#like so many years of silverstone etc

[charles-leclerc-official]

what has been your favorite race that you have watched? or top 5

Brazil 2007

Monza 2019

Spain 2016

Brazil 2016

Monaco 2004/2024

Honorable mentions to: Singapore 2008(iykyk) Austria 2019/2022 and Bahrain 2022

[vinvantae]

Could you write the f1 grid reactions to their girlfriend enjoying privacy and not wanting to be in the spotlight at gps? Like for example choosing to go to the regular audience instead of the garage to watch races etc to avoid excessive cameras? If you don't want to do all could you do either Charles, Lewis, or Lando?

I won’t do all the drivers because I think there’s only so many reactions but I will do the three you’ve requested 🥰 sorry for the delay I’ve had a lot of stuff on recently!

***

Charles

Charles watched from across the room as you pulled your Ferrari cap over your head, adjusting it so you could slip your sunglasses on and off with ease. The two of you had been together for nearly two years now, but you had still never set foot inside the paddock - and whilst he understood your reasons, the selfish part of him really wanted you there this weekend. He was starting his home race from P1 and he was positive he had a real shot this year.

He cautiously stepped towards you, taking your hips in his hands so he could press a soft kiss to your shoulder.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to join me in the garage, mon ange?” He hummed, resting his cheek against yours as you met his eyes in the mirror.

“Mhmm, I quite like being surrounded by your adoring fans.” You giggled, tilting your head so he could press kisses to your neck. “The roars of Monegasque feel all the more thrilling when you’re a part of it. Their home hero starting on pole? No way I’m missing out on that.”

Charles let you turn in his arms, your arms coming up to loop around his neck - you couldn’t help but smile at the fond look in his eyes as he looked at you. He really wished you were going to be at the barriers, so he could wrap you up in his arms when he finally won, but he knew all the cameras in your face would be too much for you.

“I’ll always respect your decision to enjoy the race from the grandstands, as long as you know if you ever change your mind, there’s a special spot in the back of my garage just for you.” His voice was soft as he nudged his nose against yours. “If they get too rowdy-”

“Charles, I’ll be okay… now, go win for me.”

Lewis

Being a 7 time world champion definitely came with its privileges - but privacy was not one of them. So keeping his relationship close to his chest was not only important to him but to you. You loved him more than words could ever describe, but the idea of walking through all of the press holding his hand was still daunting to you - so you preferred to support him nestled away in the crowds. In your 5 years together, somehow, you’d never been “exposed”, so blending in was easy.

Lewis was by no means ashamed of you, in fact, he was filled with nothing but pride when he spoke of you - but being able to keep his personal life private, out of the grasps of the greedy, was important to him as well. He spent his days with every movement, every word being picked apart by the media and he wanted to be able to protect you from it all.

“You could at least wear my merch, babe.” He laughed softly, as you emerged from the bathroom, donned in another team’s merchandise, holding his hands out for you to take. “How am I gonna do well knowing you’re in the crowd wearing that?”

You scoffed playfully, taking his hands, looking down at him from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “I am wearing something for you… just for your eyes though.”

He quirked a brow, removing his hands from yours to hook his fingers into your waistband, pulling it away just enough to see his trademark colour against your skin hidden underneath. A groan left his lips and he lent his forehead against your middle.

“So…” you purred. “You gonna race well knowing what your prize is?”

“Fuck yes.”

Lando

Neon yellow was not your colour. When Lando first showed it to you, you weren’t sure it was anyone’s colour, but as you strolled through Silverstone - it seemed that it was everyone’s. You smiled softly to yourself as you adjusted your own hat, sidling up the grandstands to find your seat - nestled in between a group of Lando’s fans, who very quickly pulled you into the fray once they realised you were alone.

You’d ended up getting a seat at Luffield corner, not expecting your boyfriend’s car during the parade to pull up to be interviewed by Natalie. There was no way he’d ever know you were here - you told him you couldn’t make it, but in reality you wanted to enjoy it from the crowds.

The giggles that escaped you as his t-shirt cannon failed dramatically, made your heart swell. He’d come so far in the years you’d known him and to see him so adored was really special. You fished your phone out of your pocket when it buzzed, his name lighting up your screen, just moments before you knew he had to get into the car.

Miss u x

You smiled softly, turning as you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder. The girl smiled gently albeit a little awkwardly at you. “Hi, sorry, you’re y/n, Lando’s girlfriend, right?”

“That’s me.” You chuckled.

“How come you’re out here instead of in there?” She asked, her voice laced with curiosity, not judgement.

You turned a little in your chair to face her better. “Wanted to enjoy the race from the grandstands, I’ve always loved the atmosphere and just because I’m dating him I didn’t want to stop.”

She gave you a knowing nod. “That’s absolutely fair. Well, when you see him, can you tell him I said hi?”

“Hey, how about we all send him a good luck selfie? He’s probably not got his phone anymore but he’ll see it after the race.” You beamed.

Everyone crowded around you and you took a photo - their smiles practically lighting up the screen. You knew Lando would love it, so you sent it back.

We’re all rooting for you <3 You’ve got this!x

Lando was a little disappointed not to win the race, especially at home - he’d managed to hang on to the lead just for a little while, but it just wasn’t enough. All he wanted was to wrap himself up in your arms and feel sorry for himself for not being able to hold onto the lead, but you weren’t here. When he finally got a moment of peace, he checked his phone - eyes widening at the selfie.

You were here, nestled amongst the floods of neon - your smile somehow brighter. He tapped on your name to call you, tapping his foot against the floor - biting at the skin around his fingernails.

“Hi Lando.” Your voice sounded like a dream.

“How come you didn’t tell me you were here.” He knew he sounded whiny but he didn’t care, he needed you with him ASAP. “Could’ve watched from the garage… given me a good luck kiss.”

“Well, looks like you didn’t need it. You raced amazingly today, baby, I’m so proud of you… maybe I’ll meet you back at your hotel, show you how proud I am?”

Lando couldn’t help but jut his bottom lip out a little. “Sure I can’t tempt you to come to the garage?”

“I’m sure. Too flashy for me. I love you, see you in a little while.”

“I love you too. Bye babe.” He smiled to himself, hanging up the phone - holding it to his chest.

As much as he’d wished you were in the garage, he loved the part of you that wanted to enjoy races from the grandstands - experience the race how you wanted, not just using your relationship to waltz around the paddock.

Now… he just had to find the quickest way back to the hotel.

[chussyracing]

what has been happening in the world of motorsports lately?

below, you will find a collection of various motorsports related news i have collected over the past two weeks:

FIA, the rules and 2026 onwards

new Concorde Agreement is currently in talks to be ready for 2026 and teams received a draft of it, here is what is being considered/discussed now

the new increased cost cap limit should be $220 mil with number of exceptions not falling under it being reduced (they even discussed maternity leave not being included, but that was immediately denied, another part that now shouldn’t fall under the cost cap are team building activities like Christmas parties etc)

the historical Ferrari bonus for staying in the sport should remain, but will be capped from now on to 5 % of the price pool (no matter the total amount)

they are also discussing a „fund“ of $200 m for new teams so current teams wouldn’t be afraid of losing money (also the starting price for the new team should be SIGNIFICANTLY risen up)

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin met with Stefano Domenicali in Imola to discuss a possible Bangkok GP (according to Autosport they want to get Red Bull backing for the 2027/2028 project)

Ollie has been criticizing the new anti-spray wheel covers F1 introduced and tested during Ferrari filming day in Fiorano and FIA officially scratched the project for now

F1 commission wants more diversity from team’s liveries so they will be discussing potential changes (like percentage of car that has to be painted or other solutions)

