#mclaren 1-2 but at what cost

[ln4s]

mclaren stop being clowns?

these mfs.... someone get me a paddock pass and ten minutes with these strategists PRONTO

(also will.... watch your back... don't EVER disrespect the king like that again)

[holllandtrash]

now that we don't talk | charles leclerc

pairing: charles leclerc x reader part 2 to say don't go

so i pay the price of what i lost and what it cost now that we don't talk

word count: 5.6k tags/warnings: slight angst, mentions of being disloyal, this is sad, pato o'ward makes a guest appearance had to rewind a bit because because this is charles' pov during and after the relationship - i promise we'll find the ending eventually

Charles was late to the welcome party in Vegas and maybe that was a blessing in disguise.

He showed up a little after 11pm as he really wasn’t in any sort of rush to make an appearance. This week was going to be a long one already and with the obligations piling on top of each other, he tried to spend the minimum amount of time doing what was required of him.

So on that Wednesday evening, he showed up over three hours after the recommended time of 8pm. Alexandra was with him, Alex as she preferred to be called. The coordinated outfits were her idea and Charles didn’t mind it, but it wasn’t an outfit he would have chosen himself. 

But they showed up, hand in hand and Charles found a few members of his team - or rather, Mark found him. 

“Did you know Damon Hill and his family are here?” Mark didn’t even start with a greeting. He did smile at Alex, out of politeness, but his interest lied with Charles knowing that the Monegasque driver hadn’t spoken to you in a few months.

“The whole family?” Charles asked with a breath, feeling the tense glance from his girlfriend. 

Mark nodded, “Yeah. Yeah they’re all around here somewhere.”

Here being the very large venue dedicated to tonight, to the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. Members from each team, the drivers, invited guests and sponsors, everyone was here tonight. 

And apparently, so were you.

Mark was not the only person to mention to Charles that you were there, in fact Mark was the first of about eight people who felt the need to tell Charles that the girl he once spoke to was somewhere around.

Of course, no one could tell Charles exactly where you were, but it didn’t surprise him to hear you were leaving good impressions on everyone you had spoken to. You, someone who could part the red sea with ease, took a more delicate approach tonight. 

You were fully aware Charles was going to be there, but he was of no concern to you. You were polite to absolutely everyone you spoke to and if by chance someone mentioned that, ‘oh, Charles will be here eventually’ you simply smiled and nodded because you weren’t about to make any more waves in the motorsport industry. You preferred your name stayed out of the tabloids and what good would it be going around telling people how Charles broke your heart? 

There was speculation, of course. People knew you spent time together. Those online shared their opinions, right or wrong, thinking they could put the pieces together just based on the fact that he was seen in Paris with you one day and then in Monaco with Alex the next.

It didn’t help that you left England soon after, making only one more appearance in Formula 1 when you went to Spain. 

Charles still thought about that conversation, how calm you were throughout, not allowing him to take any piece of your dignity despite what he did, how he made you feel. 

Charles thought he was better off this way, with Alex. 

You were certainly better off. 

He didn’t like admitting it, in fact he probably never would, but he kept up to date with you, with your life. He saw on Instagram when you dyed your hair and then dyed it again and then chopped it to your shoulders. He saw when you spent time with the F1 Academy drivers, when you attended Nascar races, when you started spending more and more time with the Arrow McLaren team.

You had told him that you wanted to watch a few races, check out a few teams before deciding whether or not you wanted to pursue a career in the motorsports field.

And you had done just that. From the outside looking in, Charles couldn’t help but think that this was you just trying on different lives. Indecisive, certainly. But you looked happy, so who was he to have a say?

It shouldn’t have come as a shock when the news dropped of you being brought on as a Performance Engineer for the US based papaya team starting in 2024. The photo that accompanied the headline was you sitting at the pit wall in Portland, already with the orange headset on as you watched the race.

Charles was in Italy when he read the article. Just over three months after your relationship ended...but who's counting?

He had finished fourth that Sunday, not his worst race but his best one either. He was just on his way to his car, wanting to head to the airport when he came across the news on Instagram.

He wanted to congratulate you. He wanted to call you and tell you he was excited for this move, for this career you landed on. He wanted to joke that he could have gotten you a job at Ferrari if you had just asked. 

But you didn’t talk anymore so he couldn’t say anything. This was the cost of losing you. Charles couldn’t stay your friend, not after what he did, and in return, you were out of his life. 

It wasn't that he was looking for you that night in Vegas but he wasn't not looking for you. It was quite a large crowd that even he had trouble navigating his way around. Alex walked behind him, following Charles at a close distance. 

And truthfully, Charles tried not to compare you and Alex, but something about knowing you were in the vicinity had him thinking of what would be different if you had accompanied him tonight. 

You wouldn’t reach for his hand, but you would have lightly grabbed the back of his shirt if the crowd started getting a little suffocating. Just a slight tug on the material and Charles would turn around and assure you with a smile that he wasn’t going anywhere. 

The first time you did that, you were in Monaco. Those weeks he flew you out to spend time with him after only meeting once in the Ferrari garage. 

After leaving a nightclub, the crowd got a little rowdy- they all wanted a piece of him. You stood behind him as he walked to the car that was waiting but when people started moving closer you felt as though you were suffocating. Heart racing as anxiety crept up, a new feeling because you didn’t think you were claustrophobic but you had also never been in this situation before. 

You reached for the back of Charles’ shirt, hand brushing over the thin material before taking it between your forefinger and thumb. It was helpful for you, knowing that you could still touch him, feel him. It grounded you. A little bit of comfort amidst the chaos.

Charles turned when he felt the faint tug. He recognized the wide eyes, the fear that you tried to play off because this was normal for him. But it wasn’t normal for you so he raised his hand, sliding his fingers into yours to give you that gentle squeeze before finally making it to the car.

The anxiety faded the second Charles closed the door for you. He walked around to the drivers side and slid in, hand automatically finding your leg. 

He didn’t ask about it, the sudden panic. He knew you had been around large crowds a handful of times before. You weren’t in the public eye per say, but your father was and growing up you became used to it. 

But this was just different. Charles recognised it, and he knew moving forward he’d have to be mindful of it, of you, of how you were feeling. 

He wondered how you were doing tonight in Vegas, if there was someone else's shirt you were clinging onto this time. Or maybe that was something you saved just for Charles. He couldn’t ask, though. He wouldn’t know the answer to how you were feeling because you didn’t talk anymore.

He also had absolutely no idea where you were. 

Maybe you had left by now. It was getting late. If you showed up on time, which you probably did, you’d have been ready to call it a night thirty minutes ago. You’d have gone back to your hotel room and scrubbed your makeup off, changing into one of those matching jumper and sweats sets you always had. 

You craved comfort over anything else.

Charles remembered Paris. The first night. Not the night where everything fell apart right in front of him all because he couldn’t say those three little words back to you.

No, the first night was good. It was great, magical even. Charles had taken you out to dinner. The skin tight black dress you wore, the one with the low cut neckline - Charles still thought about it. He’d love to know if you still had it, if you wore it for anyone else but those were questions he kept to himself. 

He remembered at the end of the evening you were at your second wine bar, having come across this one completely by accident on your way back to your place. Charles remembered pulling you inside, suggesting that one more glass wouldn’t hurt anyone and you hesitated because it was getting late, but nevertheless, you followed. 

One glass turned into splitting an entire bottle at one of the high tables in the very back. This place was old-school chic with the decor and the 80’s records playing on low volume. It was nothing like the modern and elegant bar you had just spent the last hour in. No, this place was intimate, cozy and surprisingly you didn’t want to leave, even as the night went on. 

And that surprised Charles because you had joked at the beginning of the night that you wanted to be in bed by at least eleven. It was half 12 now and you showed no signs of trying to get back to your flat. 

“So do you or do you not like staying out late?” Charles asked, trying to get the proper read. His hand was resting on your leg, fingers daringly close to the hem of your dress. You were both way too overdressed for this establishment but no one seemed to mind. No one paid you two any attention.

You smiled and glanced around, wanting to bring light to the fact that no one had approached you since you stepped inside, but you didn’t want to jinx it.

“After a certain hour I like to be comfortable,” you answered. “There’s nothing comforting about a stuffy bar and loud music and people in your space who think they know you but they really don’t. And I like going out, I do, but I don’t like staying out longer than I need to.”

Charles nodded, understanding the point you were getting at. This wine bar was a hole in the wall, a hidden gem that provided you the comfort you desired. While you weren’t entirely alone, it certainly felt like it. You could laugh freely without worrying about being too loud or embarrassing. You could sit as close as you wanted to Charles without being cautious of who was nearby. It was just you and him. 

And you could have gone back home, but home would always be there. This moment, this bar, this was just as comforting and in the back of both of your minds, you knew it wouldn’t come again. 

You were right.

Charles would have rather been back in that corner of the wine bar with you now, back in Paris without the impending end of your relationship weighing over his shoulders. 

He wished he could relive that night over and over because for a moment, he thought that maybe, possibly, he could love you.

Charles blamed it on the wine. The way the dim light hit your delicate features was only accentuated because he was drunk. Your laughter was soothing, heartwarming even, but he reminded himself he had heard it hundreds of times before. You looked at him that night, a naive glow to you and it terrified Charles. 

He pushed that four letter word aside. He couldn’t love you. He couldn’t love anyone, he couldn’t have that commitment, not with his lifestyle- his career. If he loved you, you’d become a distraction. You’d want more from him and he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t give you more.

So when you told him you loved him only a few days later, he ran.

He ran back to Alex because she would never tell him she loved him. She wouldn’t put that on his shoulders, she wouldn’t carelessly hand over her heart that way you had. Because that’s what you did. You gave Charles everything, all of you and he didn’t know what to do with it. He wasn’t ready to give you everything in return.

He was left with a tainted memory of Paris.

So yes, he tried to think of that first night more than any other one. At least that memory was pure, wholesome. 

It wouldn’t have surprised him to find out you left this Vegas party already. Probably found the quietest bar on the outskirts of the strip. Or you might have even gone back to the hotel because what comfort could a bar bring you? 

Did you still think about that night in Paris too? Or had you tried to completely forget about your time together there? Again, Charles couldn’t just ask you that. You didn’t talk. 

