#but also feel bad for checo at the same time

[coco-loco-nut]

Book Club - Part Two

Pairing: Grid x Reader

Summary: the club gets new members

Requests are open!!! Masterlist

——————————

“That was a great book suggestion, thanks Nando,” Valtteri says at the end of your discussion. You hear the door open and close then feel the couch dip beside you.

“Checo, finally joining us?” Lewis asks, an amused smile on his face.

“I am old,” the Mexican says, you look to the older guys to take over.

“Mate, what happened?” Daniel asks. sipping a coffee. He joined when the rest of the grid found out, at the same time as Lewis.

“I saw Yuki and Lando doing a weird dance,” Checo looks a little traumatized. You rest a comforting hand on his shoulder and hand him a Spanish version of Lewis’ choice for the week, The Book Thief.

“This official opens the Paddock tea portion of our morning,” you say to the group.

“Oh! Which one?” Valtteri asks Checo who gives a rough description of it. Naturally, Valtteri and Daniel attempt to do it, retraumatizing Cecho and traumatizing everyone else.

“I would like to bleach my memory of that. Anyone else?” Kevin asks, you all second it.

“Anyway, how is your relationship with Lance going?” Nico asks, changing the subject.

“I caught them making out like teenagers yesterday,” Fernando grins devilishly, excited to gossip.

“Fernando! You can’t say that in front of my Husband!” you are thoroughly embarrassed still at Fernando catching you.

“Eglė said you can have Nico,” Kevin laughs. Nico’s wife, Eglė is fond of the young girl, often designing outfits for her. The pair is endeared by your childhood crush on Nico.

“Finally,” you smile, the group laughing at the joke. “Lance and I are doing very well, I think he is thinking about proposing,” you say a little scandalously.

“No way!” Daniel gasps. A knock on the door pauses the conversation.

“I heard there is an old drivers club happening?” Sebastian Vettel’s voice fills the room as he enters, flanked by two others. You quickly recognize Kimi and Nico Rosberg, an odd grouping that you brush off.

“Fernando, why is there a girl half your age here?” Kimi asks, not recognizing you out of your usual race attire. You are a little star struck, having looked up to Kimi as a young driver.

“I knew you got around, but damn Fernando,” Nico Rosberg says, you can’t help but to both blush and laugh.

“Guys, that’s literally Y/n Y/l/n, the driver,” Seb says, shaking his head.

“Oh, my bad, sorry Y/n,” Nico R says but all you can do is laugh.

“No, no, that’s okay, I needed a good laugh,” you wave the comment off as the older guys sit down.

“Any gossip on the retired part of the grid?” Valtteri asks, putting away the book on his lap.

“Gossip? What kind of club is this?” Kimi asks, a little confused.

“A book club,” your group responds in almost perfect unison.

“Oh! Have you read The Great Gatsby? I love that book,” Sebastian asks.

“We did! I also love the book,” you eagerly tell Seb. You check out a little when Nico R talks about Indycar and the other former F1 drivers that ended up there.

“He did what?” Lewis asks, bringing you back into the present, where they were talking about a retired driver.

“Alright, I need a new coffee,” you grunt a little as you stretch out of your sitting position. You feel a presence behind you as you use Haas’ shitty coffee machine. Your silently pray it isn’t your trainer here to kill you for having two cups.

“You ok?” Kimi asks, worried they made the girl uncomfortable.

“Yeah, just not used to being in the same room as my childhood idols,” you admit.

“And crushes? I was definitely your favorite,” Kimi uncharacteristically teases. You shyly nod and take a sip of the hot coffee.

“Do you have a mentor? I will teach you the Iceman ways,” Kimi says, he watches the race and sees your potential, plus he respects that you are voluntarily hanging with the older racers, learning from them. He shares some tips as they walk back to the room.

“Kimi, quit hogging our girl,” Daniel says, clearly having some sort of gossip update to share.

“It’s not my fault none of you offered to mentor her already,” Kimi grumbles, sitting beside Seb.

“Ugh, I have media. I’ll see you all later,” you groan, heading back to your motorhome to change.

“You’ve rubbed off on her already,” Lewis tells Kimi, laughing.

“Y/n, there have been rumors about a paddock book club that you started, can you comment?” a reporter asks as you sit on a couch beside George and Logan.

“No comment,” you say with a little smile, not wanting to answer anything not racing related.

“There is, I wasn’t invited. It’s her and a lot of the older drivers,” George says, and Logan tags in.

“She’s gets tired of us and decided that the older Paddock members were more enjoyable. I don’t blame her, that’s a lot of wisdom being shared,” Logan says, grinning at you.

“You are pretty new to F1, joining late last season. Has anyone offered to mentor you?” another reporter follows up the first question.

“Yes, just today actually. Thanks Kimi,” you say. “My driving is good enough anyway, I could beat George blindfolded. In fact, that’s why you aren’t allowed to join,” you roast George who seems to be holding back a laugh. Logan, however, doesn’t care and laughs for you.

“I don’t want to join anymore. Guys, if you are watching, take back what you have created. You all have rubbed off on her too much,” George lied a little, he’s still gonna try to join.

[its-avalon-08]

Hello! I was wondering is y/n was a Verstappen!sister what would be her dynamic with the other drivers??????

hiii! okay so i would visualize y/n verstappen as a stunning, crazily intelligent, super stubborn and talented woman. just like her brother she would be an absolute terror (in a way that she is so insanely talented in her profession). also if i were to write a story about her, i would make her one of the engineers in redbull. she would be fiercely protective of max even though she's younger than him. { she is terrified of jos and max often covered her ears when they were younger to silence his shouts and screams } as for her dynamics with others on track -

max verstappen - being her older brother, he is super super super protective of her, often chasing away slimy men in bars. kelly and y/n are the closest of friends. y/n and p's relationship is the cutest ever, since p absolutely adores her

charles leclerc - close friend and almost like a second brother. charles often looks after y/n and alex's drinks in the bar when they are dancing. y/n loves alexandra and is best friends with her.

carlos sainz - y/n and carlos used to date when max was in toro rosso. max was furious when he found out. carlos was y/n's first. they still have a great deal of respect and affection towards each other but have moved on in a romantic sense. they are now close friends and often pull pranks on charles and max.

lando norris - boyyyfriendddd <3 they started to date in 2022 and fell deeply in love. they dated in secret for 6 months but max found out after seeing lando and y/n with matching hickeys (ooopsss) and swapped hoodies. he was so angry, but not because they were dating but rather because y/n didn't feel comfortable to tell him. he got over it fast enough after a crying session with y/n. lando adores the ground y/n walks on. he is openly whipped for her and has no shame about it. he posts her all the time over instagram and publicly sings praises for her, he often tries to ask her how she makes the redbull car so fast but y/n just laughs in his face. and btw they are so endgame <3

sergio perez (checo) - he is like a father figure to y/n. he gives good advice and helps her calm down when she gets angry at lando or max. he protects her from jos's tantrums.

oscar pisatri - they are good friends since they know eachother from F2. to be fair y/n likes lily more than oscar <3

daniel riccardio - he is y/n's best friend in the whole world ( much to max's dismay and jealousy ). he absolutely adores her to the ends of the earth. he is the same smiley guy who pulled y/n out of her eating disorder and spiral of shame after a bad race where the car underperformed. y/n assures him that his future in f1 is safe <3

part 2 soon!

BONUS { esteban ocon - no words required, she hates him. }

[issdisgrace]

A RIVALRY, A CRASH, AND 3 SIMPLE WORDS

WARNINGS: kinda sad, car crash, burning, hospitals, idk what else to put

A/N: This is for @marksbear2. I hope you like it. Also sorry it took a while I have been procrastinating.

You and Lando have been rivals since day one. Always trying to finish higher than the other, always trying to score more points than the other, and ALWAYS bickering when you weren't on track. Whether it was about the actual race or not, you guys always found an excuse to bicker.

And in hide sight it was so clear you guys were in love with each but neither of you knew what you were feeling towards the other and it was so confusing so it was just easier to fight with each other than figure out what you were feeling.

So you guys continued like this for a while as both of you climbed the ranks to Formula 1. And in the end of both were called up at the same time Lando of course to McLaren and you to Mercedes.

While so many things changed for the two of you and you now had to be more civil to the other than in prior years. Ultimately, that didn't change how competitive you guys were and it didn't change your bickering.