Ben Sulayem suggested that Andretti could buy an existing team to get into F1, so there is also the possibility of a maximum of 10 teams to be set in the new Concorde Agreement

Red Bull Ring extended both F1 and MotoGP contracts till 2030

Mario Isola said that they more or less finalized the slick tyres construction for 2025 BUT are looking to introduce a new C6 compound which would be softer and suitable for street circuits as there is more and more of them on the calendar

F1 might have special rules for tracks with long straights to prevent maximum usage of engine performance by downshifting from 2026 onwards (don’t ask, I’m glad to downshift when going uphill)

other teams and other racing series

Pat Symonds left the position of F1 CTO and joined Andretti Cadillac (or technically will join after his gardening leave runs out)

Jak Crawford will be testing Aston Martin this Wednesday

Doriane Pin sadly fractured her ribs, so she will be missing 24 hours of Le Mans and FRECA in Zandvoort, so she will be back for F1 Academy race in Barcelona

Steward-Haas racing will end in Nascar series at the end of the year, but Gene Haas said it is just business and person decision and it doesn’t reflect any loss of commitment or anything and doesn’t affect other series including the F1 team

Nyck de Vries scored his first points in FE since returning into the series after F1 (and he would score more if it wasn’t for McLaren. why is it always a McLaren)

Saudi Arabia will host the rally championship from 2025 to 2035

Ferrari

Fred Vasseur said that Ferrari brought minor upgrades to Monaco (track related), and they have many more planned with a bigger package coming in Silverstone

Ferrari did more wet tyre testing for Pirelli in Paul Ricard

Marc Gene (Ferrari… representative, sort of ambassador, spokesperson etc) was on F1 Nation podcast and said that while as a team Ferrari doesn’t want to only focus on winning the driver/constructor titles and they want to celebrate Charles’ win, it is also inevitable that they will start thinking about it and how open it may be if we continue with the upgrade plan like this

apparently, Ferrari are considering using the same suspension as most teams use (pull rod on the front) to get more gains from their upgrades – but that’s something for 2025 as it is a big change and requires chassis change and complete design overthrowing

Ferrari is investing in electrification plant to produce batteries and electric cars and Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds kinda suggested that they might enter FE as well because it could help boost the championship popularity thanks to Ferrari’s dedicated tifosi and the heritage they bring to any racing series (but if anything, it is just innocent discussions at this point)

Red Bull

Red Bull extended their chief engineer Paul Monaghan’s contract to keep him in the team

Red Bull bought minor stake in Leeds United and will supply them with shirts with Red Bull logo from next season

Helmut Marko was pretty mad about the Monaco crash with estimated costs of 2-3m, he said they might postpone some upgrades with how much it was worth and also there is a possibility of Checo being given grid drop penalty since he might change some components

Alpine

Craig Slater and Ted Kravitz reported that Esteban might sit out Canadian GP after Bruno Famin was livid about his drivers lap 1 contact and even spoke about Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher but Esteban spoke out against the online abuse he has been getting and confirmed he will be racing in Canada

Alpine fired another employee, this time Rob White who was their operations director for the longest time ever

Alpine are reportedly looking to hire Briatore (lol)

Monaco GP

one photographer got injured in the collision of Checo, Nico and Kevin, he was released from the medical center shortly after and it was just minor injury

Monaco GP scored biggest live US TV audience with peak of 2.3 million on ABC

Fernando didn’t know he was out of points the whole Monaco GP, he said he thought he was running in p10 that whole time

Monaco might see some changes next year concerning the banners on the barriers after they already had to take off some of them between quali and race since both Lando and Charles had some pretty big issues after taking part of it in their car and loosing valuable aero points

Mercedes

Mercedes decided to change the front wing which raised questions about its legality at the start of the year (only George was running the updated version in Monaco, they compared the data with Lewis who will get it in Canada)

there has been some talking about Mercedes and if they treat their drivers differently because Lewis has been talking about set ups and upgrades and mentioned that he never had a chance to beat George (tbh I think he was genuinely just referring to the fact that George chose to use the new wing in Monaco) – although, Lewis is probably already getting cut off from certain meetings and decisions and upgrade plans because of his move to Ferrari

Mercedes opened a pop-up shop in Montreal ahead of the Canadian GP

there are a lot of whispers about the Mercedes engines for 2026 and that it is the main reason why Alex extended his contract in Williams under the promise of a strong car from 2026 onwards (don’t ask for source because I didn’t write it down but apparently “in Mercedes the feelings are similar to 2014”)

Williams

James Vowles spoke to Autosport and mentioned that all teams will struggle with weight limit in 2026 with the new rules because the new cars are expected to be much heavier (on the other hand it is not such a surprise when we look back at 2022 and how big of a challenge the weight of the cars was to teams)

he also said that they will bring much more performance over the next few GPs, with upgrades coming in Canada that should help with their weight issues (some rumours talk about improvement of over 4 tenths per lap)

differently related motorsport news

Prince Albert II has a new exhibition at his Cars Collection: Ferrari F1 in Monaco, it includes single seaters driver by Schumacher, Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, Vettel or Charles Leclerc’s two races winning SF90

World Stars Football Match which was originally scheduled for Tuesday before the GP at 7pm in Monaco, got cancelled this year

last April Die Aktuelle published an interview with “Michael Schumacher” which was AI made, Michael’s family received financial compensation over the claims

Pride month started and some teams changed their logos or posted supportive messages, we might see some livery changes as well (but on a serious note, apparently, we have the first homophobe of the month in motorsports and it is unsurprisingly Santino Ferrucci with his comments towards Herta and Kirkwood)

F1 24 Driver Ratings have been posted (griding my teeth)

Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and Alpine already confirmed to be at Goodwood festival of speed this year

Las Vegas GP organizers promised to tone down the driver PR duties after bad feedback from the drivers and also promised better solutions for local residents when they already have experience from the previous year

drivers related news

Charles has now officially adopted Oscar and F1 ran with it and included “Oscar Piastri-Leclerc” in the official graphics

F1 24 sim race in Monaco happened, Charles won both quali and race, Alex was second in quali and third in the race

both Alpine boys went to Cannes festival

Charles went to APM Monaco promo evening with Alexandra and Arthur

Maria Sharapova posted a picture from an interview with Lewis and added a caption “a sad pop album in the works” and some people speculated that Lewis will be publishing an album, but tbh I think it was just the “vibes”

Lewis appeared on Hot Ones this past Thursday

silly season

Craig Slater is reporting that Carlos to Mercedes is already off the table because they only offered him a one year contract and they don’t want to sign anyone soon, because they are waiting for Max’s possible move and if that won’t be happening, they want to wait some more till around August/September to sign Kimi Antonelli, while Carlos wants his future decided as soon as possible

Autosport reported Carlos being in advanced talks with Williams

Helmut Marko is adamant that Sebastian Vettel keeps calling him about a free seat, but he insists that it wouldn’t be good for him to go against Max

Esteban is reportedly looking for a way out of the team and is in talks with Audi (if Carlos declines the offer) and Haas (which Komatsu confirmed to media saying they are speaking with both French drivers)

Michael Schmidt reported that Ferrari is no longer interested in Adrian Newey, but he remains in contact with Williams, McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin

and there is a video of Newey signing a Ferrari flag in Monaco and because of this (and a few Italian sources that claim Newey already signed a contract with Ferrari), his manager Eddie Jordan had to deny all the rumours that he signed with Ferrari

on the other hand, Giedo van der Garde said to Viaplay that Newey has already been signed by Vasseur

Michelle Foster believes that Dale Coyne Racing in IndyCar might sign Mick if he doesn’t find a spot on the F1 grid for next year