But there were people here that you did talk to.

Charles spotted Pato O’Ward, the well adored driver in the IndyCar series. You may not have been hired as a performance engineer for his car, but you were going to be a crucial part of the Arrow McLaren team. Plus you had spent a handful of races with them already, sometimes in his pit lane box. 

They had met before, briefly but it was a long enough interaction that Charles didn’t feel uncomfortable approaching the Mexican driver. 

They chatted about the race happening this weekend, about Pato’s upcoming practice session he’ll be participating in in Abu Dhabi. Charles was friendly, he knew how to carry a conversation.

He also knew how to find out the information he couldn’t get first hand from you. Of course, waiting until Alex walked off to get another drink.

“I heard about Y/N joining the team,” Charles casually mentioned. “That’s exciting, she’ll be a good addition.”

“Oh for sure,” Pato nodded in agreement. He glanced around, as if trying to find you but he didn’t spend too long looking. “She’s a genius. We’re happy to have her. I’m surprised that she didn’t find a job in Formula 1, though. With her father and all and-”

Pato cut himself off, unsure if this was a line he wanted to cross.

But Charles chuckled, making light of the history he had with the new Arrow McLaren employee. The more at ease Pato felt, the more likely he’d be willing to talk about you.

“Honestly I could have gotten her a job at Ferrari if she showed interest,” Charles told him. He wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but Pato wasn’t going to talk if Charles was quick to shut down the topic of you. So he continued, “But she always talked about IndyCar. She only ever spent time at Formula 1 because of the history, because of her dad but her interests lied with your series. I think it’s because she grew up with Formula 1, you know, there was no more fascination. IndyCar is almost like a challenge for her…she did always like to challenge herself. I hope this career is good for her- I think it will be, I think it’s what she needs. I mean, I guess I don't really know what she needs but I hope she finds it at Arrow McLaren.”

Where the fuck did that come from?

Even Pato was a little taken aback. He didn’t show it on his face, but he certainly hadn’t expected Charles to say any of those words about you. There was a longing in Charles’ tone. He wasn’t just speaking highly of you, he was pulling from his heaviest memories, his cherished moments. He wasn’t just telling Pato everything that Pato probably already knew. Charles was reminding himself of the person you were, the person you still are. 

The person he didn’t know anymore.

Charles cleared his throat, “Do you talk to her? Or not so much in the off season?”

Pato moved on along with Charles, as best as he could, offering him a faint shrug, “I chatted with her earlier tonight. She’s in the middle of a move, actually.”

“To the states?” Charles asked.

“Bristol, I think,” Pato racked his memory but was confident with his answer. “She lived in Paris for a bit but is going to spend the next few months in Bristol before heading to the states at the end of February.”

Bristol did not come as a surprise to Charles. 

“If you could move anywhere, where would you go?” You had once asked him. Although, your timing was poor as you were both currently lounging on the front of his yacht in the French Riviera. Why would he want to move anywhere else when everything he needed, for the most part, was right here?

“I don’t want to move,” Charles gave you the answer you had expected. He turned his head to face you, arm resting on the back of the chair. He had sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose but he took them off his face and handed them to you when he realised you were squinting as you looked at him.

“I’d move to Bristol,” you told him, unprompted. His sunglasses were a little big for your face, but the gesture was sweet. 

“Bristol,” he repeated. “Why Bristol?”

“It’s beautiful,” you said. “Rich in history and culture. I’d live on the seaside. I’d spend my days in the market. There’s still a bit of a nightlife if I feel like going out. But It’s serene there. I’d be happy there.”

Charles sat up a bit, “Monaco has all that. Why don’t you just move here?”

You laughed. As if moving to Monaco was that easy. 

Regardless, Monaco was missing something you cherished.

“I enjoy the cold weather, Charles.” You said as if this wasn’t something he already knew. “Bristol’s like the perfect place. It doesn’t snow often but it still drops in temperature during the winter and if I wanted a white Christmas I could just drive a few hours inland. I can’t thrive in 365 days of heat. Sometimes I just want to make a cup of tea and curl up on the couch with a blanket.”

Charles admired a lot of things about you, but near the top of that list was how much you appreciated the little things in your life. You were raised in wealth, with a name that everyone was familiar with, but you were simple. You worked hard for what you wanted and you cherished what you had. You never asked for anything more and you were always content, never one to complain. You were probably the most down to earth person he’d ever met.

So no, it wasn’t shocking to hear that you had moved out of your flat in Paris to spend a few months in Bristol. To get that British winter one more time before moving for your career. 

“I’m sure she’s around here somewhere if you-” Pato stopped mid sentence, his eyes landing on something, someone, behind Charles. 

Naturally, Charles turned over his shoulder to look.

There you were. 

Part of your hair was pinned back with a pearl hair clip. You opted out of a dress, going for a matching skirt and cropped blazer instead, pairing it with a pair of heels only a shade darker. You were chatting with someone that Charles didn’t recognise, a champagne glass held delicately between your fingers. You were so into your conversation that you had no idea that you had gained the attention of not just one driver, but two.

Charles wasn’t the only one who was dying to spend some time with you tonight. 

He turned back at Pato and Charles would be lying to himself if he said his blood didn’t boil over at the way Pato was looking at you. He was envious in this moment. He knew you were larger than life, but you were such a well kept secret, his secret, and you were the farthest thing from that now.

Pato muttered something about catching up with Charles later and all Charles could do was watch as the IndyCar driver made his way over to you. You greeted him with a warm smile. His hand found your lower back with ease, like he had placed it there before. You handed him the champagne glass in your hand and Pato took a sip, holding it onto it, like that was normal. Like you shared drinks with him before.

And Charles knew he didn’t have any sort of right to care, to question, to even wonder what you were doing now but god it pained him to think that you were possibly, probably, sleeping with Pato O’Ward.

When did that start? Before you signed your contract or after? Did that matter? No of course it didn’t matter. None of it mattered because Charles was with Alex. He made that choice, he let you go. He foolishly, stupidly, regrettably, let you go and now he had to watch from the sidelines as you lived your life without him. You found the career you wanted, not in Formula 1.

If you were with Pato, there was no doubt in Charles’ mind that Pato treated you better than he did. He was a stand up guy, he was charming, he leaned in and whispered something in your ear that had you blushing in seconds.

How Charles was feeling wasn’t fair and he knew it. He knew he was in the wrong. He knew he couldn’t be jealous seeing you with someone else. You had moved on, you had every right to move on. 

He knew that it shouldn’t have taken seeing you with Pato to realise he had made a mistake. This was a conclusion he should have come to a while ago, honestly he should have never even let you go in the first place. And maybe he did know it and just didn’t want to admit it until it was screaming at him, a brutal hit to the face over and over until he just couldn’t ignore the bruises anymore.

He shouldn’t have let you go. 

But he did and this was the price he had to pay. He watched from the outside, watched you change and grow through the stories he overheard and pictures you shared. He was a mere crumb in your life now compared to when you handed him your heart on a silver platter. 

Charles regretted everything. He regretted that he left you waiting for him to say ‘I love you’ and at the very least, hoping he would say ‘don’t go’ and instead gave you nothing. Now he couldn’t say any of those words. Now you didn’t talk. 

He left the party early. Alex didn’t say anything on the ride back to the hotel. Neither did he. What was there left to say anyway?

But the silence from her left less of a hole than the silence he got from you. 

He sat in the hotel bar while Alex packed up her suitcase and asked the front desk for a new room. She wasn’t going to leave. Not yet, at least. Just give Charles the space he needed and honestly, Charles knew she was waiting for him to return to her once he came to his senses, like he did last time.

Because Alex gave him what he wanted. Comfort, but she didn’t ask for it in return. Adoration, but didn’t expect the love to be reciprocated. She played the part of the girlfriend and she played it well, accompanying Charles wherever, whenever. Alex thought that if she played the long game, Charles would love her. Charles would see a future with her.

You, though, you didn’t have time to wait. You weren’t going to sit ideally and beg for him to love you back. You weren’t going to tell him that you’d wait for him, that you’d be there if things with Alex didn’t work out. 

You moved on. 

Charles tried to accept that, really. He tried to just focus on the last two races and not about what you were doing. If Bristol was everything you dreamt it was. If Pato and you were together. He tried not to think about anything that revolved around you. 

He thought he could at least make it to the New Year, and maybe he would have. He might have reconnected with Alex on the 31st if he successfully went the entire month of December without his mind trailing back to you.

But the second his friend who resided in London called him up and asked if he wanted to attend a fashion show he was part of...well, it was embarrassing how fast Charles agreed to go. Because London was certainly closer to Bristol than Monaco was. And if he was in London, it was hard to find a reason why he shouldn’t just…go to Bristol.

Actually it was very easy to find dozens of reasons. Charles simply ignored all of them. 

He didn’t think this plan through at all, which was why he stood outside your door for nearly five minutes before knocking. What was he going to say?

For starters, he was really hoping you wouldn’t ask how he knew where you lived. Charles didn’t feel like explaining the hoops he had to jump through that may or may not have involved Joris at one point pretending to be your brother and calling your place of employment. 

It was fucked up. Charles could admit that. But if he could admit that, he could admit it wasn’t the only fucked up thing he did. Letting you walk away from him was at the top of that list.

When you opened the door, you weren’t upset to see him, but you weren’t happy either. Charles carried that vibe the entire time he was inside, starting from when you reluctantly let him in to the way you handed him his cup of tea without so much as a word. 

“How’s Alexandra?” You asked him. Charles could tell you were only trying to be polite. 

“Do you care?” He asked in return. 

No hesitation from you as you shook your head, “I do not.”

He always admired your honesty. He was still scared shitless at the way you could quite literally kill someone with kindness, but he also respected it. You were the only person he knew who’s gentle smile had the ability to send someone cowering. It was a skill, truly. 

“So let’s not talk about her,” he suggested and you nodded, but you also weren’t about to let the conversation carry on if it was pointless. 

“Charles if you don’t tell me why you’re here…”

He had an entire drive to figure out how he wanted to word this. He had a whole plane ride to put together the perfect sentence, the perfect mix of apologies and admittance and instead his mind was blank. He didn’t know the words to say to you, not after going so long without saying anything. 

