#fia my beloved <3 <3 <3

[stealingpotatoes]

Love arkane's games so much and just 100 percented deathloop recently. What do you think of the upcoming Blade if you have an oppinion?

i actually had no idea they were making a blade game!! but ARKANE STUDIOS I LOVE YOUU speaking of deathloop here's a last-year doodle of fia i never had an excuse to post!!

[slythereen]

Genuinely I would love to see Charles leave Ferrari and go to Red Bull but at the same time I worry that him going to Red Bull would mean he won't get equal fighting status in the RB. What are your thoughts on this?

i think this is a lot of people’s hesitation over it tbh. my only remaining hesitation is the fact that charles really wanted it to be with ferrari and if he leaves it’ll be losing to that bank to some degree b/c the politics of it all managed to force him to leave his dream team… like, that’s upsetting. i almost wish to see ferrari become competent so that he can have everything he wants, be their chosen one, etc.

realistically i just don’t think they will any time soon. and right now, charles gets treated like a second driver to carlos 99% of the time, so if he’s going to get that treatment i would much rather it happen in an insanely competent team with a car that suits him (bc he and max have similar preferences) that he can excel with regardless of the team’s strategies. bc even if he doesn’t get preference, with the car he can carry it anyway.

however, i actually don’t think rbr would #2 driver him that aggressively. they like to be Unique™ and edgy. they like their youngest winners youngest drivers record breaking moldbreakers reputation. they are literally an energy drink dominating a bunch of legendary car constructors. if any team is going to decide to try out the two #1 drivers domination plan, it’s going to be rbr.

especially when 1) fia/libertymedia have been pushing for a team to do it for the entertainment, 2) it’s charles leclerc and treating ferrari’s (very beloved, very marketable) prince better than ferrari ever did is an insanely good look, 3) mercedes couldn’t really do it without bloodshed and rbr loves to outdo mercedes, and 4) rbr want to keep their star driver engaged and entertained enough to keep him from retiring to a different racing series… hand delivering his lifelong rival and new bestie in the same car so they can really fight (and knowing charles would actually challenge him) is a great strategy if you want to keep max in f1.

[leadoutlap]

Five better GP locations than Chicago

Since the FIA has yet again decided to piss off both their fanbase and the entire population of a major US city by building a street track in Chicago, here are some far superior locations they could have gone with. Some of these are pre-existing tracks while others would be brand new.

[DISCLAIMER: This list is all made in good fun. I recognize that mass sporting events are often accompanied by rapid gentrification, slum clearances, and price gouging for the local populations. These are just my own fun little ideas for GPs]

Johannesburg, South Africa (Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit)

Come the fuck on, FIA. Kyalami is RIGHT THERE it's a PRE-EXISTING TRACK and it's one that was beloved by fans!!! F1 is hugely popular in South Africa, so drawing crowds would be a non-issue. Also, the fact that the South African GP was held for like 40 years in apartheid South Africa but only twice in democratic South Africa is. Hm. Interesting.

2. Astana, Kazakhstan (No existing track)

I'm honestly surprised that there isn't a GP here already. Kazakhstan is one of the biggest oil and gas exporters in the world, so it wouldn't be hard to draw sponsors. Astana is this wild y2k futuristic planned city covered in monumental architecture right in the middle of the Kazakh steppe. Tons of empty space. Ideal race circuit location IMO + another Asian GP!

3. Yerevan, Armenia (No existing track)

Let's replace Baku with this and stop letting Azerbaijan use their GP as PR while they're carrying out a second Armenian genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh. How would this work logistically? I have no idea. But I think it would be sick regardless. Armenia deserves it.

4. Buenos Aires, Argentina (Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez)

BRING BACK THE ARGENTINE GP, YOU RAT BASTARDS. The fact that North America has 5 (Five!!!!!) GPs while South America only has one is truly astounding. Also, look at this track and tell me that it's not the coolest thing you've ever seen in your life. Bring her back!

5. Lagos, Nigeria (No existing track)

Look me dead in the eyes and tell me that a Lagos GP wouldn't go hard as hell. You can't. It's impossible.

Feel free to add your own GP suggestions because we're all smarter than the clown car that is the FIA!

[superm4ks]

im very happy max won but the more i think about his pole being taken away/vsc or safety car not being deployed immediately/the flip flopping bw dwys n yellows and green flags etc. the more cynical i feel about the sport🙁what do u think? is this weekend an outlier or is this j how things are now? common sense out of the window, decisions taking ages…

UMMM I'll hold ur hand when I say this but Qatar definitely wasn't an outlier, prolly the most egregious showing since the sprint in Brazil, but F1 always has like 4 races in every season where u kinda wonder if ur watching a sport 😐 This gonna get long but theres some important context I think ur asking for here also I kinda lose it at the end I'm sorry but yuh.

Saur after Vegas everybody was like omfg daddy Marques is here to save us, he addressed some basic track issues and nobody got fucking paralyzed by a pothole exploding thru their ass hurray, so there was hope that maybe Marques was off to a better start than his predecessors and wud maybe give the fans a better ending to the season. But putting Qatar after Vegas is like quizzing somebody on shapes and then asking them to solve a rubriks cube or whtvr.

Qatar was originally built for motogp so the whole thing is designed to be quick and relentless. That means lots of medium to high speed corners, long straights basically 2 hours of edging ur braking. Most drivers consider it a cool track, very demanding sure but fun to drive. For us fans, though, its an odd 1 because theres no reference points so it can be hard to follow. Think of it as the opposite of tracks like Miami or Monaco. RC did a particularly heinous job here because Qatar was Marques' first taste of a track where u either plug the first leak in record time or the whole thing goes to shit. Like, his job.