Mercedes denied that Kimi and Mick would do direct shootouts about who gets the Mercedes seat, because the lap times were set in different conditions, weather, times etc. (but also there are rumors that Kimi was faster than both Mick and George and that Mercedes board agreed on taking Kimi from 2025 onwards)

since Binotto was in the paddock in Imola, there was a lot of talk about him potentially going to some other teams (he was linked to Aston Martin by Speedweek and to Alpine, but also Aston Martin already denied they would be hiring him)

Valtteri “denied” he is trying to get the Williams seat and said he is only coming to their hospitality because quote they have good coffee unquote (never change, you icon)

Joe Saward said that Wiliams should reportedly offer Carlos 2 years contract and if he agrees, it could be announced ahead of Spanish GP (or during)

Motorsport.com reported that Enrico Cardile could leave Ferrari for Aston Martin (one reason being a lucrative offer, the second one being the rumoured signing of Adrian Newey which could diminish Cardile’s role in the technical department)

Gazzetta predicts that Carlos’ main priority to drive for Red Bull in 2026 with the new regs and that to do that he might take one year offer from Williams

Yuki and Esteban are favourites for Audi if Carlos doesn’t take up their offer for the 2025 seat

Carlos Miquel believes that Carlos might sign with VCARB in hopes of getting the RBR seat in the future

apparently Marko wants to promote Lawson and offer him Daniel Ricciardo's seat but Daniel has Horner's backing not to be fired - if Yuki moves to a different team, we might as well get Daniel and Liam in RB from 2025 onwards

(side note: Red Bull apparently has an announcement to make which could or could not be related to Checo's contract)

[russellius]

stop what you’re doing and go watch THIS  right now!!!!

anyway here are some great moments listed because i love him a normal amount

top drivers of all time? “obviously jolyon is in the top 3″...

season so far? not ideal. but things in life should never be easy, see brazil victory, it was sweet because of all that hard work etc

<media rant about headlines and clicks etc>

*in his journalist voice* why did you crash into sainz in turn 1? "well it wasn't like i planned to crashed into him"

nude? "that's to come later"

him saying that seeing how much his brazil win meant to the people around him has resonated more with him than crossing the line has (which he didn't expect), and that's why he was so emotional >>>

says lewis is more embarrassed of that photo of the two of them together from 2009 than him

was he expecting himself to be as competitive with lewis as he was when he came to merc? yeah. he went into it with an open mind, but he backed and backs himself.

what would he tell his 11 year old self in that photo from 2009? “cut your hair.” you make mistakes, do things you regret, etc but he wouldn't change a single thing about his career. not being afraid to fail

hardest part of his job? can't complain much, but if laura wasn't there he'd say media :) but yeah, media, he's a racing driver, not an actor, a public speaker. travelling is tough too. "trying to get a good salad around silverstone is not the easiest"

he doesn't mind the sim. he always tries to think about what the next big thing will be, because he wants to be ahead of the curve

monaco is fun to drive, but the racing? boring.

how would he fix silverstone? more grandstands 😇

"which 2 drivers wouldn't you want to go on a road trip with?" "phones away" there's definitely 1-2 he wouldn't want to go with...

“who would you want to go on road trip with?” george: depends what you're after. jolyon: what are you after? 😳👀 george: 🤨 yeah 😐😑

says he would go on a road trip with daniel and pierre if he had to choose 2 drivers from the grid

out of the TPs he'd go on a holiday with günther. spent a 5 hour flight sitting next to him once, chatting away. "has he got a book?!"

hasn't passed his driving test the first time... no minors, but one major. he's convinced the instructor had it against him... says he was in a wrong lane in the roundabout... "a major though, really?"

what's his favourite thing to cook? “i don't cook to be honest.” but he loves burgers and pizzas! he often has a pizza on the saturday night! mental energy, a pizza makes him feel good! :)

“you're gonna have to pick someone who survived a lot of crashes, because if they survived that they can survive anything. like mick schumacher!” george: 😂. 😐 i think we go to the next question.

in his book he'll announce which drivers he wouldn't want to be stranded on an island with. that's what his book will be about.

what would he want to do once he finishes driving? “not be on sky sports.” he takes it back, he likes the sky sports people. (because the cameras are filming him) he has no idea btw what he'll want to do then

doesn't really care who he's gonna be teammates with once lewis retires

he has a 5 minute power nap before the race. laura: you can fall asleep that quickly tho? george: no. ended up saying that he "meditates" then. makes sure he goes to the loo

only visualizes the first corner if he's on the first two rows, too many variables if he starts further back. the moment he qualified p2 in australia, he already knew where he was gonna go into T1. just brake 5 meters later than him, hope it sticks

from the past, he'd obviously race montoya

sainz is the one who chats the most

he'd want to drive mansell's 92 williams

says the V8s sound so much better than what we have now. they make the current cars sound like hoovers

“formula e? i mean yeah.. i don't know about formula e to be honest...” says it’s too wacky. he watches f2 and f3 and tries to watch back the f1 races. puts it on fast forward though. x2.

favourite kind of cheese?

after a laugh, he proceeds to give the most british answer. adds that doesn't like the smelly cheeses. loved the question tho, unexpected!

george: but good question... laura: yeah we thought it was a good one to end on! :) george: *pauses* really 🧍‍♂️

[bunnytalksf1]

Oliver Bearman has a seat in Formula One for 2025

Officially! I had in my notebook that the Silverstone weekend would be good to announce it at, and I was right (even though this is very low hanging fruit at this point, lol).

So let's talk driver market!

I'm now of the opinion that several drivers will lose their seat at the end of 2024. So, who's safe?

Lando Norris / Oscar Piastri - McLaren (Multi / exp. 2026)

Charles Leclerc / Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari (Multi / Heavily rumoured to be exp. 2026, but officially multi)

Fernando Alonso / Lance Stroll - Aston Martin (Multi / Nepotism)

Pierre Gasly - Alpine (Multi)

Yuki Tsunoda - RB (exp. 2025)

Max Verstappen / Sergio Perez - Red Bull (exp. 2028 / 2026)

Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber (Multi)

George Russell - Mercedes (exp. 2026)

Oliver Bearman - Haas (Multi, probably exp. 2026)

Alex Albon - Williams (Multi, probably exp. 2026 or 27)

Most teams will not want rookies or new drivers in 2026 for the new regs, where feedback is key, so they're trying to finalise contracts now for then, hence why so many drivers are locked down in multi-year contracts / until post 26.

This new signing means that every team has at least one of their spots filled. All three of the top teams has both of its seats filled, leaving very little mobility for the midfield drivers. Most of these contracts are multi year, and undisclosed.

The reason I have Perez in bold is because I think that there is a huge possibility of them breaking contract in 2025 if his performance continues to be lacklustre, or if RBR loses the constructors. Tsunoda could go to the main team, or Ricciardo if CH is insane.

Who's most at risk?

Ricciardo

Marko keeps making comments about how RB is a junior team, and the team certainly doesn't want to lose Lawson, who has shown considerable promise and provided insight on the sim. His contract expires in September unless Red Bull offer him a full-time seat in F1, and Audi have shown interest. I wouldn't put it past Williams to put a punt on him, either. It's within Red Bull's best interest to promote Lawson, and Tsunoda is alrady re-signed. There's very little interest in Ricciardo outside the RBR family, and he's still under a long term contract at RBR, preventing him from shopping elsewhere.

Sargeant

His performances just haven't been good enough, and Alex Albon as a benchmark is good, but he's no Max Verstappen. He's had a rough time of it with the chassis drama etc etc but the bottom line is that he's just not been good enough for F1. He has a hand to play at Haas, but with the team in talks with both Zhou and Ocon, I think it's unlikely he finds his feet in the sport. Williams definitely do not want to re-sign him unless he performs miracles the rest of the season.

