#McLaren West

[bring-subaru-back-to-wrc]

Mika and Ron Dennis congratulating DC after Mika's DNF (mechanical failure) and DC's win at the 1999 British GP.

[flatoutin-eaurouge]

Mika had to retire his car after one lap due to a blown engine at the A1-ring, 1997.

[heavenorsilverstone]

absolutely read to filth by pinterest

[todomeaburre]

Mika Häkkinen, MP4/13, 1998 Monaco Grand Prix

[chevvy-ryder]

📸 for Jaysen and Ryder please

[cinemaquiles]

Seria o primeiro filme sobre realidade virtual? "Bem Vindos à Cidade Maligna", de 1977

[the1percentofmybrain]

OH MY GODDD THANK YOU I LOVE THIS SO MUCH :') this made my day I had to wait to reply to this all day bc I only had my apple watch with me and when I got this email i literally wanted to jump for joy, this is such a great collage <3 I love your style so much and the little malaysia 2003 reference was so clever, keep on making art!!!

200 CELEBRATION: Kimi + west mclaren for @placeholdetitle1 🩶

[alittlebitofsainz]

- sunshine -

prompt: “you give me hope when the dark clouds fill the sky, you always find a way through, my little ray of sunshine.”

pairing: lando norris x reader

summary: they say first is the worst, second is the best, but what about if you were so close to first place? 100% inspired by the events of this weekend lando stop being so mean to yourself pls and thank u xoxo

warnings: lando being a miserable little so and so. the usual swear words.

a/n: I’m BACK! I moved house and then just became very busy and also rather uninspired. not sure if I’m 100% happy with this but I just wanted to post something!! missed u all heaps and heaps, hope to keep writing more very soon xx lyrics from track #67 sunshine by the brummies. thought this band were from good ol’ birmingham west midlands but turns out they’re from birmingham alabama

masterlist | the spotify wrapped collection

it wasn’t uncommon for lando to be like this.

he’d gotten a lot better over recent years, but every so often the self-criticism would creep in again. you could anticipate it coming; it would start with little comments, a muttered “lando, you fucking idiot” to himself here and there, self deprecating jokes to interviewers about that final corner where he’d gone off and ruined his lap. it could go on like that for a while, until eventually something would set him off properly, like a ticking time bomb that had gradually been building pressure until it was ready to explode.

“fuck sake.”

you watched as lando trailed through the garage, a string of curses muttered through gritted teeth as he passed, seeking solace from the TV cameras. admittedly, you could understand his frustration; even you had thrown your hands up in the air as he’d been squeezed out of first place on the very first corner. it was unlucky, but it was also his own fault for making a mistake: lando knew it, you knew it, and you also knew that he was feeling it. you watched him go past and disappear off down the corridor, no doubt heading for the solace of his drivers room. you paused, weighing up your options for just a moment.

“Lan?”

the echo of your knock on his drivers room door reverberated down the corridor. the mclaren motorhome was a ghost town, reminding you of the fact that everyone else was out celebrating - everyone but lando, rather ironically.

a noise came from inside the room, no doubt lando grumbling something inaudible under his breath as he made his way across the room, before the door eventually opened. you couldn’t help the sigh that escaped you - it had been such a long while since you’d seen him this way. it was subtle; the average person may not have even picked up on it, but you could always tell. It was his eyes, they somehow lacked the hues of green and blue they usually possessed, instead reflecting back a washed out grey colour, like the light had gone out from behind them.

“you got p2, Lan.” you reminded him softly as he stepped away, a silent invitation for you to come in. you knew those words wouldn’t help.

“it should’ve been p1.” came the mumbled reply from where lando had sunk back down on the sofa. you kicked the door closed behind you and made your way over to sit down beside him, your shoulder pressed into his.

“but you were so close, lan, a few more laps and you would’ve got him, I know it.”

“I know I was close!” your response had touched upon something lando didn’t want to hear, a fact you were made very aware of from the bitterness in his tone as he snapped back at you, “but I wasn’t close enough. I fucked up on that first corner. the team deserved better.”

you leaned back on the sofa, bottom lip caught between your teeth as you mulled over your next words. you’d been here before, in this vicious cycle where the more you tried to remind lando how incredible he was, the more he’d refute it, the more frustrated and self critical he’d become. one of those times, he’d told you that you wouldn’t understand, and it had hurt. it had hurt because you knew it was true. you didn’t understand. you didn’t understand how lando could be such a great driver and still best himself up over the smallest of mistakes.

“‘m sorry. didn’t mean to shout at you.”

you glanced up from where your gaze had drifted down to your lap as you’d been considering your response, only to find your eyes locked with lando’s grey ones, full of something you quickly identified as remorse. he’d mistaken your silence, assumed that you’d been wounded by the sharpness in his tone, when in reality you had barely registered it - you knew his fleeting anger wasn’t directed at you. it was directed at himself.

“no, no, don’t worry ‘bout it. I was just thinking, that’s all.” you sat back up quickly, shaking your head as you forced your expression to soften, “I know there’s nothing I can say to make this better, to make you see how well you did today, but-“

“just you being here is enough.”

the reply with which he cut you off was so quiet that you had to tilt your head and give lando a questioning look, one that told him you weren’t quite sure you’d heard him right. he let out a soft sigh, eyes directed to the floor, the faintest hint of red colouring his cheeks as he cleared his throat.

