#italian grand prix 2019 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chibrary · 7 months ago

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Some at the team knew he was the man for the job, but Charles Leclerc's procurement of a seat relied on a neat bit of manoeuvring in order for their boss to agree to a deal.

We're not talking here about the delay that followed Sergio Marchionne's death before Leclerc gained a 2019 Ferrari Formula 1 drive, rather his maiden season of car racing in the '14 Formula Renault ALPS series.

Fortec Motorsport engineer Martin Young knew all about the talents of the 16-year-old Monegasque driver.

"My background is in karting," he explains. "I used to work for the factory teams in Italy. I knew the drivers to watch from karting would be Max Verstappen, Ben Barnicoat and Charles Leclerc, and Fortec wanted to run teams in Eurocup, NEC and ALPS."

It's worth explaining here that in those days Formula Renault 2.0 operated as a pyramid structure, with the Eurocup at the top, and the Dutch-promoted Northern European Cup and Italian-run ALPS series as the base. Fortec was already established in Eurocup and NEC, but was venturing into ALPS for the first time.

"At the time it looked like Verstappen would be doing Eurocup, and we had Ben signed for NEC," continues Young. "I spoke to Jamie Dye [Fortec managing director] and said that if we wanted to move forward in ALPS we needed to get Leclerc.

"We did a test day at Motorland [Aragon] and we sort of lied about his times - we'd put Charles up against a lot of experienced drivers, so he was 1.2-1.3 seconds off - so that Richard [Dutton, team principal] would stay interested in giving him a bit of a deal. Richard was asking, 'Is he really good?', and we said, 'Yeah, we know he's really good.'"

Barnicoat, now a factory McLaren GT racer, was already familiar with Leclerc - as a Racing Steps Foundation protege, he was part of the ART Grand Prix line-up in international karting in 2012 and '13, while Leclerc belonged (and still does) to the All Road Management stable of ART shareholder Nicolas Todt.

"I had two years as team-mate to him in karting," says Barnicoat. "The first year I was directly racing with him, and in the second he went into gearbox [KZ] karts. He was one of the best team-mates I ever had, if not the best. A great guy.

"That first year, Charles won the WSK series and I won the European championship - that was up against the likes of Verstappen, so the competition was extremely high. I feel sort of left out!

"He had a bit more track knowledge so in the first half of the year he was beating me, but then we pushed each other really hard and that worked for the team - we got a lot from that.

"Looking at how good he is, it's nice to know I beat him on occasions, to know that I had the talent and ability to do that."

Fortec was one of the teams that tested Verstappen, and was also eyeing a deal with another talented karter: George Russell, whose plan was to combine Renault ALPS with what was then BRDC Formula 4.

Russell, who now is on course to succeed Leclerc as Formula 2 champion, eventually joined Prema Powerteam for ALPS, but that deal fell over on the eve of the season and he secured a last-minute berth at Koiranen GP.

"We wanted George; we tried to sign him," says Dutton of what could have been a mighty line-up had Russell joined Leclerc. "But he signed for Prema and then [Lawrence] Stroll [who had taken a majority shareholding in Prema] stopped him from going there."

"Me and Charles were testing for Fortec," says Russell, "and at the same time Verstappen was there with Josef Kaufmann Racing, I think. We were in talks with Fortec, but we decided to sign with Prema."

When it's pointed out what a mega line-up that would have been alongside Leclerc, Russell laughs: "In hindsight that could have worked out better for me than Koiranen. That [the late Prema split] put us in the shit a little bit, and three weeks before the first race I didn't have a deal. We took the gamble on Koiranen."

Autosport reminds Dutton of an awards evening over the 2013-14 winter when, asked about Russell, he said: "We've got someone even better - a lad from Monaco..."

"It was really quite a late deal," recalls Dutton. "He missed most of the winter-test programme. But you just knew he was the real deal. In and out of the car he knew what he wanted. In lots of ways he reminded us of Verstappen when we tested him."

Young confirms that the sum total of Leclerc's pre-season mileage was four days at Aragon, and two at Barcelona, before going straight into the pre-weekend test for the Imola opener.

"The first three race weekends his experience was a bit low," says Young, "but as soon as he got on the podium he was there every weekend.

Leclerc went on to finish runner-up to the flying - and experienced - Nyck de Vries in the ALPS points, with two race wins at Monza under his belt, but perhaps the more impressive performances came in his three 'wildcard' outings in the Eurocup. The first was at Spa, one week before the Belgian track's ALPS round.

"He was 30th in qualifying at the Eurocup," says Dutton. "We changed everything - we couldn't understand what the hell was going on. One week later he qualified third for ALPS. That was really, really special."

In his next Eurocup outing, Leclerc took a fifth and a second at the Nurburgring, and in his final one he took a brace of seconds at the Hungaroring.

"I was looking after Matt Parry and Jack Aitken in Eurocup," says long-time Fortec driver coach Matt Howson. "I'd heard [Leclerc] was something maybe a bit special, but you hear that all the time, and wait until you see it yourself.

"Usually you understand the driving style straight away - what's good, what's bad - and the thing with Charles is it didn't matter whether there was understeer or oversteer, he seemed to deliver a lap time."

The cerebral approach of Leclerc and engineer Young frustrated Howson at the Nurburgring.

"He'd never seen the place, and there were only two 45-minute [test] sessions, and furthermore Martin was determined to try things on the car," says Howson.

