daniel vs Sebastian pt2

-Oh all the used tires get shredded and recycled, that’s pretty cool

-Don’t know if leaving Daniel out was a good idea

-Lewis complaining about the car again? Yeah the 2024 car is here

-“Look how close Sebastian Vettel is” Here we go again

-“Ricciardo’s had those tires on for 45 laps”

-Why didn’t he pit!!!

-Woah he just set the fastest lap! Insane!

-The commentators talking about Sebastian’s glory days at Red Bull and about how those days don’t last forever

-Oh no

WHAT “the man that has more DNFs than any other driver this season”

Red Bull whyyyy

-His race was going so well too

-Max telling them to check his engine too

-“He’d rather settle for second then not finish at all”

-“Max Verstappen who has never won the same race twice in his career is on the verge of doing that”

-“Lewis Hamilton who has never won a championship on the same track twice is on the verge of doing that as well”

-Future championship rivals breaking their career records together

-“5 wins without ever taking pole”!!

-Ferrari 2-3! Both cars on the podium, first time since Alan Prost and Nigel Mansel in 1990!

-5 times world champion!!!

-Will Smith congratulating him 😂��

“Just like I taught you baby!”

-Aww no donuts

-Max: “It would’ve been nice if Daniel was here. We could’ve had a 1-2 or at least both cars on the podium”

-Sebastian mid-interview: “Let me say congratulations to Lewis”

-They’re all so wholesome

-“I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13” woah

-Omg Nico gained a position

-Charles too!

-Lewis happy is so precious

-He’s so cute fr

[norgeant]

sorry im just invading your asks to say IVE FOUND A FELLOW NORGEANT TRUTHER???? I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE???? HELLO HEY HI (sorry im going insane i think im obsessed with you now) anyways yes do you have lore on them? bc i have some but unfortunately not enough to keep me fuelled bc wdym they KARTED together and now they dont even interact in f1 anymore, i think my favourite moment of this whole season was when lando fist bumped logan in miami (aka the only time they've actually had a public interaction)(aka them hard launching their relationship ofc) anyways so sorry for this useless ramble have a lovely day/night 💕

Thank you for the first ask and YES HI !!! I was nervous it was just me and (from what I know) two others who even mention lando/logan and I didn't know how well this blog would go but I'm glad it's actually going pretty good!

The fist bump was iconic (in my heart) but it only last 2 seconds D: My favourite moment has to be the Williams and McLaren 2024 fan forum stage bc I'm basic and when I see them in the same veracity, the cogs in my head start turning (and if I find clips where they even chuckle at the same time I WILL be sharing it here)

Lore-wise, I don't have much tbh, I know they karted together sometimes, but usually even in events that they were both at, they would be in different classes/categories (KF, KFJ etc.). They were even under the same team in 2014, ricky flynn motorsport

Their public drivers on the old rfm site (very cute) + max fewtrell

Which is funny bc at this point there's more max f and logan lore than lando and logan lore, like, they also went to drive in formula Renault in 2017 and for the SAME TEAM in 2018

Makes me feel like it'd be goofy (positive) for lando to introduce his boyfriend to his best friend and they're just like "oh yeah, we go way back too, we just never interacted either"

The lack of braincells is lacking braincells (affectionate but makes sense for this strangely rare trio 😭)

Idk if max f has brought up logan on his streams before but there's bound to be something, right? Maybe I'll find more lore down the line but for now that's all I have :')

So ig my hw rn is finding that fan forum stage, rewatching the williams podcast in case they bring up lando, and having a quick search in max f's twitch clips

Anyways, don't apologise for rambling bc clearly I too am a rambler if it wasn't already obvious lol 🫶

Have a good day/night too and to whoever the heck is reading all this

Xoxo

Your local norgeant blog 💙🧡

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: George Russell

Updated December 2024

Name: George William Russell

Age: 26

Nationality: British

Years in F1: 6 (Williams 2019-2021, Mercedes 2022-Present)

Number: 63

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Russell is most known for his analytical approach to driving, and is a driver that seems to take the data in to consideration most heavily. He has great awareness of technical set-up, and tends to be a clean driver. He also has smooth approaches to corners, and is a known early brake which helps reduce the risk of mistakes. The negative about his style is that he does not have the raw aggression other drivers do, and can be overly-cautious in wheel-to-wheel situations. This can sometimes prevent him from fighting for higher positions in the grid.