And from the very beginning of your guys' F1 careers there were bets in all the garages, included your guys on who would confess to who in the first place. The bets were split in almost every garage, but they more leaned to Lando, confessing first and boy where they wrong.

It was Monaco 2024. It was a race you guys did every year. You thought it would be just like last year's smooth sailing. You qualified good not as good as of course you wanted to but good none the less. Then the day came and with it came a deep dread in your stomach. Something bad was going to happen. You knew it.

Then Checo had his crash in lap 1 and that dread only grew stronger, so strong you thought you were going to throw up. But you pushed the feeling to the side and got ready to start up once again. Before you knew it was lights out and away you go again. It was lap 39, halfway through the race when engine trouble started.

Your team told you to stay out. That it would be fine and they would figure it out. That definitely didn't make you feel any better than before. Then at the beginning of lap 78 you were suddenly on fire, not smoking, not anything like that, on fire. Before you could think, you lost control and crashed into the wall others still flying by.

Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you tried free yourself from the car. You could see and feel the flames burning. It was burning through your suit. You couldn't feel anything as you continued to try to free yourself and just as freed yourself help arrived. Climbing out of the burning car, when you stumbled towards the medics. Multiple people with fire extinguishers put out the flames on your body.

It was only when you were loaded into the amblulance and on the way to the hospital when your senses returned. The overwhelming pain hitting you like a semi truck along with a putrid smell you thought was the smell of your burnt flesh. But you didnt really have time to fully process it because before you knew it you where at the hospital and being rushed into to surgery.

Lando was almost to the finish line when he heard over radios that you were on fire and then crashed. He felt like he was going to be sick, a thousand thoughts racing through his head. The loudest thought by far was you were going to die and he would never get to tell him he loved you. He was scared, no scared didn't even describe how he was feeling. He was petrified.

As he got out of his car and rushed to Zak Brown, the team CEO to get details of your crash and if you were ok. He told Lando you were ok as far as he knew. Lando felt a little better hearing that but he told Zak once podium was held he was going to that hospital to be with you. He didn't care of the consequence he needed to be there.

Zak being the man he was told Lando not to worry and he would handle the FIA if they gave him a hassle. Lando thanked him profusely before heading to podium.

It was over before Lando knew it and he was rushing back to his driver room to change, gather his stuff, and head to the hospital. Once he was there at the hospital, he rushed in and started asking about you. He lied when the nurse asked him what his relation to you was and said he was your husband.

The nurse told him that you were just prepped for surgery and were on the way to it. And it wouldn't be for a couple hours until you would be out of it. So he would have to wait until he was allowed to see you. He spent the next couple of hours pacing up and down the waiting room anxiously waiting for you.

It felt like a million years had passed before the nurse came and got him. He grabbed his stuff and quickly followed the nurse to your room as she told him the surgery went well and graphs were a success and that it probably be awhile until you woke up because of the anesthetic and the pain meds they pumped through your system.

His heart broke into millions of tiny pieces when he saw you in the hospital bed. He immediately made his way to your bedside and pulled the chair that was nearby towards you and sat down. He didnt even notice the nurse leaving as he gently grabbed your hand. It was now that all the tears he had been holding back started to flow and he ended up crying himself to sleep.

When Lando woke up, his head now rested on your chest as you combing your hand through his hair. He looked up at you surprised that you were awake. He pulled away from you question after question spewing from his mouth. You just hushed him and pull him back into. I love you; you said as you rested your head against his. I love you too; he said back as he wrapped his arms around you. His body would sure complain about the awkward position later, but he would deal with that later.

He needed this. You need this right now. You guys would talk about what your relationship was going to look now on later. You just need to be in the moment with each other.

[charles-leclerc-official]

Why is Red Bull keeping Checo?

I have seen this question thrown around a lot, it's like clockwork every year the validity of his seat is questioned. In 2024 especially after a series of lackluster performances people have questioned why Red Bull would keep Checo in that seat when they have other options like their VCARB drivers or other Red Bull juniors ready to take a chance.

I think that this year especially as the seasons progressed it's become clear that Red Bull need to keep Checo. I know sponsorships etc are also involved. There is a lot that goes into these decisions. But I want to speak about the side of things that has gone under the radar at Red Bull since last year and why they need Checo on the team at this moment in time.

Simply put it's the car. Checo has been the canary in the coalmine for the current evolution of the RB series for a year and a half now. When he noted issues with the car last year in 2023 and how it impacted his driving he was dismissed. Max was still getting results. (Max also noted problems but he was still winning so who cares right? Right?)

Well there's only so long you can get away with a bad or sub-optimal upgrade.

Cut to 2024, Red Bull upgrade the car and Checo's performance drops again, dramatically. And this time so does Max's. Look at the beginning of the struggles in Monaco that carried into the triple header.

There are problems with the balance on the Red Bull model, an issue that has spanned multiple seasons that the team overlooked until they couldn't anymore. They really had the mentality of "Max is still winning so it's fine"

When no. They had a car that Max was starting to really have to fight, and Checo had lost the feeling entirely.

You saw a lot of mentions of "The Verstappen factor" when it came to winning races in mid 2024.

Checo is one of the drivers that has been with this car, and it turns out his feedback and notes on performance were very accurate. If Red Bull want to try to get back on track they need to stay with the drivers who know that car best. Replacing Checo for someone else would work if the car was in a good place. It isn't. The primary goal at the team is to fix the car. A driver who hasn't been with the car at all is not going to be any help on that front. And we have learned that Checo's feedback on the RB19 and RB20 was accurate and more valuable than the team first understood.

People were concerned when Red Bull said "We need to make the car more comfortable for Checo"

But that is what they needed to do, because making the car better for Checo would also make it better for Max. These two are not at odds when it comes to performance in that car. It's just Checo experiences much bigger drop offs than Max. The team realized they needed to listen not just to Max but Checo too if they were going to get on top of the problems with their upgrades and base design philosophy.

It seems that Checo is a good measure for the car. When he struggled eventually that performance issue caught up to Max as well. It took a while, and Max being such a good driver he can compensate for a lot. But if you see Checo struggle with the car, a few months later it catches up to Max. It may take a while but it shows that watching him is very important to understanding these cars.

If Red Bull want to understand the car to best support Max, Checo is the most useful on that front at this moment in time.

If they are going to recover for the rest of the season they need the guy who has been in the car and can give the most informed feedback. Daniel, Yuki, or any Red Bull junior driver was not going to be able to do that.

Note: Max also is important here, but I am speaking specifically on Checo as his impact has been largely overlooked. Max has had many of the same issues make no mistake.

[delulujuls]

emotional support rivals | ls18, sp11

hi! i dont know how to comment on this one, basically i thought that i would try to tame sergio and lance a bit because i know that some people may not like them as much. but they did pretty well here!

anyway, enjoy!

summary: reader is having the worst day of her life aka first day of her period, lance and sergio dont know how to act but they tryna be supportive

warnings: none i think

pairing: lance stroll x fem!mclarendriver x sergio perez

This day was terrible. And that was it.

But you might ask, how could a day be terrible when it hadn't even had a chance to start? Y/N just felt in her bones that this would be the case. She also knew her current schedule of duties, which considering the current jetlag that weighed heavily on her mind, added quite a bit to her already full plate.

Of course, days like these were allowed to exist; balance in life was the norm. Nevertheless, Y/N fervently wished for this one to, as soon as possible, come to an end.

Unfortunately, a quick end was out of the question, as her alarm had just rung. She struggled to open her sleepy eyes and saw the gloomy 6:30 on her phone's display.

She sighed and sat up in bed, feeling an unpleasant sensation in her stomach. She was familiar with this feeling and it signaled one thing and one thing only.

"Oh no, it can't be."

Y/N muttered under her breath and quickly reached for her phone, opening one of the apps. The notification confirmed her worst fear. "Your period may start today!"

"Fantastic, just fucking fantastic."

In a already bad mood, she tossed her phone into the pillows and got up with a symphony of groans, sighs and curses. As soon as she got out of bed she checked the sheets but the snowy white fabric assured her that today would be a one big roulette of waiting for her period to start.

When she showered and got ready to leave, she also packed her emergency kit for days like this. She had to use it partially though, because the pain in her stomach was simply unbearable. And it wasn't the typical stomach ache that everyone thinks of when they hear 'oh no, my stomach hurts' but this stomach pain was the Lance Stroll of all stomach pains. It doesn't seem to hurt too much, but it spoils your whole mood with its terrible nature.