“I said, you being here is enough. with me.” he clarified, voice just a little louder than before.

“Lan, there’s nowhere else I would be right now, you know that.” you dropped your voice, matching his soft tone. an instinctive hand came to rest upon his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I just mean-“ lando shifted slightly to face you, expression swimming with a quiet admiration, “I don’t always make it… easy.”

you let out a chuckle at that, despite the situation, and it earned you a raised eyebrow and the smallest hint of a smile from lando.

“what I’m trying to say is,” lando continued, “I really appreciate you sticking with me. not just now, but, like, through everything. even when I’m like this.” lando gestured vaguely around the room, but he didn’t even need to for you to know exactly what he meant.

“even when you’re grumpy.” you clarified helpfully. that one earned you a playful scowl.

“I wasn’t gonna put it like that.” he complained, but his tone was lighter than before. “and anyway, I was trying to be serious, don’t ruin it.”

you held your hands up in mock surrender and stifled another laugh, before letting out a soft sigh, observing lando quietly for a moment.

“I’m always on your side, Lan, even if you’re not.” the sincerity in your tone was reflected in your expression as you held his gaze for a moment more, before dropping your head onto his shoulder, his hand finding your own as your fingers intertwined.

it was perfect and peaceful, until it wasn’t. until a knock at the door and the voice of lando’s pr manager brought you both back down to earth, reminding lando that it was time to go out and deal with the interviews. he let out a sigh, reverting back to the solemn state you’d found him in, and you wished you could make it all go away, to tell all the reporters to fuck off. but as you flicked your gaze back to lando, catching his eye as he stood up and smoothed the base of his fireproofs, you realised that he was going to be fine: he flashed you a lopsided smile, and for a moment the afternoon sunlight caught his eyes, the flecks of blue and green dancing across them once again. yeah, you were both going to be fine.

you flashed him a final smile as he slipped out of the drivers room, leaving you alone in there with your thoughts until he returned.

a/n: as always, I might add more to this if I feel so inclined! let me know if you want to be tagged xo

[raceweek]

why do mclaren communicate like they’re in the military like wtf do you MEAN class 1 to 2 rain hitting the north west of the track at a perpendicular angle of the apex of the final corner at 17 hundred hours forty minutes and nineteen seconds….u are speaking to a twitch streamer

[jamminvroomvroom]

4 with lando :)))

flashing lights - kanye west (respect the art not the artist!)

LN4 x reader

tysm for the request xoxo!! finally continuing my requests (sorry it took ages whoops) flipped my list and went from the bottom for this bc otherwise we were gonna have some repeats lol

images below from pinterest - i claim no ownership 🙃

warnings: none! some swearing, some fluff, lando being a funny little camera shy pr machine - but fr minors pls just dni with my work okay tysm!!!

lando was frantically pacing your apartment when you walked in, eyes wild, as if he hadn’t slept, and hair an absolute disheveled state. his usually sun-kissed skin seemed to get even paler when he heard the door shut behind you, coming to a halt in your kitchen and staring at you as though he’d seen a ghost.

“lando?” you questioned, confused as to, a) why he was here so early, and b) why he looked like he was about to confess that he had killed your entire bloodline.

“baby, i’m so sorry.” your blood ran cold. what had he done? he closed the space between you, tentatively taking your hands.

“lando… what’s going on?” you tilted your head, starting to sweat in your oversized leather jacket. you’d just been out running errands, picking up bits for the dinner you were supposed to be sharing with the mclaren driver, much later in the day.

“i didn’t think anyone had seen us but then i had my assistant, the entire pr department and my mother phoning me, and then max called and said that him and pietra wanted to see if we were okay, before i could call anyone else back which confused the fuck outta me, so i finally checked twitter and there it was and i just got in the car and came here but god, i’m so sorry.” lando finally exhaled, looking like he was about to pass out, with creases so deep on his forehead that you thought they’d stay there permanently.

“okay, lando? sweetheart? yeah, okay i’m gonna need a bit more info.” you over enunciated each word, stressing that you were still in the absolute dark about whatever was on the verge of sending him into cardiac arrest.

“there’s photos. of us. kissing.” he finally said, quietly, and after a good ten seconds of staring at you in utter fear.

“fucking hell, i thought something terrible had happened. jesus christ, lando.” you exhaled, eyes wide. he stared at you like you’d grown a second head, stepping forward to mockingly rest his hand against your forehead as if he was checking your temperature.

“are you… are you… okay?” lando asked, eyebrow quirked. he was shocked at how calm you were.

you’d both agreed to keep your relationship private, and over the last five months, that had gone swimmingly well. but some low quality photos taken, as you waited for some friends outside a restaurant in the outskirts of london, had fucking launched the cat out of the bag.

“how bad are the pictures? are we naked or something?” you scoffed at him and now lando was truly confused.

“no, but- but i thought we were gonna keep this quiet.” he murmured.

“i know, baby, but okay, it’s out. is that really so bad? it was bound to happen eventually.” you reasoned, and lando finally saw your point.

