#my cota 23

[reigningmax]

Only update I’ll be posting for now is that I met Max early this morning. He was coming down the stairs with his dad and I asked if he can sign my hat, he said yup, signed it then I asked for him to sign a second one, and he said sure, signed it, was so sweet.

As I was shaking and freaking the fuck out after, a marshal who was standing by came over, and he was like “you’re lucky, you know. That doesn’t always happen” and then we had a solid 10 minute convo where he told us about how he’s known Max since Toro Rosso. How he’s one of the nicest guys, got into Red Bull and had a single focus and has since relaxed. How when his dad is around he’s a bit more tense, but that he’s so genuine. He said he doesn’t always talk to people when he’s stopping which is why he said I was lucky.

Feeling blessed on the eve of my 30th birthday.

[russellius]

2023 US GP : pre-race

[lewisbian]

LEWIS HAMILTON | 2023 United States Grand Prix

[f1andshit]

me @ fia & merc & ferrari

[valyrfia]

*insert michael jackson gif*

Let it go with the excuses already, today was on him he couldn't even beat his teammate today how you people expect him to fight max?he will put it in the wall in the last lap, oh wait it already happened, my bad

also max recommended devries lol let's not take those guys words , charles is currently fighting fraud allegations, unless his 2019 or 2022 start is coming it's only going downhill

Okay, fine, I'll bite. Let's compare Charles's and Carlos's perfomances in order to try and determine with as little bias as possible.

In order to constrain our parameters of our investigation to their current abilities as drivers, let's take the our period of investigation to be the whole of the 2023 season, plus the first three races of the 2024 season. We'll exclude the following races for Carlos due to circumstances beyond his control: Qatar 2023 (fuel leak leading to DNS), Las Vegas 2023 (10 place grid penalty due to track not being properly maintained), Jeddah 2024 (appendicitis). Likewise, we'll exclude the following races for Charles due to circumstances beyond his control: Bahrain 2023 (DNF due to technical issues), Jeddah 2023 (10 place grid penalty due to exceeding allowed quota), COTA 2023 (DSQ), Brazil (DNS due to faulty hydraulics).

There are cases to be made for other races for both of them, but these are races where they were either involved in a collision leading to a DNF or where grid penalties apply, so there's argument for driver error there. With regard to grid penalties, we're going to go by the final decisions made by the stewards regardless of whether the penalties were appealed or not. Races where they suffered technical issues in race but they still finished are not counted, as it shows a driver's ability to handle an unpredictable car.

Before we discount the races listed above entirely, let's have a look at where the driver who didn't have difficulties finished.

So we're discarding pretty much the same number of points between them, so I feel happy discarding the following 7 races entirely from this analysis: Bahrain 2023, Jeddah 2023, Qatar 2023, COTA 2023, Brazil 2023, Las Vegas 2024, Jeddah 2024. Furthermore, in Las Vegas, Carlos finished 6th and in Jeddah, Charles finished 7th. This brings their points total across the discarded races to 46 for Carlos, 45 for Charles. However, Charles managed to score those points over fewer points-scoring races, and with a higher average finishing position, so for the sake of not convoluting ourselves we'll call it even and commit to just examining the points and stats of the remaining races not excluded from our investigation. The table below shows those stats. For simplification, sprints are not considered.

So I think there are a few key things we want to consider: overall performance, reasons for retirements and driver reliability over our chosen time period. So we'll go one by one for each and examine in a little more depth.

For overall performance, it's easiest to see in a quick head to head. Carlos wins in race wins, Charles wins in poles, they tie in number of retirements (although Carlos was classified in ABU23 due to finishing 90% of the race distance), Charles wins in higher average finishing position, Charles wins in higher points total.

Next, we move on to reasons for retirement. Charles retired twice, once upon collision with Lance in Australia 23, and once in Zandvoort due to a damaged floor. Carlos retired once in Belgium 23 due to a collision with Oscar Piastri and once in Abu Dhabi 23 due to being lapped and running last without pitting.

For driver reliability, I want to consider the variance in Charles and Carlos's race finishes for reliability. A quick recap for the non-STEM people who may be reading this: the variance measures the spread of numbers in a dataset, and how far away they are from the dataset's mean. Thus, a smaller variance indicates less spread in positions that a driver has finished in, in turn indicating higher reliability. Charles has a variance of 6.46, Carlos has a variance of 8.25. It is therefore possible to conclude that Charles is the more reliable driver of the two. While on the subject of reliability, it is also worth noting that Charles has not dropped outside the top 5 since Monza last year.