"I said, 'Don't do it, leave him out'. He was last in the second session, and then he was P3 on the grid for the second race - that's unheard of in Eurocup [for a newcomer]. Renault is a very finicky formula, and it all has to come together to deliver results, but Charles seemed impervious to everything.

"Based on that first year, I knew he was a little bit special. Whenever he was tested in Eurocup, he defied his experience. That's a marker - that you can break all the accepted rules."

Talking about that Nurburgring episode, Young says: "That literally sums up Charles Leclerc. That year we were struggling in Eurocup, and I said I'd come in with Charles and we'd do some testing. Going into qualifying he'd never run new tyres, but he went from last to the front. Nothing ever fazed him."

In Young's view, he also compared favourably to Lando Norris, who tested FRenault cars with Fortec in 2014 before his first steps into single-seaters: "I worked with Lando towards the end of the year, and Lando eventually got to the same point [as Leclerc] but needed a lot of testing, but Charles could just get in and drive. It was second nature to him."

Russell took a distant fourth in the ALPS standings, although he did claim the 2014 BRDC F4 title.

"With Nyck winning the championship it didn't make any sense to me, but I think at the time there were a few dodgy chassis around," he says. "When I tested Nyck's car it was extremely different in terms of characteristics. I wasted a season there, but it was character-building."

He also suffered from chicken pox that caused him to miss the Monza round, where Leclerc took his two wins.

"I didn't think it affected me at the time, but I struggled a bit for no reason in the following few F4 races," says Russell. "It was quite severe - I've still got some bad scars. I put my family off their dinner a few times!"

But Russell trumped Leclerc by joining Tech 1 Racing for the final Eurocup round at Jerez as a wildcard - and winning: "I got my self-confidence back a bit, jumped in that car and won."

Both Russell and Leclerc had initially targeted a full season in Eurocup in 2015, but such were their reputations by the end of '14 that each went to the Formula 3 European Championship, Russell with Carlin, and Leclerc with Van Amersfoort Racing.

Fortec tried to hang on to Leclerc for F3. "We tried so hard to get him for F3, but we lost him to VAR," says Dutton. "We did some tests with him in the F3 car and he was straight on the pace. At Silverstone he was quickest of everybody there, and then we went to Valencia with him and we had a nightmare with mechanical issues. I think that didn't do us any good."

All who worked or raced with Leclerc agree about his qualities as a man.

"Of all the drivers in F1 who've come through us, Charles is the one who gets [guest] passes for the British Grand Prix," says Dutton. "He had Martin [Young] and Jamie [Dye] there this year the whole weekend, in Sauber hospitality. He's a proper guy."

"I still speak to Charles every week or so on various topics," adds Young, who attended Leclerc's initial grand prix free practice outings in 2016. "He's still exactly the same person."

Barnicoat, who is one of the drivers for the McLaren hot laps at F1 events, bumps into Leclerc regularly.

"When we raced against each other in Renault there was quite a lot of rivalry from what we'd had in karting," says the Briton, who added three 'wildcard' ALPS outings as direct team-mate to Leclerc to his title-winning NEC campaign.

"But it would have been nice to get more direct comparisons. In 2013, when we were in karting, I went to the grand prix with him in Monaco and stayed on his uncle's boat, and had a really good time. We spent a lot of time together, and although we were rivals we helped each other out. He was a good friend of mine and still is."

Leclerc is also resilient. "Jules Bianchi came to the Hungaroring Eurocup round to mentor him," says Howson, "and I understood then how close they were. After that incident [for Bianchi] and his father [who died in mid-2017], he's probably been tested off track more than anyone else, but it's not bled over into anything on track.

"He's incredibly mature. He's relatively introverted - he doesn't come in and make lots of noise, but he's polite, considerate and always looks you in the eye when he talks to you. It doesn't matter whether he's got loads of cameras on him, he'll always come over for a chat."

Russell, meanwhile, is "100%" sure that Leclerc will flourish at Ferrari.

"Charles is one of a handful of others I put in the best-of-the-best group," he says. "In my opinion he absolutely deserves his chance at Ferrari. He's got the speed and the talent, and I'm excited to see how he fares next year. I've no doubt that he will be competitive."

#series:f1 #year:2018 #driver:george #driver:ben.barnicoat #format:article

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stateofcharles · 2 months ago

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translating vanzini's commentary on charles' wins

spa 2019: the finale is here. last corner, the one that again brings Charles Leclerc on the finish line. IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX! CHARLES LECLERC FIRMLY CONQUERS THE FIRST VICTORY OF HIS CAREER!

monza 2019 (do we really need the translation?) he goes by the Ascari, then onto the straight towards the Parabolica. he arrived on Wednesday asking, the first thing he asked: who won? after winning his first race, the second comes immediately, consecutively. there’s 8 of them, there’s 8. and now they become 9, now they become 9. IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX! AFTER 9 YEARS FERRARI GETS BACK ON THE FIRST STEP! CHARLES LECLERC WINS IN MONZA! A TRIUMPH, A MAJESTIC RACE, SENSATIONAL. THIS BOY IS PURE EMOTION!

bahrain 2022: ladies and gentlemen, Tifosi, 903 days after the last win. 12 years ago here, there was the last 1-2 on the first race. IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX!

australia 2022: (marc gene) carlo, he’s going for the fastest lap! (vanzini) i cannot believe it, purple first sector, purple second sector. pay attention to Alonso [...] but this is fairly irrelevant, if we want. onto the last corner, even the orange fans stand up, how nice. IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX! AN IMPRESSIVE SHOWDOWN OF FERRARI!