A lil lesser known fact is that they had Marques on double duty that weekend because the person who replaced him to direct the F2 heat got the boot before her plane even landed and they had NO one else to do it. So Marques had to direct both the f1 AND the f2 Qatar races the same weekend. And thats not all. Just before his inaugural run in Vegas he had just been at the helm of the iconic Macau GP that saw 12 red flags in 40 minutes of qualifying. I wont even tell u how many SC were deployed but only 12 out of 27 drivers finished the race. Ugo my most beloved won so this has nothing to do wid Qatar and Macau and the way its used by the FIA in terms of junior development is a can of worms I cant open rn but like just to show u thats the type of shit Marques had been dealing wid on a weekly basis once we got to Qatar. So truly bro never stood a chance.

When Alexs mirror fell on track the only possible course of action is to get it OFF. Idc if u wanna do VSC or a full SC u need to clear that track NOWWWWW. 3 cars caught strays from that mf before a SC was even deployed. To fuck up that badly that early in the race just showed exhaustion, it showed immaturity and frankly it showed incompetence. Its unacceptable. Wud a different RD have reacted earlier? who tf knows tbh, because these 'mistakes' always happen and they're always dismissed as 'one of those crazy ones' in the season and nothing ever gets done to improve the standards of the personnel ((theres no personnel left btw)).

Then u got the long awaited return of the stop and go and drive thru pens which was super forced and made no sense and immediately showed why those bitches been sat in a corner catching dust because theres literally always better alternatives and they almost never serve actual officiating purposes. 'Precedence' means fuck all if u also have the 'precedence' of not fucking doing that and being way more consistent and delivering better racing. But ohhhh he had to stop in the pits and THEN he had to go back out ohhh he had to go thru an area of the track thats not the right one and lose a bunch of time and become essentially worthless in the race we love when competitive cars do that. Sorry this isnt directed at u I just have a very particular beef wid fans who act like drive thrus and stop and go's are these celestial artifacts that are gonna restore balance in the universe like the harder u throw the book at these drivers the better the product will become. I cud live 200 lives and not have enough time to explain how thats the actual furthest thing from the truth but ur innocent and ily so lets regroup. ❤️ My actual conclusion to ur q is that this is how things have always been and no they're not likely to improve. Unfortunately I gotta borrow even more of ur time to show ur how truly bleak it cud get real soon.

FIA been circulating a bunch of changes to their rules that are prolly gonna be approved at their general assembly in about 10 days. These 'new statutes' include 1) changing the governing bodys ethics rules so that Sulayem can in fact talk to drivers however the fuck he wants and THEY will be held in contempt for criticizing him 2) the 'compliance officer' responsible for overseeing Sulayems spending cannot report to an independent committee and propose an investigation unless directly asked by the Senate President who .. and ur not gonna believe this .. is appointed directly by Sulayem. 3) yes u understood it correctly FIA will prolly become a system where the FIA president and the president of the senate that he chose decide each other's fate in any ethics inquiry.

Sulayem is up for re-election and its becoming more and more likely that hes gonna run unopposed. A sporting director, a technical director, multiple heads of mobility, communications, legal affairs, the women in motorsport commission, several race directors, stewards, a compliance officer, deputy directors. All fired under his watch. Dozens of others quit.

Stewarding has become so abysmal Max received a one place grid drop AND a penalty point as a mitigating punishment for something he literally didnt do under circumstances that didnt warrant any type of punishment let alone a mitigating one like the document literally says that 'unusually, neither car was on a push lap' because if they had been on a push lap max wud have received a 3 place grid drop but 1 and 63 were not on push laps so naturally we have to give Max a one place grid drop and a penalty point for not doing the thing that he would've been punished for had he done it. This isnt even the most controversial or confusing aspect of this years Qatar race. Im gonna kill m

So about ur cynicism and ur concern and ur general discomfort wid how the future is looking. When the GPDA posted that ig statement telling Sulayem to watch his tone and asking where the money was, these proposed changes to the ethics commission and the financial oversight were the FIA's direct answer. And if they do go into effect on December 13th bro I think Abu Dhabi gonna be the end of more than the 2024 season.

Happy Wednesday lmfao

[valyrfia]

what's your top 5 best drivers on the grid (based on pure skill, not cars)

Excellent question anon. Let's get to it.

5. Oscar Piastri

A bold choice perhaps considering he's one of the greenest on the grid still, but Oscar is a future WDC. His attitude and approach to the sport is cool, calm, collected and reeks of a future WDC. The mental aspect is such a large part of F1, I mean, look at his teammate for example. Lando is a brilliant driver but he can't seem to overcome a mental block he has to being in P1. Oscar, on the other hand, seems almost unfazed at the idea of winning, or if he has an issue with the car he seems almost zen about it, still trying to drive to the best of his ability. And Oscar has ability, lest we forget his pedigree as F3 and F2 champion in his rookie seasons. I think Oscar will ultimately have to move teams in order to mount a proper WDC campaign, since McLaren have made it fairly clear they'd prefer to centre Lando, but I have no doubt that from 2027 onwards Oscar will be competing for WDCs.

4. Fernando Alonso

Crazy consistent and he's our beloved Shakesperean villain who just can't seem to die. He puts that Aston in places it should not be and can still pull off some pretty insane racing (his overtake on Checo in Brazil 2023?). He's still got it. Nothing more to be said really.

3. Lewis Hamilton

I physically could not place the GOAT, the greatest driver this sport has ever seen anywhere outside the top three. In fact, the only reason why he's not higher is because P1 and P2 are younger and have the benefit of having easily a decade to improve their skill further. But make no mistake, Lewis Hamilton is the greatest of them all. He's had a rocky couple of years with Merc, and I honestly think his results now are just a reflection of his and Merc's relationship breaking down and should not be taken as a deterioration in skill. I have no doubt that from next year, we will start to see Lewis wins again and maybe even a WDC campaign in 2026.