So overall, anon, I'm afraid I have to reject your notion that Charles is washed or even approaching becoming washed. The data show otherwise. The only category where Carlos is superior to Charles in our time frame is race wins, race wins where Charles deliberately adhered to Ferrari strategy in order to help Carlos, and Max Verstappen was out of commission for the win for one reason or another. Carlos wins in luck, but for driver reliability, points scored, finishing position, Charles is the clear winner and the numbers show it.

[thef155]

why won’t. these f1 teams give their drivers. actual. real. cowboy hats for the usgp. instead of these dumb little costume hats

like wtf did you come here to be an international rockstar or be sheriff fucking woody.

(exempt from this post: daniel joseph ricciardo. you’re doing perfect, baby.)

…

ETA per CotA ‘23 media day:

Ferrari did not hear my plea.

[monacodive]

having finished the season yesterday...

hi, my name's sadie & welcome to my personal season overview

alex albon is the man and it makes me so happy he is starting to get more recognition for the magic he is able to pull off at williams

max is a generational talent and i do believe he's one of the greatest, but for the sake of the sport i hope next season will be more competitive

the amount of times ferrari screwed over charles this season makes me wonder: rbr!charles contract announcement when?

(which coincidentally would also solve the problem of competitiveness)

mclaren have one of the strongest lineups currently on the grid and i'm praying they won't waste it 🙏

the downfall of aston martin was the greatest surprise of the season and needs to be studied

ferrari needs to get their shit together. pretty self explanatory 

lestappen gate 2023 has honestly been on my mind 24/7 since probably COTA

i'm really hoping for a great 2024 season for yuki, he deserves way more

lewis has officially adopted charles as his son and i'm here for it (besties who dsq together, stay together)

mercedes also need to get their shit together

las vegas was one of the more interesting races of the season

this season witnessed a change in my attitude towards certain drivers: from neutrality towards strong dislike (but let's not get into that)

i'm soooo excited for f1 academy next year

charles is a quali god (next year will be our year est. 2008)

i miss seb

the sticker war is a pr genius

this season taught us that ferrari strategists seem a bit... useless, don't you think?

mercedes not attending lewis's podiums? yeah, how about we have a talk?

the 2019 rookies remain fully superior

the great ferrari civil war was... something

i would happily watch sf-23 burn. burn.

both lando and oscar's first wins are a few races away (have i been on this since the mclaren upgrades? yes, but-)

i'm genuinely curious about checo's future at redbull and the potential approach rbr is going to take regarding that second seat

same goes for danny tbh

driver pairing of the season is deffo lando and oscar (i dont think anyone else has been getting along quite this well)

williams' 7th in the wcc is just alex albon driving his wheels off

liam lawson deserves a seat in f1 and i can't wait to watch him succeed

right. so now that's cleared- i honestly have no idea how we are meant to cope during off-season,, if anyone has any tips n tricks be so kind as to share 🤲

[aprilias]

During the last race weekend, I posted about making a stats post about three particular riders if it received a certain benchmark (one like). Since we reached that marker with ease, and I have nothing better to do with my time, I am presenting you the findings of this research.

The Context: Jack Miller’s "princess" rant was post-race at the Sachsenring on 18th June 2023, so it’s almost been a full year since then. In this rant he targeted Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez who were complaining about their Yamaha and Honda bikes not working last year and told them to shut the fuck up and stop complaining, a quote that seems to have aged poorly when looking at their results.

So let's see if this is the case...

Qualifying results:

(Also for reference, each of these will show 2023 and 2024 results separately because there will ofc be a spike for a certain someone who went from a Honda to a Ducati lmao)

For 2023, Miller did the best out of the three in terms of his average qualifying position, narrowly ahead of Marquez, and he also had the highest qualifying position of them all (his P2 at Silverstone in wet conditions).

Quartararo did the best in his inter-team battle with Franco Morbidelli last season, being the top Yamaha in nearly 85% of the races. Marquez was the top Honda in 9 out of the 13 races (with Joan Mir x3 and Taka Nakagami being the two riders to beat Marc to top Honda in qualifying last year).