“i just want to protect you, from all of the lights and the flashing cameras. love you too much to lose you to those vultures.” lando dipped his forehead against yours as he spoke, eyes locked on yours. you couldn’t help but smile at him, the loveliest man you could have wished for.

“oh, my sweet, sweet boy,” you crooned, pecking his lips. “you know i love to show off.” he laughed at that, a low rumbling in his chest.

you pulled away, stepping around him and walking further into your apartment, dropping all of your stuff down in your kitchen.

“anyways, i already saw the pictures. we look hot.” you ignored his incredulous ‘what?’, waving him off. “now, come here and help me make dinner.”

[astonmartinii]

loving on a sunday | lando norris social media au

pairing: lando norris x reader

y/n and lando, the grid and an honest attempt at a sunday roast

masterlist if you want to leave a tip x

yourusername

liked by landonorris, maxverstappen1 and 601,239 others

yourusername: warning !! do not own a nice country house and farm because you will get lumped with the annual post season grid dinner, SEB PLEASE COME BACK I CAN"T TAKE THIS RESPONSIBILITY @landonorris what are you going to do when they find out you can't cook?

view all comments

user1: learning that lando can't cook is the least surprising thing in the entire world

user2: i'm sorry post season grid dinner? brb just going to cry my eyes out why haven't we heard of this before

user3: for my mental health i need photographic evidence asap

landonorris: way to bait me out in front of the whole world, thanks babe

yourusername: i'm sorry but if this crashes and burns i need people to know that it was your fault (because it defo would be)

landonorris: where is the faith? you back me to win every race but won't back me to make some roast potatoes :(

yourusername: babe when i was sick you burnt the soup so bad we had to throw the pan out

landonorris: I TRIED I WAS STRESSED YOU WERE SICK

yourusername: awwww babe, but it was le crueset and literally cost more than my life

sebastianvettel: it's been an honour to host it but i know you and lando will do great, send me all the photos !

yourusername: thank you seb, please come visit the farm at some point xx

landonorris: see i knew seb would have faith in me thanks mate

user4: lando's gf being a farm girl makes so much sense but also no sense what so ever

yourusername: tis the south west babe it's either banksy or farmers and nothing in between

landonorris

liked by maxfewtrell, yourusername and 1,023,677 others

tagged: yourusername

landonorris: should be peeling potatoes right now she's too pretty

view all comments

user10: oh to be a kitty cat being cuddled by y/n

yourusername: you're such a smooth talker babe but those potatoes won't peel themselves

landonorris: my years of being teammates with carlos has come in clutch

yourusername: you still suck at flirting i just love you so i still swoon, any other person would probably laugh in your face

landonorris: gonna ignore the insult and focus on the fact that you love me

user11: i swear every time i see y/n she's with another animal i've never seen before

yourusername: my farm is a safe haven for any animal, if they find themselves there they'll leave with a full tummy and a good load of cuddles

maxverstappen1: if lando is on potato duty does this mean we won't get them? they're my favourite part of a roast y/n PLEASE STEP IN

landonorris: oh wow i see how it is

maxverstappen1: i'm dutch i'm so serious about my potatoes

landonorris: i also don't fuck around about roast potatoes HAVE FAITH

user12: can we start a petition for lando to stream this? like at least the cooking portion

yourusername: watching my nervous breakdown live would not be ethical

landonorris: it's true she threw a carrot at my head the first time she cooked for my family

oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, estebanocon and 590,455 others

tagged: yourusername, landonorris

oscarpiastri: officially a farm boy for the week (also known as third wheeling for seven days)

view all comments

user15: omg oscar went early? my mclaren heart is so full

yourusername: so so happy to have you here osc!! though you're not any more trustworthy in the kitchen

oscarpiastri: i'd defend myself but we've all seen me fail to boil an egg

yourusername: you tried your best !! but you've mastered the english tea which is a massive asset

oscarpiastri: i think i'd lose my seat if i couldn't make a cup of tea

user16: obsessed with y/n dragging everyone for being menaces in the kitchen

user17: love how oscar was like: post lando? no. post ducks? yes.

landonorris: mate you asked to come early don't complain about third wheeling now

oscarpiastri: i know i asked to come early but if y'all could lay off the soft porn for two seconds would be appreciated

landonorris: don't pretend you don't enjoy it mate ;)

yourusername: lando don't be mean :(

landonorris: i'm sorry oscar, i'm sure you don't enjoy watching us be happy

oscarpiastri: thanks i guess?

