#european gp 2006

[brawngp2009]

European GP 2006 | Button: DNF

[schumigrace]

fernando alonso | 2nd place | nürburgring 2006 | podium no.28

[charleszleclerc]

Timeline

June 21st 1997

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

October 16th 1997

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

April 2nd 1999

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

October 14th 2000

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

2001

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

2005

Charles starts go kart racing competitively he was eight.

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

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

2008

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

Charles won the French PACA for the last time

2009

Charles became a French Cadet Champion

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

They both join the same secondary school

2010

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

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

2011

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

Evelyn joins her school’s photography group

2012

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

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

2013

Max and Evelyns friendship grows

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

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

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

2014

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

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

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

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

October 2014 Jules Bianchi crashes in Japan

Evelyn’s there for Charles immediately

Christmas day Charles and Evelyn decide to start dating

2015

Charles and Evelyn finish school at the age of 18

Charles joins F3

Evelyn applies to start a fashion design course

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

2016

Charles and Evelyn’s relationship is stronger than ever

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

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

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

2017

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

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

Hervé Leclerc passes away

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

Charles wins the f2 championship

2018

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

Evelyn released her first clothing line

2019-present

Charles signed with Ferrari

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

She also continues to teach ballet

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

May 2024 Charles wins the Monaco grand prix

July 2024 Evelyn finds out she’s pregnant

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

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

[kwisatzworld]

Uccio Salucci: the good life

December 2008 by Mat Oxley

Uccio Salucci’s good life is living life with the world’s greatest motorcycle racer, handing him his helmet and gloves on the grid, topping up his energy drink in the pit, hanging out with him in Ibiza. In fact, everywhere Valentino Rossi goes, Uccio goes with him. It’s a bit like being God’s butler. There’s no doubt that Uccio lives the good life – travelling the world in first-class style with the hugely popular Rossi, who just happens to be his best mate as well as his employer. Uccio has been Rossi’s right-hand man since his earliest days on the GP trail, he’s like an extra pair of hands for the seven-time world champion. The old school friends have known each other most of their lives and are pretty much inseparable whether they’re in the paddock, partying in Ibiza or chilling out back home in Tavullia.

How old are you? I’m 29, same as Valentino.

How did you get here? We have been dear friends since we were four or five years old. We used to go to school together and after school we used to go minimoto racing together. Of course, Valentino was always faster. When he started travelling around and doing well in GPs he needed someone he could really trust to be with him, as all racers do. Valentino asked me to be his ‘main of faith’ and I said yes.

What do you do? My real job is to drive the motorhome to all the European races. I am also Valentino’s assistant, so he calls me bad names when things go badly and when things go well we share the happiness. I look after everything for him, all his kit, his leathers, helmets, gloves and boots, anything he hasn’t got time to do, I do.

What is the highlight of your job? Travelling, seeing new things, learning new cultures and, of course, being with an amazing character like Valentino. He’s a lot of fun to be with, in and out of the paddock. Of course, we do argue, we argue a lot, like women! The best moment of our time together was South Africa 2004, his first win with Yamaha.

What makes you tick? The engine of my job is wanting to win the race on Sunday, this is my main motivation, just like Valentino’s. You cannot do this job if you’re not hungry for victory.

Is it the easy life? It’s easy and it’s difficult. For sure it’s easier than a proper job, I don’t consider this to be a real job. It’s difficult to be with Valentino because he’s very famous, so he gets a lot of criticism, so you always have to stay calm about this kind of thing. But you get used to the lifestyle, it’s not a crazy life but an emotional life.

What’s your best-ever trip? I always enjoy driving the motorhome on long journeys, like to Jerez in southern Spain. The motorhome is always very crowded, there’s always four or five of us from Tavullia, with me doing all the driving.

What’s the best bike you’ve ever ridden? The Yamaha 990cc M1! I rode it twice in 2006, first at Monza, then at Valencia. Valentino let a few of us ride his bike. It was fantastic, the power and the braking were incredible, and the handling was so light and easy, like a bicycle. But I didn’t go very fast. For sure if I crash, I die!

What’s the secret of the good life? The secret of the good life in the paddock is to take everything lightly, not to take it too seriously. There’s a lot of pressures and if you focus too much on the pressures you don’t have a good time.