Since talking about Stroll, it happened like that she still had practice laps that day, which she failed to pass while everyone else did. As it turned out, the same task was waiting for Lance, because in the cafeteria, apart from the busy employees, there was him. And that damn Mexican, too.

"What time are you supposed to be on the track?"

Checo asked from behind her when she was grabbing breakfast from one of the swedish tables.

"What happened to 'hi, good morning'? 'Buenos dias,' at least?"

She muttered, pouring syrup on her pancakes.

"Normally you don't talk to me, so I figured there's no point in trying."

He replied, somewhat thrown off by her response.

"Hello Sergio, nice to see you too and yes, it just happens that we're stuck with each other today. I'm on at 10am, you're ahead of me at 9, and that Aston idiot is at 11."

Y/N said sarcastically, putting on the nicest tone she could muster.

Sergio didn't know how to respond, so when she turned to leave for her table, he simply stepped out of her way.

Lance ate in silence, observing the scene quietly. He was watching the McLaren sun, today completely covered by stormy clouds, going away and sitting alone. Inadvertently his gaze met with Checo, who just shook his head and returned to choosing his breakfast.

Y/N sighed heavily, sitting at one of the empty seats. She ate absentmindedly, not used to the absence of Oscar and Lando. They had different things to attend to that day, so it wasn't unlikely that they wouldn't even cross paths. Maybe it was even better for them; each of them would probably receive a monthly dose of sulking. The charms of being the only girl in the company could be really tough at times.

And it's not that Y/N was a pain in the ass only for Oscar and Lando. She got along well with most people she interacted with daily. A few times she even went out with other girls; she wasn't limiting herself to the company of guys only. Unfortunately, Oscar and Lando had happened to take a particular liking to each other, which made the trio basically unseparable.

There were people with whom she didn't have frequent contact, or with whom she only exchanged smiles in passing but she had never had the chance to exchange a word.

It's also known that in life you can't be liked by everyone and not everyone can be liked by you. In this case, there was no magical exception. It just so happened that she would spend today in the company of those people who sat at the other end of the cafeteria, occasionally throwing her stolen glances.

After finishing her meal, the girl got down to her duties, wanting to bring this day to an end as quickly as possible. At the appointed time, she appeared on the track, quickly changing into her racing suit. She put on her helmet and after a brief discussion of notes, she sat in the car. That's when she felt that something was wrong. The worst-case scenario flashed before her eyes.

"Can I quickly go to the bathroom?"

She asked, looking at the technician nearest to her.

"We're a bit behind schedule. Can it wait?"

Y/N resignedly nodded. She knew there was nothing left to salvage.

She adjusted her straps and when she got the signal to leave the garage, she drove outside and headed straight for the track. After the radio test and receiving permission to start, she clenched her fists and roared the engine.

She was angry and as it's known, there's nothing worse than a female rage.

She was angry at this day, at herself, at this damn car. She was angry at the bloodstain on her damn orange suit, even though she hadn't seen it yet.

She was so hormonal that if it weren't for the helmet restricting her movements, she would have screamed at the top of her lungs.

However, female anger was priceless.

"Best lap time, I repeat, best lap time."

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, not responding to the message.

In moments like this, she didn't care about anything. And it's pretty well known that a person who doesn't care has nothing to lose.

When the session ended and she received the message that she could pull into the pit lane, she complied. Mechanics rolled her into the garage and only then did it dawn on her that her hands were still clenched on the steering wheel. When she managed to free herself from the car, she immediately checked her seat. She cursed under her breath and took off her helmet, placing it aside. Quickly grabbing the nearest rag, she began to wipe away the stain of shame on her seat. The technician, whom she asked about going to the bathroom before the start, when he realized what had happened and what she was doing, just gave her an apologetic look.

She unzipped her suit and slid its top off, covering the stain on her backside. Zac wanted to congratulate her on the result and discuss the outcomes, but she apologized and grabbed her emergency kit, heading straight to the bathroom. She changed into her unstained clothes, guarded against another unpleasant surprise and bundled up the suit, muttering under her breath that a visit to the laundry awaited her later that day.

When she returned to the McLaren garage, Zac, upon seeing her, immediately smiled.

"Young lady, you charmed us today! You literally flew in that car!"

"I guess that's good, I think."

The girl replied, mustering a smile as she glanced at the monitors in front of her.

"Good? It's brilliant!"

Zac replied with a smile and checked his notes.

"After checking the car, I would ask you to put on your suit again for a moment because we need to do a few more laps on different tires."

"I thought that was it for today."

Y/N replied, looking at him.

"Now, you were driving on mediums; it would be good to know what time you can achieve on the hard compound."

The girl tightened her suit under her armpit.

"But—"

She started, but it felt silly, so she lowered her voice and approached him, "My suit is not suitable."

"How so? What happened?"

He frowned and looked at the bundle she was holding.

"I won't be able to drive in it anymore today."

Zac looked confused, so she just said "period" without using any words. He quickly understood and immediately nodded his head.

"Ask someone if we have another suit in stock. It would mean a lot to me if we could finish these tests today."

Y/N nodded and walked away, sighing heavily when she was out of his reach. However, as it turned out, racing suits are not as straightforward as one might think and the only McLaren suit in this garage was hers—rolled up into a ball of shame and unfit for use. One of the women upon hearing her situation only gave her a comforting hug and suggested borrowing a suit from Sergio or Lance, taking advantage of the fact that they were only drivers nearby. The situation was exceptional and it was all about internal measurements.

Disheartened by the fact that she would be forced to confront the men, she left the garage and looked around. Checo and Lance were sitting nearby, chatting in front of the Aston Martin garage. Y/N gathered herself and approached them, causing them to immediately pause their conversation.

"Can I borrow a suit from either of you?"

"You drive for McLaren, not for Aston or Red Bull."

Sergio said, taking a sip from his bottle. The girl involuntarily clenched her fists. Be professional, she thought and took a deep breath.

"If I didn't have to, I wouldn't ask. I need a suit; mine... is not suitable for driving."

"What happened?"

Lance asked, glancing at her. His expression lacked the hint of malice that Sergio currently possessed.

"I just need one; is that not enough?"

"Give a good reason and I might even give you mine."

Pérez said, crossing his arms.

"I just got my period which means my suit is having a fucking bloodstain on my ass and even though I feel like they're cutting me in half completely alive I have to do some extra laps because this fucking fat idiot didn't think about pitstop to change my tyres and let me go straight to the track" Y/N she spoke quietly and calmly, but her voice was dripping with fury "So do me the pleasure and let one of you give me your overalls before something hits me, for fucks sake."

Lance and Sergio stood still. Sergio's face lost its fierce expression and Lance suddenly realized that he had started holding his breath out of stress.

"I'll give you mine, no problem."

Stroll spoke up, starting to unzip his suit.

"Yours is light, you idiot; if something happens again, everything will be visible."

Pérez scolded him and turned his gaze back to the girl.

"Wait a moment; I'll bring you mine right away."

Y/N nodded and watched him leave.

"Do you feel very bad?"

Lance asked, looking at her. He couldn't wrap his head around how the girl standing in front of him, bleeding and all, could endure such a great strain and still set the best lap time.

"It's been better."

She sighed.

Lance, not knowing exactly what to do or how to help, reached out his hand with a bottle in it. Y/N looked at the bottle first and then at his face. Seeing that he was genuinely concerned, she whispered a quiet 'thanks' and took the water from him.

Sergio returned shortly after, handing her his suit.

"I hope it'll fit well for you."

The girl handed back Lance his water and thanked Pérez as well.

"Good luck, tigresa."

Y/N nodded at them one last time and returned to the garage, changing into the borrowed suit and taking her place in the car again.

As she sat there, waiting for permission to leave the pit lane, she noticed that she wasn't angry anymore, at least not as much as she was some time ago. When she drove out and headed towards the track, she passed Lance and Sergio once again, who were giving her thumbs up.

For the first time that day Y/N genuinely smiled and who would have thought it would be thanks to her rivals, who had now become her emotional support ones?