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, landonorris and 1,034,560 others

charles_leclerc: sad to announce i've been banned from the kitchen:( even banned from making drinks as well

view all comments

user18: this is defo the banning i agree with, we all saw the vlog with the pesto pasta

user19: tbf i've come to the conclusion the one person y/n would let into the kitchen is seb

yourusername: you're not wrong

user20: i need a chick in my dungarees right now

yourusername: why are you complaining about a free pass to sit on the couch and have someone else cook for you?

charles_leclerc: well when you put it like that ....

landonorris: let me revoke all of my previous complaints

yourusername: you know i like to treat you baby

charles_leclerc: why thank you y/n but that's an inappropriate thing to say while in a relationship

yourusername: it was in reply to lando's comment charles 😭

landonorris: guy forgot he could read for a second

charles_leclerc: MY BAD

user21: i know charles didn't come to a farm in all white

yourusername: i regret to inform you he did (it's all designer as well)

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris and 702,340 others

tagged: landonorris

yourusername: sunday roasts are my love language, so happy to host the grid dinner with the love of my life

view all comments

user23: at first i thought she was being a bit too serious about this but that roast looks like it BANGS

user24: legit i need one asap

georgerussell63: carmen wants the recipe please and thank you

yourusername: bring her to the farm next time we're free and i'll teach her in person

carmenmundt: thank you darling

yourusername: anything for you

landonorris: ummm what about the guy you called the love of your life in the caption?

yourusername: i love you but i've tried to teach you to cook way too many times

user25: i'm sorry lando is so sexy

user26: forget lando, every pic i've seen of this house is the sexiest thing in the world

carlossainz55: thank you for hosting y/n and lando!! i had a great time see you on new years

yourusername: no worries chilli

maxverstappen1: the roast was the best thing i've ever eaten, i'll only dock points because i had to top and tail with daniel

yourusername: i didn't see you complain when i walked in on you guys cuddling

danielricciardo: you told me you loved it :(

maxverstappen1: i did !!! i enjoyed all of it, especially the roast though

landonorris: second to a roast @danielricciardo that's tough

landonorris

liked by alexalbon, yourusername and 1,208,943 others

tagged: yourusername

landonorris: so honoured to host the grid dinner and take over from such an inspiration in seb!! but mostly thanks to y/n for hosting at her farm and putting together an amazing dinner and weekend - also thanks for not killing the grid, i defo would have

view all comments

user27: i would've given a kidney to be there for real

lewishamilton: thank you for having us and for the sick nut roast

yourusername: we love you and roscoe !! and vegans are always welcome on my farm

user28: ROSCOE WENT?

yukitsunoda0511: thank you y/n i no longer think that english food is an abomination

yourusername: wow thank you yuki, i knew it would be hard when your only exposure was ... milton keynes

landonorris: wow my girlfriend is a miracle worker, and you're welcome yuki san we loved having you

user29: watching lando go from rookie to hosting the grid dinner, i'm soft

oscarpiastri: i love it here i'm sorry you're not getting rid of me

yourusername: no worries osc, you can stay as long as you want

landonorris: no complaining about third wheeling though, you're basically our child now

user30: experienced racer and rookie teammate friendships are so special to ME

danielricciardo: glad i managed to get my seat back just for this roast tbf

landonorris: not cause you missed me?

danielricciardo: eh i guess so

yourusername: just let me know when you're in england and you can come over for another

[flatoutin-eaurouge]

[willowsnook]

Right Place, Right Time pt. 4 (LN)

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5

@seasonswinter @drdbnkl2008 @jaematthews15

angst at the end i apologize 🥵

Y/N: so what's the dress code for tonight?

Lily: I would say cocktail attire but not super fancy, they usually pick somewhere nice?

Y/n: how many people are going to be there? i'm stressed

Lily: honestly a lot lol, it's like everyone with McLaren plus friends. but on the plus side it means we fly under the radar.

Y/n: yeah but we will be with the most important people

Lily: true

You sighed throwing your phone across your bed. You still had a couple of hours before Lando was coming to pick you up but you felt a strong urge to start getting ready now.

You headed into your bathroom to take an everything shower singing along to your karaoke playlist. You threw your hair up into a towel and started the painful process of picking something out to wear.

Y/n: what are you wearing? Lando: nothing, want to see?

y/n: 🙄 my eyes would bleed

Lando: you wound me. but i'm just wearing a button down and slacks. nothing crazy

After looking through a couple of options, you settled for a fitted green knitted dress you hadn't yet worn.

Twirling in the mirror, you liked the way it hit your curves. You spent the next hour curling your hair and applying a sort of natural glam look. The next thing you knew Lando was texting you that he was here. You grabbed your purse and touched up your hair one last time before heading down to your apartment lobby.

You reached the lobby and saw Lando standing by the front doors, hands in his pockets looking around. His attention fell on you as you walked closer and you smirked as he shamelessly checked you out. You did the same to him, appreciating the way his light blue botton down was tight on his biceps and across his chest.

"Hi," you said stopping in front of him. "Hi," he replied softly. He moved closer to you, kissing your cheek lightly while resting his hands on your waist. "You look gorgeous."

You smiled, pulling back but intertwining your fingers through his.

"Ready?" You asked and he nodded, pulling you out the door and towards his car. He opened the door for you before sliding in the drivers seat. The car ride was silent and half way through you felt Lando's hand rest gently on your thigh, his thumb caressing your skin gently. The ride was short and you soon were pulling up to the restaurant, Lando tossing the keys to the valet. He rested his hand on your lower back as he guided you out to the patio that was rented for the team.

You spotted Lily and Oscar as you came in and made your way over to them, ditching Lando to talk with some other people who had stopped him. Lily scooted over on the bench and you sunk down next to her.

"You look great," she said and you smiled.

"You do too," you replied. You flagged down the waiter to order a glass of wine and watched as Lando mingled.