But he lifted his head and met your eyes. He thought about reaching for your hand only to decide against it because your hand wasn’t his to hold anymore. 

“I shouldn’t have let you go,” he said, voice low, breaking almost. He shook his head, repeating it. “I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have let you go. I don’t want to be someone who’s not in your life. I don’t want to be someone who means nothing to you anymore. I-”

I love you, he wanted to say. 

Because he did. 

At least, he thought he did. At one point, he knew he could. If he could then, he could now, right? He could still love you. If you took him back, if you found a way to still love him, Charles wanted to love you back in the same way.

Or maybe he just didn’t want you to love anyone else.

“Charles you don’t know how to love anyone,” you knew exactly what he was going to say. And at one point, you wanted to hear it. Now, though? This was the one time you were hoping he didn’t say it.

“That’s not true.”

“It is,” you stated, like you knew him better than he knew himself. Maybe you did. “You don’t want to love someone, you just want to be loved.”

“I want to be in love with you.”

“That’s not the same and you know it,” your words could have cut through him like glass if your tone wasn’t so soft. 

Charles shifted uncomfortably. This conversation hadn’t gone as planned, but what was he truly expecting? You’d take him back? You were better off without him. Anyone could see that.

“Listen, I had to get over you and you weren’t even mine, Charles. Do you know how twisted that is? The only person to blame for my broken heart was myself because I knew, all along, you weren’t mine. I knew it and I went along anyway and I’m not doing that again. I will not love you again. I don’t need another wave of self destruction and false hope and unrequited love. I am happy, okay? I didn’t need you to come here with some sort of declaration that you can’t even say with your chest. I don’t- I don’t need that. I don’t need you.”

He still tried, still attempted to win you back with the what if’s but you saw through it. You cut him off before he could finish his question. What if I do need you?

You shook your head, staying firm with your decision. “It’s over now, Charles. It was over then and it’s over now.”

Charles believed that. He repeated your words the entire way home. He could never give you the closure you needed so you gave it to yourself and you seemed adamant that your past with Charles was going to stay there, in the past. 

He didn’t get back together with Alex. He couldn’t. He ended things the second he returned to Monaco. She asked if you were the reason and Charles didn’t really have an answer. You weren’t dating, but you were still there. In the back of his mind, in his dreams, everywhere he looked he saw you.

He didn’t think he’d actually see you again. He knew you were moving in the New Year. That you had officially gone on with your life. 

So imagine his surprise when you showed up at his door on New Years Eve. 

Smudged mascara under your eyes, an unopened bottle of wine in your hands and a dress that left very little to the imagination. Charles had hundreds of questions, for you, for himself, like was he just imagining this? 

And then you stepped past him, sliding your heels off and immediately going to his cupboard to pull out two empty wine glasses. It was a screw top, the bottle in your hands, Charles wondered where you got it but he didn’t ask. He just let you pour a very healthy amount into each of the glasses. He didn’t say anything when you handed one to him, you both just took a sip in peace.

Charles wasn’t sure where he found his voice, but he somehow managed to. And he said the stupidest fucking thing ever.

“I thought we were over.”

“We are,” you stated, taking another sip. You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror behind him and you tried to wipe your undereyes but the dry pads of your fingers did little to help.

Charles stepped into the bathroom to grab one of those white hand towels that he hung on the rack. He ran it under some warm water before making his way back to you. He was hesitant to step close, but you didn’t flinch away.

So he raised his hand to your cheek, holding you still as he wiped away the stains of mascara, the remains of whatever you were crying over. His touch was gentle. You could feel his breath hit your face and you couldn’t help but glance at his lips. You hadn’t been this close since Paris.

“Thank you,” you whispered when he dropped the cloth to the sink.

Charles didn’t back up after. He stayed with his hand on the side of your face, even sliding his fingers against your scalp to get tangled in your hair. Something he knew you loved. You hummed at the feeling, how normal this seemed, like you weren’t the one to end things that last time around.

Unlike last time, Charles was the one to ask, “Why are you here, Y/N?”

You shook your head, wishing he could just accept this for what it was. You didn’t want to have a conversation.

So you reached for the front of his shirt, dragging your hand up to the collar as you brought your lips closer to his. The little twitch in the corner of your mouth, that faint smirk, it ruined Charles. His hand found your waist, he was only human.

“Please, Charles,” you breathed out. Not a beg, a request if anything. “Now is not the time to talk.”

[blueballsracing]

how the 2008 stock market crash led to jenson button's WDC

jenson was racing for honda through 2006-2008 and had been familiar with the honda engine since around 2003. when the stock market crash occurred, honda realized they did not have enough money to keep funding the F1 team in 2009 as they needed to focus on their own business. the team would cost them 300 million USD and they ended up having to layoff their staff of 700 right after the stock market crash. they pulled out LAST minute (literally at the end of the 2008 season) and at that point, they had already had a car. both the drivers for honda (barrichello and button) couldn't find a seat last minute, and here comes ross brawn.

they were eventually saved by their team principal ross brawn, who was a really amazing strategist (teams that he has worked with have won 8 constructors' championships and 8 drivers' championships) and also was the technical director behind the benetton and ferrari championship-winning teams. he was pretty much responsible/led michael schumacher to victory for his 7 wdc. honda sells him and the chief executive nick fry the team.

and–get this, the team was sold for 1 pound. ONE SINGULAR POUND. to this day, honda's boss still has the pound coin Brawn used to buy the team. although the team could've been seen as a continuation of the Honda team, the FIA considered Brawn GP a completely new entry.

going into the 2009 season, they had no engine, because honda refused to supply it for them. at the last minute, mercedes supplies them engines (at this point merc supplies mclaren with engines too) but the mercedes team kept saying that the engines were built for the mclaren car, not the honda/brawn car. brawn was like "let's have it anyways" and they bought the mercedes engines.

there was even a loophole brawn found that wasn't even against the rules (although there was a lawsuit about it and ofc a bunch of team principals were upset about it, notably christian horner, but it was completely legal)

The most obvious visual differentiator on the Brawn car was its double-decker diffuser. The new regulations had intended to strip the cars of downforce by reducing the size of the diffuser, but a loophole was left open that allowed for a second diffuser to be built into the crash structure and fed by two very controversial holes in the floor of the car. A bigger diffuser created more low pressure under the car, which created more downforce and allowed higher cornering speeds.

going into the 2009 season, no one really expected them to be fast, of course, going under massive management changes and even drivers taking massive paycuts (jenson took a 5 million pound pay cut at the beginning of the season). the drivers were even told that they couldn't crash because they didn't have enough parts:

Above all else, the team could not afford a major accident as it simply didn't have the parts to replace a wrecked chassis.

and here's something from reddit saying that even a team that was essentially created in a few months had at least 3 chassis for 2 drivers (williams is shivering their timbers rn)

also, very notably, the car was practically NAKED (next to zero stickers!)

they were sponsored by like 4 companies: virgin airlines, MIG investments, henri lloyd, and perkinelmer. so, yeah, very naked car compared to what we see today.

you can also see jenson's suit here, and notice it's very bare! there's next to zero sponsors! for some races, they would have a couple of sponsors where they would put the stickers on, and then take it off after the race.

of course, with the lack of financial stability in the team, they only had the ability to upgrade 1 car at a time because of the lack of money.

in a shocking turn of events, at pre-season testing, they were like WTF when they saw they simulation showed that they were 1-1.5 seconds quicker than the field. and EVERYONE at the factory was freaking out, saying "surely these numbers are wrong." and then they checked the numbers, and they are still faster than everybody.

in a miracle type of god-given wish, button with brawn win the first race of the 2009 season in australia! he's even .2 seconds clear of barrichello in qualifying, and to this day, brawn's first win on its debut stands out as one of F1's biggest moments. jenson wins 6/7 of the first few races, then falls off a lil (but only retires once in the entire season). he is beaten by sebastian vettel a couple times, who ends up coming 2nd in the WDC, and rubens ends third (he's upset brawn prioritizes jenson over him but he has the championship lead, so it's only really fair they prioritize him).

on their debut season, they go on to win the constructor's championship and jenson wins the driver's championship!

it's a really impressive story, and one can definitely see the causation between the stock market crash and jenson button's wdc!

[dear-ao3]

hi user dear-ao3 we finally got that mclaren 1-2 but at what cost

mclaren, the only team to lose and get a 1 2

[earthtokhal]

Look at the end of the day, I do not think Daniel was blindsided, after all he does have a good team and he is a businessman. Maybe it's copium or hopium or confirmation bias, but it wasn't just Daniel's behavior this weekend. It was also Sergios and Marko's and Horners.

It was also that comment (now deleted) from the people who make his helmets and that CAA guy coming out of the woodworks.

It was the difference in how Sergio responded to that interview F1 poster compared to what Daniel said about definitely being here post break, but he isn't sure what car he will be in.

Do I think Daniel was compensating for losing out on something he wanted? No. He is genuine, and if Mclaren thought us something is that he won't hide behind a smile.

While I do agree that money/sponsors are playing a role here, I don't think they would have left it this long and letting the narrative go on for so long if the solution was just some extra cash from the sponsor.

So considering that, it's possible that this is to keep everything quiet until they're ready to make the announcement or make a proper decision because if the decision was SO easy and could be made in a single meeting, despite everything they said before, why was it left so long?

If this is true, I have a few theories.

1. Max genuinely thinks about jumping the ship, which makes letting Sergio go a bit risky. They could do well with those sponsors next year. In that case, Daniel would be brought up in 25, which would explain his behavior.

2. Sergio and his people managed to negotiate a retirement option. He races in Mexico, and he sees this year through, and perhaps the team gains some money from it. In that case, Daniel would still move up.

3. They genuinely do not rate Liam right now and will be putting Sergio in the vcarb. In that case, Daniel would still move up, Liam gets some extra runs during filming day, and he would return to the grid next year.

4. A decision has been made, but like Mclaren and even Red Bull before, assuring everyone that the boat will not rocked will ensure a good break and media staying away from them only to come out with the decision closer to the end of break

5. Nothing changes, and I will pray every day for mclaren and Ferrari, possibly merc too, to beat them because truly not even sponsors can justify this because even though he bring money, the cost cap doesn't change and he's wasting away money that could be spent on upgrades. In this case, I want both titles gone.