What would you swap about your good life? I don’t like it when Valentino gets criticised. The paddock is like a barber’s shop, everyone talks a lot, there’s a lot of bullshit, I don’t like that aspect of this world.

How often do you ride? I have an XT660 Supermotard, I go to the seaside from Tavullia. In the summer I never drive a car. Maybe I’m a little crazy on the street, especially on roundabouts: foot down, wheelies. But please don’t write that.

Who else has the good life? Rock stars!

You and Valentino like a party don’t you? Yes, of course, we love parties, but we’re getting older so we don’t party as much as we used to. We like to be with friends, eat a pizza…

So no more DC10? [A legendary Ibiza pill-popping club] We don’t like it anymore, the people are different now, Ibiza has changed.

What’s the best party you’ve been to? DC10 in 2000, before Vale bought a house in Ibiza. That was crazy!

What about girls? Some people think I’m a filter for Valentino’s girls but I’m not, maybe it would be nice. The problem of being with Valentino is that when a nice girl comes to meet us, she soon goes off with Valentino. He’s better looking, thinner, richer… and faster too.

Was the good life better in 1997 or is it better now? Those early days in GPs were unforgettable, the world championship was a dream come true for us but it was kind of like a game back then. We used to play, we were more natural in the way we carried on. Then we got older, racing got more serious and now it’s becoming more like a normal job.

What happens away from races? I’m with Valentino wherever he goes, like two normal friends, well, maybe not normal friends, but we are very good friends who get along well in all kind of circumstances.

And what good life after this good life? Recently I’ve started thinking about this but at the moment I have no idea. I will worry about this problem when I have to worry about it…

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: George Russell

Updated December 2024

Name: George William Russell

Age: 26

Nationality: British

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

Number: 63

WDCs: N/A

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

History:

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

(Young Russell behind future teammate Lewis Hamilton)

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

(Russell in 2014)

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

(Russell in 2016 Hitech car)

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

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

(Russell winning race that took his F2 championship victory)

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

(Russell with Williams)

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

(Russell at maiden podium with Williams)

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

(Russell during his first win in Brazil)

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

(Russell after Austria 2024 win)

Major Races:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers,

-B

[umlewis]

make at least 1 post about sport... as one about Hamilton taking 9 years for a pole at the hardest circuit, driving fast cars...

😂😂😂😂 lewis took pole and won the race in his first ever single seater race at monaco in the formula 3 european championship in 2005; took pole and won the race in gp2 in 2006; qualified and finished p2 as an f1 rookie in 2007 behind only his teammate, the reigning two-time champion with 6 years' experience in f1, who he beat in the championship that year; and won the 2008 gp despite qualifying p3 on one of, if not the, hardest track in f1 to overtake on which is aside from the fact that he owns p much every record in the sport and has precisely nothing left to prove you should really really really actually learn about f1 pre-whenever you came across drive to survive before trying this shit bud, especially if you're gonna come at someone who makes a habit of archiving lewis' career

[eventumlegal]

Can I Be Charged With a Historic Sexual Offence?

The BBC have recently reported that the police case file of Russel Brand has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for Review. The allegations against Mr Brand are historical which means non recent. Historic sexual offences are often alleged to have take place many years prior to the report being made to police however, there is no specific definition as to what counts as ‘historic’. 

A historic sexual offence can relate to any type of sexual offending including rape, sexual assault, and sexual offences against children. It is often that the complainant makes the report to the police as an adult, but was a child when the offending is said to have taken place, but this is not always the case and adults can make allegations of sexual abuse they may have suffered historically but when they were aged 18 or over.

Historic offences can be a one of offence, or it can be a pattern of abuse that is alleged to have occurred over a period of time. For example, familial child sexual abuse happening throughout the childhood of the complainant.

The allegations made against Russel Brand are said to date throughout the height of his career from 2006 to 2016, they are made by women who have come into contact with him during this period. Statements issued by the police and CPS make clear that they are committed to thoroughly investigating any sexual offence no matter how long ago it is said to have occurred. 

Proving a Historic Offence

At Eventum Legal we often speak to people who are accused of historic sexual offences, some of which date back as far to the 1970’s. There is understandably confusion as to what evidence could possibly exist when there has been such a passage of time. It would be correct to assume there are no forensics but what about other types of evidence?