"You're staring," Lily teased and you blushed.

"just observing," you hummed.

"So y/n, what is it that you do for Monster again?" Oscar asked.

"I sit on the marketing team but specifically I work with partners," you said.

"So you work with McLaren?" He asked and you shook your head.

"We all have different territories that we are in charge of," you explained. I have the west coast so all I work with anyone partnered with Monster there. It's a lot of planning partner events and campaigns."

He asked you a little more about your job and you were happy to indulge him. You loved what you did, getting to work for a cool brand had been something you had always wanted to do. Someone had overheard you talking to Oscar and introduced themselves as one of the PR managers so you soon found yourself mingling with the McLaren marketing team.

"You know, we've been trying to get someone from Monster at more races," one of the marketing managers told you.

"Yeah, it's hard because our team is based here and travel is expensive," you said. "I know the girls who have most of Europe as their territory but they don't get to travel much."

"You guys need to just have someone living overseas," she replied and you nodded.

"Probably," you agreed. "Just need the budget."

A little later you were back next to Lily, the two of you hiding in the corner done talking with people.

"Can we sneak out of here," you begged and Lily sighed.

"Oscar will kill me," she said and you gave her a look. "Okay let's go."

You briefly scanned the patio, seeing Oscar and Lando caught up in a conversation and made your way back through the front and onto the street.

"Where should we go?" Lily asked and you started pulling her along the sidewalk.

"There's actually a great rooftop bar on the hotel you guys are staying at," you said knowing the hotel was only a couple of blocks away. Lily used her key to get you in and you made your way up to the bar. It wasn't too crowded and you saw some familiar faces.

"What's up McLaren ladies?" Daniel yelled causing the people with him to turn and look at you. You greeted him and Max before ordering a drink from the bar.

"I don't think we've met yet, Lando is hiding you," a strong Spanish accent said from next to you. "I'm Carlos."

"Y/n," you introduced. You could see why Lando wouldn't introduce the two of you. This man was very easy on the eyes. "Want to make Lando mad?" His eyes lit up mischievously.

"Always," he said and you held up your phone to take a selfie. He wrapped his arm around you and you were pleased with how intimate the picture turned out and put it on your Instagram story.

You chatted with Carlos for about ten minutes before you heard Daniel loudly greeting someone else. You turned to see that Lando and Oscar had just gotten here. Oscar looked amused while Lando did not look happy. His eyes met yours and you smirked turning back to Carlos.

Within 30 seconds you felt two arms encircle your waist and were pulled back against a hard chest.

"I see you've met Carlos," Lando said tightly which made Carlos laugh out loud.

"Yeah I was just telling y/n how pretty she is and that we should run off into the sunset together," Carlos deadpanned. You felt Lando's arms tighten around you and you sighed shifting to turn to him, bringing your arms around his neck.

"You are being so dramatic," you said and he pouted.

"You left me," he whined and you shrugged.

"We were bored, plus I knew you'd find us," you told him. "Can we sit?"

You found a couch by a firepit and sat down, leaning down to take your shoes off. Lando sat next to you, resting his arm on the back of the couch behind you. You were soon joined by Lily, Oscar, and Max.

You all talked for a while and by the end of the night you had your head rested on Lando's shoulder and legs thrown over his.

"Are you tired?" He mumbled in your ear and you nodded sleepily. "Why don't you just stay with me tonight?"

"Lando..." you said and he moved your chin to look up at him.

"Just to sleep, nothing else," he said.

"No funny business," you said and he smiled triumphantly. You bid goodnight to everyone before following him out of the bar.

"Are you coming to the track tomorrow for quali?" He asked while you were waiting in the elevator and you shook your head.

"No, I have a ton of things to do and errands to run," you replied and his face fell. "I'll be there Sunday though, I promise."

He nodded and the rest of the ride was silent. He grabbed your hand to pull you off on his floor and you made your way to his room.

"Need something to wear?" He asked and you nodded. He pulled out one of his long sleeve McLaren shirts for you and you headed into the bathroom to change.

You stared at yourself in the mirror for a while wondering what the fuck you were doing. You had told yourself to not get swept up in this fake reality but here you were. When you stepped back in the room you saw Lando laying on the bed, head propped up watching tv. He patted the spot next to him and you slid into the bed, resting your head on his chest. His arm tightened around you and it was a while before you spoke.

"I shouldn't be here," you said and he looked down at you.

"Why's that?" He asked and you looked away.

"You're going to leave after Sunday," you said and he sighed.

"That's two days away," he said ending the conversation. You sighed into his chest and started to feel your eyes droop. The last thing you remember was him kissing your head and mumbling "sweet dreams baby."

-------------------------

Two days later you were still reeling from waking up next to Lando on Saturday morning. The two of you didn't really say much and he drove you back to your apartment, squeezing your thigh as a goodbye before you got out of the car.

Today you were headed back to the track for the race wearing a casual short black dress paired with a McLaren hat. You were happy to see Lily standing in the garage waiting for you.

"Hi friend," you greeted pulling her into a hug which she returned.

'Hi, ready for the race?" She asked and you nodded. You had arrived a little later so didn't get to see Lando before the race which was what you were hoping for. The two of you walked over to sit down.