However, when it comes to the three of them, it was Marquez that was able to qualify the highest on the grid, with him beating Quartararo and Miller in 6 out of the 13 races post-Sachsenring in 2023. Jack was top 4 times, with Fabio taking the remaining three (as you can hopefully see by the colour-coordinated gold, silver and bronze).

For 2024, it's clear to see that Marc has been the best out of these guys, with the highest average position, as well as being the only one out of the three to take pole position which he earned in Jerez. However, he has only been the top Ducati twice, in Jerez and COTA, but as well all know he has a year old bike to contend with the Pramacs and factory Ducati riders.

The rest of the data shows that both KTM and Yamaha have gotten worse, with Fabio and Yamaha failing to qualify in the top 5 so far this season, but despite this, he still leads the head-to-head against his teammate. Jack, on the other hand, has a respectable qualifying average so far in 2024, but has only been the top KTM once (in Portimao).

So far this year, Marc has been the best of the three 4 times, with Jack taking two and Fabio taking his one win over the three in Le Mans.

Sprint race results:

For 2023, none of the three riders had particularly good sprint record, with the highest average finisher (Miller) not having a good enough average to even score points.

Marc earned the most points in the sprint races last year with 23, though he only finished in the points three times. Fabio scored the lowest number of points and had the lowest average position, however he was still able to earn a podium.

Marc and Fabio share the exact same record in sprints when it comes to beating their teammates, with the two of them being the top Honda/Yamaha over 50% of the time.

In the 2023 H2H, Marc was the best of the three across the 12 weekends (due to no sprint in Phillip Island), winning 5 of these battles; Miller took four sprint weekends and Fabio took 3.

Marquez clearly has the better record in sprints this year, with his average position of third leaving him on the podium. Fabio's average has improved since last year but he has only finished in the points once, and Miller's has also improved - with his average position ninth and meaning he would more often than not be in the points.

Marc, Jack and Fabio all currently have the better record against their teammates in the sprint races in 2024. Marc has a 100% record against his brother Alex, while Fabio has beaten Alex Rins in six of the seven sprints so far this year (which could've been 7/7 if he had completed the Mugello sprint). Jack has beaten Brad in 5 races out of the seven, however is still struggling when it comes to beating the rookie Pedro Acosta, as he has only been the top KTM bike once.

In the H2H between the three of them, Marquez takes it on the sprints winning 6/7 races. Fabio takes the other with his fifth place in Jerez.

Race results:

In the main races in 2023, it was Fabio who led the statistics between the three riders. Despite having the worst average qualifying, he won six of the 13 weekends against Marc and Jack. Marc took 4 while Jack took 2; although Assen is colour coded here, they all DNFd so it doesn't count, and it is coded in order of race completion (so because Fabio DNfed the latest he's gold if this makes sense).

Marc and Fabio once again had the better of their teammates in 2023, while Miller was only able to beat Binder in 23% of the races. This is even more damning for Miller when comparing the teammates' 2023 averages - with Binder averaging a finishing position of 4.8, while Miller's was 10.6. This is compared to Marquez vs Mir (9 vs 10.75 in Marquez's favour) and Quartararo vs Morbidelli (8.42 vs 12.23 in Quartararo's favour) where the battles are closer, and the riders are winning their team and factory head-to-heads despite being considered to have a worse bike than the KTM.

In 2024, it's clear that Marquez has the better race statistics, with three podiums and an average position of 5th. However, he has not finished as the top Ducati in any race so far this year, but he does have the better record against his teammate.

Quartararo and Miller have similar records with their average finishes this year, however Quartararo is the more consistent rider with more points and more races completed. He is also currently winning his head to head against teammate Alex Rins by finishing ahead in 57% of the races in 2024.

In terms of KTM, it has been a disaster year for Miller, who is yet to finish ahead of his teammate in any race this year and, consequently, has not finished as the top KTM. His average is significantly less than that of both Binder (6.71) and Acosta, the rider that will replace him next year, who has an average race position of 7th.

From this, Marquez has won the 2024 comparison in 6 of the 7 races, with Quartararo taking the remaining one.

In summary: Although he has done well in qualifying and sprints since these comments, Jack Miller has been outperformed by both Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez on inferior machinery (for Marc's stats from 2023). Marc has of course had the better of 2024 after switching to Ducati, but also has won out against the other two in qualifying and sprint races while on a Honda for 2023. Fabio does well in the races despite his relatively low qualifying positions, but is limited from achieving top 5s due to the Yamaha's capabilities. Jack does well in qualifying and sprints, but when it comes to the main events on Sundays, he lacks a bit in comparison to his rivals.