[oconist]

I posted a note saying how bad I feel for Esteban but how glad I am he's leaving Alpine (meaning to say that I hope he goes to a good team) and a good friend of mine replied with "yeah I don't like him, bad driver, agreed" and I have no idea how to respond to that... I'm a new F1 fan so no stats ready but I DO know he's not a bad driver but all I can talk about is his background growing up but IDK I need help responding pls?

hi!! same sentiment here, hope he has a contract but glad he left that toxic team.

he's not a bad driver, despite what people say. if u check his stats in feeder series like f3 n gp3 he was a consistent driver that was usually in the podium. if you check his early f1 stats, he had good first full year in force india (points in every race except a retirement and a p12) and was usually close to checo in the standings (if he wasn't being disqualified or had retirements) or his other teammates (last year with 6 retirements vs gasly's 2 and like a 4? 6? point difference)

the year with the biggest position difference is 2020, covid year, in which esteban had not raced in an f1 car for a year against dric who had already a year on the team.

most people think he's a bad driver because of the collisions he has been in, specially with his teammates, but only two of them have been fully his fault (a collision with perez and now in monaco with gasly). the problem is the people he gets in collisions with, and the reason why most people are quick to blame him. drivers that, as usual, blame the other before checking the on-board after the race (which is normal behaviour btw and totally expected, it's weirder if a driver doesn't defend themselves) but ocon never really defends himself, and his biggest/most memorable crashes are with drivers like checo, alonso and verstappen that have big diehard fanbases.

it's true that his style is agressive, but he has also proven he is a team player when needed (defended gasly in australia 2023 after the crash, does follow team orders on the radio, not to mention that he has never talked badly about any team nor teammate he has had and is always cheering the team up on the radio [radio this year after alpine sucked, he was the first to open the radio and cheer the team up, while gasly said the car sucked (true)]). people forget that your teammate is your first rival, but ocon doesn't and unless he is told otherwise, he races them as if they were any other driver. and he normally is on par with his teammate, so of course there are going to be fights between them.

most of the time he does deliver with his overtakes and defense. he is good at managing tyres (record for longest stint in c3 tyres in baku, turkey 2021 where he didn't change tyres, alpine relying on him to manage tyres for all their one pit stop strategies all these years) and good at qualifying.

also, he has never been in a good car, either backmarkers (now and his first half year in f1) or midfield cars and yet he has a win, a 2nd place and a 3rd place. he is consistently in the points if the car allows it, has been praised by prost and is a good test driver and at giving feedback.

i hope the reason why he left alpine is because of the disrespect he has been put through and i really hope that he has a contract for next year. i have never seen a driver been more attacked by his own team (rossi, bruno, otmar) than ocon in the recent years.

[beabnormal24]

My hot takes on this gp:

1) Donald Trump thing

Edit: I might rewrite this ‘cause I’ve been thinking about it a little bit more.

I know that it was not right of Lando to say nice things about Trump, but I also know that him and all the other drivers on the grid are completely PR indoctrinated, and I sincerely believe that he just went with what the team told him to say.

In top of that, I also sincerely think that he wasn’t thinking at all about his own words with all the adrenaline of the win, which might not be a complete justification, but it’s still a reason why he would say those things.

Apart from that, I also feel like I can’t talk about this in primis because it’s not something I’m an expert in, so this is merely my opinion.

2) Carlos’ penalty

First of all, can we all appreciate the show him and Oscar put on? Incredible racing, just top quality, so so beautiful, I got the chills for every single lap and held my breath every time Carlos tried to make a move and Oscar just closed the doors for him.

I loved it a lot.

Second of all, I won’t say if the penalty was deserved or not ‘cause I’m not a steward or anything, but what I do want to say is that Oscar did indeed push Carlos off the track at first (that doesn’t mean that Oscar is a bad driver, I’m just stating the obvious).

On top of that, Checo not receiving a single penalty for that basically “dive-bombing” is… I don’t even have the words for that, really.

And it’s not only them but also Lewis’ move during the sprint that basically took Lando and Lance out both and finished Fernando’s race.

So, maybe, when these things happen together, you start really thinking that when Fernando Alonso says “Because he is not a Spaniard” then maybe he might be right, you know?

3) Carlos saying that he was frustrated with Oscar

It is like- the most normal thing he could say?

He said the same exact thing about Daniel in the sprint! He appreciates their skills, but obviously got frustrated that he could not get past them (in Daniel’s case, literally, in Oscar’s case, because of a penalty).

He never said he hated Oscar, he never said anything similar, and neither did Oscar! If they did on the radio, then please go in and be calm on a radio in a car going around 200kpmh while fighting another car, let’s see what you can do.

They were both really calm after the stewards’ office and they did not say anything bad about each other anymore, why do you feel the need to stir unnecessary drama all the freaking time?

Carlos even went to the McLaren garage to congratulate the engineers. And for those who are saying “he should apologise to Oscar”, uh, no? Why would he?

It’s the sport, it’s how it works! I sincerely think that Oscar would be more offended if Carlos went and apologised to him for that, ‘cause that’s racing. And also, if you’re thinking like that, then Oscar should also apologise for pushing him off the track and almost causing him a proper incident.

But they don’t apologise because it’s racing, simple as that.

Good God, just please think twice before writing hateful comments about Carlos or Oscar.

[petit-papillion]

It's crazy how misinformation keeps being spread. I saw a person on twitter who had a lot of followers and a podcast about f1 saying ferrari asked what tires carlos thought it was better and carlos answered "soft". And then they gave the soft to charles and hard to carlos.

When someone posted the transcription of the radio (from twitter user team55) that shows carlos answered "hards or softs" they said the transcription was wrong.

When someone mentioned ferrari wanted to give charles hards but charles refused, they said its not true and the only reason they gave charles soft was because carlos said it was the better tire.

I went back to listen the radios and the person is simply lying.

Ferrari asked carlos what he prefer between mediums, soft or hards and he said "hards or soft"

Ferrari told charles they were thinking about putting hards and he said "no that's stupid".

So whats the point to make up things like this ? Just so people can keep the narrative that carlos is the strategy master and ferrari favors charles ?

And it's one thing if it was just a random account but it's someone with a plataform. there's a lot of fans that don't have access to f1tv there are just believing what this person said.

Hi Anon! I feel like the F1 broadcasts have hugely contributed to this perception of Carlos being a strategic mastermind by being very selective about what they broadcast from team radio. Drive to Survive gets picked on for painting false narratives, but the main broadcast is, at times, just as bad. They pick and choose team radio, sometimes don't broadcast everything that was said or omit follow-up radio that puts the original one in a different light, or don't transcribe it correctly ("There was a cut." when Charles said "There was a cat." comes to mind). I do like that they put "I'm OK." on screen when a driver has crashed and they know from team radio the driver is okay. And I also understand it takes a little while to transcribe team radio. But to my recollection they have never actually said it's just a standard message they use, and instead they make it seem like they are quoting the driver, who in fact may have said, "I'm in the fucking wall." or "Red flag! Red flag! I'm in the middle of the track!!!"

Anyway, on to your point: why make things up? For the same reason drivers lie (and yes, they all do at one point or another) when they are on team radio or talking to the media. To make themselves look good/innocent. And some go to far more extremes than others. Fans are no different: we are biased towards our fave and have a really hard time accepting when he does something we don't like or agree with, as our meow meow just can do no wrong. Some people come up with excuses, others with just blatant lies. See recently Lestappen fans when Max chose Lando, Daniel and Checo as his top 3 friends on the grid, and they said he had to pick Checo because he's his teammate, otherwise he would've said Charles. Could be true, but that would still only put Charles as his 3rd best friend. Wouldn't Max have put Charles as his undisputed number 1 if they are really that close?

Sorry, I digress. The point is, we all need to use critical thinking to the best of our ability, check facts when we can, and try not to stay in a vacuum of like-minded people, but it's unavoidable to have false narratives slip in when it is being fed to us every race weekend. Commentators are biased and although we expect them to be objective, they often are not. I stopped listening to Sky, but it is incredibly clear Crofty's favourite driver is Norris, Chandhok is a Carlos-fan, etc. And you are right, not everyone has access to F1TV to check the onboards, but in this case, they do have access to Twitter and can look at more than just the tweets telling them lies.

In case anyone needs proof of what Charles said:

🎥 bliss_n16

[breakingthefourtthwall]

As someone who flops whenever the vibes are off (see the car being off since last year and him being ignored; also the fact that he hasn't always had the same updates as max which A LOT of people don't mention when they trash him) I feel like I would've offed myself if I was in Checo's place where every dimwit on the world wide web with only virtual knowledge to what I am doing in a professional manner started running their mouths about me.

Like, it would be a hard choice between homicide and suicide for me, I fear.