austria 2022: going downhill, the seventh [corner]. there’s only 3 [corners] left Charles, only 3 left. the eight. the ninth comes now. the tenth. ladies and gentlemen, IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX, AFTER AN INCREDIBLE RACE, AN INCREDIBLE SUFFERING

monaco 2024: the last lap is starting for Leclerc. he’s going uphill, right where he would take the bus to go to school. onto the Casino. now downhill by Mirabeau, where he would lean out on the railings to watch f1 cars racing. on his streets, where he was born in 1997. from his dad Hervé, who passed away 7 years ago. that last lie: i signed with Ferrari. it wasn’t true, yet. that lie, he wasn’t feeling well. he would go with his father to the Bianchi family’s circuit, in Brignoles, to try karting for the first time. it’s a roaring Monaco. the pool, now exiting, one last time. Rascasse going uphill. at your home Charles, at your home Charles, at your home Charles, at your home Charles. CHARLES LECLERC WINS THE MONACO GRAND PRIX! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER, WHAT A WEEKEND, WHAT A FEELING! perhaps the most boring race in the history of formula 1, but with such a feeling, a deep waiting for a driver who had lots of bad luck at his home race. he brings it home like this, Charles Leclerc.

monza 2024: it’s such an emotion, Monza [...] Lesmo 2, Serraglio Charles, then Ascari (marc gene: world champion material here). Ascari. his front right tyre is merely a black strip, and so is the front left. it’s incredible, it’s incredible. he gets to Alboreto, to the Parabolica. ladies and gentlemen, 5 years ago we were telling the first Monza win of the Predestinato, so then LET’S ALL GO BACK TO CALL HIM LIKE THAT, BECAUSE THIS IS A PREDESTINATO RACE! IL PREDESTINATO WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX, AFTER A FANTASTIC RACE, INCREDIBLE. HE INVENTED SOME MAGIC THAT ONLY HIM, ONLY FERRARI COULD THINK OF, IMAGINE AND CARRY OUT. IT’S A FANTASTIC DAY FOR THE TIFOSI, EVERYONE STANDING AND CLAPPING [...] AT OUR HOME CHARLES, AT OUR HOME CHARLES. WHAT A FEELING!

#charles leclerc #monza gp 2024 #italian gp 2024 #carlo vanzini #sky italy #chwins

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maseyfilms · 2 years ago

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WILDEST DREAMS — C.L16

summary. based on wildest dreams by taylor swift

pairing. charles leclerc x female!reader

w.count. 5.0k+

warnings. bad english; not proofread; fluff; angsty if you squint; cursing

a/n. this took me so long to finish, im not even kidding when i say i spend two or three months doing it (or even more). anyway, hope you like it !

He said, "Let's get out of this town

Drive out of the city, away from the crowds"

I thought Heaven can't help me now

Nothing lasts forever

But this is gonna take me down

september 2019; Italy, Monza

sunday- race day

'he won in spa, he wins in monza!

Charles Leclerc is the winner of the 2019 italian grand prix!'

You were stunned, or surprised, actually the feeling was confusing for you. You were so happy and so proud of a person you met less than one week ago. About a sport you have never watched in your life.

Maybe it was the vibe. The crowd of red caps and red ferrari flags. Smokes of the italian flag colors making the view even more enchanting.

'Il predestinato!' they screamed. Even with your horrible italian you managed to understand what they were saying.

They were screaming about Charles, your Charles.

You were smilling widely even not knowing anything was going on around you, just that Charles won the race, your first race, the one he begged you to be there. The thought made your heart beat a little bit faster.

You heard a notification sound coming from your phone as soon as you were out of the paddock, heading to the parking lot, it was a message from Charles saying to meet him at his room when you arrived at the hotel.

A few minutes later the door from his bedroom opened revealing a very happy Charles, no longer in the well-known Ferrari suit, now dressed in simple black denim shorts and a tight white t-shirt, sweaty skin mixed with the champagne from de celebration. You would cringe at the view and probably would think it was disgusting if wasn't Charles.

‘Hey, il predestinato’ You joked and and gestured for him to seat by your side on the edge of the bed.

'How do you know about that?" he asked knitting his eyebrows together, dragging himself towards the bed and talking a seat beside you.

‘The people were saying it there' you smiled widely and glanced at the window, 'can't believe you actually won the first race I watched’.

‘How do you feel about it? don’t know, maybe you win every race and I’m just being stupid’ he chuckled.

‘I don’t, but I feel happy though, mainly 'cause you were watching.’ He smiled, red into his cheeks as he admitted, the same red appearing to your own at his words.

'and… I was thinking maybe since I won I could take you out?’ he asked, biting his lip to contain the huge grin that was trying to break out.

‘I would like that Mr.Leclerc’ You said getting up from the bed. ‘I’ll just get my stuff’ and you leave a small peck on his cheeks.

‘So where we’re going?’ You questioned and turn your head towards Charles who was focused on the steering wheel and the street.

‘I’m not telling you, I said it was a surprise!’ He giggled and you rolled your eyes.

‘Here we are’ He parked the car in front of an empty beach. The sun was setting so the sea looked more gorgeous than normal, the sunlight meeting with the water giving a beautiful sight.

‘It’s wonderful, Charles’ You said as you both walk towards the sand.