Bottas

He's aging, and has been hindered by the car for the last little while. He's just not been on the radar. He could land at Audi, or Mercedes, but he's not the first choice for either of those teams - Mercedes want Antonelli, and Audi are reportedly talking to Ocon and Lawson, who both have age on their side.

Magnussen

Not been performing when compared to Hulkenberg, and with the stunts he's been pulling i.e penalties, I wouldn't expect him to land elsewhere. He's another driver that's pretty old now, and not the most marketable either.

So, what about the rookies?

Next year, we are going to have three (or more, depending on what red bull does) rookies on the grid.

Bearman - confirmed - Haas

A well deserved seat, especially after his performance in the Ferrari at Jeddah.

Antonelli - Mercedes or Williams - unconfirmed, but extremely likely

Not sure if the right choice would be to bring him up, considering his performance in F2 hasn't been great and there's a lot of talk about how he's being rushed that isn't unwarranted. Toto doesn't want to lose him, and Williams would get a discount on engine parts.

Lawson - RB, Williams or Audi - unconfirmed, but likely

Another seat that has been long since deserved. He should have been in the RB seat this season. Audi have shown an interest. Will be a late mover, since his contract doesn't release him to other teams until September, but I expect him to be big in the market if he is released, and if Mercedes sign Antonelli.

Aron - ?? - Unlikely

Paul Aron was a Mercedes junior until midway through last year. He's currently affiliated with no F1 team, and is leading the F2 championship right now as a rookie. There's been noise about him getting a seat, but even if he wins F2, its unlikely he'll go anywhere for 2025. He's still one to watch, though, and will likely be snapped up if he wins as a rookie.

Hadjar - RB - unlikely

The ideal scenario for Hadjar would be both Perez and Ricciardo losing their seats, and for Tsunoda to go to the main team, freeing a space for him to drive alongside Lawson. Or, if RB loses Lawson, he's the next redbull driver in line. He's driving car 11 in FP1 this weekend, and sits second in the F2 standings with two race wins.

Other drivers at risk, but less so, include:

Zhou

I think he'll likely end up in Haas, and he is a driver with a huge hand to play in age and sponsorship, where he is comparable to Perez. His performances aren't horrific either. That being said, depending on where Sainz, Lawson and Bottas go, he might end up out of a seat.

Sainz

Never thought I'd be writing his name, but here we are. We've gone from Red Bull and Mercedes taking an interest in the early season to this. His management team should be fird. IN all seriousness, this is a weird one. He could definitely end up seatless if he doesnt kerb his ego, as from rumours, the reason he lost out on RBR and Merc seats was that he wanted longer contracts, i.e. in line with George Russell, and a 2+1 for RBR (both teams offered a 1 year deal). Then there's been a long line of teams interested and NONE of them seem to satisfy him. Most likely destination now is probably Alpine, but even Alpine seem to be losing interest. He needs to sign a contract now.

Ocon

I think he'll land on his feet, and end up in Audi, Haas, Williams, or even Mercedes if Toto doesn't sign Antonelli, as a stopgap driver. He's a solid driver and has a lot to offer. Could end up seatless if a very specific set of things happens, but he has options.

Anyways. Enjoy the race weekend! :3

[keepthedelta]

i have to ask,,,, why is it that f1 and the us just have the worst history with each other??? like ive read a few things (i.e the many many attempts of f1 to break into the american market) and it seems like historically, f1 and its relationship w the states is just shite,,,,, even amongst fans it just seems like nobody wants to race in the states???? they’re not even trying to hide the fact that they’re actively preventing an american team from joining the sport???? idk i feel like the issues with f1 and the states have been going on for so long its baffling no ones managed to fix it after all these years

(just gonna put it out there that i am not american and have no horse in this race i just found it odd lol…. is this whole thing just classic europe hating the us?? who knows)

okay this one took me a while because i wanted to think it through properly. bear in mind that i am neither american or european, but i think it's a combination of several things.

one of them is absolutely the classic europe hating the usa etc. etc. us culture is very prominent across the world. it doesn't matter where you are, you're probably going to have watched american films, american tv shows, listened to american music. i'm not going to go so far as to say that they have a cultural monopoly, but it definitely drowns out a lot of local cultural experiences. on the internet you are expected to know, understand and be able to contextualise so many different aspects of american culture, and the favour is never returned. i think europe (broadly speaking, and obviously there is nuance within the continent) is also quite "precious" about their cultural legacy. the west in general views itself as the origin of civilisation, and as the birthplace of good music, good food, good art, of science and beauty. and so i think some of it is a petty battle between the cultural dominance of the us, and the perceived cultural heritage of europe.

and when you look at that in specific f1 terms, europe has a lot of very historic, very iconic tracks that fans really love. monaco, imola, silverstone, the nurburgring (although f1 hasn't raced there in a while). the usa has great, iconic tracks, but f1 doesn't race there. the best american track on the calendar is cota, which i've said before i don't consider to be an especially good track. it sometimes gives good racing, but every element of it is taken from another track. yes the senna esses is a great section of a track, but i would rather see it raced in interlagos, where they fit in with the rest of the track naturally. i love the fast sweeping corners of maggotts-becketts-chapel but i like seeing people race those corners in silverstone, where they are a natural part of the track and environment. cota is just a series of corners taken from other tracks and stuck together. with respect to any americans reading, it feels like a very american thing, to take elements of other nations and strip them of personality and feeling.

other than cota, all the american tracks are street circuits, and there's only so much excitement to be had there. yes the walls are narrow and you run the risk of crashing, but i don't believe that carnage is really that entertaining (i support chaos, not carnage). drivers crashing should not be the only "interesting" aspect of a race. and most street circuits fundamentally cannot provide enough interesting corners, elevation changes, structural interest to make them enjoyable. when you add in the danger and destruction that has come from the actual track part of street circuits like vegas and baku, i really don't believe it adds anything to the racing.

there's also one specific difference between american attitudes towards sport and european attitudes that i think is a factor here, and that is the "show" element. europeans love their sport, but the point of it is the sport. if you tried to do a halftime show in a european football match, i'm pretty sure you would be booed off. beyoncé could show up, and the fans would still tell her to step aside so they can watch jude bellingham kick a ball. the show element is much more important to americans, and you see it in the driver introductions at miami and vegas, the celebrity and influencer packed trackwalks etc, and i think that a lot of europeans see it as americans sullying their sport (because f1, and motor racing more broadly, did originate in europe) with their performances, because to them, the important thing is the sport.

america does have a very long history of motorsport, but it has mostly been contained within america, and the sheer size and population of america allows for viewing figures, sponsorship, money, that the rest of the world cannot compete with. nascar is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, solely based on american fans. and the origins of sports like nascar are unique to america. nascar originated in bootleggers smuggling alcohol during prohibition, and the rest of the world didn't have prohibition, so our motorsports are vastly different and cannot connect to american audiences in the same way.

there's also the fact that for much of it's history, the engineering side of motor racing has come from road car manufacturers who then developed cars specifically for racing. for instance, ferrari made road cars to sell to people to drive themselves, but developed a sporting side of the company specifically for racing. this was also the case for america, but because of the us's geographical distance from europe and political isolationism that promoted american made products over imports (this isn't unusual, but i think it's emphasised because the usa is so big and has such a large population) america never had the connection to the big european manufacturers that have historically dominated f1.

having said all that, i will say that f1 did once have a foothold in america. it was never as popular as nascar, but it did genuinely have audiences in the hundreds of thousands. but then the 2005 us grand prix happened. if you don't know, the 2005 us grand prix is an infamous race. at that time there were two tyre suppliers, bridgestone and michelin. ferrari, jordan, and minardi (jordan and minardi being backmarker teams) all used bridgestones while everyone else used michelin tyres. during practice toyota experienced two tyre failures, causing major accidents for ralph schumacher and ricardo zonta. michelin's investigation revealed a flaw in the tyres which meant that they would not be able to withstand more than 10 laps on indianapolis's banked circuit. at the time, teams were not allowed to change tyres during the race. there was a lot of discussion and disagreement about what to do, with suggestions including adding a chicane, running it as a non-championship race, or even making pit-stops every 10 laps, but nothing could be agreed upon, and so after the formation lap all of the teams using michelin tyres withdrew from the race, leaving just six cars (two ferraris and four backmarkers) on the grid.

it was one of the least interesting but most controversial races in f1 history, and the american fans were furious. there were more than 100,000 fans present that day, many of them having travelled for miles and spent a lot of money and they got one of the worst races in f1 history. what f1 fanbase existed in america before that was pretty much killed off right then and there.