I KNOW he's a millionaire and athlete, and they're preconditioned and molded differently from your average Jane (me) HOWEVER he's still a person and I can't imagine that at some point it doesn't get to them.

I'm not saying he hasn't been bad, but people with zero actual personal experience in what it feels like to drive an F1 car thinking they would do better or someone else would do better need to stfu!!!

Alas, when the time comes, I won't hesitate to eat the rich, until then take it easy on what and how you say it! Not everything is constructive criticism, and even then, why give it unsolicited?

Morning rant is done ✔️

Check in at seven o'clock for more xoxo

[fernandomagicalonsomanydances]

In preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix I feel I must give my ranking of my top 10 on the Grid as some way to soothe the frustration that I have no way to watch the race.

Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro Cenamor Rincón Rebollo Birto Moreno de Aranda de Anteriuga Tiapera Deltun absolute king of my heart and the reason I got into this sport. The prince charming of Spain who's so classy and gracious and just such a good teammate no matter where he is at. With his powerful tractor beam big brown eyes. Long live the smooth operator! Vamos Carlos!

Esteban Ocon. Am I aware that this is like loving the problematic lead in a film or book just cause he has babygirl energy? Yes. Is that gonna stop me? Hell naw! I like his backstory, disarmed by his squishy little face, and I vowed to defend him from all harm like the minute after I watched him analyze Cars as being an accurate depiction of various racing aspects. Plus he's from the same region of France as where my family originates. So while Carlos is my F1 husband Estie is like my F1 baby bro. I will call him "teapot" it's a long story feel free to send me an ask about it. I will also call him Esteban "Can Do No Wrong" Ocon. Yes I'm fully self aware of how delulu I am about this man having no flaws (he does I've just elected to ignore them in favor of being charmed by the innocent face)

Daniel Ricciardo - I'm from Texas, I'm an extrovert, I'm legally obligated to stan this man to the moon and back. The Honey Badger is my spirit animal. Not the actual creature, just chaos gremlin Daniel. His energy is infectious and he brings the party and he loves my state. How could I do anything but support him?

George Russell - he was probably the second crush I got in F1 and I kinda love how in spite of his posh model energy he actually isn't from some moneyed or legacy background and he's so delightfully clueless at times "goat, sorry?" And the videos of him with kiddos he's so sweet and attentive to them

Checo - the Mexican minister of Defense. The down to earth friendly dad energy. He's just so solid and sweet and I love what he does to help mellow Max just by ya know being the chill dad Max never had. Also he an authentic Mexican, endorsed Tex-Mex so obvs I'm gonna love this man and wanna get tacos and drinks. He has that approachable energy and given the US's one driver might not even have a seat next year I gotta support our neighbor Mexico's driver cause I sure ain't supporting the Canadian nepo baby

Fernando Alonso - this mainly has to do with sex appeal let's be real. He's got that edgy bad boy kinda external vibe in some ways but then he's backstage arranging flowers and it's like "I could fix him and make him settle down" he's got charm style and is basically an immortal and foxy as hell. Let me try to domesticate this man please!

Charles Leclerc - sweet, I would vote him most likely to be true even while he's traveling abroad being swooned over and having fans handing him marriage licenses. He's just a little too type A for me to love him like I do my golden retriever energy chaos creatures and chill guys of the previous 6. But he's great and it's because of him and Carlos in the C² videos that I got roped into this sport so he's gotta make it. Plus after all the loss he's experienced he's a real inspiration in staying kind in spite of the pain of life

Max Verstappen - speaking of inspirations my traumatized ass can't help but support one of my own. He's an icon of breaking cycles. Yes he's definitely had his issues but he's matured in some ways and while I don't care if he wins or not on the track I'm very invested in him winning at life which him being a doting stepdad to Penelope is the kind of healing that helps me heal too. Children of hard ass dads who didn't realize their childhood was fucked up, unite! Plus he's an absolute goofball and that's endearing

Logan Sargent - I'm american, independence day is literally my favorite holiday, I have to have this man in my top 10 and I genuinely do think he's a classy guy (especially considering he's from Florida) and I can't help but love how the one American driver is just so painfully American looking. He looks like Captain America fucked an apple pie. He looks like scientists designed an American in a lab. He looks like the Beach Boys had a grandson with the descendants of Betsy Ross. He looks like a team scoured frat parties for a year to find the most American looking guy in the country. He is Logan Sargent and he is Kenough.

Valterri Bottas - his absolute self confidence and zero fucks given. He does not take himself too seriously and he is wholesome AF. He also has practical guy energy. Like if I hand to rank drivers on Most Likely to Pull Over and Help You Change a Tire he's definitely in the top 3. He seems like getting his hands dirty is something he's not too good to do and he seems like a good dude. Plus he's hilarious. He's as chaotic as Daniel in some ways he's just a little less boisterous about it. Calm chaos vs 5 year old given 16 energy drinks in an hour Ricciardo energy

[itsblasttothepast]

I love how Checo saw Franco and immediately went "my baby, my boy, my precious child" and is almost constantly near him and interacts with him and does everything to connect and make him feel good. It's heartbreaking that he does that mostly because he was alone in this sport for so long and wasn't really welcome in it.

I can't really believe how people can keep on saying that he is a bad person (I know it's mostly Daniel fans wanting their fave in Checo's seat but still) when most of the drivers like him (I stand by my opinion that if Sebastian Vettel liked you, you can't be a terrible person) and he just wants the younger drivers to never go through he had to in this sport. It's the same with Yuki, the drivers from F2, F3 and the Academy and now with Franco, even with Max earlier on. He's just adorable and wholesome and I can't wrap my head around all the hate when the loudest people claim 'not to be racist' but there is really no reason for them to hate him so much. Dislike? Sure that's your right but blatant hate?

Oh, I know anon. I don't get how people can hate him, and also waste their time and effort in making blogs, posts, edits and so much more just to show how much they hate him... I mean... what? this is borderline insane.

You are allowed to dislike someone; I don't like Lando Norris, for example (I have my petty reasons), but I don't spend my time making blogs to hate him or making posts about him, why would I do that? When I can be delusional with Chestappen and Chewis? Being happy with my fellow KitKat gang, or just finding Squirtle gifs? (new obsession).

The only person who welcomed Checo when he joined F1 was Fernando, which is why he's his bestie; Kamui also was kind, but the rest of the grid... oh well. I just love how much Checo puts the effort in welcoming the rookies, and with Franco has been extra nice, maybe because both are latin americans; he is a warm and kind person (also a little shit sometimes), so I don't get why people keep hating him so much.

Thank you for your message, it's so nice knowing that there are people out there who likes Checo and supports him.

Hugs to you anon, your message lifted my spirit 💖

[eu-nicola]

Max Verstappen x Fem! Reader part 1

part 2

summary: when you met max your life started to sound like the verse ”But with everybody watching us, our every move We do have reputations We keep it secret” warnings: infidelity everywhere you see, not morally safe, I didn't correct this but I will

You had met Max at the race in Mexico, you had traveled from Argentina and gone as just another fan but this time you were in the Red Bull garage seeing everything up close since your father had paid for a special pass so he could get to know him well, One day there you had met Max's girlfriend and Checo's wife. You remember that they both greeted you kindly and invited you to stay with them.

That race had caused something to talk about since many said that Max had not let Checo win and that at that moment their friendship was on the tightrope, you did not pay much attention to notice if Checo was really angry with Max or not. that you simply continued enjoying everything that followed afterwards, you met Max at that very moment when he entered the room with Checo and Hamilton, you asked the three of them for an autograph trying to leave as soon as possible so that they wouldn't think you were annoying, When you went to talk to Max he looked at you and smiled before signing for you and then you left.

You saw him again when he stood on the first place podium and you thought that this was definitely his place, first place. At the end of the day you returned to the house where you were staying, it was the house of one of your friends who had moved to Mexico a few years before when her parents had divorced and she had gone with her mother.

After that race, Brazil followed in which Max came sixth and you were also present, it hurt you a little that he was so low but regardless of the result you continued to support him so he kept going, then for the last time in the year he continued to Abu Dhabi in which Max won, you knew that after his second title won in Japan and now also in his last race of the year with a good closing, he and his circle of friends were going to go out to celebrate at night, one of Max's friends I had invited you that same day when I met you at the go and you thought it would be a good idea.

That night you prepared the best you could wanting to look good, you always wanted to look good and you did. Max's friend had agreed to pick you up and he did so at the time he had agreed to meet. You didn't know specifically where they were going to go but you did know it was going to be a very good night.

