#2026 IS GOING TO BE MY YEAR

[uzukali]

GIVE ME TWO YEARS AND I SWEAR ILL LEARN TO BE A COOL PERSON TO BE AROUND

[spreadyourwings-my-smiling-angel]

Sooo Franco’s dad just uploaded this to his insta story….???

[thef155]

Note: this was posted prior to the LH->Ferrari news

I really, really hope the rumors that Carlos might have only a short-term contract extension (i.e. until the end of 2025) are true. That may be a blow to his pride, and I feel for him deeply, but breaking away from Ferrari by 2026 would be the absolute best thing for him.

If you don’t know, Carlos and Charles are both currently contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2024, and both are now currently in talks for extensions. According to La Gazetta (grain of salt required), Charles is taking a five year extension to 2029 (whyyyy Charles? why do that to yourself?). Meanwhile, Carlos has asked for a 2-year extension, but Ferrari reportedly only want to offer him 1 year for now. Carlos potentially becoming a free agent for 2026 is very significant because that's the start of the next regulations era in F1; a new formula and new rules come into play, ushering in new engines and new cars and opening up the field for new contenders. It’s also when Audi will be stepping onto the grid as they take over at Sauber (currently Alfa Romeo). Importantly, Audi have been long-rumored to be interested in Carlos as the driver they want to sign and build their new team around.

I'm not going to delve into how much Ferrari has treated Carlos like shit, because we all know that story, and none of us are actually surprised to see the team undervalue the man who keeps them afloat when all else fails and gives them their only win in a season. I don't think Ferrari ever expected Carlos to be so competitive and push il Predestinado the way he has, and now it's bit awkward for them. But the fact is that Ferrari have now gone all in on Charles with this 5-year deal, and now they have no choice but to make every other decision around that. It makes sense that they would offer just a 1-year extension if Carlos is asking for 2 years because they know a 2-year contract would be no more meaningful than a 1-year if other teams are seriously interested in Carlos. If Audi (or McLaren, if Lando leaves) really want to get Carlos for 2026, they will have no qualms about swooping in during the 2025 silly season to buy Ferrari out of Carlos’s last contract year. They know what they have with Carlos even if they aren't going to publicly recognize it, so it's in Ferrari’s best interest to keep their options open for shopping if they don’t want to risk being caught out dry in 2026.

But let’s forget all that and talk about the most interesting part of all this to me: that Carlos asked for something as short as a 2-year extension. He knows Charles is getting 5 years, so why?

This tells me that Carlos has finally begun to lose faith that Ferrari is the best place for him. That’s a pretty damn big deal, because—although this gets overshadowed by Charles’s love story with the Scuderia—Carlos’s passion for Ferrari and the Tifosi is no small thing. I think he smiled bigger on the third step of the podium at Monza than he did at Silverstone for his maiden win. Winning a WDC with Ferrari is (or was) his life’s dream.

But maybe 2023–his best year ever—is what Carlos needed to stop ignoring the writings on the wall. Maybe he’s starting to admit to himself that he’s never going to get the support (or competence) he needs from Ferrari to achieve his dreams. Maybe he's understanding that he's found success not because of Ferrari, but in spite of them.

Carlos is too good to be a No. 2 driver. We know it, Ferrari definitely knows it (and that’s their problem), and—most importantly—Carlos knows it. Ferrari can go ahead and search for someone this talented who's also willing to roll over and be their next Rubens Barrichello. Because it sure as hell won’t be Carlos Sainz, Jr.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

halfway through my 20s, i’ve definitely picked up this pattern where i will every so often have a “baseball bat year” in which i realize i’ve stagnated and very suddenly and determinedly decide to change major parts of my life for the better, then i reap the rewards of that hard work for 2-3 years, and then it’s baseball bat year again because there’s always more and i want it all. it’s called baseball bat year bc i just eventually realize that i need to be bonked really hard with a baseball bat and get things moving again

[quaranmine]

the amount of math i put into figuring out my PTO is honestly so funny. i've probably spent like 2 hours this week and last week just playing with the leave calculator spreadsheet my coworker gave me. this morning i added a sheet for 2026 so now i'm calculating my PTO out that far. i basically already have a plan of how i'm taking time off for 2025 so as to maximize my time off in 2026. i dont think this is a normal level of attention to detail but at least i'm having fun

[saintlesbian]

love how my shitty health insurance chose THE perfect time to expire. just really impeccable timing

[seilon]

If i don’t get an update soon on my god damn top surgery insurance negotiation im going to lose my fucking mind

[cyberneticnightmares]

"we're looking for a short story collection between 40k and 60k words. must be either horror or new weird or both by a BIPOC author"

me: oh damn! i totally got that

narrator: he did not, in fact, 'got that'. author only had 10k worth of short stories.

me: yeah but like... the deadline is the beginning of february .

narrator: .....

me: hold my beer.

[connorsui]

A couple days into the new year and I'm ready for 2026 to give me the break I need 🩷✨️

But speaking of breaks I am officially only 2 days away from going back home which means we will back to our true regular scheduled programming instead of this 2-5 days off thing i got going on 😭

Tho I'll admit it's been heavily therapeutic? Having little to no wifi connection... sometimes (that shit gives no warning it just leaves me whenever) ... and chillin with a cat that would fight u over the garden vegetables was definitely needed

Now thooo I must prepare all of my stuff and finally take every single draft I got in here and release it into the wild

[cyarsk5230]

And they deserved it because they asked for all this.

Black people if there’s a protest against this do not march do not support don’t do anything concerning this, don’t put it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, threads, spill, TikTok (if it’s not banned in the United States) , Tumblr, YouTube, vine(I mean it’s no longer there but still) heck no social media platforms. Don’t talk about it amongst your families, don’t even mention it at all.

this is gonna be me when all these deportations happen

This is a picture of a black woman sipping tea by the way, which is literally me in a nutshell when those mass deportations happen

[valtheimm]

🎇

[calbeloved]

look at us all watching the same ordem season all at once 🥰🥰🥰🥰 hahaha yeah guys this fusca azul thing is so funny so glad we're enjoying this moment together ❤️

[starbuck]

literally got SO worked up about the idea of a wildlife biology internship IN my state that i fucking forgot i’m getting top surgery

[i-am-agent-washingtub]

Took my little brother to school with me and all he did was nibble my homework >:(

[cosmik-homo]

the thing is- and i KNOW this is like. not fixable and i just need to keep an eye on the big uk cons or like, save and wait, but. i had SUCH an amazing time at gallifrey one last year i did and i really really want to go again but the FLIGHT did such a toll on me, mentally and physically- and the money, god- like . i fully did Not manage to sleep At All 3 of the 8 nights of that week. and its so UNFAIR. this is THE BRITISHEST THING ON EART.H. mr baker- can i call you colin- WHY must we BOTH suffer trans atlantic flights, you at your age and dignity and me, while gay and stupid, just to meet each other. i can licherally nip to london and back. surely we can arrange something.

[jazzy-tzw]

First day at my first big girl job after all these years in school