History:

Russell drove his first kart when he was 7 years old, after having grown up around the race track. He began competitive karting in 2006, moving up to the cadet class by 2009 and becoming MSA British champion and British Open champion. In 2010 he moved to the Rotax Mini Max category where he became Super One British champion, Formula Kart Stars British champion, and also won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix. Russell graduated to the KF3 class in 2011, winning the SKUSA Supernationals title and becoming CIK-FIA European Champion that year, and in 2012. In his final year of karting in 2013, did not have as successful of a run, finishing 19th.

(Young Russell behind future teammate Lewis Hamilton)

He made his single-seater debut in 2014 for the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series. He finished that year in 4th after having an illness during the season. That same year he would compete in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, winning the title that year after a four-way battle. As a prize for winning, he was able to test his first GP3 car.

(Russell in 2014)

Russell graduated to Formula 3 in 2015. He had a strong year, regularly achieving poles, podium finishes, and a few wins. He finished 2nd in the season behind Charles Leclerc. In 2016 he drove in the Hitech GP, and finished 3rd.

(Russell in 2016 Hitech car)

Russell moved on to GP3 for the 2017 season. He had an extremely successful year, winning multiple races and showing dominant performances. He would win the GP3 title that year before the season was finished. He was pulled up to F2 due to his strong performance that year.

In 2018 Russell drove a brilliant year in F2. He had several standout performances, multiple wins, podiums, and pole positions. He would go on to be added to the short list of drivers who won the F2 championship in their rookie year (alongside future Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton).

(Russell winning race that took his F2 championship victory)

Throughout all of this, Russell had caught the eye of the F1 team Mercedes, particularly Team Principal Toto Wolff. He joined the Mercedes Junior Program in 2017, and was expected to eventually make his way onto the team in the future. In October 2018 Williams, an F1 team that had been informally serving as the Mercedes junior team, announced Russell as part of their 2019 lineup.

(Russell with Williams)

His first season in F1 would be somewhat of disappointment for the driver. While he excelled and outpaced his teammate, the Williams car did not have the speed to fight for points. He had a similar 2020 season, but was able to get his first career points. In 2021, still with Williams, Russell achieved his first F1 podium finish at the 2021 Belgian GP. It had been a wet quali that allowed him to snatch P2, and then the race day eventually the race red flagged and never restarted after two laps, allowing him to keep his position.

(Russell at maiden podium with Williams)

Russell replaced Valterri Bottas for the Mercedes seat in 2022, partnering 8x WDC Lewis Hamilton. He has a much more positive season with Mercedes, claiming multiple high finish points and podiums. He would go on to have his first win at the Brazilian GP, which also was Mercedes first victory of the year. He would ultimately finish 4th in the championship, his highest finishing results in F1. 2023 was an even more difficult time for Mercedes. While Russell did have some positive finishes, Red Bull dominated and he finished 8th in the championship standings.

(Russell during his first win in Brazil)

2024 was a mixed bag year for Russell with some bad results and some great results. Notably he won two races that year, one in Austria and the other in Vegas. He finished the season 6th in the standings, right behind his teammate, and is set to remain with Mercedes for the 2025 season.

(Russell after Austria 2024 win)

Major Races:

2019 German GP - While Russell did not finish in the points in this race, he had a standout rookie performance. He displayed calm behavior in the face of difficult situations (namely an uncompetitive car) and showcased his skills in wet-dry conditions.

2020 Sakhir GP - In this race while, he was still with Williams, Russell filled in for a sick Lewis Hamilton. Despite limited preparation with the car, he led most of the race. He lost out on victory due to a puncture and pit stop error. Still, he showed what he could do in a fast car for the first time.

2021 Hungarian GP - This race was where Russell scored his first points for Williams. He showcased his strong ability despite being in a subpar car, and was able to capitalize off of other driver's mistakes.

2021 Belgian GP - While Russell's first podium is controversial (due to the fact that two laps were only completed) it was his qualifying that got him the 2nd step. His skill in wet conditions allowed him to qualify much higher than he should have in a Williams. They do say rain is the great equalizer in F1, where skill truly shines.