At the club you greeted everyone who was in that group, the girls immediately integrated you into the group and you were with them all the time, the one you got along with best was Carmen, it was very easy for them to talk and change the subject without even getting bored . . They shared a couple of drinks until you started to feel the effect of the alcohol so you left it, each of the girls were now with their boyfriends dancing or scattered around, you were sitting with Max's friend “Lucas” talking and laughing, You liked the fact that he didn't want to try anything else and how gentlemanly he was towards you.

When you both got tired of talking and laughing you got up to go to the bathroom, you walked through all those people to get there and before you went through the door you saw Max and Kelly fighting and it's not that you were a gossip but sometimes it wasn't bad to find out some things. things and that's what you did, you stood in a place making sure they didn't see you and you heard Kelly yell at Max demanding that how was it possible that he cheated on her again and in such a public place. It was no secret that there was a time when Max cheated on Kelly and it was everywhere and this time was the second time. She tried to calm her down but she just didn't want to do it and when it seemed like they had finished arguing you heard the footsteps of her heels leaving the place. You came out of your hiding place and that was the moment you saw Max, he looked at you for a moment and knew that you were listening to them but he didn't say anything and just walked past you.

You returned to your place knowing what had happened and you were interested in knowing what would continue to happen.

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

F1 70th Anniversary 2020

-Watched this race almost a month ago but forgot to post this until now

-The history of this race showing so many Williams winners, like where did all that glory go ?

-Nico p3?!???!????!

-“Kimi Raikkonen slowest qualifier again” That just sounds wrong

-“Looking for a podium in formula 1, could it happen today?” They say things like this and I start feeling hopeful before remembering the horrible fact I learnt about him never achieving a podium (I’m just going to sit here and pray he finishes the race)

-Also where is Checo?

-The inner conflict I have to deal with because Max went up a place but that meant Nico went down a place

-The Mercedes took off so fast, the camera following them showed none of the other cars behind for like ten seconds

-“Sebastian Vettel racing former teammate Kimi Raikkonen at the moment” Whaaat, but Kimi’s p20?!

-“Why does he keep spinning?” Better question, what did Ferrari do to his car?

-So cool watching Charles and Carlos fighting it out

-“Those two will be teammates of course next year”

-Alex pitting lap 7? Are new tires worth falling to p20?

-2020! The year of radio subtitles!!

-“Mate this is the only chance of being close to the Mercedes, I’m not just sitting here like a grandma” Iconic!!

-“Have I mentioned this before? Thank goodness for Max Verstappen” And then a year later, they’ll switch up

-McLaren actually having a good pit stop strategy?

-Just realized that Ocon took Nico’s seat at Renault so that Nico could take the “Racing Point” seat because Checo is…where?

-Incoming Lewis vs Charles…and, that was fairly easy for Lewis

-The Albon vs Gasly is giving Perez vs Lawson (just with less drama)

-What is with Red Bull making things tense between their drivers?

-Charles on Lando!!

-Tire blisters must be such nightmares

-Need Nico to overtake Carlos here

-“Verstappen is the real threat here if he’s one-stopping”

-“My tires feel good mate. It’s all good” Fingers crossed they stay that way

-Oh nvm, Nico didn’t need to go past Carlos, he hadn’t pit yet

-“If you’re Nico Hulkenburg, you’re going to be thinking, if Mercedes is starting to go out like this, I might be on to a first ever podium” Stop 😭

-“Red Bull have not had a win here in Silverstone since 2012: Mark “Not Bad for a No.2 Drive“ Webber

-Max finally pitting lap 27

-Aaah who cares if the pit stop was slow and cost him the chance to get back out in the lead?! That overtake on Valterri was so smooth!!

-“He must have less pressure in the tires or something” lol

-Just saw my first, Kevin being a terror on track. “That’s a bit bumper cars there”. That was hilarious

-“I’ll hang in there, but you know that you messed up” What is going on with Seb and Ferrari

-“Forget the tire management. As fast as you can, within the limits of the tire obviously” “So basically we’re just gonna fully send it” Haha, he sounds so giddy

-“Someone’s had a problem, it’s the-“ Thought it was Nico and almost died

-Max and Valterri pitting at the same time

-How the hell did Charles make it to p4? Oh never-mind he still has to come in

-“Do they [Lewis and Mercedes] think they can leave him out for the rest of the race?” That would be such a gamble

-Alex doing so many overtakes this race

-Charles still not pitting and the commentators speculating his chances of the podium- he really is him

-With Lewis pitting and if Charles really is going to the end, he actually really might make it to the podium

-“I said Leclerc would be easy meat, but Lewis is vegan of course- it’ll be an easy overtake for him” That’s- *smh*

-Nico pitting?? Come on?! Whyy? That’s lost him two places

-“Free to race. Just give each other space” Oooooh

-Max getting fired up as soon as he hears that Lewis is on fresher tires. He just knew who his real competition was from the beginning.

-“GP, did you hydrate during the race?” Max you menace!

-“Charles Leclerc, he managed the one stop strategy and once again outperformed that car” Let’s go baby!!!

-“There was nothing second best about Max Verstappen today!”

-They all keep talking about sanitizing and bubbles; it didn’t hit me until a second ago that Covid happened in 2020. How have four years passed since then??

-“And this guy, is the star of the future” He really is

-Ooh he’s second in the championship, how cool

-Lewis and Max bumping elbows. I truly forgot about the idiosyncrasies that Covid brought

-What a time

[lestappenforever]

Now since I’m tearing up for Charles. And this race was considerably boring. Here’s my quick analysis because there wasn’t much to analyse to be honest.

Kevin Magnussen is on THIN ICE. He’s being a track terrorist, that anyone near him is genuinely doesn’t feel safe. And Nico was doing good considering that penalty, slowly building his way into the race. So was Checo, but Kevin just had to go and ruin it for all 3, as well as any type of potential for a strategy race today.

Alpine was good, despite Esteban’s crash, but they are building. What genuinely concerns me however, is the fact that THIS was the racing incident not the other one. And Alpine should see that, especially since Esteban was the one who’s been taking the car places since the start and outperforming Pierre.

Aston were meh, not good, not bad, just okay, and I can assure you, VCARB are coming for them slowly but surely.

VCARB making slow but sure steps that are making the difference. Yuki being so good with strategically keeping Alex behind him. Daniel overtakes. The’re getting there and could be at this rate, competing for p5 in constructors.

Mercedes did well (unfortunately) with George specifically, maintaining those tyres, keeping Max behind him, Lewis also getting more confident in that car. A slow and steady rise.

Williams did well considering the circumstances. Alex points, that’s a huge leap, but also, Logan did really good in the race, with his overtakes and all in a non-upgraded overweight Williams. Getting better and not the bottom markers is surely good.

McLaren played the mind games really well today. With the way he fixed Oscar’s car in the Red Flag, to keeping Lando on Carlos’ ankle almost the whole race, yeah, they really are becoming a threat in the constructors.

Red Bull, my team. You know that feeling when you’re mad at someone but you love them and can’t stay mad or accept any backlash unless it was with the intent of love. That’s me with Red Bull right now. Like yes, the car was stiff and needs work, especially with Ferrari and McLaren being so close on their tails. But this weekend was one where all external factors worked against Red Bull, with Max hitting the wall at the worst ever time in Q3, Checo being 0.5 seconds away from Q2. The crash, that I am grateful and thankful that Checo was able to get up on both feet by himself after it became of how horrendous it was. And therefore fucking a strategy race. It was written in the stars for The Prince of Monaco that all of this happens to the team at the same time. But also, credit where credit is due, the pitting call from Hannah was chef’s kiss, because it made Max more confident and he didn’t loose places. On the topic if Max however. I can’t stand his ass (jk I love him but I’m mad) simply because he could have overtaken George, but I guess he wasn’t 100% with the car that he won’t end up in the wall. But what I’m sure if is that he’s mad with today, from his side, from his childhood rival’s side, I can bet my money that he’s proud of him. But now Red Bull will need to work so hard in those 2 weeks to Canada, to improve the car. And Checo will need to do better these upcoming races because another fuck up could be his seat. And the fight for this seat is fierce.

Finally the team of the hour, who did everything right this weekend, gave the boys a car they can trust, and gave their golden boy his dream win. Seriously we can’t say anything about Ferrari with the way they handled the weekend, and hats off to them. And of course our Predestinato, who made us all cry with his win, which was extremely emotional and no one could have been upset with it, he drive his heart out today, and luck was on his side to make it. So yeah, Charles was beyond amazing today, and so was Carlos who put pressure on Oscar to pay that Singapore debt that Charles did for him.