2. Charles Leclerc

We all know my heavy Charles bias is a thing that exists, but Charles is truly probably the most naturally talented driver on the grid at the moment. The way he handled that brake balance in Bahrain when probably any other driver, save the two others in the top three here, would've had to DNF. Charles's F2 season was also absolutely insane, to the point that he was drug tested more than any other driver IN THE PADDOCK (F1 included) in 2017 because the FIA were convinced he must be cheating. The hype around Charles is justified and true, and the ONLY reason why he doesn't have a WDC yet is Mattia Binotto. But I truly think 2025 could be a year for a Charles WDC, for reasons ranging from Red Bull hitting a development ceiling and Lewis Hamilton drawing in an insane amount of talent to the Scuderia. I think in a lot of ways some of the drives that Charles pulls off get overlooked because he makes them look so effortless and easy. He will be the next driver to win a WDC, make no mistake, and with the way that Fred Vasseur is setting up Ferrari, I think it's likely that we will see a period of crazy Charles Leclerc dominance before this decade is done.

Max Verstappen

I debated between Charles and Max for n1, but ultimately I think Max's consistency speaks for itself. I mean, he's won from the most positions (P1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14), and has an average race placement of 1.27 last year. Yes, Max has had the gift of a consistent car and a brilliant team for the past few years, but even before he started his crazy winning streak, his average race finishing position minus DNFs was 3rd in 2020. Max is on peak form right now, and to place him anywhere other than first would be ridiculous.

[theonevoice]

Warning: Ineffable tragedy ahead

I was fidgeting with the possible implication of this post by @aduckwithears and this post by @newfangledfancy because there was something in this sword discussion that hooked my little fanart brain. But as I was mentally sketching ideas I'm afraid I managed to grasp the mental image that was vaguely floating in the back of my mind since the beginning of this sword detail speculation.

It was Gaetano Previati's painting inspired by the episode of Paolo and Francesca in the Canto V of the Divine comedy.

Paolo e Francesca, Gaetano Previati, ca 1887.

If you don't know the episode, it tells the story (an actual historical episode that, at the time, caused such an outcry that some historians compare it to the public reaction that followed Lady Diana's death in the 90s) of a married woman who secretly falls in love with his husband's brother, who secretly loves her back, and for a while they manage to bury their passion, mainly by denying it and not acknowledging it even with themselves. They suppress their feelings so violently that they become dangerously unaware of them, and one day, while they were alone together "without any suspicion" (of their possible fall, so sure they were to have canceled their mutual attraction - but of course it's telling that they chose to spent time together, away from anyone else), they start reading a book about, of all things, the legend of King Arthur, and when they come to the part of Lancelot kissing Guinevere, they are suddenly overwhelmed by their feelings and kiss (here it's were I remind you of the two little figures, one black and one white, kissing in the theater during the title sequence of s2: passion ignited by fiction, be it a novel by Jane Austen or a Richard Curtis movie). And right away they are surprised by her husband, who kills them both with a single stroke of his sword.

This is how Dante tells the story (Francesca is speaking here, and the most relevant part of Dante's retelling is that she and Paolo are depicted as "one character split in two" - I don't need to explain how this is linked to our ineffable husbands) [tentative english translation below]:

"Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende, prese costui de la bella persona che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.

Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona, mi prese del costui piacer sì forte, che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona.

Amor condusse noi ad una morte. Caina attende chi a vita ci spense. [...]

Noi leggiavamo un giorno per diletto di Lancialotto come amor lo strinse; soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto.

Per più fïate li occhi ci sospinse quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso; ma solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse.

Quando leggemmo il disïato riso esser basciato da cotanto amante, questi, che mai da me non fia diviso,

la bocca mi basciò tutto tremante. Galeotto fu ’l libro e chi lo scrisse: quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avante."

Love, that quickly seizes the gentle heart, enthralled him with the beautiful person (1) that was taken from me, and the way (2) still insults me.

Love, that forgives no beloved from loving back, enthralled me with his pleasure (3) so strongly, that, as you see, it still doesn't leave me;

Love brought us to one death; ⁠Caïna (4) awaits him who quenched us from life. [...]

We were reading one day, as a pastime, about Lancelot, and how love seized him; we were alone and without any suspicion (5).

Many times that reading made us raise our eyes, and turned us pale, but only one point was able to overcome us.

Whene we read of the desired smile being kissed by such a lover, this one, who never from me shall be divided,

kissed my mouth all trembling. ⁠Galeotto (6) was the book and he who wrote it. ⁠That day we did not read it any farther.

[sorry if it sounds clunky, I tried to translate the words in a way that conveys also the most widly accepted interpretation of certain passages, but it's still an allegorical poem from the XIII century... here's some notes to clarify a couple of points:

(1) "beautiful person": to be intended as both body and soul.

(2) "and the way": meaning the way in which they were murdered.

(3) "his pleasure": meaning the pleasure of being loved by him.

(4) "⁠Caïna": one of the 4 regions that form the deepest circle of hell, where traitors are punished (the Caina is the place where traitors of their own family are held, named after Cain).

(5) "without any suspicion": meaning they were so sure to be able to control their feelings that they did not "suspect" themselves of giving in to their passion.

(6) "Galeotto": the Italian name of Galehaut, a knight of the Table Round who is responsible for arranging the secret meeting of Lancelot and Guinevere.]

[mc1aren]

F1blr Dash If It Was Set in Ancient Rome

⚔️ antinero Follow

how many times are we going to have to watch another brutal crash at circus maximus for fia to do something about it? we need stricter regulations to prevent these tragedies and protect our beloved athletes.

🏛️ colosseumcircuit Follow

cope

⚔️ antinero Follow

may you receive a fate similar to that of seneca.

14,589 notes

🐎 romaracing

No one talk to me. the SF-648 is so ASS this year

#idk if i can forza ferraria in these conditions #carolus leclercius might as well walk #it would be faster than this

75 notes

🏟 chariotchaser Follow

the official formula unus art this year is crazy!!!