All in all, the idea that it's now Daniel who could lose his seat when he's been top 2 Red Bull driver for multiple weeks in a row is insane.

He's a genuine guy, a good guy, and he has never wished bad on Sergio or Liam despite the narrative around them from day 1. I truly believe that he will be rewarded.

[mara-xx]

I have a number of opinions about the Hungary gp (as someone who is a Lando and Oscar fan) so here I am to give an objective perspective on the race strat because it’s very clear that certain fans either didn’t watch the full race so don’t fully know what happened or they simply don’t understand f1 so here we go. This is a long one so strap in.

Oscar led the race from lap 1 (literally after turn 1) after passing Lando.

Lando tried to cut infront of Oscar off the line but Oscar reacted quick enough that Lando didn’t quite manage to cover him. Opinions may vary on this but imo Lando saw Oscar as the bigger threat to p1 than Verstappen. Some people have speculated that McLaren had discussed with the drivers that whoever lead after t1 would get the win and that’s why Lando tried to cut off Oscar but that has not been confirmed as fact!

What has been confirmed multiple times is that the McLaren drivers are allowed to race against eachother- this will be expanded on later. (This can be heard predominantly in post race interviews where Lando was straight up asked if they are allowed to race and he’s says yes)

It’s been confirmed that Landos car experienced a glitch where it struggled to get into 2nd gear which may have cost him reaction time off the line- aka he didn’t bottle the start.

Oscar really worked on managing his tyres as can be heard by his full team radio that is posted on YouTube (his engineer spends a lot of it telling him that he’s managing well and where he needs to manage better- bearing in mind that the engineers are directly looking at data during the race so this is an objective opinion that he was managing his tyres well- something he has been quite weak at in the past but is clearly working on) - this is also important for a later note.

Oscar should have been given the optimal strategy given that he was leading the race from the beginning and for the majority of the race- around 70% of it (usually the leading car gets the best strategy for obvious reasons- it’s the fairest way to do it), however, McLaren decided to box Lando first despite this, claiming that they needed to cover Hamilton despite Lando being around 6 seconds ahead- (imo this was not needed and I believe McLaren were being overly cautious in maintaining their 1-2 especially given the absolute bottle job they did in silverstone). However this decision to box Lando first is what caused the entire situation.

Lando being boxed first allowed for Lando to undercut Oscar which meant that when Oscar pitted, he came out behind Lando (thus losing the p1 position) despite Lando never passing him on track in the first place. This means that the p1 position was not earned via an on track overtake but by a strategical mistake on McLarens end. Lando did nothing to gain p1 just as Oscar did nothing to lose it.

In the case where an undercut happens between drivers of opposing teams, this would not be an issue as the team who managed the undercut would have earned the position by optimising their strategy. However, this undercut was between teammates and only happened because of the (wrong) decision to box Lando first. If not for their reasoning (to try cover Hamilton- for some fucking reason) then this decision would be downright dirty towards Oscar who was the lead McLaren at that point and would have raised questions of favouritism towards Lando. Therefore, the position was not Landos to keep which is why McLaren made the decision to instate team orders.

Essentially, they were trying to rectify their earlier mistake of boxing Lando first to cover Hamilton (which as mentioned was probably not needed), causing a very painful situation.

Oscar was assured that if he agreed to let Lando box first to cover Lewis, then they would revert the positions if Lando undercut him (which he did) so Oscar agreed under the condition that Lando gave him back his position.

Lando, however, in the heat of the moment when the time came, refused to yield his position unless Oscar caught up. By this stage, Lando was jumping between around 3 and 6 seconds ahead as he was pushing his tyres.

Oscar struggled to close the gap as not only was he lacking pace in the final stint (compared to the first stint and the first half of the second) but he was still trying to manage his tyres, unlike Lando who was purposely pushing to “prove a point” (as quoted from the team radio). It can also be heard in Oscar’s team radio (on YouTube) that he was told to continue to manage his tyres and “not worry about Lando”.

Oscar also went off the track at one point which also lost him some time.

Had Lando actually let Oscar past when initially asked he would have had the opportunity to fight Oscar for p1 (unlike what people are suggesting as they claim that the two aren’t allowed to fight on track despite BOTH drivers stating that they absolutely can fight for positions- there are interviews before and after both quali and the race that state this).

However, Lando has stated since that he planned to give the position no matter what (but he felt the need to question the order as he rightly noted that McLaren should have boxed Oscar first) on the last lap but was reminded that if there was a safety car, then he would be unable to let Oscar through and thus take the control from their hands.

Lando also acknowledged that if he let Oscar through when told, he would have been able to actually fight for p1 as he also acknowledged that the position he was in was never his in the first place.

Landos reaction was obviously very in the moment (the man is now in the position to fight for race wins after putting up with shit cars from McLaren for years- you can’t blame him for seeing a second win in sight- albeit a cheap one given that he never should have had the position in the first place- and wanting to go for it)

At the end of the day, this was Oscar’s win no matter how you twist it.

But should McLaren have optimised max points for the wdc? Imo no, Max is leading by a lot and while it is still possible for Lando to catch him, it would be even more controversial and downright cruel for them to expect Oscar to hand over his (rightly deserved) first ever f1 gp win based on a hypothetical of whether Max does bad enough for Lando to be able to pass him in the wdc.

Carlos Sainz made a brilliant point against all those people who are saying shit like “but if Lando loses the wdc by 7 points or less…” as he stated that those few points could be found in so many other places, not just this particular race.

Tbh this was a very public thing that really should not have been discussed via the radio but McLaren put themselves in the position where it was inevitable. Lando was absolutely in the awkward position where giving the position back was the right thing to do (and in his words he had planned to do it anyway) but the discussions via the radio were a little nuanced and borderline uncomfortable and Lando should not have been put in that position in the first place.

All in all, the team handled the whole thing terribly and put both Lando and Oscar in an incredibly awkward position that they didn’t even need to be in in the first place.

Im sure there’s more things I forgot to mention and I may add to this later but this is all I got for now!

[majtek507]

Couple things... because apparently there always will be controversy if Oscar finishes above Lando.

First of all Mclaren didn't make strategy mistake today. They chose the same strategy that basically all of the teams did and they finished 2-3. Someone was just better today. That is sport.

Secondly Mclaren drivers are grown men who are employees of Formula 1 racing team. They are racing drivers. If the team tells them to race, they are going to race. End of discussion. Also Lando could say to the team that they need to prioritize him for the championship. I believe the has that power. But maybe he doesn't wanna. Maybe he wants to win by racing his best and not his teammate giving him places.

My another point is that the team and the drivers decide when is the time to pull team orders. Not us fans or Sky Sports reporters.

When I started watching F1 team orders were banned. I don't like them. I only accept them when they are pre-agreed strategy calls and at the very end of the season championship fight. Hated "Fernando is faster than you". (But guess what? Alonso still lost even when Massa was giving him places left and right)

I respect Mclaren that they are still supporting both drivers. Don't agree with statement that Oscar costs Lando points. Today's overtake was daring but clean, so Oscar deserved the position. This fight didn't cost Mclaren 1-2. Charles just had better race.

Lando lost 18-25 points in Austria by his mistake and fight with Max that was much more risky and sloppy than today's Mclaren fight.

Next race Lando can make a mistake and lose some more points to Max. Will it still be Oscar's fault if he finishes 10 points behind Max at the end of the season?

Oscar maybe doesn't realistically fights for championship but he definitely has a chance at P3 or maybe even P2.

So stop making hatefull comments to both drivers and Mclaren team. It is a sport and everybody fights to the end.

Both drivers are talented. Both make mistakes. Both have skin in the game.

Don't spread hate. Don't listen to the commentators.

If you have your favourite driver cheer for him. But also cheer for his competitors, because if he wins with them then he(or she) is better than the best.

[lavendermemoriess]

to preface this, i'm not hating on oscar, i'm genuinely pointing out why it was the best decision from mclaren (because some people can't seem to understand that). now, people claim oscar is better than lando, and that mclaren is "making a mistake" by ""asking oscar to stop racing"" (lacking interpretation skills here). please, follow along.

(ps: it's a long ride, but bear with me. please.)

lando -> oscar gap: 44 points;

charles -> carlos gap: 33 points;

lewis -> george gap: 36 points

charles and carlos have a lot of teamwork, with carlos sacrificing his race in monza for charles to win. they have a defined 1-2 driver lineup, but not as tight as max and checo, for example. carlos knows how to play the team game, because ferrari mostly plays the team back with him. that's why their points difference is smaller; even having defined 1-2 drivers, they race fairly against each other (from what i've seen!! i could be wrong!!).

lewis and george aren't as compliant in their teamwork as the ferrari duo, but they do have it. it's clear they race each other fairly, with no divebombs or risky moves (based off of spa, when we saw them fighting against each other on the last laps. again, i could be wrong.) i've personally never seen the same occurrence as in monza with ferrari, where one sacrifices his race for the other, but it's clear that they have their teamwork game going.

lando and oscar. oh, lando and oscar. one of them is willing to play the team game, going as far as giving up a win for the sake of the other, and even publicly apologizing for acting immaturely in the position swap. the other, though, isn't as willing. knowing his teammate has the chance at the wdc and that his team has a chance at the wcc, what does he do? pull a risky move on the first lap, ruining a team 1-2, which would bring valuable points for the wcc. that's costing mclaren, but they won't admit it, because stella has a favorite driver, and it's not the one with the shot at the title. even so, his teammate, almost by himself, is winning races and getting points while amping up the teamwork. the one driver, though, got a questionable win, got a podium after his teammate dnf'd and is still 44 points behind.

george had a dsq and a dnf. carlos had a dns. and yet, they're closer to their teammate than oscar is, even though lando had a dnf, which gifted oscar a podium in austria + the extra european leg points everyone is talking about. also, he's completed all races this year. just something to think about. anyways, this is just to point out that no, oscar isn't better than lando, and mclaren is (surprisingly!) right on their decision to prioritize lando.

thank you.

[charles-leclerc-official]

2024 Miami Grand Prix Race Analysis

My analysis of the Miami 2024 Grand Prix. There is a lot to cover so let’s not waste time with introductions. 