From what this data is showing, it seems as if Marc has comprehensively beaten Jack Miller despite his complaints about Honda in 2023, and Fabio has also narrowly done it due to his race pace. In short: those comments aged not-very-well to say the least.

If there's anything anyone wants to know or ask about then my asks are always open but I kinda had fun doing this!

[danthropologie]

the prodigal son returns

1.florence and the machine, wish that you were here | 2. abu dhabi | 3. x | 4. florence welch, useless magic | 5. sochi 2020 | 6. stephen adly guirgisthe, the last days of judas iscariot | 7. monaco 2018 | 8. carol rifka brunt, tell the wolves i'm home | 9. x | 10. x | 11. anna akhmatova, the guest | 12. @catilinas | 13. joan bauer, almost home | 14. china 2018 | 15. x | 16. pascal mercier, night train to lisbon | 17. drive to survive s4, monaco 2021 | 18. john banville, the sea | 19. hozier, work song | 20. malaysia 2016 | 21. x | 22. taylor swift, all too well | 23. cota 2022 | 24. x | 25. julia alvarez, gaining my self back | 26. abu dhabi 2022 | 27. ursula k. le guin, initiation song from the finders’ lodge

[alldancersaretalented]

Dancers You Might Know That Competed Against ALDC (Dance Moms) - Season 4

Season 4 Episode 1 Sheer Talent Wheeling 2013

New England Dance Centers attended the competition (Jade Clouds mothers studio, select team)

New England Dance Centers group "The Forgotten Children" comes in 1st ahead of ALDC "Girls Night Out"

Abby Lee Miller is listed as the choreographer for "Girls Night Out", even though Molly long choreographed the routine

Season 4 Episode 2 Believe Columbus 2013

Tillie Glatz (Studio Bleu) beats Kendall (5th) and Chloe (2nd) with her solo "If I Had My Way"

other well known studios: Studio Bleu

Season 4 Episode Special Dancers Care Foundation Benefit Competition Atlantic City 2013

Season 4 Episode 4 In10sity Orlando 2013

JoJo Siwa performs a solo ("Call Me Back") at this competition and comes in 3rd behind Maddie (1st)

Season 4 Episode 4 Dance Troupe Roanoke 2013

ALDC and CADC group dances are the only two dances competing in that category, ALDC scores 3.2 points higher than CADC

Season 4 Episode 5 Masters of Dance Arts Atlanta 2013

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 6 Onstage America Voorhees 2013

Michelle Quiner (North Jersey Sch. o. D. A.) competes in the Advanced Teen Division and places 1st with her solo "Sunrise"

other well known studios: Jamie's Dance Odyssey, North Jersey School of Dance Arts

Season 4 Episode 7 Sheer Talent Bronx 2013

Michelle Quiner (North Jersey Sch. o. D. A) comes in 1st in Teen Solo with her solo "Sunrise", ahead of Brooke (4th)

other well known studios: North Jersey School of Dance Arts

Season 4 Episode 8 Fierce Dance Competition Woodbridge 2013

Kaeli Ware performs for ALDC, comes in 3rd with "The Sparrow"

Kamryn Beckn and Chloe Smith also compete for ALDC, however their solos don't place as the competition has all dances of one age division compete against each other for a mere Top 3

Season 4 Episode 9 Masters of Dance Arts Fort Wayne 2013

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 10 Masters of Dance Arts Detroit 2013

Ava Cota competes under BDA and places 3rd in Junior Solo with "Read All About It", she places behind Maddie (1st) and ahead of Kendall (9th)

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 11 In10sity Toledo 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 12 World Class Talent Experience Rockville 2014

Season 4 Episode 13 World Class Talent Experience Canton 2014

Season 4 Episode 14 Dance USA Columbus 2014

Season 4 Episode 15 Masters of Dance Arts Buffalo 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 16 Energy NDC Youngstown 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 21 Sheer Talent Wheeling 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 22 In10sity Olmsted Falls 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 23 POWERHOUSE Front Royal 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 24 Imagine Woodbridge 2014

other well known studios: Studio Bleu

Season 4 Episode 25 Believe Woodbridge 2014

Season 4 Episode 26 Energy NDC Watersford 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 27 Sheer Talent Wayne 2014

competition created just for dance moms

Season 4 Episode 28 DanceKidsUSA Orlando 2014

Season 4 Episode 31 In10sity Calabasas 2014

Ava Cota competes as an independent and comes in 3rd in Junior Solo, and 10th overall, behind Kendall (3rd Jr, 9th Overall), Kamryn (6th Tn, 7th Overall) and Chloe (5th Tn, 6th Overall)

other well known studios: San Diego Dance Center

[reigningmax]

United States Grand Prix 2023, photo by me.