There may be people who were around during the time period of the alleged offending, this could be other family members, friends or work colleagues. Although they do not have to have seen the offence taking place, they may be able to provide evidence as to what the complainant and the suspect were like at the time, the way they acted and whether they ever suspected something unusual taking place. 

Witnesses can also be people who are in the complainant’s life in the present time, usually they are disclosure witnesses, people the complainant has spoken to about the alleged offences often prior to them having been reported to the police. The purpose of disclosure witnesses is to add credibility to what the complainant has then gone on to tell the police. Disclosure witnesses can be directly related to the complainant, or they can be professionals such as counsellors, GP’s or therapists that the complainant may have been seeing over a period of time before informing the police of any alleged offences. 

This leads on to third party material and evidence that may exist by way of documentation; school records, counselling notes, therapy notes, photographs or diary entries that may lend credibility and strength to allegations made against the suspect. 

The same types of evidence apply to the defendant, and as defence lawyers we want to gather any potential evidence as soon as possible to discredit the allegations being made against our client. 

The Law in Historic Sexual Offences

There are three main pieces of legislation which can apply to sexual offence cases: the Sexual Offences Act 1956, the Indecency with a Child Act 1960 and the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Any offence which was committed prior to May 2004 will be charged under one or both of the earlier acts. 

However, sentencing for historic sexual offences isn’t straight forwards. A person being sentenced for an offence that happened when the 1956 or 1960 act was in force cannot receive a punishment any worse than what would have been given at the time the relevant law was in place, this has been reinforced by Article 7 of the European Convention of Human Rights. But the sentencing judge can refer to the current sentencing guidelines to assess the harm caused to the complainant and the culpability of the defendant. Therefore, referring to new and old law will apply when determining sentence in historic sexual abuse cases.

There are of course various factors that may apply in historic cases as is it often the case that the person prosecuted for the offence is not the same person today as they once were. Circumstances change, and we all age. In some cases, in particular if there has been a long period between the offence taking place and a conviction and sentence, the offender may be quite elderly. Judges are not obliged to take that into account when sentencing but may do so, depending on the circumstances, for example if they are very ill or frail.

At the other end of the age scale, judges have to consider the youth of an offender at the time of the offence. In some cases, the offence will have been committed while the offender was under 18, but they are sentenced after they have become an adult. In these circumstances the judge will consider the age and maturity of the defendant at the time of the commission of the offence. 

Can I be charged with a historic sexual offence?

In short, the answer to this question is yes, the police and the CPS will treat any allegation of sexual abuse seriously regardless of the age of the complaint. The number of historic sex crime allegations made in the UK is on the rise. It’s estimated that of the 20% increase in reported sex crimes throughout the UK, over a third of them are historic cases. The number of historic sex crime allegations made in the UK is on the rise.

There are many issues however that can arise in such cases such as the lack of memory of potential witnesses, key witnesses may be deceased, and also the memory of the complainant may be in question which can cause concerns for both the prosecution and defence, but more so the jury who ultimately decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty following their consideration of the evidence and guidance on the law given to them by the judge during the trial. A jury has to be sure that a person is guilty before they convict them and a lot of doubt can be created in historic sexual offence cases, choosing the correct legal team to investigate matters on your behalf will be what can lead successfully to the creation of such doubts.

I Have Been Accused of a Historic Sexual Offence What Should I Do?

It would be a mistake to assume that just because the allegation dates back some time that the police or CPS will not take the matter seriously. Historic sexual offences are given just as much time, resources and expertise as recent sexual offences, and therefore obtaining legal advice is very important.

We have seen in recent years following the cases of Jimmy Saville, Ralph Harris and Harvey Weinstein that prosecutions will commence for historic sexual offences, and these highly publicised cases have led to a sharp increase in historic complaints being made to the police throughout England and Wales.

Getting a grip on a sexual offence allegation as soon as possible is beneficial. It is widely accepted that where a suspect instructs for legal representatives to take a pro active approach as soon as possible, before charges are considered, they stand a much better chance of not being charged at all.