"I'm so sad you're leaving tomorrow," you told Lily and she squeezed your hand.

"Me too, but we must facetime weekly and you're coming to Vegas, no excuses," she said.

The race went by quickly with Lando ending in second and you celebrated with the team while he was on podium. He had texted you to wait up so you lingered in the garage chatting with some of the marketing girlies. You said goodbye to them as you saw Lando coming out of his driver's room and jogged over throwing your arms over him.

"You did great," you whispered in his ear and his arms tightened around you.

"Well I had my good luck charm with me," he said and you laughed. "Can we get dinner before heading out tonight?"

"I didn't know I was going out tonight," you said and he gave you a look. "Yeah, I just need to change first, is that what you're wearing?" He had changed into a plain white tshirt and black jeans.

"Yeah," he said giving you a twirl. "Is it up to your standards?"

You laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him out towards where you parked. You drove back to your apartment, letting Lando hang on the couch while you got ready. Lando had said you guys were going to a more casual bar after so you decided on one of your signature going out outfits.

"Where do you want to eat?" You asked and Lando looked up from his phone.

"I'm up for anything," he said and you laughed.

"Anything besides x, y, and z," you joked and he rolled his eyes getting off the couch and coming towards you.

"As long as you're on the menu i'm down," he said cheekily and you gagged.

"I just threw up in my mouth," you complained. "Let's go Romeo."

He laughed following you out of the apartment and back downstairs. You called an Uber and the two of you ended up at a little diner you knew of that wasn't too busy. You ordered a burger and fries, Lando opting for chicken tenders.

"So which race will you be at next?" He asked casually.

"Probably Vegas," you replied, taking a sip of your coke. He frowned.

"Not Mexico?" He asked and you shook your head.

"I have a job ya know," you said and he looked at you not saying anything. "What?"

"I just figured that we've been spending enough time together that you'd maybe want to start coming to more," he said and you looked at him with wide eyes.

"I mean yes, I love spending time with you but I have a life here," you said. "We've only known each other for a couple of months and been together a handful of times."

Lando didn't say anything, looking down and picking at his food and you sighed.

"It would be a lot different if you lived here or I lived over there, but that's not the reality of the situation," you said sadly.

The rest of the meal was quiet, the tension between the two of you high. Lando paid for your food and you headed towards the bar, texting Lily that you needed to talk asap.

It looked like F1 had taken over the bar as you got there and Lando peeled off from you immediately. You found Lily ordering a drink and you joined her.

"What's up?" She said taking in your dejected appearance.

"We talked," you sighed. "And it didn't go well." She frowned.

"What did he say?" She asked and you turned back to the bar fiddling with your drink.

"It was more the vibe I got, like he was under this assumption that I was going to follow him around the world just because we've had one good week together," you said annoyed.

"I told him not to do this," Lily sighed and rubbed your arm sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," you reassured her. "I shouldn't have let it get this far, I just wanted to be happy."

"Let's get drunk then and pretend your dinner never happened," she suggested and you grinned.

"I'll drink to that," you said lifting your cup to hers.

You ended up a little drunk later on but not trashed, which is exactly the sweet spot you wanted to be in. Lando was also a little drunk, you could tell because he had decided to stop ignoring you.

Currently the two of you were engaged in deep conversation, him listening to you ramble on about how your favorite football team was doing.

"It's just like what is the offense doing ya know?" You went on. "No blocking, a five star qb that doesn't have his shit together, and horrible play calling."

You started to go on again but felt someone bump into you, pushing you into Lando whose arms shot out to catch you. You face was inches apart from his and your breath hitched as you watched him flick his eyes down to your lips. You start to warn him but he cuts you off, bringing his lips to yours. You kiss him back hungrily before you realized what's happening and push him off and bolt out of the bar.

"Y/n," he calls out following you outside and you can already feel tears forming in your eyes. "Y/n wait."

He grabs your arm pulling you around to face him.

"I can't fucking do this Lando," you yelled and he pursed his lips. "You know I can't do this."

Now you were pissed and you could tell he was starting to get angry.

"I just don't understand," he said. "I know you feel this between us."

"Of course I fucking do," you exclaimed. "But my life is here! I live here! My job is here! My friends are here! I'm not one of your influencer flings who can just jet off and follow you around the world while you live your dream. That's not mine."

He stalked towards you, getting closer before you reached your hand out to stop him.

"You think this is just a fling for me," he bit out. "I want you next to me for more than a couple of races." You scoffed throwing your hands up.

"You don't even know me," you yelled, tears starting to leak from your eyes and hurt flashed across his face before his expression hardened.

"You're right, I guess I don't." He said. "I can get any girl in the world to follow me around so I don't need someone like you."

You felt like your heart had been stabbed and before you could stop yourself your hand flew across his face making contact with his cheek. You felt two arms pull you back and you turned sobbing into Max's chest.

"Hey hey, it's okay, let's go," he whispered rubbing your back. They must have ventured outside seeing you guys argue because when you turned to look back you saw Lily screaming at Lando and Oscar trying to hold her back. This made you cry worse and you were hiccuping as Max lead you towards his car. He settled you into the passenger seat and you rested your head against the window trying to calm down.