[xiaoluclair]

For the different type of kisses prompts 18 (drunk kiss) and 28 (sloppy kiss) with Charlando <3

18. drunk kiss

28. sloppy kiss // charlando // rating: T // written in a rush so plenty of grammar and spelling mistakes

"Fifteenth," says Alex.

"Fifteenth," echoes George, "the fuck are you on, straight vodka? At least twenty five."

"Pretty sure it's two," says Max. "Yeah, one in Austria."

"And Miami and Imola and Silverstone and Spa." Pierre sticks a finger up for each one. He ends up with seven; he is on straight vodka.

"So five?" asks Alex.

"I was closest," says Max. His grin disappears behind a peculiarly tall gin and tonic. It's like Esteban, if he were glassware.

After a few more seconds -- Pierre has, by this point, finished his drink and Alex is explaining to him the technicalities of having horses for cats -- George says, "We should probably break them up."

"You do it then," says Max. "Spoilsport."

"Perve," says George, but gets up. It takes a few seconds of barging through people, but eventually he has his hands on Lando's shoulders, gently tugging him off of Charles's mouth. A string of saliva follows. Definitely a flash of tongue.

"George," says Lando after he's turned around. "The fuck?"

"Go convince Max to order another round," says George, nudges him in that direction. The motion is inhibited by the very insistent grip Lando has around Charles's wrist. The wrist is attached to a potent glare.

"Find someone else for your revenge porn, Russell," says Charles. He pulls Lando in, who flops quite happily back onto his lips. Ugh, there is tongue.

Thing is, they don't remember any of it.

"So," Alex will say, "you and Lando had fun last night."

"We did?" Charles will say "I hope you also had fun. Did you join us?"

"Unfortunately not," Alex will say.

"You sound very sincere," Max will tell him, grin. "Lando, you good?"

Lando will groan.

"He's good," George will reply.

Monza, Alex comes in hot. "We should make a bet." His hand curls over the rail as he leans forward. His ear knocks Max's head. "Like -- sorry -- a tenner if they say they remember this weekend. Or whichever weekend."

"A tenner in which money?" asks Zhou.

"Pounds," says Alex. "Or, shit, is that bad of me? Any currency, just equivalent to a tenner in pounds, or, crap, is that also bad of me?"

"I can forgive you," says Zhou benevolently.

"Will we start this weekend?" asks Carlos.

"Is this about Charles and Lando?" asks Lewis.

"Yes and yes," says Max. "I can type out people's-- I don't have my phone."

"I do." Lance waves his phone.

"Same," says Lando. His head pops up over Carlos's shoulder. "Why do we need a phone?"

"Instagram photo," says Valtteri. A cacophony of quite exhales; good save.

MONZA: heavy drinking ensues. Charles has Lando pinned to a seat in the lounge before Lewis has had his first drink. You should wear your medal, Lando definitely says (source: Fernando), and let me fu-- OKAY! Kevin. No more please. Out: Carlos.

SINGAPORE: no drinks are consumed. Pierre finds Charles in his room, participating in an online 'SebVet' cult. Lando is sleeping under a George Russell blanket. Out: Lance, Esteban, Nyck.

JAPAN: heavy drinking ensues. Lando and Charles start making out at approximately 23:41:07 pm according to George. Lance leaves the room at 23:41:09 from "visual scarring." Out: Pierre, Valtteri.

QATAR: no drinks are consumed. Fernando runs a PowerPoint presentation on the benefits of sober sex on driver performance. The line is toed, but no rules are broken. Out: Kevin, Zhou.

COTA: light drinking ensues. Lando spends the night swiping left. Charles spends the night convincing him to swipe left. Out: Yuki, Logan, Lewis, Nico.