Table of Contents Race Start Ferrari -Charles -Carlos: His race + Oscar -Data Analysis Mclaren -Lando: Safety Car -Oscar -Data Analysis VCARB Red Bull Mercedes -Lewis Haas -Kevin Williams -Alex -Logan: DNF Final Thoughts

Race Start

We finally have a spicy turn 1 (really a race start) incident to talk about! I have to start with this because this did set the stage for the entire first stint of the race, and really the second half as well because of Oscar’s placement. 

At the very start of the race Checo barreled forward basically trying to cut ahead of both Ferraris. He went way too fast and almost hit Max going into turn 1. 

It’s actually just impressive that he didn’t hit anyone and that Charles and Carlos didn’t have a crash either with each other or with Checo. Checo dropped from P4 down to P5 with that maneuver.

He was way too ambitious with this start. Obviously he had to come out aggressive and the ultimate goal would be to get ahead of both Ferraris, but trying to jump them both? Way too much all at once and that is what cost him. He should have stuck with simply trying to pass Carlos, then he’d have been able to work on catching Charles. But instead he overshot, lost places and Oscar was the one who benefited greatly from it, jumping from P6 to P3. 

So Oscar was the main winner of the whole situation, and the two drivers who lost places were Checo and Carlos. 

There are two main reasons this wasn’t penalized. 1. It was the race start and turn 1 and the stewards are always more lenient with first lap messes like this. 2. It didn’t cause a collision. If a collision had occurred Checo would have been at fault, but everyone was very lucky, so no penalty.

With the stage set let's dig in to what went down with all the teams.

Ferrari

Charles

Charles had a very impressive weekend. After missing all of free practice due to spinning out(due to losing traction on a turn) he then went straight into sprint qualifying and pulled off P2 which he held in the sprint. He then qualified P2 again in the race and finished P3. All of this without having any free practice to get his setup optimized for the track. This really speaks to the SF-24 base being reliable as well as Charles’ overall skills on track. 

He actually had a very clean race all things considered. His pace was not as strong as Oscar so he lost that place pretty early in the race and dropped to P3 behind Oscar and Max and he kept that place for the rest of the race. He pit early because the medium tyre was good on the SF-24 this weekend. They pit Charles early to undercut Oscar(which they did, and that was needed as Oscar was faster on the mediums) After that his hard tyre management was insanely good, He finished in the top 3 with the oldest set of hard tyres. He was able to keep pace with Max on tyres that were 4 laps older. And considering this is still the base SF-24 while the RB20 has already been upgraded is a really strong showing from the car itself. 

Overall a very strong weekend from Charles and the SF-24 again showing that the Ferrari base is strong.

More on his race performance in the data section.

Carlos

Carlos qualified P3, finished the race in P4 and was dropped down to P5 after he was given a 5 second penalty for making contact with Oscar. Obviously this was his worst result so far this year, it isn’t 100% his fault, the race order changed in such a way that was not in his favor and there wasn’t much he could have done there. So the loss of one place was not his direct fault, just unlucky. The other palace due to the penalty that was at least in part his fault and I will get into that more in the section going over his battle with Oscar. 

So after we saw qualifying results I said that the best strategy for Ferrari was for Charles to attack Max and Carlos to defend against Checo who was behind him in P4. Well Checo made that impossible with the race opening. Not much Carlos or anyone could have done about that, so it would have been a good strategy but Checo had other plans. Cannot fault him for that, good thing he was able to get out of the way to avoid a collision. I am suspecting Checo was super aggressive to try to counter that potential Ferrari strategy. But yeah Carlos couldn’t have done anything to stop Checo from doing that. 

But also this is to say that right out of the beginning of the race Carlos was set up for a very different race than I think he was anticipating. I’m sure that defending against Checo was probably what Ferrari had prepared him for, but that race opening really changed the order and altered his strategy for the rest of the race. 

I’ll just briefly mention Carlos’ radio message near the beginning when he came up behind Charles. He said he felt like he had the better pace, and Ferrari didn’t give any orders. This is mostly just talking. And I think it’s also fine for a team to just let it be. If he had better pace he’d be able to get ahead. He didn't, thus it wasn’t an issue. I feel like any team staying silent when a driver says something like this is like “okay you have better pace prove it” and we saw how that went. He and Charles were very close on pace with fresh tyres. But the difference became clear as the tyres aged. Charles stayed ahead and Carlos steadily dropped off. I don’t think it’s a big deal, normal for a driver to say they have better pace, normal to ignore it unless it’s actually true. 

I don’t really care about radio messages unless they actually lead to something changing about a race. Driver’s talk all the time, only if it leads to results does it really matter so I don’t think any of it is worth covering.

Carlos VS Oscar

I am going to ask both Carlos and Oscar fans to take a deep breath going into this section. 

One of the main battles on track this race was between Oscar and Carlos for P4. Oscar gained track position pretty early in the race when Checo did that crazy move in turn 1. He was able to jump up to P2 and passed Max in the pits to take P1 for a while. 

He lost the positions in the pits and then the safety car for Logan made it odd to try to regain, which put him one place ahead of Carlos. Then Carlos overtook and got behind Oscar. This is when the battle began and where trouble cropped up. 

Oscar and Carlos were pretty much matched on pace. Carlos was slightly more consistent in pace, but they were very close. Which is what made this a tight battle. It’s what allowed Carlos to catch up to Oscar and what made Oscar able to defend.

So this was always going to be messy. And it did in fact get messy.

I think that most of what happened between Oscar and Carlos falls under the "good hard racing" category. I think there is an argument to be made that neither were deserving of a penalty. But if you want insight into why the stewards made the calls they did then this is it.

First I will cover the move that Carlos was handed a penalty for by the stewards. On lap 39 turn 17 Carlos missed the apex, braking late which caused him to slightly lose the rears of the car. This resulted in his tyres hitting Oscar’s front wing. This was not something Carlos could have done intentionally, and was instead a result of slight loss of control of the car. He didn’t do it on purpose; it was a result of driver error on his part. So yes he was at fault but it was not due to him intentionally trying to cause Oscar damage. 

Going into the turn Oscar has the outside line, Carlos has the inside, Carlos is slightly ahead here just so we are clear.

They start the turn, there is space between them. However this is where Carlos started to turn a little too late.

And here is where the contact came. Carlos broke too late and when he needed to take the apex he missed, slowing too quickly caused him to lose the rears slightly, and thus he turned into Oscar's rear wing. Oscar was driving under the assumption that Carlos had not misjudged the apex and that he would keep control. So there wasn't anything Oscar could have done. But also I want to highlight that this isn't a move that could have been done on purpose. It was an error on Carlos' part yes, but it was not intentional.

I would also argue that Oscar turned in too sharply, or didn’t react in time to Carlos’ error on the apex. Had he not been so close he wouldn’t have been hit. I think this is the reason the stewards only gave a partial penalty to Carlos. I do agree that Oscar was too close. But he ultimately isn’t at fault. 

I think this looked worse than it is because both drivers were racing very hard against each other up until this point so it’s easy to believe that one or both did something intentional. I think it was a result of them battling closely and slight error on Carlos’ part. 

Causing contact is deserving of a penalty.

Now let’s look at the incident where Oscar forced Carlos off the track. Going into the turn Oscar came up the inside and pushed Carlos out and Carlos ended up with all 4 wheels off the track. However there is nuance here so let’s take a look at the footage.

Going into the turn Carlos has the clear outside line, Oscar has the inside. Oscar is ahead.

This is where the beginning of trouble started. Oscar still clearly has the inside line. Carlos has plenty of room on the outside, but he turned in more.

And then continue to turn in to squeeze Oscar giving him nowhere to go is why Oscar had to fight back and push Carlos out. The fact they didn't have damage here is impressive really.

But Oscar was on his line, he was ahead had the inside line and defended it. Carlos ran wide as a result of this defense. Oscar did not push him all the way off the track just because.

Both of these are hard racing moves and I think that because they both were very pushy with each other was the reason no penalty was given to Oscar.

Personally I am on the fence about whether this is deserving of a penalty on Oscar’s part. He did force Carlos completely off the track. He had the inside line and he’s allowed to protect it, but was this too far? It falls in a gray area for me. I think that Carlos closing him off in that turn didn’t give him much choice so I am not going to be too mad no penalty was given. But I can see why someone would make a different call as well.

Now I think this is a penalty that could be debated. However, regardless of the actual penalty, what I do not love is the half measure from the stewards, reducing Carlos' penalty down to five seconds when the new rules say this kind of thing should be 10 seconds. Is he at fault or not? It should be a 10 second penalty or no penalty, I don’t like this very situational precedent this is setting. As a Ferrari fan I am biased toward no penalty. But I think we can all agree that this was an odd choice and doesn’t inspire any confidence in the stewards’ decision here(not that they had much good faith to begin with) 

I read their reasoning and I don’t think it’s strong enough to warrant splitting the time. If Carlos is at fault(and based on their decision in their eyes he is) then it should be a 10 second penalty. 

My hope is that this kind of ruling does not come up again in future races.

I want to quickly dispel some narratives forming around this battle between them.

“Carlos ruined Oscar’s race, he admitted it!”: Yes and no. Was Carlos responsible for Oscar’s damage and him dropping all those places? Yes. But did he do it on purpose? No. Carlos is notoriously unreliable in interviews. I have no idea why he thought it was a better look to imply he did it on purpose than to say he made a mistake in the turn and lost the rear slightly. So no he did not intentionally turn into Oscar with his rear tyres to cause Oscar damage. “Oscar should have got a penalty”: There is a case to be made for that. I am not the stewards so I can’t change that. They decided not to give a penalty. You really have to take it up with the FIA as it’s not Oscar’s fault he didn’t get a penalty. It’s certainly a fringe case with arguments for the case for a penalty on both sides.

As far as Carlos overall race goes he was quite fast(in the race), he was competitive against the other fastest car and again he was just showing how strong that SF-24 base is. He was able to fight with Oscar who was faster and in an upgraded car. So even though his race looked messy there was a lot of promise there and he showed again that the SF-24 is doing good things for both our Ferrari drivers. I was impressed to see him keeping up on pace like that.