"I know you won't believe it now, but he didn't mean it," Max said and you didn't reply. "He's just scared of what he's feeling and doesn't want to lose you.

"Well it might be too late for that," you whispered and Max gave you a sad smile. He walked you up to your apartment, hugging you goodbye and making you promise that you'd still come to Vegas.

You texted Lily that you loved her and were sorry you didn't get to say goodbye but were taking a break from social media and your phone for a little bit so to not worry. She replied that she loved you too and to text if you needed anything.

At least one good thing had come out of that first race.

[raffaellostudio]

Kimi Raikkonen West McLaren Mercedes 2003.

Joined the game in the first third and played alternately for both sides during the North against South exhibition game of Slovak NHL players in Bratislava, Aug 8, 2003.

[coimbrabertone]

The Long Beach Grand Prix: the F1 Years.

I had initially intended to post about the history of the Long Beach GP daily on twitter/bluesky, however, brevity is a foreign concept to me and character limits are oppressive, therefore, I've decided to do it here instead. Leading into the Long Beach Grand Prix this year, I'm going to do a blog on the initial F1 years, then the CART/Champ Car years, and finally look at the Long Beach GP since the unification of American Open Wheel Racing.

Today is the F1 years.

So naturally, we start with Formula 5000.

Formula 5000 was born in America as a junior Formula series that originated in 1968. The idea was essentially to take a Formula Two sized car and pair it with a 5000cc production V8, something that made a lot of sense in America.

It did not make as much sense when the series was exported to places like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, however, with the likes of Lotus, McLaren, and Brabham no longer producing mass amounts of customer F1 engines, F5000 became the fastest cars these series could get their hands on. Thus, F5000 spread regardless.

By 1975, F5000 was big enough and professional enough that F1 used it as a pilot event to test out the Long Beach street circuit in September 1975, ahead of a full on F1 Grand Prix the following spring.

This 1975 F5000 Grand Prix of Long Beach drew in big names too, with the grid including:

Reigning SCCA F5000 champion Brian Redman of the UK, driving for Carl Haas' racing team.

USAC stars Mario Andretti and Al Unser for Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing.

Australia's Vern Schuppan for Eagle.

South African Jody Scheckter and Englishman David Hobbs for Hogan Racing.

New Zealand's Chris Amon in a Talon.

Gordon Johncock for Patrick Racing.

And many more from the worlds of F1, Indycar, sports cars, junior racing, etc, etc - even some names you might recognize from completely different things, like Graham McRae who I talked about in my last blogpost, or Bill Simpson, who now makes safety equipment throughout the racing world.

Chip Ganassi also once set him on fire.

That's a story for another time though.

Mario and Al would take a Vel's 1-2 in qualifying, while Theodore's Tony Bryce would win the first heat race. Al Unser won the other. This set the stage for the main event.

28 cars would start the race but only eleven would finish, and only three of those were on the lead lap. These lead lap cars were:

Brian Redman in a Lola-Chevrolet on his way to another SCCA F5000 title in 1975.

Vern Schuppan who finishes about thirty seconds behind in his Eagle-Chevrolet.

Canadian Eddie Wietzes in another Lola-Chevrolet.

This was the first win for both Carl Haas and the Lola-Chevrolet combination at Long Beach, but it wouldn't be the last. Carl's team, later rechristened Newman/Haas Racing thanks to investment from Paul Newman, would become a regular winner at Long Beach, while the Lola-Chevrolet was the dominant chassis/engine combination in late 80s and early 90s CART.

Interestingly enough though, that particular pairing of Newman/Haas and a Lola-Chevrolet would only win once more, with Mario Andretti behind the wheel in 1987.

Most of Newman/Haas' success at Long Beach would come with Cosworth power.

That's another story for another day though, the important thing is that the pilot event was successful.

Thus, on March 26th, 1976, F1 came to the streets of Long Beach for the United States Grand Prix West.

1976 is a famous season for the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, with Niki in the Ferrari initially building up a massive gap before a brutal crash at the Nurburgring opened the door for Hunt in the McLaren to claw enough ground back that he was in contention at the final race in Fuji.

Another wet race, Lauda's first since the accident.

Lauda would famously retire from this race, declaring conditions were unsafe, while Hunt would drive through adversity as a puncture and a botched pitstop nearly threw the championship away for McLaren, but in the end, Hunt did just enough. His third place gave him the title by one point.

Nobody saw that scenario coming at Long Beach, however.

Lauda had swept the first two races at Brazil and South Africa, and while Hunt took both poles and gave Lauda a fight at Kyalami, ultimately, Lauda won and he finished second.

Lauda was on 18 points from two wins, Hunt had 6 from his single second place.

It wasn't even enough for second place in the championship, as Patrick Depailler in the Tyrrell - not yet the six-wheeler, that would be introduced in Spain - had taken second in Brazil and a seventh in South Africa, so he was ahead of Hunt with the same number of points thanks to quality of results.

All this set the stage for round three, Long Beach.

The first of two US races in the season, with Watkins Glen hosting the traditional USGP while Long Beach had the USGP West, this was the second time the same country hosted two races. The first was Italy in 1957, which hosted both the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and a Pescara Grand Prix on a circuit so fearsome, even Enzo Ferrari didn't send his drivers.