MEXICO: heavy drinking ensues. Checo is discovered cheating -- in the bet -- and disqualified for active coercion. In the morning, Charles is found on Max's bed. Lando is found on his feet, on Max's bed. Max is found on the floor. None of them remember a thing. Out: Checo, George.

BRAZIL: no drinks are consumed. They play Mario kart in Lewis's room while Lewis is out on his 904th victory lap for the fans. Out: Alex, Max.

LAS VEGAS: heavy drinking ensues. Lando is found in Charles's shower curtain, under his coffee table. Charles is found in the parking lot behind Home Depot with Esteban and Yuki, holding a plastic pot of bright orange Potentilla fruticosa. Out: no one.

ABU DHABI:

"If Lando was a flower, what flower would he be?"

"What kind of question is that?" asks George.

"A good one," replies Valtteri.

"Potentilla fruticosa," says Charles. Or-- attempts to say Charles.

"Why?" prods Alex.

Charles makes a cup with his hands. He is possibly about to conjure a tiny chicken. "It is small and cute."

He does not conjure a tiny chicken. Pierre pushes aside the disappointment.

"I do not understand it," he muses to Nico and some of the others. Lando and Charles are otherwise occupied up by the bar, so. "They really do not remember anything every time?"

"Apparently not," says Nico.

"Maybe they do," says Oscar, "and they just ignore it."

"Lando could not ignore something to save his life," says Alex, snorts. "Definitely not kissing Charles."

"If they did a DNA test," starts Max, "do you think they would be the same?"

George picks up his drink to check if it's straight vodka. Max snatches it back. "I am just saying that they must swap at least a litre of spit, right?"

"Going to throw up." Lance slides out of his chair and leaves.

There is silence for a minute. Then: "It is very disgusting," says Yuki.

Out: Oscar.

"Sit and sit." Alex points to them both in turn.

After a moment: "We're already sat," says Lando.

"Then stay that way," says Alex. "Because I am not having your concussions on my head."

"Obviously not," says Max. "They would be on their own heads."

"Shut up," says George.

"You two." Alex's finger points with feeling. "Keep getting super drunk and when you get super drunk you start making decisions your sober selves might not appreciate."

"But I did not think drunk sex actually affected my driving performance," says Charles.

"Neither," says Lando. "Shit, does it?"

"No," says Alex. An emotional breakdown is possibly knocking on his door. "You -- okay, promise you won't get weird. Promise? Okay, you. You keep. Kissing. Each other. On the mouth. Don't freak out."

A few seconds pass. Then: "Kissing," repeats Charles slowly. "Like how. How do you mean."

"Your tongue," explains Max helpfully, "in his mouth."

George casts him a look. "Why must you be so crude."

"You have a better description?" says Max.

"Ignore them," says Alex. "And back to your tongue in his mouth -- I said don't get weird."

"I'm not getting weird," protests Lando. "I just.

"You're looking at me weird," says Alex.

"Yeah," says Lando, "because obviously me and Charles, uh."

"Kiss?" supplies Charles.

"Yeah," agrees Lando. "We're, like."

"Kissing a lot," says Charles.

"Yeah," says Lando again. "Exclusively. Exclusively, right?"

"Yes." Charles nods.

Alex's eye, which has been twitching for the past twenty seconds, is having a stroke. "I--"

"Am going to pay up." The bathroom door opens; Fernando wipes his brow. "It is very warm in there."

"Pay up?" asks George.

"How long were you in there?" asks Max.

"I won the bet, a few hours."

"You did not win," protests George. "No one won. They were always remembering."

"Well," says Charles, "not always."

"The bet was when they admit to remembering." Fernando slips over to the door. "I expect your 'tenners' by the evening." And slips out.

"He's good," says Alex after a beat.

"There was a bet?" asks Lando.

"Shut up," says Max. "Kiss Charles not drunk for once."

"Perve," says George.

A few seconds later: Alex wrinkles his nose. "How is it worse?"

[nico-di-genova]

you play f1 23 as well! i started recently, but only at the sim set up in a gaming hub. i wanna but it for my laptop as well! i love doing fast laps on spa :))

Yes, I do! I don’t have my own setup, I play on the controller when I’m at home 🙃. But my sisters boyfriend has a sim so I spend a lot of time over there, lol.

Honestly, I know it’s one of the easiest circuits, but I love COTA. The speed you can maintain through there makes it so much fun. I’ve only done spa like two times, I’ll need to give it another go!