#so cunty #lucius hamiltonius looks so good as always #art

42 notes

👑 alonso-vincit

just woke up to the news that my goat was disqualified bc his horse ran off the track & bit the emperor :( im going back my cubicula

0 notes

🕊️ aurigafiles

kitty...

#i want to put him in pocket #my girlfriend&lt;3

300 notes

🤴 verstpnus Follow

daily affirmation

🏁 pantheonic Follow

He did not say that.

🤴 verstpnus Follow

yes he did

1,423 notes

heavily inspired by this insane post!

[un-local]

Nine Mutuals I'd Like to Know Better

tagged by @argisthebulwark! Hi! :D

3 Ships

Malenia x Knight Finlay. Tragic Battlewives....

Killian Jones x Emma Swan. From when I was 13, lol. Hah, that show was a trainwreck. I saw it in middle school and immediately shipped those two from their first episode together. (If the writers could get out of the TV trap of "constant escalation and twists for shock value"... That ship could've gone somewhere phenomenal.) (Ah. If only.) (From what I remember, it ended up being a dumpsterfire in execution...)

Serana x Female LDB. I almost wrote a fic for that ship back in the day. I feel like there's so much potential for something sweet between them, as Serana figures her life out after being freed. Though, at this point, anything I'd write has already been done 1000x better with Dame Aylin and Isobel. (Baldur's Gate 3) God, what a pair.

^^^ Not in any particular order. I could go on for centuries, lol. Rogier x D (Divorced), Miraak x LDB, Fia x Rogier (Divorced).... Bethesda x Better Game Design—

First Ship

Katniss x Peeta, probably. I would've been about 12 at the time. Quickly followed by Roy x Riza—I saw Riza try to kill Lust to avenge Roy's presumed murder and... Those heartbroken shrieks Riza let out, with the tears streaming down her face.... It rewired something in my brain. Ugh. 10/10. Fuck yes

Last Song

Ascending, by Long Distance Calling [Guitar Instrumental] From my labwork playlist, lol.

Currently Reading

Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky. Still. I love it so far, but I just haven't had the time to pick it back up.

Last Film

I saw the Barbie movie with some other people a month or so ago.

Currently Craving

Ough, pasta. Penne, with that smoked cheese, asparagus, and that fancy italian bacon stuff. Prosciutto. God.

Also, sourdough. A character in a fic I'm writing mentions it, and it's been haunting me for the last few days.

Savory foods my beloved <33333

Tagging (if you'd like to play:)

@ludicrous-musings, @ocarinamegara, @zeico, @slavonicrhapsody, @localsya, @entirelyuncanny

Hi mutuals <3

[racingliners]

F1 Re-Watch 2022: Round 22 - Abu Dhabi

😭

Well friends, here we are 🥲

While it has been more enjoyable than I thought watching (almost) the entire season back, it’s also been very emo whenever the TV feed would cut to Seb and realise it was his last race at each circuit.

Obviously, I had to follow AD live in some way so I actually listened to the BBC Sport radio coverage for quali and the race, and then watched C4 highlights so I’ve heard the race in full and seen chunks of it (and I started full on ugly sobbing on the last lap at the time, bc you know, feelings)

Well, let’s whip out the tissues and see Seb’s last ever F1 race (😭😭😭😭😭)

How coherent will this liveblog be? Great question I have no idea

Also worth noting I’m watching the International feed, as I have done with the other 19 races, I’ll likely watch Seb’s onboard cam in my own time and blubber in peace

Also they really had Seb last on the F1 intro I’m not okay 😭

Less starting grid whiplash as I was vaguely aware of the grid order at the time

but SEB TOP 10!!!! 😭

argh, I’m getting emo already and we’re not even at the formation lap.

I genuinely thought I’d be fine watching this back, apparently not.

[Formation Lap]: Virtually everyone starting on the mediums apart from Kevin and Bottas on the hards and Gasly on the softs bc ?????

Also I find it so wild how close the battles for P2 in the drivers and constructors championships were like, especially when you consider how many more races Ferrari won compared to Merc

cut to Norbert and Antti in the AM garage 😭

[Start/Lap 1]: Lewis jumping Sainz at the start!! 🥳🥳

And Sainz pushes him off bc 🙃

[Lap 2]: Well that was a surprisingly eventful first lap, by Abu Dhabi standards anyway

I will not be talking about FIA bullshittery bc I want to be able to enjoy the rest of my day after this 🥲

[Lap 3]: Anyway Seb watch: He’s still in P9 💚

[Lap 4]: Bono sounding more done than normal at the FIA nonsense, a mood

[Lap 5]: And Lewis getting P4 back, noice

[Lap 6]: The Red Bulls being 2 and a bit seconds clear of everyone just about sums up 2022

Also like... having the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi is not the brightest idea bc the track is... eh.

I mean is it pretty and looks good on camera? Yes. Does it give us entertaining races? No.

[Lap 7]: Seb closing up to the back of Ocon, go get him!!!

(I am usually a pro-Estie Bestie household, but the needs of the Seb outweigh the needs of the many)

[Lap 8]: Sainz re-passing Lewis, I hate it here

but Seb and Esteban racing for 8th >>>>

midfield spice (beloved)

[Lap 9]: And Russell passes Lewis for 5th, I know Lewis eventually retires with a mechanical issue but I can’t remember what specifically

[Lap 10]: Lewis switching between engine modes and nothing works... pain

Meanwhile Seb is the filling in and Alpine sandwich 

yes I’m very biased, but I will never, ever tire of watching Seb race. It’s very beautiful to watch

And livery watch: Aston Martin under floodlights very very pretty

[Lap 12]: Another cut to ultimate Grid Dad Norbert in the AM Garage, and one of the AM mechanics sporting a very snazzy stache for Movember

god that shot of Seb trying to swoop round the outside of Esteban, fucking gorgeous

I mean he didn’t get the move done, but it was still beautiful 

[Lap 13]: I love how much the TV feed is sticking with the Seb vs Alpine battle, Seb and Fernando always know how to bring the drama no matter the season

and you know... it is by far the most entertaining action on track rn

[Lap 15]: and Esteban pits, mediums for hards

lol at Crofty saying Alpine had to tell Esteban and Fernando to behave themselves for their final race together, 

[Lap 16]: Lewis was on the radio saying his tyres were getting better????