‘You like it?’ He asked and you guys sat on the sand, you rested your head on his shoulder, admiring the handsome view in front of you.

‘I love it, really’ You turn to look into his eyes and leaned, joining your lips on his for a soft kiss, the two smiling like idiots and when you separate, your smile grows even wider as you murmured a small ‘Thanks for bringing me here.’ against his lips.

He's so tall and handsome as hell

He's so bad, but he does it so well

I can see the end as it begins

My one condition is

september 2019; Italy, Monza

some days before the race

‘Can you hold the door for me?!’ Charles heard as soon as he enters the hotel elevator, quickly putting his arm between the door so it doesn't close. A woman holding lots of bags, some with strange shapes, enters the elevator. ‘Thank you’ She smiles.

‘What floor are you going to?’ Charles asks, seeing she was too busy holding all the bags in her arms to remember - or manage - to press the button for the floors. She answers and he gets surprised since is the same floor he’s staying. ‘So what’s all that stuff for?’ He tries to bring up the subject.

‘Oh it’s work stuff, I'm a photographer’ You kindly smile at him.

‘That’s nice! Do you always come here to take photos?’ His cute french accent made you softly laugh and look down your feet.

‘Every year I come here to Monza to take some pictures, it is a very beautiful place, especially at this time of the year’ You glance at the set of elevator buttons and realize that he has only pressed your floor number, concluding that his room is on the same floor as yours, for some reason you smiled at that and changed your focus to his face. His green eyes already looking at you and his handsome face made you lower your head again to hide the red that would probably appear in your cheeks, thing that didn’t go unnoticed by Charles.

‘I’m Charles, by the way’ He introduced himself, smirking a little.

‘Y/n’ And shy smile formed on your lips as you responded.

The elevator arrives at your floor and you say goodbye to each other, taking different ways to your rooms.

Say you'll remember me

Standing in a nice dress

Staring at the sunset, babe

september 2019; Italy, Monza

some days before the race

You're not the type of person to fall in love in first sight, or feel some type of connection with someone in less than one month. Coming from some traumatic relationships you had some problem with trusting people. With Charles there was something weird, it was different.

‘So, you never told me why you’re here’ You turn to face him, frown on your face.

You were sitting on the edge of a deck, it was a warm, starry evening. You met after dinner and decided to go for a walk around the town.

‘Work things’ He answered. Looking down at his swaying feet almost touching the water then looking at you.

‘What do you work with?’ You tuck a lock of hair behind your ear and smile at him.

‘I’m a formula one driver.’ He starts, ‘It’s racing weekend’

‘Oh, that’s awesome!’ You added, ‘My dad never missed a race when I was a kid, but I never watched one.’

‘Really?’ You confirmed nodding your head and laughed at his surprised face.

‘What? Don’t look at me like that!’ You complied at his mocking face. ‘I’m not the only person in the world who never had watched a formula one race, don’t judge me.’

‘You should go watch this one then, see me winning, you know, everything has it's first time’ Charles invited with a smirk.

‘Oh so you’re that good you’re already presuming you’ll win?’ You teased back. ‘Well, so you better be right, I don’t wanna be disappointed’ You joked while fixing the strap of the blue summer dress that hugged your body.

‘You won’t’

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you'll see me again

Even if it's just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

september 2020; Italy, Monza

race week

A year has passed since you and Charles saw each other for the last time and he misses you.

It was Monza GP week and – unfortunately – Charles was having dinner with an italian friend of Pierre. The french driver said he should choose between call you and say he misses you or forget you and meet someone new, the first option was nothing a sober Charles would choose to do so he chose to - at least try - meet someone new.

The 'meet someone new' mission was being a total failure, even with a nice girl in front of him he couldn't stop thinking about you. He felt guilty about it, but he couldn't help it when the girl only talked about herself, and he was thinking of how you always made sure of not being the center of the conversation.

The girl was nothing like you, not that it was a problem, but for him it was. She was nice, pretty, but not as pretty as you, kind, but not the same kindness as you. And the falseness in her laughing just made it even worse for him .

He was thinking of your laugh and how he missed it, the thoughts sinking in so deep he could have sworn he heard your laughter coming from somewhere in that fancy restaurant.

Lifting his gaze from his plate to where the laughter had come from, he realized that he wasn't going mad and that he actually heard you laughing.

He was breathless to see how you looked, prettier than you were a year ago when he met you if that was even possible. Something about you was different, maybe your hair was short, you looked more mature, your hair pendent up in a way you never did before, but there was still Y/N, but not his Y/N anymore.

You were playing with some children beside you, your eyes were almost sparkling, vibrant smile and oh, the prettiest red lips he had ever seen in his life. The sight made his heart clench and he smiled for the first time that night.

The girl sitting across from him noticed and dramatically turned her head to see what it was he was looking at. When she saw you, in disbelief she got up from her chair and stormed off shouting something in italian about if he didn't want to have dinner with her, he should have told her before she spent two hours getting ready, nothing he would have paid attention to, because the girl's volume had drawn attention from the entire restaurant, including you and the people at your table.

When he looked back at you, you were already looking at him.

You got caught off guard when you saw him, not because of the girl's behavior, but because you were seeing him after so long. You sent him a shy grin and a silent 'hey', to which he responded with a wave of his hand and a embarrassed smile before paying the bill and following the girl for apologises.

When he was out of the restaurant he looked back at you through the window. You were laughing, as always, while sipping your wine and talking to your family. It was one of the most beautiful scenes his eyes were ever allowed to see, he saved it as a picture in his memories.