[livetogether--diealone]

"It's like charles is fighting against the universe and carlos is being helped along by it at every step." so true. Not only how much more charles had to work to win the races he has won, but also how many races he hasn't won that he should have. There has never been a race that carlos was on course to win and he had a dnf/strategy fuck up/unlucky safety car etc, for charles there's at least 8. The few times carlos had a great weekend by his standards and in prime position to win, he wins it (and once he did everything wrong (Silverstone) and still won it).

People can say there's no such thing as luck and you have to put yourself in the position to take advantage of things going wrong for others, but I really have to disagree. How many times has charles put himself on the front row in the last 6 months. Seven times. And on those occasions, how many times has something happened to the other car. Zero. How many times has carlos put himself on the front row in the last 6 months. 3 times. And how many times had something happened to the max, the biggest threat. Twice. It's the same if you look at 2021 - how many times was charles in P4 behind HAM-VER-BOT and miles ahead of the car behind him. And the only time he benefitted from someone in front having an issue was Silverstone. Meanwhile every single time carlos was running in P4 something happened to someone in front and he inherited a podium. All of his podiums that year was because something happened to one of the front runners. The difference in luck is just insane.

(I'm not saying carlos didn't have to work for any of his wins/podiums, but it's just crazy to me how different the circumstances are)

Yeah Charles is honestly a little tiny cursed, even in Silverstone 21 when he did benefit from a dnf his car was having issues, I think the man had enough of jinxed cars let him have a clean weekend please 🥲

[charles-leclerc-official]

pls explain the oscar being crazy enough in his driving to challenge max properly thing ! curious

I saved this so I could respond properly.

So first, I think Oscar really got a lot of valuable mentorship from Mark Webber that has really helped him shape his approach to F1, team politics etc. We've seen Mark's influence over Oscar's really straightforward no nonsense approach to handling any drama that comes his way (Alpine tweet)

But more than that Mark is probably one of the best mentors out there in terms of coaching how to handle driving against the best. Intimidation is a problem sometimes for drivers, especially rookies or younger drivers when they get to the front of the field. Mark being number 2 to Seb for so many years knows exactly how to handle that kind of pressure and very likely passed on a lot of his insights to Oscar.

Now to Oscar's driving

He has this no fear no intimidation style that makes him way more threatening to the front of the grid in my opinion than his teammate.

I think a few factor's play into this.

I think his no intimidation, very fearless, I don't care who's in front I will try to pass them attitude on track is what sets him apart.

Silverstone 2023 in that first corner is a great example of this(really those first laps when you see how Oscar was pushing Max just waiting for him to make a mistake defending on those turns). He didn't even hesitate diving on the inside of that turn with Max and he almost had it on Max too. That was the moment I went "okay this kid has got that it factor"

We also saw this even in Jeddah 2024 when he was battling for lap after lap with Hamilton. Not letting up at all and not being intimidated by the fact he was technically in the slower car and that he was up against passing a multiple WDC.

We've heard from other drivers in past interviews that they have been intimidated going up against certain people at the top(it's usually Max or Lewis, and I mean fair multiple WDC is intimidating to challenge) but that is not a mentality one can afford on track. You can't be scared of any driver or any car if you want to win.

It's very opportunistic. If you give Oscar even the hint of an opening he will take it. He is very good at seeing openings immediately and jumping on them.

So why is this mentality and style good against Max?

Well Max's style is very very pushy. He just punches through the pack and you better get out of his way because he does not give up space. You can't even have a little bit of intimidation when you go up against him into a corner or you will lose.

Also he makes very few if any mistakes. The opportunities to catch him are very few, Oscar's style of not being willing to back off and jumping on those little openings is very much suited to being able to drive wheel to wheel with Max.

Oscar being so young also has that I am going for it mentality that you usually only see in younger drivers. With his skill and the car he has it has worked out for him beautifully.

Now Oscar has his faults too, and his car is certainly not at a place where it can regularly get him to the front of the field to battle Max. But his whole approach to racing is very much suited to competing at the front of the pack with Max, and there are really only a few other drivers who have the confidence and the skill to do it.

[petit-papillion]

https://www.tumblr.com/petit-papillion/742595050403446784?source=share

Its sad that they didn't trust charles to be the leader of the project. Now they're talking about him learning like he was some rookie. He will be 28 when lewis arrive, in his seven season at f1. That's his prime

The story of an unexperienced charles learning by having a wdc teammate already happened in 2019. They decided to send the wdc away and supposedly were going to focus on charles as the new leader, but that never happened. And now they're selling this lewis move with the same story again, "a opportunity for charles" he will learn", as if time hasn't passed. Maybe it's because charles looks very boyish still so it's easy to sell the apprentice narrative.

Honesty I wouldn't be surprised if after 2028 max eventually decides to try ferrari, they will boot charles away without ever actually giving him the car to win and trusting him to lead the project.

Hi Anon! Respectfully, hard disagree. I don't think this is a matter of Charles being inexperienced/an apprentice, who needs someone to learn from. Charles is a very capable and accomplished driver himself. That doesn't mean there aren't still things he can learn from someone with many more years of driving experience (in a championship-winning car no less) than him. It would be the same if Alonso had joined the team. Fernando is a very cunning driver who has often used his seniority in driving experience to his advantage. To not see it as an opportunity to learn new or improve existing skills, would be foolish.

I think Ferrari also hopes Lewis' knowledge of how Mercedes operates as a team, comparing their car to the ones he drove for Merc, etc. will be beneficial to help the Ferrari team grow. There are many reasons for Ferrari to want Lewis on their team, that are not needing someone else to lead the project.

Time will tell whether I am right in my assumptions, but I truly believe that they are not discarding Charles as their hope for next WDC. They know that Charles is extremely well liked all around, he is a marketing dream, the tifosi worship the ground he walks on, and after everything he has been through (both in his personal life and with Ferrari), it would be a true fairy tale if he was the one to bring the championship home again at last.

As for Ferrari booting Charles out for Max... Not going to say "inconceivable", because stranger things have happened in F1, but I'd find it highly unlikely with the current people in place at Ferrari, and what I know about Max (which, granted, is not a lot). Let's not forget they were at risk of losing Charles after Silverstone, and they ended up replacing Binotto with Fred, who has a strong relationship with Charles (and Lewis for that matter). And then they gave Fred pretty much free rein to hire/fire as he saw fit to make the team stronger, (with some of the first people to go being those who did not appear to be supporting Charles as the #1 driver).