This is the wonky timeline, rip “Bono my tyres are gone” 2014-2022

SEB PASSES PEREZ!!!!!

Oh, that sparks so much joy, Aston Martin 1, RBR 0

[Lap 17]: Meanwhile the rest of the front runners are making their first stops, but Russell had an unsafe release 😬

[Lap 18]: Anyway back to Seb vs Fernando, I genuinely could watch an entire race of them just cashing each other down - the poetic cinema of it all

[Lap 19]: Anyway Lewis thinks he has a broken floor so 🙃🥲

[Lap 20]: “He’s [Seb] entitled to fight Sainz every metre of the way” You’re damn bloody right he is Brundle!!!!

That’s my boooooooy

You keep that Ferrari behind you

nvm Sainz made a DRS pass

It was great fun while it lasted though

[Lap 21]: Seb in 5th, stioll yet to stop, iirc he was kept out for ages and ages bc ????

I love Team Green, I really do, but they are not immune to dumb strategies

also Russell given a 5 sec pen for the unsafe release

[Lap 22]: Charles pits for hards and comes out in 3rd in front of Sainz

Seb. Bottas and Kevin the only drivers left to pit

[Lap 23]: Lewis passes Seb for 6th, one last on track Seb and Lewis interaction 😭

Meanwhile Yuki, Bottas and Fernando are having a little scrap over 11th-13th

[Lap 24]: Fernando in 2010 🤝 Fernando in 2022: stuck behind a slower car at Abu Dhabi

ah, Lando adds himself to the “I passed Seb bc he hasn’t pitted” party

It’s fine it’s just bc they all want to see him and give him a proper send off right... right???

[Lap 25]: Seb having one last whine over team radio, which Chris saying that everyone around them is two-stopping, which means Seb is on the one stop

[Lap 26]: HE PITS!!! 😭

and it was a bit slow 🥲

“Is that Sebastian Vettel’s last ever F1 pit stop” Brundle please SHUT UP

Anyway it’s fine we get a Seb overtaking masterclass of making up 8 places over the second half of the race.

[Lap 27]: “Charles Leclerc catching Sergio Perez” Yes, good, excellent.

[Lap 28]: Aaaaaand Alonso DNF. (Helmet watch: no I am still not over his Seb tribute helmet 😭)

And speaking of, Seb just passed Gasly for 16th, the comeback is on besties!!!

[Lap 29]: Livery watch: you know what... I don’t hate the matte Ferrari under the floodlights actually. I will let it off just this once (though pleeeeeease bring black glossy liveries asap I MISS THEM)

[Lap 30]: Perez asking for Verstappen to speed up so he can gain some distance on Charles... if I speak

Anyway, back to Seb, now in P15 after passing Bottas.

And Gasly passed Bottas as well after Bottas locked up.

the replay of Seb’s mechanics applauding his overtake I’m 😭💚

[Lap 32]: Tag yourself I’m Shaquille O’Neal looking very happy to be seeing some F1 cars go zoom

[Lap 33]: Charles is almost in DRS range of Perez 👀

“Lewis is closing in on Russell is anything” putting that broken floor in it’s place, as he should

[Lap 34]: Ah, Perez pits. inch resting.

Lewis purple sector one, feels good feels organic

also helmet watch: Lando’s ultra-black stripes with the metallic blue is sooooo pretty. I love mixed finishes on helmets. JMD never misses.

[Lap 35]: Seb watch: they didn’t play it, but he’s up to P14!!!

[Lap 36]: “Question can you keep this pace with Plan C?” Xavi I will fight you with my fists

I genuinely have mild trauma now whenever I see the Ferrari team radio graphic come up on screen. The downside of watching the 2022 season across 12 weeks 🙃

[Lap 37]: Seb up to P13 after Albon’s stop.

Also it’s proper night time now. Yas Marina is pretty I will give her that.

[Lap 38]: Oh Lewis has been catching up to Russell! He’s within DRS range

“Let me tell you about Sebastian Vettel” We are Ted and Ted is us 💚

[Lap 39]: Mick and Nicky having a little spin into the barriers 🙃🙃🙃

Yuki pits, Seb up into P12!!

Lewis even closer to George since he’s suddenly somehow a chunk faster

[Lap 40]: ah, Sainz and Russell pits. 

Mick and Nicky now under investigation for their little spin.

Yelling. Sainz and Russell pitting puts Lewis into third. !!!!

I shouldn’t laugh, but the synchronised spin with Mick and Nicky is ever so slightly funny. Very dance of the sugarplum fairies.

[Lap 41]: Lance pits, Seb is into P11!!!!

Ted doing everything he can to manifest Seb points on his last race I cannot 😭

How has Teed been post-Seb retirement? Is he okay? Do we need to book in another Seb nation group cry and invite him along?

anyway, racing

[Lap 43]: Seb half a second behind Zhou!!!

and again he tries round the outside, doesn’t make it stick but it looks beautiful!!

Meanwhile Lance has joined the party after making his second stop.

[Lap 44]: and Seb makes the pass!! HE’S INTO P10!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

Lewis P3, Seb P10. We can stop the race now. 

“I forgot which letter of the alphabet we’re trying this afternoon” I feel like it’s a bit of a paddock in-joke about Ferrari and their strategy woes at this rate 

[Lap 45]: Perez passes Lewis but then Lewis re-passes him. That was fun actually.