But yeah, the race again wasn’t an entertaining one, racing and strategy wise, but again another emotional one (that needed Max honestly on that Podium ESPECIALLY with Charles) but he did it, he broke the curse and made us cry. Now time to chill, regroup and onto Canada

Just going to leave this here in all its glory because it needs no additions.

[scrollonso]

Birthday Boy — Max/Aleix

The moment Max opened his eyes, he knew that he was sick. He could feel the thickness in his head, accompanied by the pain he felt when swallowing. His nose was completely blocked and moving anything was such a struggle. Agitation washed through him as he turned onto his side.

“Seriously,” he coughed thickly. “On my birthday.”

“What’s on your birthday?”

Max lifted his head to see his husband enter the bedroom, shirtless and with a mug of steaming coffee in his hands. He looked perfect, Max longed to reach out and pull him close for a kiss.

“ 'M sick,” Max answered as he flopped back down on the bed with a moan. “I’m sick on my birthday and both of us aren't busy at the same time for once. What kinda bad luck is that?”

Aleix shook his head good naturally. “It’s not the end of the world. We can make the most of it here, watching movies or maybe play some cards if you’re up to it. I can cancel the dinner with Pol and Checo too if you’d rather.”

Max's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten they had invited Aleix's brother and his teammate over for a birthday dinner. It had become a tradition ever since the two couples had gotten together — spending birthdays as a family. Cancelling it now felt nearly impossible, like the entire world would shatter if they didn’t go through with it. No matter how sick Max was, he couldn’t bring himself to even consider doing that to them — especially not with knowing how excited Mia and Carlota were to see eachother again.

“No, no, please,” Max practically begged as he scrambled to sit up, body howling in protest. “I- I’m fine. Just exaggerating like always. I’m alright.”

Aleix frowned and set his coffee down before drawing closer to his lover. He sat down beside him and lifted a hand to his brow. Max eased into his touch with his eyes closed in bliss, longing to stay like this with Aleix forever.

“You’re a little warm,” Aleix assisted.

Before Max could formulate a response, he took in a shaky breath and turned away from Aleix into his shoulder before sneezing half a dozen times in a row.

“Jesus, bless you!”

Max tried not to show how much the fit drained him as he blinked his eyes slowly. He could already feel the heaviness in his sinuses and worried that if he spoke, his voice would match the congestion. Instead, he gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement of his husband’s words. He also feared any slight vibration would send him off on another fit, one that may be even worse than the one prior.

“Here. Your nose is running.”

Embarrassment swamped through Max as Aleix rushed off to find him another box of tissues. He had made quick work of the meager supply he had gathered to night prior and he could only use his wrist to clean himself up as shame mixed with the fever to cause his head to pound.

Aleix arrived back quickly, tissues in hand. Max practically tackled him to grab them, the soft pillowy texture soothing against his irritated nostrils. He wouldn’t go so far as to saying that it was pleasant, but he knew this was the best that he could expect from what they had at home.

The bed dipped as Aleix slipped down beside Max. He looped an arm around the driver's neck and pulled him close and kiss the top of his head. “Happy Birthday, Max.”

“No,” Max pouted as he weakly pushed Aleix aside. “I don’t want to get you sick.”

“Honey,” Aleix began sympathetically. “We’ve shared the same bed since we got together — nearly four years ago, mind you. If I’m going to catch it, I would’ve caught it by now. You’re just going to have to admit that I have a better immune system than you.”

Max wagged a finger in his direction as he rubbed at his nose with his other. “No way! You had that bug back… back in what? right after Pol joined Honda?”

Aleix reached out and rested his hand on Max's thigh, giving it a tight squeeze. “Max, sweetheart, that was years ago. Are you trying to say you don’t remember being sick a couple months ago?”

Now that was a memory that Max had tried hard to forget. He had caught the flu from Daniil when he had gone to visit him at his old apartment, and when he came home, spent the rest of the week in bed puking his guts out. A fever had ravaged his body and left him weak and incoherent. There were only bits and pieces that he still remembered with Aleix filling in the rest. The last thing he wanted was a repeat, no matter the facade he tried to show.

“Of course I remember. But that doesn’t mean I have a shitty immune system.”

Aleix let out a resigned sigh. “I don’t want to argue with you on your birthday, sweetheart, especially when you’re not feeling well.”

The reminder of his birthday brought a whole new rush of emotions to the surface. Frustration and annoyance were at the forefront, quickly followed by disappointment and longing.

“But we had things planned,” Max began to protest until his lungs seized and he doubled over, coughing towards his lap. The tightness in his chest seemed to spread to his throat and he was left trembling with each harsh breath.

Aleix was there in a moment, easing Max forward and cupping his hand before thumping the heel of his palm against his broaden back. Pain spasmed with each touch, though the pressure began to loosen some of the congestion, enough for him to swallow it down and feel his ears pop from the force.

When the fit passed, Max was still gulping for breath. Tears brimmed in the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall if he so much as blinked. So this was how things were going to go? Congestion and fever was bad enough but now he had a wicked cough to contend with too.

Upon seeing Max clearly pouting, Aleix stole another kiss against his temple. The heat there felt as though it was only rising and he struggled not to state the obvious. “How 'bout we move you into the living room and we have a movie marathon?”

“Movie marathon?”

“Yeah, we can watch whatever you want.”

Max raised an eyebrow. “Can we start with The Aristocats?”

Aleix rolled his eyes good-naturally — he'd never been a fan of that movie. “Sure, whatever you’d like. Though, I highly doubt you’ll be able to stay awake long enough to make it through much of it.” He said, knowing Max used to play it to soothe himself to sleep years ago.

“And then are you going to leave me to go out with Mia and Maxie?”

Aleix nudged Max playfully, warm eyes shinning in amusement as Max lashed out back. The two ended up rolling on top of each other on the bed, attempting to pin each other down to no avail. Aleix managed to hold Max under him, the smaller man’s chest heaving with each breath as he attempted to nip at Aleix's neck. Aleix drew back every time Max came close, inching forward and back just to see that wicked look in his lover’s eyes.

The moment passed almost immediately as Max's face took on a stricken expression. Aleix hardly had time to process what was wrong when Max bucked forward and attempted to twist away, body noticeably tensing as he continued to sneeze.

Aleix immediately recoiled, more in horror than disgust. He rolled off of Max and landed on his side on the edge of the bed while Max fumbled around for the tissue box with one hand, attempting to cover his nose with the other.

When he finally found the box, he ripped a few tissues free and held them over his nose, blowing harshly multiple times until he could speak without his words becoming muffled. It would do neither of them any good if they couldn’t understand Max when he spoke.

“Max, I’m sorry. I—“

“You’re sorry? I’m the one that’s spreading my germs all around. Why are you apologizing?” Max's voice gave way to another cough, this time not as forceful, but just as painful.

Aleix frowned as he pulled Max close until the fit passed. The world champion seemed in worse shape than he realized and whatever plans he had made for the day would have to be moved. He tried not to show his own disappointment as holidays and birthdays were rarely celebrated on the day because of their jobs. This was one of the first times they would be able to do so and to have it hijacked by a virus was unfortunate to say the least.

Another moment passed that was broken by Max's faint sniffling as he furiously rubbed at his nose. “Damnit, it still itches.”

“Then come on. I have some tea that should help with that.” Aleix was already on his feet and halfway out of the room before Max realized he was gone.

“Hey, don’t leave me,” Max called as he forced himself to shaky feet, tissue box held surely against his chest. He couldn’t help but grab the corner of the more decorative blanket that Aleix always draped across the foot of the bed. It strayed across the ground as Max shuffled against Aleix, smothering a few hefty coughs into the crook of his elbow. His face screwed in concentration as he headed down the hallway on his way to the living room.

Halfway there, he took a break as he leaned against the wall. His attention drifted upwards to a cluster of photos on the wall. There were pictures of them and the kids as well as a few from different career celebrations. Max's favorite still was nestled in the middle; a picture of himself and Aleix on their wedding day. It had been a small and private affair and had been kept mostly under wraps for fear of how everyone would react. Still, Max couldn’t have been happier and to always have that picture in the center of their home always constituted a stop to remember the day.

“Max? You alright?”