I said, "No one has to know what we do"

His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room

And his voice is a familiar sound

Nothing lasts forever

But this is getting good now

september 2019; Italy, Monza

sunday- race day

You came back from the beach at 9pm and you felt strange because you were making out with a person you met just some days before, and that was new, but you also felt good cause that just felt right. He felt right.

‘Mine or yours?’ You whispered trying to free yourself from his kiss, stumbling when the elevator reached your bedrooms floor and Charles wouldn't stop kissing you.

‘Yours is closer’ He mumbled against your lips, pulling you by the waist towards your room.

You manage to get the door card out of your back pocket and open the door, Charles instantly guiding you inside and slamming the door shut with his foot.

He kissed you hungrily and desperate, but also soft and loving, you had never felt something like this in all your relationships. Charles felt the same, he was kissing you like he would normally do with any other girl, but with you it was different, his body always act different around you.

The two of you hurriedly started taking off your clothes, doing your best to not break the kiss.

‘Shit!’ He trips over one of your bags on the floor, trying to grip on the wall and also hold you so you don't fall, but all that just caused you both to fall to the ground. Trying to contain it but failing miserably, you burst out laughing.

He's so tall and handsome as hell

He's so bad, but he does it so well

And when we've had our very last kiss

My last request is

september 2019; Italy, Monza

week after the race

You knocked at Charles door and he opens it. Fresh of the shower, wet hair and grey sweat pants, after shave lotion and some expensive french perfume.

He was leaving, you could see how the room was already cleaned and organised. His bags were already packed near the door and he was totally avoiding looking at your face.

‘Are you already going?’ You almost whisper as you notice the bags and the bedside tables empty.

‘Uhm, yes’ He rubs the side of his neck, looking at you for a second, but now you're the one who's avoiding his face. ‘My flight is in one hour'

The silence that fills the room is awkward, neither of you knowing what to say or what to do. You wanted to run into him and kiss him goodbye strongly, hold him into your arms so tight that he would feel you'll never let him go. You wanted to tell him how this past two weeks meant to you and that you loved him.

You opened your mouth but nothing come out from it, you knew that was the last time you were going to see each other.

Charles didn't know what to do either. So he just pull his bags out of the room, looked at you at you for some embarrassing 15 seconds, and hugged you.

But it wasn't the kind of hug he usually had, the warm and comfortable hug you used to woke up with when he slept in your room, but rather, a strange and unnatural hug. And he kissed you forehead

You were fighting back the tears but they couldn't help it and started rolling down your cheeks, Charles quickly cupped both sides of your face and wiped the tears away with his thumb.

‘I’ll miss you, Charles.’ You confessed, tongue poking the inside of your cheek and looking anywhere but at him.

‘I’ll miss you too, mon amour’ He leaned pecking your lips. Wet kiss from the tears rolling down your cheeks. Charles wanted to slap himself just for the thought of he being the one that made you cry, but there's nothing he could do, he had to leave.

Say you'll remember me

Standing in a nice dress

Staring at the sunset, babe

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you'll see me again

Even if it's just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha (ha-ah, ha)

Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

may 2021; Monaco, Monte Carlo

When your friend invited you to this party on a uselessly expensive yacht, you made it clear you didn't want to go. But your friend was stubborn and she couldn't stop talking about this stupid party and how amazing it would be, so you given up and put yourself in a tight dress and high heels.

You despised drunk people when you were sober, and rich drunk people were even more despiseble. You hated how they kept bragging themselves about their millionaire mansions or how they kept competing about who has more boats or fancy cars.

No doubt the party was not hitting for you. You had two drinks and the ice on the one you were holding had melted at some good minutes ago, still untouched. Tipsy, but not drunk, you saw your friend dancing with some random dude at the dancefloor, hopefully that she was going to leave when the music was over.

Unsurprisingly, another annoying electronic song starts and your friend doesn't seem to be willing to head home. The yacht was already back to the marina, so you decided to leave the boat and wait for your friend away from the crowd.

You looked back at your friend as you stepped out into the cool night air, glad to be away from the thumping bass of the party yacht.

As you walked down the steps to the deck, you felt a jolt as you bumped into someone, causing you both to stumble.

"Sorry," you muttered, looking up to see who you had knocked into. And you're met with that familiar face, his gaze directly at you.

For a moment, you just stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. Time seemed to stand still as you took in the sight of each other. His hair was still as messy as ever, his eyes still the same shade of green blue-ish that made your heart skip a beat.

"Hi," Charled said, breaking the silence. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has" you nodded, feeling an awkward smile creeping onto your face. "How have you been?"

"Good" He shrugged, eyes flickering through your face. "you?"

"i'm great" you said, chewing your bottom lip and looking anywhere but at him.

"Uhm, what are you doing out here? do you need something?"

"I came with my friend and," You start, pointing back to the yacht. "I just needed some air, party's a bit overwhelming"

He nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. I was thinking of leaving, actually."

"Same. My feet hurt from these heels."

"Do you want a ride?" The monaguesque kindly offers, noticing your friend probably wouldn't go home soon. "I could drop you off home if you want to"

"Ah, you don't need to" you shrugged, chuckling nervously and fidgeting with the end of your dress. "I'm sure me and my friend will be home soon, and i don't want to get in your way I-"

"No, it's okay, really" Charles interrupted "I wouldn't mind at all"

You hesitated, but nodded. You knew this ride home would be embarrassing but you needed to be home as quick as possible.