“Like some sort of sleeping praying mantis” ...okay Crofty. (that was about Lewis btw)

[Lap 46]: Perez passes Lewis and makes it stick this time. 

[Lap 47]: *10 Laps remaining klaxon*

“Just tell Checo to go full send” Maybe I’m biased but if I was his team mate I would not find that helpful in the slightest adfvnifvfdvgh

[Lap 48]: “Sebastian Vettel is gaining a bit on Daniel Ricciardo” oh yeah

[Lap 49]: Finally Crofty is getting on the livery watch bandwagon, F1 cars do look pretty under floodlights

argh Lance passes Seb for P10, but granted he was faster 🥲

and Seb having another little whine, god I miss his sarcy team radios.

[Lap 50]: “Yeah leave me alone please thank you” CHARLES I ADORE YOU

You tell em hun, you tell Ferrari to fuck off, I’m so proud.

[Lap 51]: And Lance passes Dan for P9

[Lap 52]: Seb also catching up to Dan

also I forgot how late on Lewis’ DNF was sheesh

also also he just got a black and white flag for track limits svhaegheuh

[Lap 54]: Mick and Bottas having a very spicy little fight for 16th.

[Lap 55]: Meanwhile Perez is about 4 second behind Charles

ughhhhhhhhh and there’s Lewis hydraulic failure 😭😭😭😭

Pain, so so much pain. But it does put Seb in the points. Lewis we honour your sacrifice. I’ll join you to smash the W13 to pieces very soon.

[Lap 57]: I find it so wild that despite all the W13′s failing, that was it’s first mechanical DNF for the entire season. WILD.

the gap between Charles and Perez down to just under 2 seconds.

[Lap 58]: Final lap. and I’m once again a little bit weepy.

I do not give one shit about Verstappen show me Seb 😭

I’m literally just watching Seb’s name on the leaderboard.

[Finish]: Verstappen wins, no one is surprised. Charles finishes P2 and clinch the runners up spots in the drivers and constructors titles.

ahhhhhh Seb chasing down Dan!!!!

and Seb finishes P10. I am weeping at quarter to 1 on a Wednesday morning 😭

Well the race was very meh. Mild midfield spice with the proper battles for almost all the positions from P2 downwards. And a lot of it was down to strategy as opposed to actual racing. So overall a very average 6 front wings out of 10.

And whew, the 2022 season as a whole. We really thought it was going to be a proper title fight after Australia and then Ferrari happened 🥲.

However, my beloved midfield spice saved the season, with Alpine v McLaren and Aston Martin vs Alfa Romeo especially. Like honestly just ignore the title fight and watch the midfield it’s so much more enjoyable (especially with the way 2023 looks to be going asduhsui).

Anyway, the whole reason why I started this was to watch Seb’s last season and there was some great races, some very not good races, but I will forever be so so proud to call him my favourite driver (yes he’s still my fave after retiring this is my blog I can do what I want).

The 2002 season was certainly something. While the title fight wasn’t as entertaining as it could have been, we still had some decent races (Monaco, Silverstone, Austria and Brazil were my faves). And I think we all have the Dutch and Austrian anthems burned into our memories to come degree 🥲. 

Auf wiedersehen, and danke fur alles Seb 💚

[vroomvroomvettel]

what i think/hope about women in the f3s next year

FRECA

Marta: Prema because has already signed lol

Maya: PREMA BECAUSE SHE DESERVES THE CHANCE AFTER FCKN KIC MOTORSPORT (my beloved team but slow)

Lena: 2nd in f1 academy so i think either art gp or r race as the year before

Formula regional Middle east

Hamda and Amna: They already raced in Formula regional and hamda is 3rd in f1 academyso yeah would kinda make sense

GB3

Abbi: Another year f4 would be meh so i guess GIVE MY GIRLS THE SPONSORS FOR THE BRIT F3 SERIES

Eurocup-3

Carrie Schreiner: just a guest start so her small come back to formulas this year isn't useless

FIA F3

Sophia: signed already

Jamie: Guest start to prep for next season F2 i guess

Juju Noda: likes to step up to fast and I bet she would kinda perform decent

Or Superformula light (japanese euroformula) for juju

[urloveseb]

director's commentary ask! i wanna know more about your aldnoah au!! <3

helloooo mint my beloved

this is a bit long so. here we go

for the aldnoah au - think it first started off when i was rewatched a few mecha animes i liked when i was younger and i immediately thought of aldnoah afterwards. like the premise of it is so interesting - in an alternate universe, humans have made a home out of mars and now there's two factions, the people who live on earth vs the people who formerly were from earth but now live on mars...

in my head, princess asseylum -> charles, inaho -> seb, but i also wanted to build on that universe and not kind of just stick them into those roles....

crown prince charles as the solitary ruler of his nation, the Exalted - he's about the same age as seb in this (both in their early-mid 20s) but he's had to take on so much responsibility at a young age. the war's been going on for longer than he's been alive but he's been tasked with seeking the end of it, finally establishing peace between mars and earth (although rumors have been circulating that the Vers royal cabinet do not approve of his decision) he's a bit lonely, with the isolation of his empire and having to shoulder the entire responsibility of a planet on his own - but he doesn't really allow that to show.

His gaze keeps finding the Exalted, no matter how hard he tries to look away—completely mesmerized by what he’s seeing. He looks far too young to be a political leader, let alone the sole ruler of one of the powerful empires in the known galaxy. Somehow, that makes Seb frown—just what had really happened in those forty years to make someone so youthful become the symbol of unyielding power, pride? And yet, he carries himself quietly, as if he had seen all the universe had to offer him in his short while in the mortal realm—his presence demanding reverence without even having to say a word. The mark of true nobility.

and then you have seb, a fighter pilot and fia special agent. recruited into the air force and then into the special forces before he turned 19 and he's been making waves ever since. all he knows is piloting frames (mechas) and he prefers keeping it that way. he's cheeky, kind of the opposite of charles in that regard. also being sent on a diplomatic mission to another planet was definitely not anywhere on his bucket list.