Data Analysis

I have a lot of comparisons to make as far as both Ferraris go. There were a lot of interesting on track battles in terms of pace and tyre management. All looks really promising for Ferrari.

First a quick look at Oscar’s fastest lap Vs Carlos.

Very close. They were essentially matched on pace in the first two sectors. Where Carlos lost the time to Oscar was on the low speed corners in sector 3. This has been an area where the SF-24 has been underperforming, so this isn’t a surprise. But this mainly shows why the battle between them went on as long as it did, and also why things came to a head on those low speed corners. That is where Oscar had the edge on pace and is also a place for overtaking. So Carlos had to push more and Oscar obviously was still able to stay within striking range.

The main battle for Charles in this race was against Max. And pace-wise he was matching him. The reason that Charles didn’t close the gap further was because he had some bad laps and Max was slightly more consistent in his second stint lap time wise. Overall pace was practically identical to Max in the RB-20 which is what we want to see, especially since Red Bull has already upgraded Max’s car and the SF-24 is still the base. 

Here is Charles full race pace against Max. This is the closest they have been all year. Very promising to see. Especially on the hards. Charles was on older hards but still beating Max on pace.

It is worth noting that Max was not 100% comfortable in the car so he was not in top form this weekend, but that just shows that the RB20 is not infallible, the operating window for the car seems narrower, and Max also isn’t perfect.

Overall Charles was stronger consistently and that put him ahead of Max in performance on many laps. If Max hadn't had track position he likely would not have been able to catch Charles.

Now here is a look at the race pace for the top 3.

The top 3 very very close in pace, like the difference is negligible, especially considering Max and Charles were on slightly older tyres (and Max had some slight damage due to the cone) but this is very close and means very good things for Ferrari as it’s the only car here that has yet to bring any upgrades. If upgrades bring what Ferrari expects then Red Bull and Mclaren should be nervous. 

Here is a fastest lap comparison for the top 3. Lando had the fastest lap of the three, but the difference between him and Charles was by one tenth, and Charles set his fastest lap on significantly older tyres. Max was the furthest off by 3 tenths to Lando and 2 tenths to Charles.

The reason Max was ahead of Charles was because of track position. Charles was faster, but the pace difference wasn’t enough for him to catch Max for the overtake. But this is a good sign for when Charles does have track position over Max. And again that is against the upgraded Mclaren. The SF-24 is such a solid base.

Also let’s look at Carlos against all of the top 3 as well. He actually had the fastest lap of this grouping(fastest lap of the race was Oscar) He was faster than Lando by a few hundredths which is close, but he was faster. One thing to really highlight between Carlos and Lando is that the only points where Lando is faster is those low speed corners. Something the SF-24 must address to catch Mclaren in the future. But also notice how those same low speed corners are where Charles was better compared to Carlos as well.

And finally adding Oscar for the full Ferrari to Mclaren comparison as well as Max.

Oscar really did have a great lap, and it was on those fresh medium tyres which is why his time is faster by 3 tenths than the others. While the other four were on older tyres for their best laps. However the most interesting thing to note is how Ferrari and Mclaren are extremely close. The overlap is everywhere and the gap is so fine. The car who is the odd one out is the Red Bull and that’s very promising for the rest of the season as far as Ferrari is concerned. The highlight here is that Ferrari and Mclaren were the fastest cars this weekend and it was close, way closer than the race results might suggest.

Now let's talk about tyres. Charles finished his race on 38 lap old hards. The oldest of the other top 4 drivers.

Here is the first stint pace on the medium tyres for the race. This is when the tyres were most subject to the same conditions and you can see the pace that was the most similar was Charles and Max. Not only that but they were the two drivers reducing their laps times, instead of steadily increasing. This is where you can see why Carlos fell away behind Charles, and also why Lando was not making much headway in catching Checo.

Charles had improved by roughly 7 tenths to a full second of pace by the time he pit. Max stayed on pace similar to Lando. So again we see Charles pulling off negative tyre deg(minimal but still noteworthy) compared to his direct competition as well as his teammate. Lando's laps were very consistent, that obviously came up in the second half of the race. Carlos pushed hard but dropped off on pace(as we'd expect to see with normal deg) He really pushed but he'd already lost the time to Charles in the middle of the stint and wasn't able to gain it back. Still one of the better tyre performances we've seen from Carlos as well. The fact that both Ferraris are the strongest here is again due to the SF-24 and the way the car treats the tyres.

The main reason Ferrari pit Charles after this was to try to undercut Oscar, it was not due to a drop off in the tyre performance. Since he was pushing I don't think they'd have lasted as long as we've seen in the past from Charles, but there was more in them. The pit was strategic not due to a loss of pace on Charles' part.

It was not possible to really correct for the mess that was the safety car and to correct for the age of the tyres. At least not in a way I was satisfied with. Each of the top 4 drivers were in different places when it came to those hards. The best comparison is to Max and Charles was beating him on pace in older hards(see Charles vs Max race pace graph above). And Charles was pushing in those tyres so he wasn't even driving 100% to preserve them, because of the safety car Ferrari had to balance pushing to keep ahead and also to save the tyres. Charles pulled this off beautifully. Taking this stint on the hards from the race re-start on lap 33 after the yellow flag.

I will show the raw data for the top three to see the over all tyre deg but I wanted to make sure that everyone considers context. I did not include Carlos here because he was battling Oscar so his times are going to reflect that more than his tyre management.

The thing to note is Charles lap consistency has not fallen off, even when compared to the other two top drivers, especially Lando who was on 10 lap newer tyres. Charles final lap was off Lando by one tenth. You would not know he was on tyres that were 10 laps older. An insane showing in terms of tyre management from him yet again. So far in 2024 I can say with confidence that Charles has been the best in tyre management. The SF-24 has been amazing in this area and that ability in the car is only highlighted when Charles is behind the wheel.

Overall this race showed just how strong the SF-24 base is yet again, it was able to keep up with both Max in the RB20 and the Mclarens which had brought big upgrades to this race. Both Carlos and Charles were competitive against the fastest cars and this is very promising for what the SF-24 is set up to do once it is upgraded. Overall Ferrari was the second fastest car this weekend and that was by a very fine margin. Exciting things for both Ferrari drivers and for the car base itself. 

Not Ferrari’s strongest weekend obviously, but the data gathered gives a lot of valuable insight, and also both driver’s secured placements to keep Ferrari in a comfortable P2 in the standings, and for Charles to be P3 in the WDC behind the Red Bulls.

Mclaren

Before we get to the Mclaren section I would like to remind you dear reader that this is a Ferrari blog, my bias is very clear, do not expect me to celebrate a Mclaren victory. I will analyze the facts fairly, but do not come at me for not being excited or hyping things up. I am not the person for that. Our teams have a long standing rivalry and I have made my place in that rivalry very clear. 

With all that being said let’s talk about Mclaren.

Lando

Lando Norris won his first grand prix after taking the lead of the race as a result of a safety car deployment on lap 28. He started P6 and finished P1.

Now this win was due to a few factors. First Lando had the fastest pace of the race(on the hard tyres), and second he was the only driver who benefited from that safety car. He was ahead of the pack and on newer tyres compared to every competitive car behind him(Max, Charles, Carlos, Oscar). He drove well and his pace was fastest by a fine margin, but we have to account for the fact that a good amount of luck put him at the front of the field. 

He was behind Checo in P6 having made no places up in the race, then Checo pit, and Carlos and Charles pit, then Max pit, and Oscar pit the lap before him. He gained every place through the pits. Then on lap 28 the safety car was deployed in front of every car behind him. Since he pit lap 27 he effectively got the benefit of a safety car pit which can see gains of 5 - 7 seconds, and if we look at the margin he ended up winning the race by this is reflected, yes his pace was better but it wasn’t create a magical 7 second gap better. In fact due to that lucky pit timing he got the benefit of a full safety car pit without having to serve the time in the pits. Not his fault he was lucky, but that does account for his placement and the gap he finished with, has nothing to do with pace. 

This win was mostly on the fact that he was insanely lucky both on the timing of his pit, and the timing and placement of the safety car. He didn’t take any of those positions. And I am fairly confident that had that safety car not been deployed at that time he wouldn’t have. He may have come in P3 but he was not on track to be able to overtake all of those cars in front, even with faster pace. The only thing that can be really said skill wise for this drive was he did have the fastest pace(the second stint is due to the fact he was on much newer tyres than the two cars behind) and that he didn’t crash or spin out after he was given the lead of the race. A win is a win but this was mostly due to an insane amount of luck that has nothing to do with the actual race craft. He was on fresher tyres so of course he got a better start at the race restart. It’s not as hard to defend against a car that has been damaged and two cars on older tyres.

I would have liked to get to see how he fared trying to overtake Max, but maybe we will see that in a future race. I also am sure he wouldn’t have been able to overtake Charles. Lando was also faster in Australia, by a similar margin in fact, and he wasn’t able to catch Charles, let alone pass him. So to assume just because he had the slightly faster pace that he would have won without that insane luck is very misguided.

Without the safety car I am not convinced he would have won or even been on the podium(but speculating isn’t really too helpful there is no way to be sure) I will note that since Max was struggling more for grip and thus pace this weekend I actually think that had the safety car not occurred the P1 battle might have been Piastri vs Leclerc. Because guess what, being the fastest car does not automatically mean you win the race, yes he was fastest but he was stuck behind Checo for 17 laps and made no progress overtaking. So that speed wasn’t really doing anything for him back there(of course he was subject to dirty air) but if he couldn’t overtake Checo the second Red Bull it is reasonable to assume he was not going to be able to overtake Max. We know with a similar pace match up he couldn’t take Charles either. If the safety car hadn’t happened there Oscar would have had the leading Mclaren position, and we did see that he can pass Charles, and he would have had a better chance against Max. I entertain this just to highlight that the speed can be there all it wants but the race craft skill was not there this weekend and it certainly did not play a significant role in the win. 

But again it’s impossible to say. Speculating is only so productive. However I think it is interesting to see how things might have played out taking the need to overtake into account. 

The positioning was due to the safety car. The reason he stayed in P1 was because he could keep the gap to Max(who was on older tyres) and Charles(who was on even older tyres) His pace was faster, but by on average of 2-hundredths of a second to Max and Charles. That is not really enough for him to have won the race without gaining that P1 position with the safety car. And that pace gap does not explain why he finished with a 7 second gap, that was the safety car.