The drive was silent, neither of you knowing what to say or do. He tried to make small talk, asking you about your life and work, but it just ended on it.

"Thanks for the ride," you said, breaking the silence as you arrived at your hotel's driveway.

"Of course," he replied, "It was no problem."

You made your way to leave the car, but then you stopped when his hand found your wrist.

"Wait," he said, your confused face bringing him the regret of his previous actions "it was nice seeing you again"

You smiled at his words, leaning to leave a soft peck on his cheeks. And with that you got out the vehicle, walking towards the hotel entrance, looking back at him one more time, then disappearing from his sight.

You'll see me in hindsight

Tangled up with you all night

Burning it down

Someday when you leave me

I bet these memories

Follow you around

september 2021; Italy, Monza

saturday night

Charles was laying on his hotel bed, his head spinning from all the whiskey he had consumed that night. Finished in P1 and Carlos in P3 in quali, the team decided to celebrate, and let's say Charles crossed the line with the alcohol.

He stared blankly at the white ceiling and tried to shake off the memories that had plagued him for the last hour. But one memory held onto him fiercely.

His mind drifted to you, the woman he loved with all his heart. The woman who had once filled his life with laughter and joy, all in just one week, seemed so far away now. It had been two years since you last saw each other, and the pain of that loss still ached him. He knew he fucked up when he leaved, but it was something he had to do.

Picking up his phone at the nightstand, he stared at it, scrolling through the list of contacts then finding your name on it. He looks at your picture for a moment, reminding of all of your moments together. Pictures of your smiles and giggles haunting his thoughts.

The pain of missing you was too much, and soon he was sobbing uncontrollably. He missed it, your laugh, your touch. He just couldn't imagine how much of a idiot to let you slip through his fingers so easily.

Before he knew it, he was dialing your number, hoping that you would pick up, but it went straight to voicemail.

Feeling defeated, he left a message, 'Hey, it's Char. I know it's been a long time, and I know I probably shouldn't be calling, but I can't help it. I still love you, and I miss you so much it hurts. I just wanted you to know that.'

He paused, trying to breathe through his tears before he continued, 'I know I messed up. I was an idiot when i leave you, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, please come to the race tomorrow. It's here in Monza, I don't know if you're here but still, I'm sorry Y/N. Love you'

He ended the voicemail, knowing that it probably wouldn't make any difference, but he had to try. He couldn't go on without at least asking for another chance.

As the sleepiness spreads through his body, he held on to the hope that you would come to the race and give him a second chance to make things right.

Say you'll remember me

Standing in a nice dress

Staring at the sunset, babe

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you'll see me again

Even if it's just pretend

september 2021; Italy, Monza

sunday- the race

As Charles walked around the paddock, amongst the bustling crowd of mechanics, engineers, and journalists, he couldn't help but glance around, hoping to see you somewhere. He new he shouldn't have called you the previous night, and he was hopeless you'd even heard his voicemail.

With each passing minute, he grew more anxious, convinced that he wouldn't see you anywhere. That was until he caught a glimpse of a woman from the corner of his eye. Her silhouette looked so much like yours, and his heart skipped a beat, thinking that you might actually be there for him.

He turned around, eager to look at the woman that he had missed so much, but when she turned around, it wasn't you.

His heart sank, and he felt his hopes crumble before him.

The race that he had been preparing for seemed unimportant compared to the pain he felt in that moment. He tried to focus on the race, but his thoughts were tangled with you.

He prayed you would be in the stands watching him race, cheering him on.

However, as the race approached, he knew deep down that you were not going to be there.

He focused entirely on the race, pouring all his emotions and energy into it, hoping he would forget about all of this.

With each lap, he pushed himself further and further, driven by the desire to succeed.

Say you'll remember me

Standing in a nice dress

Staring at the sunset, babe

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you'll see me again

Even if it's just pretend, in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

In your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

Even if it's just stayed in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

In your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

september 2021; Italy, Monza

sunday- the race

He finished the line on P4. After all his hard work. He was so mad of himself.

Since the race started he was being so rude with people around him, that wasn't him, he used to be so kind and grateful whenever he wins or not, whatever his results were.

But today he was nervous.

Nervous because there was a chance for you to be there, in the same place as him, watching him race so badly like he did today.

But also nervous because he had the thought the you didn't even heard his voice mail, or wasn't there because you hated him.

He left sad of his car though, doing what he was supposed to do as fast as possible so he could get out of there as soon as possible.

He was heading to his trailer when he heard a familiar voice shouting his name.

'Charles!'

At first he thought he was going crazy, just like some hours ago when he saw that woman. But then he turned. And there was you.

Running towards him with a wide smile stamped at your lips. The yellow flowery summer dress that hugged your body flying with the wind, just like you hair.

He was speechless and you were stunning.

'Hey' You greeted, breathy voice and heavy breath. 'I'm sor- I was going to talk to you before the race but i arrived here a little late and-'

'That's fine.' Charles interrupted you shyly, not knowing what to say next.

'You did so good down there! Congratulations!' You smiled kindly and looked around you 'Well, uhm, i just wanted to say hi, don't know if i can be here' You chuckled.

You both were embarrassed, two years after you both talked seriously and some months since day night in the party. You just didn't know what to do or say, so you give him an awful wave of your hand and a softly 'bye-bye', then started to walk away, leaving charles even more speechless than he was previously.