His reflection glances back at him on the glazed glass—his mirror twin looking uncomfortably stuffed into his dress uniform and with medals messily pinned to the chest as the Martian desert pans out in front of him—nothing but orange skies and sand for miles and miles. He definitely isn’t used to being on Mars—hell, he’s never even been here before, let alone standing in a lavish guest room on a planet that isn’t blue and green with actual breathable oxygen the moment he steps outside—not even for a brief goodwill visit on behalf of the FIA. A sudden knock at his door tears his gaze away from himself—and he goes to open it, only to find one Lewis Hamilton standing there—tapping his foot impatiently. He’s dressed just like him—in full, fancy military garb, the ones they only bring out of the closet when a superior officer happens to visit or someone’s gone and died in a tragic and heroic fashion. Neither happen to exactly be particularly exciting occasions, he thinks.

they both share a lot of responsibility, both seb and charles - because, PARALLELS. but at the same time i wanted there to be subtle differences in the way their environment affects them - charles shown mostly in isolation, detached, vs. seb with lewis, the camaraderie between the two.

like they come from completely different worlds (in both meanings) and yet they share a similar kind of narrative and goal in seeking peace. while they might not exactly hit it off initially (even being a bit antagonistic), literally my favorite thing about them in this universe is that they push each other to become better. like they are devoted to each other and the cause and i just have a lot of feelings about that

[multifandomboii]

Another name added to the list!

[princegasly]

Dennis Hauger

via Instagram

[forzaferrari]

FIA radio my beloved <3

[tatyana-dreaming]

Potenza irresistibile: Leonora is Unstoppable

aka an empowered reading of (yet another) tragic opera heroine

aka my thoughts on Il Trovatore pt 3

(title from Manrico’s line in Act 2: Potenza irresistibile hanno de' fiumi l'onde! - The waves of the rivers have an irresistible force!)

with pictures because I have provided you ample walls of text as it is

Quick aside before we get into the libretto: in part 2 I concluded that both Azucena and Leonora are the only ones who really get what they want in this opera, and I think it’s pretty clear with Azucena... “Sei vendicata, o madre!” (even if we are unclear if she intentionally organized Manrico’s death and/or was conflicted by it or not).

Leonora. “I just came out to have a good time and honestly I’m feeling so attacked right now.” @ Ines, @ di Luna, even @ Manrico at the end

Because, out of everyone in this opera, Leonora is... happy? (I mean, yeah, she’s kind of set 100% of her hopes and dreams on this guy, and when she thinks he’s dead, she’s ready to head to the convent to pray to God until she can be reunited with him in death, saying “un riso, una speranza, un fior la terra non ha per me!”  - earth no longer has for me laughter, hope, or flowers! But look at her circumstances and context, and it’s still a choice she’s making, herself, about how she wants to live. Respect.)

[sociological examination about religious/cultural factors influencing WHY she would make that particular choice: coming to a bookstore near you in 2022]

“I swear go God, Ines (literally, I just did) can you just support me for once and trust me on this” (jk I love Ines she’s just doing her best too)

Okay, but to get back to the point... Leonora just has this sparkle. She’s filled with life and joy and happiness in the beginning (and - while yeah, my 21st century feminist me is like *facepalms* don’t make it dependent on another person, especially not a guy, especially not a guy who isn’t really even that focused on you as a person, but more as a possession he has to jealously protect from Rivals - her joy is revived when Marico returns and honestly thank gosh he does, since otherwise di Luna was gonna wreck those convent plans.) ANYWAYS  - di Luna clearly sees and wants to possess this sparkle, clearly having none of it himself.

Some exerpts from the libretto of this sparkly joy none of the characters ever get....(di Luna tries, haha...“la gioia che m'aspetta, gioia mortal, non è!“ but learns that maybe trying to seize someone against their will isn’t the best way to Spark Joy)

We’ve got Act 1 - “Gioia provai che agl'angeli solo è provar concesso! ...Di tale amor che dirsi mal può dalla parola...”  Joy only the angels can feel...such love that cannot be described by words! - Act 2, upon rescue by/reunion with her beloved - “Non regge a tanto giubilo rapito il cor, sorpreso!”  My surprised heart cannot bear such joy! - and finally, Act 4, once she is certain of saving Manrico - “ Vivrà! Contende il giubilo i detti a me!” He’ll live - my joy strips me of words!

Gosh, for such a tragic opera (if you take it seriously), Leonora is just this bundle of joy. Even in Act 4. It’s impressive.

She just has this energy, and I think it’s some sort of radiance from self-awareness and knowing exactly what she wants. You also may notice Leonora doens’t leave a body count the way di Luna, Manrico, and Azucena do. Well, unless you count herself :( but my point is she’s not about hurting people to get what she wants. And Leonora makes it explicitly clear from Act I: “ S'io non vivrò per esso, per esso morirò” - if I cannot life for him, I will die for him.

Leonora knows what she wants and nothing, NOTHING, and NOBODY is going to get in her way! And HOO BOY does di Luna try! So the convent kidnapping shit he tried to pull with the “not even God can claim [Leonora]” attitude didn’t pan out... but it also proved to Leonora that God wouldn’t necessarily save her (convent-style at least) so she leveled up and remembered OH YEAH PLANTS! *cue Juliet line*:

“ I'll to the friar, to know his remedy: If all else fail, myself have power to die.“

And honestly, she’s badass about it, too. From Act 1, she’s pretty fearless, from the moment Ines expresses fear and doubt about her infatuation with Manrico -

INES: Quanto narrasti di turbamento m'ha piena l'alma! Io temo...   What you say disturbs my soul, I fear [for you!] LEONORA: Invano! [You fear] in vain! (or: don’t fear!)