2022 Brazilian GP - Russells first win, won after a previous day's sprint race win. His first win with Mercedes, he showed that he could fight with top drivers.

2024 Vegas GP- His first really dominant win, Russell held the lead for teh entire race and did not even come close to losing it once. Brilliant and collected drive.

Cheers,

-B

[prema2018core]

HIII can you tell me more about your favourite rio ship?? and about that fic you're working on as well perhaps 😙😙

Well hello again my child, I'm glad you decided to ask again and welcome back to

RIO HARYANTO SHIPS SHENANIGANS

And I'm your host for this, prema2018core

Moving along to the first question: My favorite Rio ships that I had gathered are PasRio (Pascal x Rio), ValRio (Valtteri x Rio), StoffRio (Stoffel x Rio), Gutiyanto (Esteban Gutierrez (not the other Esteban) x Rio), and FeliRio (Felipe Nasr x Rio)

With some honorable mentions of JolRio (Jolyon Palmer x Rio), Eriyanto (Marcus Ericsson x Rio), SerRio (Sergey Sirotkin x Rio), RossRio (Alexander Rossi x Rio), PieRio (Pierre x Rio) and TehRio (Esteban Ocon x Rio)

I already explained the first two ships in your first ask so I'm gonna go ahead to slip to StoffRio now (and yes I'll be doing some more MPreg thoughts)

3. StoffRio (Stoffel x Rio)

I got the urge to ship these two when I saw their race winner photos together and boy...

Like... What do you mean this doesn't scream gay? It's literally giving Kimi no Nawa. Like the smile and idkejskdjw I love them your honor. Did you know that Stoffel basically congratulated Rio on his team radio when Rio got his maiden win in Bahrain and the fact that Rio was supposed to be in WEC in 2021 with Peugeot with Stoffel... Rio this is a call for help, please come back to motorsports your husbands need you.

MPreg thoughts: They have three children together, a singleton daughter and a pair of twin boys. Rio started crushing on Stoffel in 2014 and got close to him in 2015, they finally made it official in 2017.

4. Gutiyanto (Esteban Gutierrez x Rio)

The reason for how I got to ship these two are the same as StoffRio (and probably the other ships that I'm going to list here)

HELLO?! WEDDING PHOTOS?! AND THERE'S EVEN A CONTINUATION OF THIS PHOTO IN 2016?!

IT'S GIVING TEEN LOVE TO MARRIAGE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP AND I'M HERE FOR IT. Rio would definitely talk to him in Spanish and always ask Gutierrez if he said the things that he said are correct or not. Gutierrez calling Rio "mi corazon" will be the death for me and I'm fine with it. Their interactions in the junior series were just so cute that it might have given me diabetes.

Mpreg thoughts: Definitely teenage parents situation where they got drunk one night after the last round of GP3 2010 in Monza and they got freaky without protection. But it's a cryptic pregnancy so Rio doesn't even know he's actually pregnant. When the kid was born (it was a girl) they decided to do a shotgun wedding. When Rio got tossed aside by Manor, he went to Gutierrez for comfort and it turned spicy again which made him pregnant again.

5. FeliRio (Felipe Nasr x Rio)

Their interactions since Formula BMW was so natural I can't help myself to not ship this ship. A goofy Brazilian x Too Oblivious Indonesian, what's there more to ask??

Look at them, Felipe and his favorite ball of a sunshine Indonesian. I love em. They basically never leave each other's side during the driver's parade. Poor Rio basically clings to everyone he knows like his life depended on it.

MPreg thoughts: Even though they know each other since Formula BMW, I don't think they would go the teen pregnancy route. Rio is so oblivious to Felipe's pursuit that he just thought he was just doing his usual silly Felipe routine but no, Felipe was trying so hard to flirt with him. Rio got preggo after the 2016 season ended and it resulted in twins.

I'll go back to the ships (the ones in the honorable mention) if you ask for it as usual

For question two, I have two fanfictions cooking up one is an Mpreg fanfic of PasRio/Wehryanto that takes place in an AU where Rio got a seat in Formula E after his Formula 1 journey was a bust. The other one is actually a SeanNyck fanfiction with a touch of StoffRio added to it that takes place in 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 (SeanNyck) and GP2 (StoffRio)

ASK ME MORE SWEETIES!!