And here’s the thing, wins happen like this. He absolutely had the winning pace but that was due to being in P1 due to the safety car(he would not have been there otherwise) and thus he had newer tyres than the cars directly behind him, which on this track in the heat was a big advantage. A win is a win so putting it all in context should not be an issue. We aren’t here to celebrate, we are here to see what happened. 

Winning a race usually does have some elements of luck, being able to pull off a win is being able to take advantage of that luck when it happens. That’s what happened with Lando. He got very lucky with some elements of the race and was able to drive to take full advantage of that. 

All in all an interesting race for Mclaren.

Oscar

I already covered Oscar’s battle and contact with Carlos in the Ferrari section. So this is just going to cover the other elements of his race this weekend.

Tyre deg has been Oscar’s main weakness when it comes to overall pace in his driving. This weekend he was driving pretty hard and still managed to have good speed which means he’s improved and also the car has probably improved to account for that as well.

He set the fastest lap from P19 which was pretty entertaining to see. The reason he was able to do this was due to the fact he had to pit for a new nose after the contact with Carlos damaged his front wing. He got fresh medium tyres and was able to really set a good fast lap. He also set it without DRS so that speaks to his speed this weekend(and looks promising as far as the car upgrades he did have go). 

The fact that the damage he took happened so late in the race meant he just didn’t have the time to climb the field. He made up some places but there just wasn’t enough time. Had this happened earlier I have no doubt he would have finished in the top 10. 

Oscar raced well and his speed was very good, he was very unlucky that the damage to his car required a pit at a very bad time in the race. 

Even though this result is obviously disappointing, I do think it showed what Oscar can do, and we are going to see a lot more battles and speed from him in future races. 

I will finish this section with the fact that to me the most impressive bit of driving from a Mclaren driver all weekend was Oscar managing to take full advantage of the chaos Checo caused in turn 1 at the race start and jumping up 2 places. Like he saw the line and took it. As far as actually racing against other cars goes in a Mclaren, Oscar has been showing to be stronger in this area. He overtook Charles and that is impressive. If Max hadn’t pitted when he did we might have gotten to see if Oscar was able to take him as well. Lando had the pace(by a small margin to Oscar only on the hards, Oscar's pace on mediums was better than Lando), but I think Oscar is winning in terms of managing his on track battles. The data for Oscar is also skewed because he was stuck fighting with Carlos and then took damage so the statistics of his pace show him being much slower than Lando, when on that first stint Oscar was faster. Without the bad luck on his part I think he would have finished ahead of Lando in the race.

Data Analysis

So I first want to do a teammate comparison. It is of course important to note that Lando had the full Mclaren upgrade package and Oscar only had half. How that really affected their results is still hard to say.

But here is their race pace. I really think we can only compare the first stint on the mediums, because after Oscar’s battle with Carlos hindered him, and after he took damage his pace was really not going to be its best.

That first stint Oscar is actually consistently faster on pace until around lap 18 when Lando passes him in that department. I think this comes down to tyre management. Lando is better than Oscar in that area, but pace wise Oscar had it on the mediums for the race start, and he was showing it with the passes he was making. 

The takeaway for me is two-fold. The Mclaren upgrades have added speed. And that I think a head to head of Lando vs Oscar in the right conditions Oscar may have the edge. If he continues to work on his tyre management we may see him pass Lando on pace altogether. Remains to be seen. But overall this is very close for both of them, so they were both getting a lot of good performance out of that car this weekend.

Here is a comparison of their fastest lap.

I want to note that Oscar set this after getting a fresh set of mediums after he took front wing damage. He still showed that he was the strongest I think in all of sector 3 all race. That is where the Mclaren car was beating the Ferraris and the Red Bulls, and that is also where Oscar was outperforming Lando. Lando was on much older tyres, so he didn’t have as good of a chance to be able to set a really clean lap this race. But I think that before Oscar was dealing with Carlos and was damaged he was still faster so I think he still would have set a faster lap to Lando in equal conditions this race.

VCARB

Probably VCARB’s best weekend overall as a team. With Danny bringing in his first points of the season coming in P4 during the sprint and Yuki coming in P7 in the race they got a good chunk of points for the team. And in the midfield that means a lot. They have really cemented themselves as the top of the midfield by a pretty good margin. 

Danny of course got the best result we’ve seen so far, with that P4 in the sprint, he defended against Carlos in a Ferrari the entire race and scored his first points of the season. 

Now he started P20 in the race because he had to serve a 3 place starting grid penalty from China. He qualified P18. So you might be wondering why Danny was seemingly on fire for the sprint and sprint qualifying but then seemed to be slow again in the race qualifying. The answer is that changing a car from sprint set up to race setup can be pretty big and if they don’t get it right it can be costly. We saw the same thing with Lewis in China, P2 in the sprint and then back to the middle of the pack during the race.

Were it not for that grid penalty he likely would have finished the race just outside the points. Danny started P20 and finished P15 so he did make up some good places. 

Yuki had a good weekend, coming in P8 in the sprint and getting that single point and then P7 in the race with another 6 points, he is still very much the more consistent of the two drivers in the VCARB car as far as bringing in the points goes. Like he is now in P10 in the driver standings with 14 points, behind Lewis Hamilton who is in 9th with 27 points.  

All in all a good weekend for VCARB and I must say they did have the nicest looking car on the grid as well. 

Red Bull

This was Max’s worst actual race so far this year. In Australia he had to DNF due to a mechanical failure, nothing to do with his driving. Here he for sure made some mistakes. Some of that was due to car setup, and some of that was some error on his part. Either way it’s his weakest performance since Singapore 2023. Still to say this and have him still be in P2 and P1 in the sprint shows just how strong of a driver he is. 

What cost him the most was when he didn’t have grip going into turn 16, cut the corner and took out the bollard cone. This cost him time, and some slight floor damage. Due to an error, as well as the lack of grip the RB-20 was struggling with all weekend. I think he’d have been a little faster were it not for this damage. 

To come in P2 as a weak showing with a car that was clearly not setup well all weekend just shows how fast the RB-20 is and also speaks to Max's skill as a driver.

Checo’s race wasn’t great. That start was way too much, but after that he kept his head down and didn’t cause more trouble. He finished P5 but jumped up to P4 after Carlos received that 5 second penalty. His weakest race so far this year as well.

All in all for Red Bull both their drivers were not in top form this weekend. That does indicate that the RB-20 was not performing as well on this track and in these conditions. Interesting to see and promising for any team hoping to catch up to them in the standings.

 

Mercedes

This was Mercedes second best race of the season. Lewis was finally comfortable in the car and came in P6 after starting P8. George started P7 and finished P8. Not George’s best race or performance, but as a team this result this is overall the second best points wise since Bahrain. 

Lewis especially put in a great showing. His overtake on Nico was a memorable moment, just a textbook Hamilton overtake, smooth, just great to see him racing after that car has been letting him down so much this season. 

Also this is the first race where Lewis outperformed George. He obviously did in the China sprint, but this is the first Grand Prix where he was ahead of George. This may be a sign that he has found some solutions to the issues he’s been facing with his car setup, or possibly conditions were more favorable for him on track. He’s Lewis so I am thinking this is part of a slow but steady comeback to doing the best possible in that car. Make no mistake the current Mercedes car is limiting both drivers. But it’s had moments of getting to the top 5 or at least not far from the top 5 so there is more to unlock in that car.

Haas

Haas in the sprint was funny. I’m sorry the strategy was the same as Jeddah, Kevin commits crimes and doesn’t care about penalties so long as he holds up the field to protect Nico so Nico can get points. It worked in Jeddah. Worked in the sprint, and worked in the race. It’s certainly an interesting strategy. 

Now with all the penalties Kevin has collected this weekend and the rest of the season if he gets one more he will have enough penalty points to be suspended for a race. Obviously not great for him or for Haas but he doesn’t seem too worried about that. 

Haas has been working well as a team and really taken up all the minor points at the tail end of the field. The teamwork has really paid off. 

Is completely sacrificing one driver and letting him run rampant across the track a good long term approach? Probably not. But there aren’t any rules against it. If Haas are willing to do it to get points then I guess fair play. It’s mostly just really entertaining to watch. Yes it has messed up a lot of driver’s races so far this season, but you cannot deny it has made for entertaining moments and battles. 

His most egregious crime was when he made contact with Logan during the race causing Logan's DNF. Obviously the penalty was deserved, he did not have position going into that corner and Logan was powerless to do anything about it.

I will agree with Kevin and say “All of the penalties were well deserved”

I do have the theory that Kevin is going for an all time record for most penalty points accumulated during a single race, a single season, and all of F1 history, and he’s actually on track to get at least one of those records. So if he wants to be remembered for his crimes on track this is certainly a way to do it. Best of luck to him in that endeavor!

Kevin Magnussen was the most entertaining driver of the weekend. Love him or hate him he had your attention.

Williams

Williams had the worst race as a team. Alex was struggling in the car all weekend including during the race getting one of his worst placements finishing P18. The Williams car has been bad all season, we knew that, but on this track the race setup they went with was also not great. 

Logan actually got Williams best result all season with that P10 in the sprint race. No points, but given how the car and team have struggled showing that the car can get into P10 is something. 

However during the race Logan DNFed due to a collision with Kevin. Kevin was at fault, he charged through the turn and forced Logan off the track. Logan had the line and hadn’t done anything wrong. Kevin was just being reckless and took that turn way too sharply. 

Logan was sent into the barrier and had to retire. Extremely unfortunate considering it was his home race. His radio messages indicated that he was injured, likely biting his lip or his tongue during the crash. Hopefully he recovers quickly. 

It was a shame because Logan was on pace to have his best weekend of 2024, and it was ended through no fault of his own driving.

Final Thoughts

This was another very interesting race. Some spicy on track battles, a maiden win for Lando, and Ferrari was strong on track against the other two top teams. 

All in all an entertaining race. 

See you all at Imola! 

[ipleadbritney]

if i saw it right, lando did the champagne pop but did not, not once, douse oscar with champagne. no 1-2 pics from them with the angle at top with them both smiling. oscar saying sorry at his radio message for making the swap difficult. mclaren 1-2 at what cost.