Leonora’s not afraid. She’s simply on a mission. Once Shit Gets Real and di Luna promises to kill Manrico, maintaining strict alignment with Mission “S'io non vivrò per esso, per esso morirò,”  asking di Luna to “Piombi, piombi il tuo furoresulla rea che t'oltraggiò, vibra il ferro in questo core che te amar non vuol né può”- Let your fury fall on the evil girl who offended you; plunge your sword into this heart that cannot, will not love you!

[again, not condoning Leonora’s choices, such as throwing herself under the ‘di Luna is going to blame Leonora for all his psycho actions’ Bus, but I respect her making her choices and fighting back]

Of course, di Luna is like “YOU CRAZY!” and literally tells Leonora her blood wouldn’t be enough to quell his rage. “l tuo sangue, o sciagurato, ad estinguerlo fia poco!” - Your blood, wretch, would hardly be enough! ~really playing the romance here~ :)

Leonora doesn’t get the point, since in Act 4, she repeats her pleas to exchange her live for Manrico’s - still not getting the Blood is Not Enough memo, apparently - “Svenami, ti bevi il sangue mio!” - Take me out**, drink my blood!

**no, di Luna, she isn’t asking you out on a date (sorry it’s so hard not to just 100% shitpost this opera) - but I couldn’t find a better translation. You don’t really say “faint me” in English and I don’t think the direct translation is “kill” but “take me out” seemed like an acceptable euphemism.

Of course, Leonora ultimately ends up accomplishing her Mission. [Like I said in part 1, my initial reaction to her self-sacrificial death was just anger and disappointment. But in context, she’s pulling a valid Juliet move... her circumstances are awful and suffocating and there are very few ways out for her in the world she lives in... but she ends up exiting the game on her terms.

{At the subjective level, at least. Objectively, her only choices are a vampire who will suck her life dry [di Luna] - in which life might be merciless - or choosing to withdraw from life with Help from Plants [poison] - in which death is merciful. Again, sociological exploration of Leonora’s CHOICE ARCHITECTURE coming to booksellers near you. Might even include Alternate Ending: running away into the mountains with the gypsies instead, but we all know that isn’t part of Mission “S'io non vivrò per esso, per esso morirò.” Plus I think we are all familiar with the concept that as humans we are more likely to stick with the evil we know rather than strike out into the great unknown. Heck, somebody stop me, these asides will be the death by boredom or exasperation of us all. Wait, are you reading this!??! WOW and bless you!! Thanks and I’m sorry}

Unfortunately, Manrico has to be a little turdball and start cursing Leonora, being the jealous self-centered guy that he ultimately is, before he realizes what she’s done to save him. “Manrico I’m literally dying FOR YOU and this is how you repay me?”

In Act 1, she begs di Luna to see reason through his jealous rage, but by Act 4 it’s her own beloved, the person she’s organized her Life Goal around, who is displaying the same jealous, blinding rage, refusing to listen to her. “Oh come l'ira ti rende cieco! Oh quanto ingiusto, crudel, crudel!” Oh how rage blinds you, how injust, how cruel you are [Manrico]!

Oh, the sweet and cruel irony Leonora getting her unconditional, immense, “eternal” love dismissed because Manrico doesn’t get it the way he wanted it [i.e. uh oh are we going to circle back to possessiveness/jealousy? Is Leonora the only one - and granted, she is a little psycho/obsessed/infatuated à la di Luna, but without trying to POSSESS her object of affection -- who can love in a semi-healthy way in this opera?? apparently]. My poor girl. At least Manrico Comes to his Senses before she dies (just in time for him join Leonora’s fate himself). *sad cheering*

Let me end by emphasizing that Leonora did not die JUST to “save Manrico.” Yes, the libretto says “Prima che d'altri vivere, io volli tua morir! “ - Rather than live as another’s, I wanted to die yours. But to me, it’s pretty clear she’s dying for herself - dying as her own self, as hers (I mean, technically she never became Manrico’s “legal property” anyways if we want to get into the morbid lack of womens’ rights, so she wasn’t even “his” in that way). And in the end, choice architecture aside, the point is that all the way, Leonora knew what she wanted, made her own decisions, stayed true to herself, and accomplished what she set her mind to. Nothing and nobody stopped her. Who’s to say what else she might have wanted if she had had different opportunities, choices, knowledge, or most importantly had been born in a different context.

(*faceplams* had been born?!! She’s a fictional character god Karo go to bed already) (*peels hands off face* it’s okay you are processing outrage over the Female Experience and Leonora represents a lot of real women, living and dead)

I conclude. LEONORA IS UNSTOPPABLE. Let’s part with some lovely lines from our complex (if a bit compulsively devoted), tragic, yet joyful, empowered, and fearless heroine:

Tu vedrai che amore in terra mai del mio non fu più forte: vinse il fato in aspra guerra, vincerà la stessa morte. 

You will see that never on earth was there a stronger love than mine; it defeated Fate in violent strife, it will defeat death itself.

*              *              *              *              *               *              *             *        

Screencaps from IL Trovatore (Met 2011) ft. Sondra Radvanovsky, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Marcelo Álvarez

[crickwater]

i just finished hot boy summer the other day (i was going in order) and i wasnt sure whether to relisten to bahumia or start eldermourne but im SO glad i started eldermourne i love it so much the setting is dope and i like henry but i LOOOVE fia and zirk i think they are both autistic and i want to fucking hang out with them .... ough

eldermourne is sooo good...... murph is so good at worldbuilding and I feel like naddpod succeeeed where a lot of actual plays fail in that they didn't try to recreate the magic and vibes of bahumia but just really went to a really different place with the second campaign which has so much magic and fun of its own.... also eldermourne pcs my beloveds <3 they're all so good and it just keeps getting better I'm truly dreading the ending cause I'm kot ready to say goodbye yet :(