But then your thoughts stopped you on track and you turn to ask him:

'Char, you were serious about what you said when you called me last night?'

It was like a splash of cold water for him, a snap of fingers in front of his face for him to finally come back to reality. Not only the nickname had taken him by surprise but also the question really made him remember the stupidity he did; he called you last night. He drunkly called you last night. He didn't remember all the things he had told you, but he knows that when he gets drunk he just can't stop himself and say all what he was thinking of. That worried him.

'I-I don't know, I was... drunk' He said, gulping and pulling his fingers through his hair. Then he looked at you.

You were confused, so as him, but you had a frown on your face like you were trying to avoid crying or something, and he felt bad.

'Because, if you didn't meant that, I...' You sadly spoke, looking at his eyes and breathing strongly.

'I can't take it' You started, 'It's always the same, you left me that day and then one year after i saw you in that restaurant with- with that blonde girl and...' you interrupted yourself as tears started rolling down your cheeks. 'and that fucking hurt me when i get to the hotel that day because i thought i got over you and now i know i don't'

'we always ended up meeting eachother, and there's always these awkward and strange conversations and i always thought we will figure something out about this but then i have to leave, or you have to'

'And then you suddenly call me, telling you love me and shit, that you can't stop thinking about me, and i feel good because i feel the fucking same' You wiped your tears and looked at him directly at his eyes. 'and then you invite me to this stupid race and you say nothing? after that bomb you dropped at the voicemail?'

'I-I'm sorry Y/N, I didn't know-' He starts but you interrupted him.

'Please, don't ' you sigh, 'I don't even know why i'm here' and you leave.

Charles is speachless and frozen in his place. Spacing out while he sees you leaving, once again, just like all the other times you met each other.

It's like a switch turning on his thoughts. He can't let you go again, not after all he passed through. He can't let the person who's been in his mind the last two years leave him miserable again. He have to do something, and he have to be quick.

And then he's running, faster then he's capable of since you're really far away. but he catches you, and his hand founds your wrist. You were completely unaware of his presence until you felt his touch, and before you can even turn around your mouths are joined together.

Lips to lips, he's worried when you don't correspond his kiss, but your mind was on a delay as you tried to process all the information.

Your hands run along his chest covered up with the red ferrari shirt when you kiss him back. His arms are wrapped around your figure and he groaned between your lips, deepening the kiss and smiling when your grip on his chest rise up to his neck.

You want to kill mother nature and the human body, but breathing became important as the two of you got out of air, so you pulled away.

'Please stay this time' You can see an only tear drop running down his cheeks as he sobbed, your hand flew to hold his face and wipe it as you gave him a week smile. 'I swear I won't leave anymore'

Pecking his lips once again, you've got a shy smile out of his lips. 'You better be right, I don't wanna be disappointed' You quote the very same thing you said two years before.

'You won't '

#formula one fic #f1 imagine #charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc #charles leclerc fluff #charles leclerc angst #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x you #sorry for the tags x #maseyfilms works

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formulinos · 2 years ago

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sam raimi's rules of horror: don't make a boring picture!

1. the innocent must suffer 2021 abu dhabi grand prix | 2008 brazilian grand prix | 1999 italian grand prix | 2019 canadian grand prix 2. the guilty must be punished renault and their crashgate | michael schumacher's 1997 disqualification of the championship | mclaren and their spygate 3. you must taste blood to become a man 2010 turkish grand prix | 1990 japanese grand prix | 2016 spanish grand prix | 1998 belgian grand prix

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earthdoves · 1 year ago

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the golden calf & other false idols

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat / @/ESPNF1 / Exodus 32, New International Version / donpatriziopatdon / AnaFerrariHeart / u/Heng_samnang / The Worship of the Golden Calf by Filippino Lippi (1457–1504) / 2019 Italian Grand Prix / @/babysdrivers / @/evilscuderia / icon-icon / Tifosi at Monza

#charles leclerc #*rin #web weaving #enough catholic charles this st charles that martyr of ferrari dot dot dot.... charles for the protestants now

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clerc16 · 11 months ago

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do you ever just go YOU CAN SEE THE CELEBRATIONS STARTING, HE’S GOT ONE MORE CORNER THE FAMOUS PARABOLICA TO GO, MERCEDES THREW EVERYTHING AT HIM TODAY CHARLES LECLERC HAS COPED BRILLIANTLY! HE WON IN SPA HE WINS IN MONZA, CHARLES LECLERC IS THE WINNER OF THE 2019 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX or are you mentally stable

#i am definitely not mentally stable #i miss him #I MISS THIS #clerc16’s thoughts #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #f1 #scuderia ferrari #italian gp #monza 2019

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petit-papillion · 1 year ago

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About Charles winning the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Rachel Brookes | Sky F1 | 11 September 2019

I literally had goosebumps reading this....

#goosebumps then and now #now I'm gonna have to make a post with monza pictures #i don't make the rules #charles leclerc #monza 2019 #italian gp 2019 #tw death #scuderia ferrari #formula 1 #f1

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sainzfilm · 2 years ago

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begin again - charles leclerc

a/n: such a long wait but if you’re new, check out the first part to this drabble right here!

taglist: @svechyaho @squderia @idkiwantchocolatee @koufaxx @melonunicornbby @myescapefromthislife @leclerclvr @slut-era @pachiibatt @nicolesainz @estevries @sidcrosbyspuck @barzysreputation @uhhevie @verclercswiftie @mick2mercedes @mehrmonga @frenchgirlsblog @idontknowwhoshereither

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Charles stared at the picture that still hung on his wall – one where you were kissing his cheek while he had the biggest smile on his face from winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2019. He knew for a fact that he was the one at fault, he treated you like complete shit and stood you up countless times by the end of your relationship.