Where it is in the best interests of our clients we strongly advise early intervention with the police and CPS with the aim to prevent charges, or to negotiate lesser charges for our clients. This cannot be more crucial in historic sexual offence cases where there is clearly bound to be some serious evidential issues that can be brought to the attention of the reviewing lawyers.

Your reputation can be quickly and irreparably damaged by rumours and speculation surrounding any allegations of sexual misconduct, so it’s important that you contact specialist sexual offence defence lawyers right away.

If you, a friend or family member is currently under police investigation for a historical sexual offence then get in touch with our friendly team for a free and strictly confidential chat. We aim to put an action plan in place for your case and offer legal advice and support throughout.

[p1tstop]

NURBURG, May 7 2006 — Williams F1 driver Nico Rosberg combs back his golden hair at the Nurburgring racing circuit. Reuters / Ian Fassbender.

[maranello]

NURBURGRING, 2006 — Race winner Michael Schumacher passes his victory champagne to his Ferrari team below. (Photo by LAT Photographic)

[vetteldixon]

Juan Pablo Montoya is interviewed by Ted Kravitz at the 2006 European GP. (📸 Gareth Bumstead)

[skitskatdacat63]

2005 European Grand Prix - Fernando Alonso(my personal post-race highlights)

+ bonus Mark Webber

[brawngp2009]

[allekha]

It’s Pride month, so let’s celebrate some of our LGBT skaters!

While skating is stereotyped as a ‘gay sport’ for men in the US and Canada, homophobia, transphobia, and a strong push for conformity to old-fashioned gender norms remain a huge problem. But despite the bullying and disgusting comments, and even the ravages of the AIDS pandemic, queer skaters have been out there making their mark on the sport for decades, and there have been more out skaters at the elite level than can fit in one gifset (or even several!). And of course, there are many more at the recreational and adult levels as well. The skaters featured here are:

Jason Brown (2019 Worlds SP) - Beloved by fans for his skating skills, graceful and complex programs, flexibility, and ray of sunshine personality, Brown is the 2015 US champion and has finished in the top 10 at two Olympics eight years apart. After competitions, he visits Ronald McDonald houses to personally share the toys thrown at him with the kids or make meals for families. Rumor has it that the Greensboro Coliseum had to be shut down for repairs after he skated there in 2014 because the crowd blew the roof off the building in their excitement for his Riverdance.

Fleur Maxwell (2006 Olympics SP) - A 3-time Luxembourg national champion, and the only competitor from Luxembourg in any sport at the 2006 Olympic games, Maxwell’s international senior career spanned more than a decade, even excluding the three years she retired in the middle. With flexibility, lovely arms, and fast spins, she was a beautiful skater to watch. She now runs a fitness business out of New York City. The asteroid 255019 Fleurmaxwell was named in her honor.

Axel Médéric (1988 Olympics FS) - Médéric was a French national champion and one of the earliest black skaters to go to the Olympics when he competed there in 1988. While he sometimes struggled with his jumps, commentators praised the quality of his transitional movements and his flow over the ice, and he was a lively performer. After he retired, he toured and performed for many years, doing shows and competing in pro tournaments.

Ondrej Nepela (1973 Worlds FS) - The 1972 Olympic champion, 3-time World champion, and 5-time European champion, Nepela became interested in skating as a child in when he watched a fellow Czechoslovakian win the men’s European title on the television. While not the most artistically inclined, he was known for his precision and working very hard at practice. After retirement, he performed in shows and coached a student to become European champion in her own right. He died in 1989 due to complications of AIDS; the Ondrej Nepela Memorial competition is named in honor of him.

Kaitlyn Weaver (On Ice Perspectives solo) - With her partner Andrew Poje, she won three world medals and two GPF championships in ice dance. The team were known for their emotional skating and interesting, innovative programs. She came out in June 2021 and openly discussed how she was afraid that coming out while competing would hurt her and Poje’s scores. Since then, she has been one of several skaters consulted by the ISU on how to make skating more inclusive and is on Skate Canada’s working group for equality and inclusion.

Rachel Parsons (2017 GP Russia FD) - In the 2016-2017 season, Parsons, along with her brother, was the National, GPF, and World champion at the junior level in ice dance. As a team, they brought interesting positions and sense of ease to their skating. She retired in 2019 due to an eating disorder, which she recently said she has made a lot of progress in recovering from, and came out as bisexual a few months later.