I do feel like there is a risk of Lewis getting credit for turning the team around when he arrives in 2025, when it is clear that Fred has been working hard to make changes since he started last year. And Charles's input is clearly more valued now. His feedback/suggestions being implemented in car development, strategy, etc. So I really hope that Ferrari can already show this year that they are making giant steps forward, and Charles can pocket a decent number of podiums/wins. Of course there's no telling how dominant the Newey/RB/Max combo will be this year. We may just be looking at another season ending with 23/24 wins by RBR...

In closing, here is a lovely quote from John Elkann at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix: "Charles is a very strong driver with enormous potential, and there is no reason why he cannot become world champion."

[sunrizef1]

TLH calling out VVD is nothing to do with Lewis' win. So what has wins got to do with any of this? It's curious you saying you 'love Lewis' but shitting on him in the same breath for not winning. Have you not been watching the races? Winning =/= performance. Good examples are Hulk last race / Alonso being the 2nd best if not best driver last year without a win in 12 years / Marc Marquez etc.

Also you're apprarently a Lewis fan but so blasé about AD21. Give me an example of a bigger robbery by officials in any sport? You can't, and fans are still angry about it. The point is sporting corruption shouldn't be celebrated - I heard many English commentators criticising the penalty, clearly they have more integrity than VVD, right? The fact he was cheering his countryman is no excuse.

I haven't seen him called a flop, they are calling karma, where sporting integrity only matters when its his own team apparently.. he gleefully celebrated a blatant robbery 3 years ago, fast forward now where he's crying foul at a 50/50 penalty being given(in a game his team were soundly beaten). Maybe direct your anger at the FIA who caused all this, not fans pointing out hypocrisy of a millionaire footballer.

I'm not sure where I shit on Lewis.

Its a fact that he has not won in three years. That's not something I'm chanting from the rooftops because I'm so happy about it. Its just an undeniable fact.

I'm a Logan fan!!! I'm well aware that winning does not equal performance because I cheered harder than I ever had for a p11 in silverstone!

I regularly refer to Lewis as an 8x wdc because of the robbery that Abu dhabi 21 was. But that was three years ago. Both max and Lewis have moved on within their personal relationship and they don't talk about it in public anymore.

I can't find it in myself to be hung up on something that happened three years ago when I could focus on his successes in real time.

I, of course, care that it happened. And I can acknowledge that its a robbery while also being completely fine with a football player i like being a fan of the person on the other end of it.

“Gleefully celebrated a blatant robbery”

Van dijk is one of if not the most prolific Dutch athlete of our time. Max seems to be on the way to replace him in that title, though, so it only makes sense that he would put out a 4 word tweet to celebrate this young athtlete who he's friends with and who probably looks up to him.

Virgil is not a pundit. Beside going to the occasional race, he does not align himself with f1 or its politics. I'm also pretty sure he's friends with Lewis! His opinion on formula 1 and the robberies that come with it do not matter. I wouldn't listen to him if he spoke about ad21 because he's a footballer. (He probably, honestly, had no idea something wrong had happened when he made that tweet.)

Football, on the other hand, I definitely would! And I do! He's the captain of his team so when he thinks somethings wrong, he's expected to speak on it. People all of over the world have been debating the legitimacy of that penalty since it happened. His own people think it wasn't correct so who is he to say “yeah it was a penalty”. You never want to lose a game so I think him having bias in decisions made against his team makes perfect sense. He's always gonna think 50/50 decisions should go his way because he wants to win.

And in reference to Lewis fans rt’ing his og tweet, they've been doing it for years. Every single time he does something or loses a game, that tweet is back.

Regardless of your opinion on both the game and Abu dhabi, this is gross, petty behavior

Also “hand of god” is arguably just as bad but no one really adds an asterisk to that world cup win

They write it off as ref error and they stick the star on the jersey anyway

As a lfc fan, I see referee corruption every single weekend. We had the most incorrect decisions of any single team and even got an apology out of PGMOL.

I'm not defending ad21 because it was stupid and Lewis deserved the win.

I'm just saying that van dijk shouldn't be abused for tweeting a congrats. Max fans celebrate that win constantly.

An entire country still wants Henry dead for scoring a goal after the ref didn't call a handball.

Usa got knocked out of what might've been their only world cup win after a ref didn't give a goal.

England lost the world cup final after a false goal was given.

Deflategate saw a team win the Superbowl after fully cheating for the whole game.

Maybe I'm not constantly thinking about ad21 is because I'm so used to refs and officials being completely incompetent all the time.

Liverpool should've won the league and I think we would've been in much better shape if not for the game-losing mistakes refs made the entire season.

Another example of winning=/= performance is the fact that vvd doesn't have the balon dor he deserves. He was arguably the best player in the world at the time but he didn't win and the award was given to messi.

None of this is structured and I was just kind of rambling but my final thought is just that I think its kinda stupid to shit on a player for tweeting something vaguely positive.

TLDR: vvd’s a footballer, his opinions on football robberies matter more than his opinion on f1. Lewis is the goat but its stupid to shit on someone for being a max fan. Lh44 hive will not give that tweet up and bring it up constantly. Ad21 was a robbery but that's not vvds fault.

Edit: just realised they said the Netherlands were soundly beaten which is why vvd should be mad about the penalty…

It was 2-1! 😭

The penalties the only reason they won, what are you talking about???? Did you even watch the game??? 😭

[mcl4r3n]

one thing about me is that i am never going to be able to listen to 'illicit affairs' and 'august' by taylor swift without thinking about dando

like especially the bridges in those songs just scream dando angst to me and specifically lando pining for daniel angst. i wish i could expand and explain, but thinking too hard about dando makes me fucking insane 😭

Nonnie. Oh my god. Nonnie this is fucking me up. I'm gonna. im gonna like. curl up into a ball or something because. like. okay.

tw cheating tw WAG mention so i will understand fully if you dont wanna read further than this

Just thinking about like okay so like 2021-2022 daniel and heidi are on and off again, and in the times when they're off, daniel and lando start fucking around, but like the entire shitstorm of 2022 happens yeah and now daniel is on his danbbatical of 2023 and he's taking heidi around the world with him etc etc but in the times when she's NOT with him he's hitting lando up to hook up and like lando was okay with it before, yeah, even until 2022 because like. close proximity and everything.

but like it's Different now because there's none of that. like daniel and heidi are fully Together together and lando sees the photos he posts of heidi at scotty's wedding and he hates daniel and hates her and hates himself but like. he still keeps going whenever daniel asks.

he never mentions heidi to danny, and danny never mentions heidi to him. their hookups are far and in between now because of daniel's schedule but the more time they spend apart the more lando misses him.

the more lando realizes that he is actually jealous and really does want daniel for himself and hates that he's letting himself be the side piece especially on the heels of this horrible season for him.

he starts becoming ruthless about it. he starts wearing daniel's merch (especially since heidi's been wearing daniel's merch too). he starts declaring openly that he misses daniel.

he has this warped idea that if he's more open about how he feels about daniel, it will convince him that he's the one for daniel, actually. but he'd never outright say that to danny. so he thinks he can compete with heidi, show that he's sweeter, more thoughtful, just overall better for daniel.

and then one day like after silverstone, they hookup. and like, okay, post nut clarity, daniel's lying in bed with lando's jizz on his chest and he's staring at the ceiling and he says, "heidi and i broke up."

and lando tenses up. this is the first danny has mentioned her all year. he thinks god. okay. this is it. this is finally it. he pretends he's concerned, but inside he;s rejoicing, and he hates that he is but he is. but he's still like. cautiously asking things like "oh, what happened?" "when?"

and daniel's looking at him really like. . . heartbroken.

"I told her about us."

Lando's frozen. He's like. freaking out, actually. for a whole bunch od reasons but also mainly because like he is a part of this and shouldnt he have gotten the fucking heads up that daniel was gonna tell someone else about them???? and so he's like. speechless.