[sanakimohara]

LUXURY/RACE CARS SKZ DRIVE… pt.1

Bang Christopher Chan

CAR CHOICES:

1. MCLAREN 765LT FULL CARBON 🖤

2. MERCEDES BENZ 🖤

3. 4K ULTRA LC500🖤

4. Main Choice: M4 BMW 🖤

—————————————————————

Firstly, Chan is partial to black -yes he is venturing out into wearing more colorful clothing and such- but I still think he’d migrate towards cars that fit his everyday style/color choice

He’s into fast cars, but will consider other things like cost of maintenance and upkeep, or emission production

We all know Chan loves or prefers late night driving so there’s that.

I don’t think Chan would modify his car much. If he did it would be small changes that fit his taste or make it more comfortable for you to ride in.

He did EXTENSIVE research about what brand to buy from and even asked you for an opinion.

It MUST be a car where there’s enough room for him to fuck you. It was one of his requirements actually. So, no excessively small sports cars…

Chan would obviously buy a luxury family car when the time is right but would ultimately keep his original car to give it to his child later on. Either that or he just doesn’t want to sell it/let it go. In all honesty he’ll keep it for himself.

This is such a random post but I hope you guys like it cause I’m making one for each member. Plus, like SKZ driving?!? It always does smth to stays and like why shouldn’t I increase your delulu fantasies?!? 🖤

Which member should I do next?

[cara-mel5]

(this is kinda late but i lost my phone so bear with me)

there is no way people are hating on oscar for overtaking lando. there is no way.

they're racing. it's a race. mclaren have said that 481 are free to do whatever they want as long as they don't crash. lando got a good start and didn't lose the lead into turn 1. oscar pulled a move where lando would have no choice but to give the place, and they finished 2-3. no crash. WHERE IS THE PROBLEM??

"oh lando should take higher priority bc he has a chance at winning the wdc" ok 1) he got 8 points over max which is all he needs every single race to beat him and 2) do you seriously want this championship to be handed to lando?? it's a championship fight. emphasis on fight. if osc has the opportunity to get more points and get p3/p2 in the drivers standings why wouldn't he? he's a racer too, or is he supposed to sacrifice his best season yet bc maybe lando will win? lando doesn't seem to think that either. a championship takes effort, and his teammate owes him nothing, especially at the cost of his own performance.

honestly the way ppl are talking you'd think that oscar is disobeying team orders left and right and crashing into lando on the regular but he's not!! he's civilised when it comes to battles. mclaren are okay with it. lando is "okay with it", but if he's not he's just gonna have to deal bc oscar's his teammate not his servant.

whether papaya rules are a good idea in this semi-title fight is a whole other discussion (we'll see at the end of the season), but that's got nothing to do with oscar. mclaren haven't told him no yet, so he's free to do whatever he wants. because, as i've said, it's a race. that happens sometimes. why are you watching formula 1 if you just want engineered results 😭😭

anyways great job to oscar for that overtake. great job to lando for keeping it civil. AMAZING JOB TO CHARLES, LITERALLY WON THE TWO RACES HE WANTED TO WIN MOST WHAT A KING.

[landograndprix]

You know shit is fucked up when we got Karun, Will Buxton, everyone roasting McLaren on every social media including fucking LinkedIn, and 16,44,33 fans defend Lando and saying they should've prioritized the 1-2. Nothing wrong with Oscars move honestly they both wanted to race, but doing it there and then cost them that 1-2 said what I said

What do you mean LinkedIn?? is that where the beef is these days?! 😭

[landoscaring]

The thing is, Oscar’s not loyal to the team. He’s loyal to Oscar. His move today very clearly cost them the chance of finishing 1-2, all because he wasn’t willing to wait until they pulled away from the rest of the pack to secure the 1-2. There’s no reason to pressure your teammate like that when you know the team is fighting for the WCC, if not the WDC. It’s just selfish, and yes the team can be blamed for letting them fight, but Oscar should know that you don’t dive bomb your teammate like that. It could’ve easily been a double DNF if Lando was any more stubborn of a driver, and then they’d lose positions in both championships.

i get where you're coming from, anon. i disagree completely, though.

oscar has been consistently a team player from day 1, from what we've seen on track (which is the only thing we can use as evidence). i say this because zac mentioned today that there's a lot that happens behind closed doors, and i couldn't agree more. we are not privy to the complex conversations they have, to the sacrifices they both make for the team and for each other.

i don't think oscar's overtake cost them the race. it was poor tyre management strategy, as other drivers have mentioned. take lewis' interview, for instance. their mistake was to push too hard in the first 10 laps. this wouldn't have changed had lando been p1. this race was lost on strategy, and some mistakes (pits, driver's decisions). if i had to write a list of reasons why they lost today, oscar's overtake wouldn't even be in the top 5.

my issue with this discourse is the whole "what if" scenarios. there are no "what ifs" in f1, you only have what actually happened. was it a risky move? for sure. did it affect either of them in terms of performance? not really. it was a close race for everyone.

and before people start talking about hungary or freaking multi21, please don't. those were completely different circumstances.

look. the race was a mess in terms of strategy, and not just mclaren's. lando keeping the p1 after the 2nd chicane would not have made that much of a difference. ferrari were smarter today, that's it. charles had balls, and it paid off.

i appreciate your opinion! and i totally get where it's coming from. unfortunately, until mclaren make up their mind, this kind of thing will keep happening, because unless oscar receives STRICT DIRECT ORDERS to help lando, he won't do it. NOT A SINGLE DRIVER WITH AN IOTA OF AMBITION would, let me make that clear. and lando doesn't want that, either. he's said so, explicitly, multiple times. there's no glory in winning a gifted wdc.

hugs, anon! i hope you and i both can be happier in baku. wish you the best!

[race-week]

apologies for the dm. hope you don't mind, but your poll doesn't cover my thoughts which are it was a fair move in terms of racing driver vs racing driver. but norris cannot afford any kind of dnf if he is going to go for an outside chance of a championship and piastri knows it and exploited that today.

from a personal point of view good move. from a team point of view, incredibly selfish especially as it also allowed ferrari into the mix and quite possibly cost them a 1-2 or at worst a 1-3 as it highly likely norris would have built a far larger gap in that first stint in clean air, when piastri could not pull away at all.

so he did what he needed to do for himself but i think he may have lost some goodwill among the team and especially with norris. neither stella nor brown seemed enormously happy with it either though both tried to handwave it and said it would be a discussion for behind closed doors.

Personally I don’t think that a 1-2 or even a 1-3 would have been on the cards even if things were pulled off perfectly for McL.

They seemed set on a two stopper from quite early on (as seen by when they asked Piastri if he thought he could one stop at around L30ish), whilst Ferrari looked like they were planning a one stop from the beginning and McLaren even with a substantial amount of free air wouldn’t have negated their issues with graining nor would it have built a big enough gap for them to pit twice (in comparison to Ferrari’s once) and still come out ahead

The Ferrari was quick, especially in a straight line and McLaren wouldn’t have kept a win unless they one stopped and what is likely would have happened is that their tyres would have grained too much to carry that out.

So it probably isn’t the best team move, but the team is allowing the drivers to fight and I don’t believe that the move hurt the overall team result, and as such I don’t think it’ll hurt his standing in the team. With Norris it just shows that he has to be on his toes a bit more, if they went into the race knowing that they could fight, why did he get caught out at the chicane which is an ideal overtaking opportunity, especially on L1

[adimouze]

In your opinion is this it? It’s definitely over? I want to be positive because the complete silence around Checo doesn’t sit right with me, but seeing Daniel like that reminds me a little bit of 2022, even if I think he knows what his future will look like. Now we have Ted and The Race “backing up” Danny and I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad sign. Red Bull literally fucked everything up

I don't think Ted/The Race backing Daniel up means anything, they would happily shit on his corpse again if it means more engagement I just think they were either 1) told or 2) realized that Daniel's stats aren't shit, in fact he's almost equal to Yuki in race results, and that pushing forward with an "out by COTA" narrative would look bad if Daniel isn't actually out by COTA. So if they start putting out softer statements like this they can say "oh well WE never believed the rumours!"

And honestly nonny, I can't begin to predict what RBR is doing so if they go insane and get rid of him by COTA nothing i say now would matter. BUT I do work in corporate law and (while i did have a mental breakdown over the rumours an hour ago) I don't personally think they can easily get rid of Daniel like that. Mainly because --

Idk if VISA is daniel's personal sponsor per se but they seem to have adopted him as a brand ambassador for the VCARB project. They probably would have clauses that require Daniel's presence at sponsor events and marketing. These are all guesses and idk if it's true for Daniel but usually the contracts I work with have these expectations. They would have PAID either VCARB or Daniel himself for his presence at these events. COTA would be one major event they definitely planned other sponsorship events for. Cash App would get a boost and they would need Daniel's face for it. It would incur them losses to have to sacrifice a name like Daniel Ricciardo for the rookie.

I know F1 contracts are apparently the flimsiest in the world, but Bayer did mention Daniel does not have any KPIs or performance clauses. It did backfire on him at Mclaren but I would expect his team to at least have some experience in avoiding this fate? But like, he isn't even racking up costs like Logan and in a dire skewed H2H. Like @danthropologie said, they have upgrades coming up that would need people who have used the previous upgrades and know how they work to properly utilise feedback in.

Also lol. Don't think even RBR itself would allow a midseason dump to Daniel at this stage. Prodigal sons would not be allowed to suffer such an indignity, especially if they want his goodwill back at some point? Yeah they definitely threw him to the wolves this weekend but...I personally don't think they would pull the rug on Daniel like that halfway through a season. They would at least let him tell people first so he/his team/RBR can capitalise.

He's a very good distraction from the Checo of it all right now. Daniel effectively removed the fact that RBR is failing, losing the constructors, Max is at risk of leaving from the news cycle. 2025 is another matter.

So yeah. Based on that, I personally don't think Daniel will get replaced. However I'm only a liddol person and I am biased so a lot of what I just said may be based on how I feel personally it should work out.

I'm worried for Daniel in 2025. But COTA? Not necessarily. Again I don't know shit. But I think a lot of thoughts.