Javier Raya (2016 Worlds SP) - Raya was the 2011 Spanish champion and a six-time national silver medalist. While he was still competing, he had a chance to work in media for summer sports and also did commentary for figure skating events. Raya came out as gay in 2016, and in June 2020, he started the Skate Proud project to share interviews with out and ally skaters. He is now working at the IOC with the mission of promoting inclusion and diversity.

Christoper Caluza (2021 Finlandia Trophy FS) - The 3-time Philippines national champion, Caluza first began with roller skating, before discovering ice skating when his local roller rink closed; he developed a graceful and emotional style. After the 2013-2014 season, he took a break from competitive skating for several years to do professional shows, including on cruise ships. He decided to return to competition when he learned that the Philippines would be hosting the South-East Asian Games, where he ended up winning the silver medal, before he retired again in 2022.

Timothy LeDuc (2022 USNats SP) - Two-time National champion and a 4CC silver medalist with their partner Ashley Cain, LeDuc was the first elite figure skater to come out as non-binary, as well as the first out non-binary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics. Their programs emphasized the pair’s wonderful lines and synchronization, and LeDuc was open about wanting to portray a sense of equality between partners rather than the traditional ‘stem (man) and flower (women)’ image of pairs.

[umseb]

Navigating This Blog:

Firstly, please remember that my tagging system is for my use. I'm very happy when my blogs help people find stuff! But their first function is to help me find stuff. <3 1. If you’re looking for a specific race, the tag format is [location] [year]. For example, #hungary 2016 or #usa 2019. -> Azerbaijan is listed as Baku. -> Countries with multiple races will be tagged as both the country and track (for example, Spain and Valencia/Jerez/Barcelona, Germany and Hockenheim/Nurburg). -> European GP content is tagged as both European and the name of the track, either Valencia or Baku. -> Where possible, days are also tagged. So, for example, #monaco 2019 thursday. 2. If you’re looking for just a specific year, the format is either #flashback fic ref [year] or #fic ref [year]. #flashback fic ref is any year before 2021. #fic ref is for 2021 onward. 3. If you’re looking for just a specific track, that’s tagged too! Just search the country. 4. On a quest for other racing-related content but not from F1 race weekends, you say? -> Pre-season and post-season tags! For example, #pre-season 2012 or #post-season 2009. -> Testing, specifically, is also tagged! The format is testing [year], like #testing 2018. -> Race of Champions? Goes by year, and is listed under both “roc” and “race of champions”. For example, #roc 2008 or #race of champions 2011. 5. Things he does in his capacity as an F1 driver, but not strictly racing-related? -> The FIA gala is listed under both “fia gala” and “fia prize giving”. Examples: #fia gala 2018 or #fia prize giving 2011. -> Autosport Awards / Laureus World Sports Awards / German Sportspersonality of the Year -> Charity soccer games: Partita del Cuore / Kick Fur Kinder / Champions For Charity 6. And, of course, non-racing-related content: -> The format is [year] not a race. For example, #2007 not a race. -> If you’d like a specific time period during a season, it’s separated by what races it fell between. For example, #between japan and usa 2018. -> Summer break 2022! 7. Feeder series! -> Formula BMW ADAC (all) / Formula BMW ADAC 2003 / Formula BMW ADAC 2004 -> Formula 3 (all) / Formula 3 2005 / Formula 3 2006 -> Formula Renault 3.5 8. All under-18 content is tagged as #childhood photos. 9. Relationships (not taking requests to add to this): -> Sewis -> Smick / With Mick (underage) -> George Russell -> Michael Schumacher 10. Important! On the website version of Tumblr, you can combine search items. This is immensely helpful for finding specific things! -> So, for example, if you open search and type in "hungary 2022, smick" it’ll only pull up Smick content from the Hungarian GP. :) -> Or “flashback fic ref 2011, autosport awards” -> Or “testing 2013, jerez” 11. Trigger tags I commonly use: * These are either for my use or by request and are not up for discussion or debate. If you need something added, please drop me a dm or ask to let me know. 💚 -> #tw max (verstappen) -> #tw transphobe (webber) -> #tw nico (rosberg) -> #tw kimi (raikkonen) -> #tw bernie ecclestone -> #tw helmut marko -> #tw christian horner -> #tw dietrich mateschitz -> #tw crash -> #tw death -> #tw body perception -> #tw food / #cw food This is a pretty exhaustive list, but if you need help or are confused, feel free to contact me! <3