“You know you’re staring at the picture again.”

Rolling his eyes with a scoff, Charles averted his eyes from the picture and looked at his older brother, “Tais-toi, Lorenzo.” Shut up, Lorenzo.

“I’m not the one who’s going to shut up from what I’m about to hear,” The eldest Leclerc snickered, leaning against the doorframe, “Maman invited her over for Arthur’s birthday dinner today.”

“Today…Y/N is coming over, today,” Charles trailed off, mumbling to himself, “How long have you known about this?”

“Maybe a month or two,” He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye before walking off, “Don’t forget to stop making those lovey dovey eyes at her later!”

Groaning in response, Charles dragged himself to the closet and stood there to figure out what was he supposed to wear for tonight. Why does he even bother? You wanted nothing to do with him – or maybe that’s what he assumed since that fateful day half a year ago.

“Maman!” Charles called out, pulling the shirt over his head and walking down the stairs, but freezing in place as soon as he sees you sitting beside his mother, “Where’s Lor- Y/N.”

Looking at Charles standing in his place at the staircase, you smiled softly and gave him a small wave, “Hi, Charles. It’s been a while.”

Pascale patted your back softly and stood up, walking over to Charles and whispering, “Don’t mess it up. You’re welcome.”

Charles chuckled softly and bit the inside of his cheek, walking over to where you sat and took a seat in the couch across you, “How have you been?”

“A lot better actually, you know from…what went down between us,” You casually replied, a hint of bitterness from the words escaping your mouth, “But, no hard feelings.”

“I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you,” Charles blurted out, mentally scolding himself for possibly opening up healed wounds, “There isn’t any excuse. I was an asshole and that’s it.”

Humming in response, you drummed your fingers on your lap, “I probably caused you pain as much as you did to me, so I’m sorry if I did hurt you in anyway during our run.”

“I did come to our spot that day,” He stated, looking up to meet your eyes, “I was just really late.”

“Charles…” You sighed, pulling the sleeves of your jacket down to cover the bracelet wrapped around your wrist, “You don’t have to explain it. What’s done is done.”

“I don’t want our story to be done, Y/N,” Charles chuckled softly to himself, feeling foolish for trying to open a book that was shut close, “You probably moved on, it’s nearly been a year, but I haven’t.”

Shaking your head with a sigh, you stood up and made your way to the front door, “Wish Arthur a happy birthday for me.”

“Y/N, please, just hear me out,” Charles asserted, following you and reaching out for your arm, “I don’t want to let you go this time around.”

“This time around?” You replied bitterly, frowning from how your heart responded differently, “It won’t end well, Charles.”

Charles caught sight of the bracelet that he gave you for your birthday the other year. It was definitely that one from the way the letter ‘C’ and the number ‘16’ hung from it.

“I know that there are still feelings lingering,” He retorted, gesturing towards the bracelet, which caused you to pull your sleeve down further, “I’m not asking you to trust me right away. I just want to win you back.”

You were certain the universe was playing tricks on you from the way the rain started pouring – just like the day when Charles messed everything up. It was as if your body went on full autopilot, running out the Leclerc’s household and into the rain, trying to catch a taxi.

“Y/N!” Charles called out, running after you and getting drenched by the pouring rain, “You’re going to get sick!”

You shook your head, turning around as you walked backwards, “I already am! I’m sick of this shit act you put up, Charles!”

“I’m not putting up a shit show, Y/N! I meant every word I said!” He exclaimed, closing the distance between you two and holding the jacket over your heads, “Please. I still love you.”

You looked in Charles’ eyes, a sudden montage flashing in your brain of countless nights of you crying from what happened between you, sulking whenever you heard your song on the radio, or even feeling your heart skip a beat when you heard his name achieving great things in the world of motorsport.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever missed anyone or anything as much as I missed you. Every day I regret letting go of the greatest thing I’ve had in my life,” Charles explained, voice shaking from the cold breeze of the rain, “I want you by my side. Through my victories and my downfalls, even ordinary days like grocery shopping or going to our spot. You’re my endgame, Y/N.”

It didn’t take a fool to miss the way your eyes were watering from his confession. You rolled your eyes playfully and crossed your arms, “Swear on your future WDCs that you won’t fuck it up again?”

“Cross my heart, Y/N,” He replied, crossing his heart with his finger and a glint of hope shimmering in his eyes, “I’ll spend every single day making it up to you.”

Charles dropped the jacket to the ground and held your face gently in his hands, slowly leaning in and whispering, “Can I…kiss you?”

As you felt your breathing pick up its pace, you took a quick glance to his lips and nodded slowly, “You can.”

Closing your eyes, Charles kissed you softly while his thumbs rubbed your cheeks as the rain continued to pour. You laughed softly to yourself, causing Charles to pull away and lean his forehead against yours, “I’ll never let you go this time.”

“You better keep up with your word, Leclerc,” You mumbled, nudging his nose with yours before kissing him briefly, “To be fair, I never stopped loving you.”

In that moment, Charles knew for a fact that after weeks of feeling like the same day repeated itself, tomorrow finally came and he got to begin again with who he deemed as his greatest love.

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