The guy who they called Saturn, devourer of sons, thought Pescara was too dangerous to race at.

Thus, Pescara was a one-off, but Long Beach was hoping to be a more permanent edition.

There were some problems though, because between rough American city streets and the close proximity of concrete walls, the field would have to be limited to twenty cars.

Jacky Ickx, driving for the merged Wolf-Williams team, would be one of the seven cars going home.

Ferrari's Clay Regazzoni, meanwhile, would take pole. Patrick Depailler would take second, James Hunt was just behind in third, while Niki Lauda qualified fourth. Tom Pryce in a Shadow was fifth, while everyone else was half a second back from Pryce or more. These guys were going to be the contenders.

Regazzoni would rocket off the grid and lead, while Depailler and Hunt would battle for second - something that was no doubt made an even fiercer battle by the fact that they were both ahead of Lauda, so whoever finished second amongst them would not only move into second in the championship, but they'd gain on the championship leader in a real way.

Unfortunately, they got a little bit too focused on this scenario and wound up screwing themselves.

Depailler forced Hunt to go around him in the hairpin, which ended in disaster as Hunt crashed into the wall on lap four. Hunt was out of the race, and he'd make his feelings known, shaking his fist at Depailler every time the Frenchman passed him.

Patrick didn't necessarily get away scot free either, because Lauda would pass Depailler for second on the very next lap.

Things then went from bad to worse for Patrick as he spun around and dropped to seventh. He'd get back two positions within six laps as he passed Jean-Pierre Jarier in the Shadow for sixth followed by Ronnie Peterson in the March for fifth.

Next up on the list for Patrick was the other Shadow of Tom Pryce, who retired on lap 32. This gave Depailler fourth place.

Then Patrick's own teammate Jody Scheckter retired two laps later with a suspension failure, moving one Tyrrell onto the podium at the cost of the other.

Depailler was on a charge and he'd close the gap to Lauda to just 7.5 seconds at the end, which is remarkable given the utter odyssey of a race that he had, but it wasn't enough to stop the Ferrari 1-2.

It was a career day for Clay Regazzoni who took pole, led every lap, took fastest lap, and won to take a grand slam victory. Niki Lauda in second extended his championship lead, while Patrick Depailler's third place kept him second in the championship.

Ligier's Jacques Laffite, McLaren's Jochen Mass, and Copersucar's Emerson Fittipaldi completed the points.

The race played into the themes of 1976 perfectly, with Ferrari dominant in the early stages, Hunt being devastatingly quick but not having the consistency, and the Tyrrells being just fast enough to play the role of spoiler.

Indeed, Scheckter and Depailler would finish third and fourth in the standings, ahead of both of Lauda and Hunt's teammates.

Thus, the first F1 race at Long Beach was a success.

1977 would bring the first American win at Long Beach as Mario Andretti in the Lotus 78 took the victory.

1978 was back in Ferrari's control as Carlos Reutemann won and became the first driver to sweep the American races in the season as he'd also win Watkins Glen at the end of the season.

1979 would go to Ferrari again as Gilles Villeneuve took his third career win. Gilles would repeat Reutemann's feat and win both Long Beach and Watkins Glen.

1980 and 1981 would prove interesting, as Nelson Piquet in a Brabham won 1980 before Alan Jones in a Williams won 1981, inverse of their championships (Jones won 1980, Piquet won 1981).

This actually brings up an interesting bit of trivia about Long Beach: the winner of the USGP West never won the F1 championship in that season.

Jones in 1981 would, however, become the third driver to sweep the US rounds, as he won the opening race in Long Beach and then won the season finale, the Caesar's Palace Grand Prix, which had just replaced Watkins Glen as the season finale.

1982 would bring Niki Lauda winning the USGP West for McLaren, his first win post-retirement.

1983 would be the last Formula One race at Long Beach and it would once again go to McLaren, this time with John Watson leading a 1-2 finish over teammate Lauda.

By this point, not only was Renault running their turbo, but Brabham had adopted BMW engines, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo introduced their own turbos, and even McLaren themselves would switch to TAG turbos at the end of the season, along with Lotus who adopted Renault power and WIlliams who'd test out Honda engines in the final race of 1983.

The golden age of the Cosworth DFV was truly over, and the turbo era was beginning.

Thus, by 1981, 1982, and 1983, it became notable that turbocharged engines had never won the USGP West. The Ford-Cosworth DFV kept chugging along, and in rather absurd fashion too, as Watson and Lauda started that 1983 race from 22nd and 23rd respectively.

A Cosworth shouldn't've won in 1983, and yet they did anyway.

The minnows could still fight the turbo teams here.

That would change in 1984, as promoter Chris Pook announced that due to the high costs of sanctioning fees and shipping equipment in from Europe if there was no preceding race, or places as far flung as South America or South Africa if there was, Long Beach would leave F1 and switch to a CART race.

And in CART, the dominant engine at the time was the Cosworth DFX, a turbocharged variant of F1's old faithful. I guess if you can't beat them, join them!

More on that next week.

[rockatansk]

West McLaren, 1998.