Max shook his head to clear it, nearly falling over in the process. “Coming,” he wheezed back, blanket continuing to trail behind him as he managed the next couple steps to the living room.

He debated on the armchair or the couch before settling on the couch. There was more room to spread out and Aleix could join him if he wanted, though Max swore to himself that he would at least try to keep Aleix away. No matter what the Spaniard said, Max knew that he would feel terrible if he ended up catching this from him.

“Still stuck on your cartoons, old man?”

Max twisted his head to the side to see Aleix coming towards him with an extra pillow and blanket in hand. He offered a grin that reminded Max why he fell in love with him all over again.

“Old man? But I’m younger than you,” Max protested, nearly eight years younger.

Aleix threw the pillow down before slumping down beside Max. He drew the blanket over his shoulders before folding the one Max had over his legs in case he grew colder. “With the taste of an old man — well, more of an old woman,” Aleix tested as he kissed Max's brow. “But, for your birthday I suppose I can manage.”

Max had to fight the urge to pull Aleix close and kiss him silly. It was so rare that the two of them had breaks that overlapped so perfectly that he almost forgot what that felt like. He wanted to hold Aleix close and feel his heartbeat in sync with his. Why did this virus have to have such a hold on him?

“How noble of you.” Max suddenly broke off to cough over his shoulder, attempting to shield Aleix from it as much as possible. He noticed Aleix shift away and he felt his loss almost instantly, heart acheing though he knew he'd be right back. “Where are you going?”

“To get your tea,” Aleix called over his shoulder.

Max wanted to grump back how he wanted Aleix himself, not tea, but immediately thought better of it. Aleix was only trying to help, and it would throw his husband into a fit if he wasn’t able to do something to help. He could survive without the other man for a few minutes, surely.

A few minutes felt like a lifetime and Max was about to drag himself off the couch to go in search of him when the lights overhead begin to dim. He looked around blankly, twisting in his tangle of blankets until he saw Aleix creeping forward from the corner of his vision. The short haired ridwr stepped forward slowly, a plate in hand as a small cupcake set in the center while a candle flickered on top.

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear, Max.” Aleix's smile grew broader as he sat down beside Max. “Happy birthday to you.”

Max wasn’t sure he had ever heard Aleox sing before — at least not without the twins — and he couldn’t help but grin along with him. Seeing the small cupcake, red velvet by the looks of it, nearly had him forgetting his current predicament.

“Make a wish,” Aleix encouraged as the candle continued to flicker. “If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

Max turned away shyly, heat rising in his cheeks that had nothing to do with a potential fever.

“You’ve had a rough year. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how worried you've been about Maxie and Mia starting school soon.” Aleix clustered closer to Max, the plate that the cupcake rested on still in his hands. “I love you for all that you do and I just want you to know that I see how hard everything's been. But, you don’t have to carry this all by yourself. Just know I’m here, okay?"

Max wanted nothing more to confess everything to Aleix, to confide in how difficult things really had been. He had often times resorted to harsh comments or sarcasm to express himself, and he knew that had taken a toll on their relationship. Still, Aleix had stuck with him every step of the way and Max wasn’t always sure how to express that to his lover.

Aleix reached out to nudge Max lightly. “This candle can’t burn forever. I think it’s time to make a wish.”

Max gazed back at the cupcake as his thoughts rushed. While he pondered what his wish could be, his breath suddenly caught. He drew back as far as he could in the small space, elbow over his face as he braced for the inevitable. Max snuffled hard until he located the tissues and pulled a few free. As he blew his nose, he realized in horror that the candle was no longer lit.

“Shit, did I do that,” Max quested as he pointed innocently at the plate.

Aleix rolled his eyes. “This is all yours.” He handed over the plate, but not before sneaking a kiss against Max'z neck. Max giggled as Aleix's stuble tickled his neck before the older man pulled away once more. “Okay, now I’m seriously going to grab the tea and you’ll drink all of it or I take your birthday cupcake away.”

“No,” Max complained as he held his cupcake close, still sniffling. “You wouldn’t dare!”

A familiar challenge lit in Aleix's eyes. “Try and stop me.”

Max longed to issue a challenge of his own, but Aleix was already disappearing once more. He gave an amused shake of his head as he dug into the cupcake. It had no taste for him, which he would admit was unfortunate. However, it was the thought that counted and he enjoyed the texture well enough without the taste.

This definitely wasn’t how Max expected to celebrate his birthday, but so long as Aleix was with him, the circumstances didn’t matter. And that was always something to celebrate.

[bohnsky]

This race you guys😭😭😭

How am I supposed to sleep tonight? I’m just so fucking happy for Lando 😭😭😭

Damn this time it was way harder to decide but here are my favorite drivers two months (holy shit, it’s been two months already?) into liking f1:

1. Alex Albon

Albono is and will (hopefully) always be my number one (not counting Seb of course lol). And he did so well this weekend! The practices were perfect and today gaining P8 back was so great!! I admit, it again was hard for me to focus on him because of what was going on at the front, but it wasn’t as hard as it was last week lol

2. Charles Leclerc

Again, nothing changed here but I’m not going to complain about that, but the race was not optimal for Ferrari. It was hard for me to cheer for them because I didn’t want them to overtake Alex lol but I’m really sad about how it turned out for them anyway.

3. Sergio Perez

This one was the hardest decision I have ever made. I wanted to put Lewis on third again, but I think I just realized that I’ve been obsessing over Checo for so long now. Honestly, I have so much to say about him, have had for weeks and I feel like it’s about time that I give him the credit he deserves.

And the race today.. Guys, my heart... Quali yesterday made me so sad and I didn’t even understand that he was out after Q1 at first and why, but then I thought about his performance last week and let myself hope. Today wasn’t as good as last week but he still killed it! I did not cheer for him as he overtook Alex and Charles obviously and I hesitated to cheer when he overtook Carlos but I can’t help to be happy for him xD

Also I somehow started shipping Chestappen. Max not being mad at Checo after last week's inchident in turn 1 right at the start launched something in me and idk, I’m kinda digging it tho lol

Honerable mentions:

Lewis. Obviously, I wanted him on third but my soft spot for Checo took over, but you cannot believe how happy I am for Lewis. As you probably all know by now, I always like to see people on the podium for their home race. This week it was not even possible for all Brits to be on the podium as there are four, but I am so happy that two of them made it 😀

Lando. Obvoiusly! After that quali and race! I couldn’t be happier for Lando. And let me tell you now that he was the third competitor for third in my ranking. I’ve been watching so much Lando content lately and I just love this guy. He is the most relatable driver on the grid and he cares so much about his fans. He’s just the best.

Carlos. Well with Lando content comes Carlando content and I love it. Also I have been developing a little soft spot for Carlos as well. I’ve liked him before but it’s stronger now 😊

Might also have to do with how Ferrari treats him lately. He deserves better and the race today must have been awful for him. This triple overtake with Checo, Alex and Charles must’ve been horrible, and I just hope he doesn’t feel too bad after this disaster of a race.

Max. Well, Chestappen.. But I gotta say, Chestappen is more of a fun thing because cute and all, but I’m still a Lestappen shipper and if I had to choose, I’d have to choose Lestappen because they make more sense. And the way he keeps saying ‘inchident’ 😭😭😭

But same tbh, I can’t even say or read ‘incident’ the right way anymore, I always say ‘inchident’.

Also, I feel like being friends with Max must be really frustrating. Like you want to be mad because he always wins everything, and you don't stand a chance, but you can't be mad because he praises you all the time and says that he had so much fun fighting you. That would drive me crazy.

Also, Max' hugs look so comfortable. I want one. And I want to touch his hair.

Daniel Ricciardo. I don’t know why I never mention him. He’s always been one of my favorites and I just feel like that’s a given and I don’t have to say it because it’s so obvious even if it isn't. Kind of like how it is with Seb.

Logan. This is more about how I noticed him more this week. He did a pretty good job this weekend and I couldn’t help but start to become a little Williams fan. The team seems to be heading in the right direction and I love that for them. Mostly for Alex but also for the rest of the team 😊

Oscar. Same with him. He did so fucking well and I love that for him.

Lance. I’ve become a fan. He is such a sweetheart and I want to give him the world.

Pierre. I feel so bad for him today. He must feel awful, and I just want to hug him 🙁

I sadly didn't have much time to check out post race stuff, because I have an exam tomorrow :(

Anyway I think that’s it for now. Thanks for reading :)