[valyrfia]

the one thing that’s giving me hope about ferrari in 2024 is that they finally improved on their car throughout the 2023 season! their development was positive! unlike so many years before when they start the year with a fast car and end with a shit box. and yeah mclaren did too massively, which is a little scary but i feel like ferrari had a faster car than red bull at some point in 2022, so they can find that pace again (hopefully).

f-75 my beloved come back to us 🥹

I agree! We all talk shit about the SF-23 (with good reason) but let's not forget that (barring the DNS in Brazil, DSQ in COTA and DNF in Zandvoort) Charles did not fall outside the top five ONCE since Spa last season. That's an improvement that should be celebrated!

The reason why McLaren improved was to do with downforce, which makes me hopeful that at some point they'll hit that ceiling that Red Bull are at, whereas Ferrari's improvements were literally because they switched to trying to cater to Charles's driving style more than Carlos's. The reason why the F1-75 was beloved was because it was catered to Charles's super oversteery style (til it was changed to accomadate Carlos, but that's another story!) Ferrari can still get that downforce improvement that McLaren benefitted from (which in turn makes it easier to oversteer at high speeds because of the grip on the front tyres).

But yes, never forget what Mattia Binotto took from us. Charles could have contended the champinoship up until Abu Dhabi in 2022 (any maybe even won it) if he had a team that was cohesively behind him like Max did. Instead, we got a catering to the driver not in the championship fight, and as a result lost out on both the WCC and the WDC.

[lestappenforever]

So, if Lewis to Ferrari is literally one step away from happening, I have a few takes, which tbh might not be up everyone’s alley, but honestly they are crucial in the sense (both from an engineering-ish and psychological perspective) (engineering-ish because I’m supposedly an engineer who is one semester away from graduating with my Engineering Bachelor’s?!)

So Engineering wise, let’s look at the car preferences. Charles likes oversteer, he prefers the limit of it. Lewis however, prefers understeer. And this could be quiet a problem because in the case if Lewis joining Ferrari, they would have to again do the equation of who to prioritize in car build, over or under, Lewis or Charles

Another thing to look at is Strategy. We all know Ferrari is the biggest fuck up when it comes to their strategy calls, they down right have no sense in it. And yes, while Mercedes have had this kind of shit show going in last year (COTA was a damn clear example) I don’t think Ferrari are suited enough for the type of shitshow that would happen if they have 2 number 1 drivers.

Additionally, we all know that after Micheal, Mercedes was kind of revolving around Lewis. Yes they’ve fucked up in 22 and 23, but let’s not forget the years prior, where lewis was DOMINANT (I’m looking at you haters of max and RBR dominance).

Now to a more psychological side of things. Ferrari have just renewed with Charles, it’s literally been 1 week. In their renewal, they stated that Charles is the team leader, he is the number 1 driver, he is the one who will lead and guide Ferrari. Which we saw in this week, with the contract announcement video, the shift in momentum in Ferrari, Arthur becoming one if Ferrari’s development driver AFTER he was dropped by the Ferrari Drivers Academy. You can’t say that Charles had a hand in this.

If Lewis were to join Ferrari, this shift that Charles is the number one man in the Scuderia would mostly collapse. I mean, if you have a 7-time world champion in your arsenal, you would do everything to give him what he wants. Whether that would be car preference, priority, the better strategy, etc. And Ferrari IS a messy team in that sense. They focus on politics and sponsorships A-LOT, I mean, the Santander backup for carlos and how the sponsors have played a part in the build of the car and the priority Carlos was very prominent. They would shift from “Charles is our man, our number 1 driver” to Lewis in MERE SECONDS.

In addition, Lewis KNOWS how to play these political games. I mean, going from McLaren to Mercedes, after Micheal retired to today, where you had multiple teammates and YOU had the priority (let’s not look at Brocedes rn, I’ll still get to it) and you had the team do EVERYTHING you want, in order for YOU to Dominate. Yeah, Lewis knows how to play the games. And let’s not forget what he said when rumors that he was going to Red Bull were like. He clearly said that he won’t leave, he’ll stay in order to re-build the team back up to its glories, etc etc. Or was it his way to jsu say he’s ONLY opposed to energy drink vroom vroom team not red prancing horse vroom vroom team?