[dreamsburntdown]

Yuzuru has announced his decision to end his amateur career and turn professional on 19 July. It's been truly a honour to have the opportunity to follow his senior career. Everything has been said about him in the past days (and months and years before) but I'd like to share something personal - my memories of him and write a bit about my experiences of the six figure skating competitions Yuzuru has competed at and I attended as a fan - including Worlds 2017 and the PyeongChang Olympics 2018.

It's my first such post on tumblr and I hope you'll enjoy it.

Let's begin!

The first time I saw Yuzuru....I don't know which competition it was actually, perhaps his 2010 Junior World title or after he finished on the second place at Four Continents 2011. I was living in Vienna in 2010/11, studying for a school year at the university so I followed skating but not as intensely as before. Since the late 1990s when I was in elementary school I've been following skating, mostly only the big competitions on TV, Europeans or Worlds, and the Olympics. I even asked my mother once to let me go to Europeans in 2000 when we were visiting family members in Vienna. And she allowed me to go even though I was not even 14 at that time. It was really nice of her, because tickets weren't cheap at all.

So back to 2010...I remembered there was this young and very promising Japanese skater and I also remember the horrible day when the Great East Japanese Earthquake happenned on 11 March 2011. I read that Yuzuru was training on the ice rink in his home city, in Sendai when it happenned and that he was evacuated because his home was damaged. I was relieved when I read he was doing fine, considering all the circumstances and I hoped he could continue his career.

I moved back to my country in the fall of 2011 and started my last year at the university (I've studied as a lawyer). I was very busy with school, studying all the time, commuting for 3 hours a day to university and back home. It was around the time the GP events started to become my guilty please - taking a break from studying it was relaxing to watch the Grand Prix competitions for 1-2 hours on the weekends. It was the season where I started to really root for Yuzuru, who skated to the wonderful Étude in D-Sharp minor by Scriabin in his SP and Romeo + Juliet in his FS. He was completely unique, a breath of fresh air, a whirlwind who skated with so much passion, energy, with such great musical interpretation for his young age that I was completely blown away by him. The years before I was more into the ladies' skating, because the men's field was quite weak: after the IJS was introduced, and Plushenko took a pause after 2006, somehow men's skating became more boring to me, there were barely anyone who could jump a quad, and I wasn't at all a fan of some skaters, like Evan Lysacek, for example. I liked Johnny Weir's uniqueness and still cheered for Plushenko in 2010 alone for his charisma (even if his skating wasn't really my cup of tea either). So Yuzuru arrived to the senior's in the best time. It was 2010, a beginning of a new quad until Sochi, and even if the Japanese field was really strong at the time, with Yuzuru's talent, only the sky was the limit.

Yuzuru's first World Championships in Nice 2012 took place days before my first two state exams, which are closing exams of 6 years of university studies. I was studying even more than before...literally 16 hours a day and even if I wanted to I couldn't watch the whole competition. I still allowed myself to watch the last group of the men's free skate, and since Yuzuru wasn't in the Top 6 in the last group, I missed his free skate. I watched his free program later, after it was uploaded on YouTube, and I was amazed by his sheer passion, fighting spirit in that performance. It was one unforgettable performance, one of the bests in the decade. I still managed to watch the medal ceremony and I was very happy for Yuzuru, his infectious happiness, how he jumped on the ice up and down like a little bunny.

There were big changes after Worlds 2012 because Yuzuru has moved to Toronto to train with Brian Orser in the Cricket Club.

Stay tuned for part 2.

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Carlos Sainz

Updated December 2024

Name: Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro

Age: 30

Nationality: Spanish

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

Number: 55

WDCs: N/A

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

History:

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

(Young Sainz sitting in Fernando Alonso's Renault)

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

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

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

(Sainz with teammate Verstappen)

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

(Sainz when he was with Renault)

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

(Sainz in his Mclaren)

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

(Sainz after securing maiden win)

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

He is set to join Williams for the 2025 season.

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

Major Races:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers!

-B