"I uh. i really hurt her. and i really hurt you too. like, ive been stringing you both along and i just. i dont think—i. this is the last time we can do this."

and lando's tearing up because like. what the fuck. like this isnt what he wanted. he wanted daniel to choose him. so he says so. he says that lando doesn;t mind, that he's right here, that he wants to be with danny, but daniel leans in and kisses his cheek and says, "lando, there's a lot i gotta figure out, and i've. . . i shouldnt be with either of you. im not a good person."

and lando is confused and upset and frustrated for so many reasons, he's worrying now about heidi getting revenge, the press, everything, and daniel says, "she won't tell anyone. she won't. she promised me. and i did hurt her but she told me i needed to get my shit together first before i thought about even thinking of being with anyone else and—she's right."

and lando's chest is caving in and he's like. "so what, you fuck me one last time, didn't even tell me it would be the last time, and now you get to fuck off? why didn't you tell me this beforehand?"

and daniel is like "because you'd have tried to make me stay, and i can't stay. trust me, you don't want this—" he waves his hand around to gesture at himself. "not right now, anyway."

"but i love you. danny, i love you. you don't have to—we can just be together, like, i'm right here, we can just be together already now—"

and daniel is tearing up too and he says, "you should be with someone who isn't an asshole, lando. you should be with someone who didn't string you along and have you play second fiddle when it was convenient. that isn't me."

and now i have written myself into a corner anon and i am deeply sad and i dont know how to resolve this but for NOW it ends here like this. :(

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

Speaking as someone who has no option but the sky sports commentary, if you don't think they're biased you're wrong. I've watched F1 my entire life so just over two decades. The rights have changed from ITV to BBC to Sky in that time and the bias has always been there but as Sky Sports has the main English speaking F1 content in the age of social media, the bias is significantly more harmful.

Fans get to be biased. Commentary is supposed to be unbiased and impartial. Yes a driver's home country's commentary will undoubtedly be biased in favor of them and no commentary is completely free from bullshit takes, however the British commentary is held up as the "proper" one, it caters to more of the fan base than any other and is heralded as the home of F1. They continuously spread misinformation, are unable to remain impartial for the roughly two hours of races we get and are unable to not stir shit for views. British drivers and teams that have British drivers are held to a completely different standard.

And it's not just Red Bull or Max affected. I'm basically crying out for literally any info on the likes of Alex, Mick, Zhou, Yuki etc during race weekends but no I have to hear more about how Mercedes might actually have a chance at a win this time out which they've already discussed multiple times prior. Mercedes tend to get a free pass from criticism from the British commentators. Had any other team had "we deal with it in house" strategy in regards to punishing their drivers, the British commentators would absolutely lose it. But Toto giving stern talkings to Nico and Lewis whenever they crashed each other out (Spain 2016 for example) and to George after Imola 2021 (where he without question should've been held accountable by the FIA for hitting a fellow driver in the head after a crash when said driver's condition was still in question) is fine and goes by without question. Had say Ferrari pestered the FIA long enough in order to change rules and regulations (see changing the flooring regulations mid season this year or the pit stop rules mid season last year), they would be dogged by criticism and allegations of cheating. They've been silent about Mercedes doing the aforementioned. Meanwhile one of the alpha tauris or alpines or alfa romeos are starting from the pits but it's not deemed important enough to explain why until literally the last minute and we're getting underway. The way they talk about the likes of Checo and Yuki in particular have been disgusting and beyond insulting. It's far from impartial and it's nothing like real journalism. They criticize the FIA if they don't like a penalty (especially if it affects a British driver negatively) but, apart from Jenson Button, none of them saw the need to talk about the issue of the tractor on track during wet conditions with racing continuing under yellow flags at Suzuka. They often take quotes out of context to fit their narrative and often spread misinformation in order to uphold that narrative.

Some of you are too young or didn't watch F1 during the Schumi days or red bull era! Seb, but as someone who watched both and everything in-between and after, little has changed in regards to that bias. But as I've said before it's significantly worse in the age of social media. You're never free from trolls but spreading this bias as gospel truth leads to people believing it as such. The amount of harm that causes is horrific. I've seen racial abuse, death threats, body shaming, outright misogyny, and so much worse, directed at many drivers and many fans of said drivers both online and irl. They rightfully called it out at Austria. Yet they were almost entirely silent at Monza and at Silverstone. You don't get to cherry pick when it matters because it might fit your narrative because it always does matter and it is always wrong no matter who is directly affected or involved. No circuit or fanbase is perfect or free from bad eggs but to say that it was one driver's entire fanbase one weekend and that it was "just a few bad eggs" the next because it's a different driver's fanbase spreading abuse is clear evidence of inherent bias and double standards. You cannot pretend to be impartial while doing this.

I'm not going to sit here and say I'm without bias because I'm not. I don't have to be, however, because I'm a fan, not a commentator. They should be impartial for the length of the race weekend and be able to give an unbiased analysis on every driver and team. Can you honestly tell me that they are able to do so? I can set aside my biases and acknowledge if the drivers I support messed up or if a driver I'm generally indifferent to (I don't hate any driver, I don't get how people are so obsessed with hating on drivers they dislike) did well. I don't believe they can do the same, if they ever could because they've gone unchecked for years.

Also Sky Sports is the channel that used horrific crashes in ads to wish people a merry Christmas last year. They pulled the ad after rightfully receiving heavy criticism but I don't know if they ever apologized for it. I personally doubt it.

[leqclerc]

People are so predictable. Charles was involved in a racing incident after having his 2 previous races compromised but still extracting the most out of the car in those cases and he's being pulled apart and his "mistake" is being analysed and his mental state is being questioned (even after only showing a fraction of annoyance after 3 weeks of disappointment) yet Carlos, who was no where in the first 2 races, then finally showed some form only to buckle under pressure 2 laps to the end and then get really upset about it and not accept it's his mistake, is getting defended by everyone and their mother and his "attitude" is applauded. Charles really is held to a completely different standard.

(also, I feel like none of these journalists actually watch a full f1 weekend, not a single race review/race rating etc mentioned the Ferrari fuck up in qualy, they all saying charles was poor in qualy. Like if someone did their job properly and looked at the telemetry they'd see what actually happened, but ofc this is expecting too much)

No, you're absolutely right 👏🏻

I guess it's the name of the game, but it's definitely frustrating that generally only one side of the story or a certain angle gets publicly pushed while everything that wasn't broadcast at the time goes completely ignored. The Carlos situation is baffling. I mean, it's been the case for the past two seasons already and it's showing no signs of stopping. So many situations where the telemetry or unaired team radios were inconsistent with what he was claiming and yet? I don't know what it is, but it seems that a lot of people have their rose-tinted glasses firmly on when it comes to him. And I guess that's fine if you're talking about fans debating amongst each other on Twitter or Reddit; less fine if you're getting actual journalist peddling those same narratives.

Acting like the lap "didn't exist" therefore no penalty should be awarded is just... We've literally seen this scenario play out before, in Silverstone last year. You didn't hear him protest when he got to re-start on pole despite making a mistake and handing the lead to Max at the "proper" start. 🤨

Also, as Tami noted, there seems to be this weird ennui that sets in when a driver is like 80% through their Ferrari contract. If they haven't brought a title to Maranello in that time it must be because they're too mistake prone/emotional/washed and not because the team has a myriad of unaddressed issues. Or because they simply have no answer to their dominant counterparts. I will say that a lot of people, fans and "blue ticks" alike, did launch a counter-campaign on social media and rightfully pointed out how ridiculously loaded and unprofessional that article was. But this blame narrative isn't new, it's cyclical, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more of these kinds of comments/articles in the coming months or into next year, unfortunately.