As for Brocedes, again, it was a game if politics. PURE POLITICS within Mercedes. Lewis is continuing his games and kind of building a team to his liking, but he was met with one who’d known his games, who’d known how to play them (que Nico aka Britney). The fact that Nico was a factor that brought Lewis to Mercedes, yet left after winning, leaving the entirety of the sport, just shows that there was something within the team, and maybe Nico wouldn’t have had the way he’s had in 2016 ever again in the team, where he wouldn’t have been able to race or do what he did in 2016.

So, from engineering and psychology, the Lewis signing to Ferrari wouldn’t make sense, and Lewis and Charles would be okay team mates, they won’t be the best of friends because of the fact that they both are number 1 drivers. Of course only time would tell, but brainrot has been brainrottinh since last night and I just needed to get this off my chest (que more that you know playing in my head rn) (I did Not realise how long this is until rn and I’m extremely sorry fir this long ass ask

These are all very good points, without a doubt. And it's really interesting to read your take on this situation from an engineering standpoint especially, so thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! ❤️

But I honestly can't agree or disagree with any of them for two reasons:

There is no guarantee this rumor will actually pan out and prove to be true.

We have no way of knowing, one way or another, how this would all play out should it turn out to be true and Lewis does end up joining Ferrari for the 2025 season.

The 2024 season still hasn't even started, and so many things can - and likely will - happen long before any of this even comes into effect, if it does at all.

Whatever may end up happening in the future, only time will tell how it will all go down. And it will be very interesting to follow the development of this whole situation, if the rumor has any real truth to it.

[silverstonesainz]

🏎️💨 THE FORMULA 1 TAG GAME! 🏎️💨

Creds to @avida-heidia-5 for making this!

thank u @vinvantae & @rose-tinted-juls for the tags! if u see this and u havent done it, i'm pointing at u to do it.

who or what got you into F1?

my best friend got into it first, and spent the better part of two weeks to watch dts so that i could get a general run down before she let me watch races. and the only reason i did end up watching it was through her showing me a photo of charles leclerc everyday for a week of the two, and wore me down.

who was the very first F1 driver you supported? do you support them now? have your opinions on them differed or stayed the same since then?

danny was the first driver i watched and paid attention to, and i still do keep up with him and wish him all the best. and i would say that my opinions on him have evolved with time and his ever changing situation.

who’s your current favorite F1 driver?

if it isn't already obvious, it's carlos. my top 3 is carlos, charles, & danny. theyre my guys

(see more under the cut!)

is there a driver pairing or pairings you support? what made you attracted to that pairing in the first place?

maxiel is really the only pair that i would say i support. i think of them so often, more than charlos or even carlando. maxiel is real special to me. i think galex is a close second because ever since it an anon mentioned the idea of george and alex in merc together, i havent been able to shake it.

do your parents, siblings or relatives have a favourite team and/or favourite driver(s)?

i am the only person who really keeps up with f1. but id like to think my mom supports carlos bc she asks about how he does sometimes. (also fernando bc... viva españa!)

do you have any favourite races? are there any that stand out to you the most?

baku '22 (it was the first race i ever watched and its sooo wretched), canada '22 silverstone '22, austria '22, abu dhabi '22, & singapore '23. these all are races that are engraved in my memory, all the good and bad. i have many– too many– thoughts about em actually.

do you have a favourite circuit? can be from the past or from the current calendar.

i do looove circuit gilles villeneuve a lot, the hairpin at turn 10 turns me on. some special mentions: singapore, suzuka, & cota.

have you ever been to an F1 race in real life? feel free to tell us your experience going to one if you like.

noooo, i wish. one day thought when im a wag

have you ever met an F1 driver in real life?

no, but i have seen george, lewis, & checo in person!

do you have a favourite F1 car? if so, what is it?

i can't think of any off the top of my head except the all chrome mclaren from once upon a time. but i wouldnt say its my favorite, just the one in the forefront of my memory

do you have a favourite one win wonder?

i'll say george because i love how emotional he gets. and i mean he makes me so angry but what a win for him ya know?

do you have any favourite quotes from the F1 world? this can either be inspirational or hilarious.

all of kimi's radios in the one compilation. he is sooo funny, and sooo dear to me. when seb said he wants to go home after hs crash with mark (?). it's on purpose, from carlos in singapore '23. of course daniel's whole enjoy the butterflies spiel. sooo dear to me even if i hate butterflies. special mention: for the first time in formula one, carlos sainz is victorious!!!