[thepavementsings-archive]

PLEASE tell us more about your piarles soulbond au

Back broke and happy Cause you're near Cause you're near Nearer to me

It's really more of an idea rather than anything, but here's a collection of notes app thoughts i've been compiling on it since 2021 (I started trying to clean it up but tbh I gave up, so some parts more coherent than others)

Silverstone 2016 

When you’re as young as Charles and Pierre were when they first met, bonds come and go. Charles used to feel the tug of his peers the same way he felt the tug of the finish line.  His bond with Pierre has felt like that for as long has he can remember: a part of them that feels as natural as a pedal under his foot. 

It doesn’t feel like that anymore. Not when sharp pain and cold sweats wakes him up instead of his snooze alarm. He thinks of his parents first, and then his girlfriend, all back home and suddenly too far away. 

When he hears about Pierre’s accident on his way into the paddock, his knees buckle. When he watches Pierre win the next day, he feels it all in his chest: the adrenaline, the fear, the relief. They should probably talk about it. 

Japan 2017 

Pierre knows he shouldn’t beg. Marko doesn’t take well to being told what is best for the team. But he thinks if he could just be there, even as a replacement, he can prove himself worthy.  

If he can just get there. It’s been lonelier in Japan then he thought it would be. With the crazy schedule and the opposite timezones from all his family and friends, his soul has felt like it’s been pulled to every corner of the world except where he is all year. Until now. Right now his soul is in one place. For himself, for Charles down the next pitlane, he knows it’s where he needs to be. 

If he begs a little, sue him! He’ll do it for both of them right now. Pull them by the current of their shared dream. 

Australia 2018 

Charles can feel the thrum of Pierre’s fingers on his shoulder before he even sits down in his chair, a strong arm slotting behind him as he leans back into it. 

“Get comfortable Charlo, Alonso’s seen the video of Lewis with his belts loose. 50 euros we’ll be here for at least an hour” Pierre jokes. 

Something in Charles settles. He’s trying to take it all in, like everyone has kept reminding him to do. That first weekend Charles? When you get here, cherish it. The feeling of Pierre’s laughter grounds him in the moment

“100 we’re here until lunch” he beams back. 

Pierre slips two bills and a protein bar into his hand as they part their way down the pit lane. He’s beaming. Charles could do this forever. 

Monaco 2019

Turns out Pierre doesn’t feel the same.

(Sorry this is where it just becomes a string of loose plot points lol i gave up) 

What does it mean to be able to physically FEEL someone else’s triumph when you’re drowning in your own defeat and vice versa?

A Charles who is always trying to be positive and strong and bright! A little scared of big negative emotions, always trying to carry them instead of feeling them. A Pierre trying compartmentalize his horrible year from how Charles is feeling at Ferrari... In a way craving any positivity he can hold onto and in another way feeling like he's leeching it out of Charles. 

It all comes to a head when Helmut calls in the summer and he loses his seat. He tells Charles that everything all feels like too much. CHARLES takes that as Pierre saying HE is too much. And Charles knows he feels so many things and he feels guilty. Guilty because he feels like he's putting more onto Pierre (not realizing that he is taking just as much on himself - I carry sadness like a sibling in my arms etc etc) but he can't give up that chase for Ferrari. Because it's bigger than him.

So Charles tells him that maybe it's best if they break their bond. Because thinks that what Pierre needs and is too nice to ask! And he’ll do it for Pierre. So he doesn’t have to feel as much. And Pierre is like. Of course Charles cant love him if he's a failure! 

So over the summer break they go to the clinic and it takes.. days. The doctors say because the bond had been there for so long. They aren't sure if they can get it all etc etc. It’s horrible. They’re both doing the prep both like numb and miserable and afraid and they can only feel each others’ fear and its the last thing they feel before they both go under.

Spa 2019

then they go to Spa.... And even if they don't NEED each other anymore... they need each other.

Charles can feel it he thinks. On the podium. That it didn't break the whole way. He should probably call the doctor right away. But Pierre is barely holding on as it is, so he can’t bring himself to pick up the phone.

maybe it can be enough.. just to be there. And surely Pierre doesn’t feel anything off Charles (he thinks!) so it’s ok. He can handle for both of them, at least for a little while. Pull them both through by the current. 

[missyourflight]

2, 9, and 12!

2. zhou! obvs didn't know him at the start of the season and now i'm so charmed by his prada looks and his excellent helmets (still sad that he had a DNF in singapore with the perfect bubble tea helmet 🧋), also he and val are such a cute team

9. lol there weren't any really wild or random podiums this year... let's say silverstone bc lewis podium at silverstone is important 2 me 🤩 and also congrats 2 carlos for keeping the demons at bay/unlocking new exciting demons etc

12. omg i'm like combing my bookmarks for something that's like explicitly set this season... i read so many aus 😭 the only thing i've got is my own tentacle fic... i'm so sorry 🦑

[charles-leclerc-official]

I get you about the DTS Singapore episode, but I also want to share some other thoughts: I'm sure to some degree they will bias it towards Carlos doing an 'amazing' job because he ended up winning and for non-f1 fans who don't know the drivers well I guess it works for the drama to show someone winning in between Max's domination.

However, in the last season DTS actually did really well to show behind the scenes bits of RB talking about how Ferrari were fucking over Charles and how Charles should be the priority, and in the Silverstone episode they made a point of showing that Charles got screwed over and Ted saying 'What a day for Ferrari, but they won with the wrong car.'

I think the DTS producers do care about and support Charles. And the producers have said that they look for certain drivers to be the 'face' of the show. Mainly they mean having someone charismatic and funny like Daniel was, for marketing purposes, but of course thinking of the storyline and the drama of the show, it makes more sense to focus more on the drivers who will have a good arc, i.e. might win a championship one day. I definitely think they are following Charles more for that, because they can see he has more 'potential' for interesting content for the show than other drivers.

Like remember Netflix supposedly filming Charles ice climbing last January? We might see that clip in this upcoming season. They definitely seem to care a bit more about Charles. I expect there will be some clips showing the positives to Charles' year.

You are absolutely right. I do agree that if it's a Ferrari based episode then there is a lot more room for nuance(it will still hurt me personally)

Given the fact it's been clear the Ferrari are making Charles the future I'm sure you're right that DTS want to follow him as the main thread for the Ferrari narrative.

However I see so many people misinterpret that race from a Ferrari, RB, Merc and even a Mclaren perspective. There were so many fuck ups, and weird stars aligning. My worry is that any nuance will be sacrificed to make it more dramatic for the newer fans that the show is bringing in. Especially since that was such a big complaint about this last year, that the sport got "boring" (which I completely disagree, if watching Max make F1 history is boring then we are all truly lost as a sport) So I can easily see them make it a mid season episode to give the idea that Red Bull struggled more than they did? I don't trust DTS not to pull something like that.

I would also be okay with an episode focusing on the behind the scenes at Red Bull and more info about why that race was the odd one out, where they struggled etc. Like give me Christian and the team frustrated and Max's feedback about what's off about this race.

But given that the large narrative is going to be Red Bull domination and Max's insane season, I fear they may fall into the trap of overplaying the only non-RB win.

It has the potential to be a great episode because it's actually a VERY interesting race from an analytical standpoint, but I just see people run the wrong direction with it all the time.

I am hoping that we are going to see them laying the groundwork for Charles and building towards the next steps for Ferrari this season.

I will say as much as I am dreading Singapore, I am jumping up and down for Vegas because I know they are going to talk about it and hype Charles up(overtake of the year, and one of the most positively reviewed races as far as fans being excited about the actual racing)