#series: formula bmw

[drvscarlett]

About You Pt1

Pairing: Sebastian Vettel x Webber!Reader

Summary: Everyone knows about the history of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But there's a well kept story within the paddock about Sebastian Vettel and another Webber. This is that story.

A/N: I know I said that its a whole one shot only but I don't think that I can do it. I have to cut it because there is a lot of history. I hope you all enjoy.

About You Series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Taglist: @spideybv28 @randomcuboidshape @mehrmonga @casperlikej @cliosunshine

2005, Circuito de Jerez

The earliest memory that Y/N has of Sebastian Vettel was watching him test the Williams-BMW car.

It was her first time accompanying Mark and she was still grasping some of the key concepts of Formula 1 when Sebastian headed to the car. She watched how he drives and how the team were discussing about how he is a potential driver for the seasons to come.

"You know Seb is just a year older than you" Nico Rosberg, who has been keeping you company for the testing that afternoon, stated.

"Then that will make him the youngest driver if he enters Formula 1"Y/N mused.

Y/N didn't know but she was pretty excited to see him on track. She knew that this Sebastian will change a lot of things in F1 and will probably make history. At the same time, she can't help but be a bit worried since its a dangerous sports. One second you can be living the dream and then the next you find yourself recovering in a hospital room.

Sebastian Vettel gets out of the car and lifts his visor. There was a certain spark in his eyes that Y/N didn't miss out. Its the spark that showcase how much he loved to race.

Y/N didn't miss how her heart skipped a beat.

2006, Istanbul Park

The next time that Y/N sees Sebastian Vettel was during the free practice. He was a Friday driver for BMW-Sauber and he is as impressive as the day she first saw him in Spain.

"That kid just set out the fastest lap" her brother, Mark was shocked by the time set by Sebastian.

"That kid has a name" Y/N stated "and its Sebastian"

"Oh how come you are so informed about this missy?" he wondered

"He drove with you in testing season last year remember" Y/N replied.

The replay on the screen showcases the bold moves that were made by Sebastian. It was like he was driving like he is a man on a mission. If Y/N will bet, there is a lot of teams that will be shortlisting his name to their team.

"What do you think about him?"

"A little bit of reckless, I mean 6 seconds in your formula 1 career and you already have a penalty. There must be some kind of record for that" Mark was referring to the speeding penalty that Sebastian received as soon as he left the garage.

Y/N mumbles a small hmm as she continues to watch how Sebastian moves around the track. She was sure that sooner or later, she might see Sebastian more often.

2007, Albert Park

Fridays aren't too crowded as the Sunday races but still there was a bit of pressure in Sebastian Vettel's shoulder as he entered Albert Park.

He walked the paddocks and tried to visualize himself not just a Friday driver but an actual driver for the Sunday races. He pictures the screaming crowd chanting his name, the smell of burning rubber, radio messages from the team, and even being at the podium with the champagne.

In his daydreaming, he didn't realize that he bumped into someone. All he saw was that a girl was down on the ground with papers all over.

"I'm terribly sorry. I was not looking where I was going" he apologized.

"I'm equally at fault too"The woman assured "It was not wise to type and walk especially since this whole place is swarming with people"

Sebastian helped the girl compiling the papers and he noticed how the papers seem to be like contract for sponsorship. He looked at her and tried to identify which team did she belong to but her lack of team merchandise makes it difficult.

"You're new here?"he tries to decode.

"No, I'm not. I've been coming here since 5 years ago" there was an accent in her voice. Australian, if Sebastian was right.

"Huh, you must know your way around this whole place"

She takes a closer look at him, "You're that rookie Sebastian Vettel"

Now Sebastian doesn't have a huge following that he knows of and this is probably the first time that someone outside the family knew about him. Now, he felt even more curious about the girl.

"How did you know my name"

"Hard not to especially when you set a record to having the fastest penalty in their f1 career" she joked.

Normally Sebastian will be annoyed by the reminder of his mistake last year. He choose to forget that small mishap and avoid talking about it. But this time, he felt like the giggling is contagious that he can't help but smile when talking about his mistake.

"I assure you that I'm a much more better driver now" he states, holding up his hand as if saying that he swears he is a better a driver now.

"Hoping to see you deliver Vettel" she grins.

The girl started walking away from Sebastian when it occured to him that he didn't even know her name. He rushed to catch up with her.

"Wait, I didn't get your name"

She looked at him and there seems to be a slight hesitation

"If we meet again in a formula 1 race then I'll tell you my name" then the girl walked out of his sight.

2007, Indianopolis track.

It seems that luck has been on Y/N's side because she managed to avoid Sebastian during the past races. But it seems as if this luck is running out slowly since they are bound to meet up this weekend as Sebastian was bumped from reserve driver to formula 1 driver due to the injury that Kubica sustained in Canada.

She was hanging out at one of the coffee machines when she felt somebody tap her shoulder. She gave him a smile upon recognizing him.

"Sebastian Vettel, shouldn't you be preparing in your f1 car now?"

There was a loopy grin on his face, "Mystery woman, I was beginning to think if you are just a figment of my imagination.

Y/N pressed the hot cup to his hands, "I'm very much real and not just a figment of your mind"

"So will you tell me now your name?" Sebastian wondered. He has to admit that it has been bugging him for weeks on end about who this mystery woman is. He even went to ask around the paddock but his description was very vague and no one could help him.

"Its Y/N, nice to meet you" Purposely leaving out the last name.

In Y/N's mind it was just a safety pre-caution to leave out her last name. It was for her own good as well because people tend to act differently once they hear about your big brother or your connection to the sports. For once in her life, Y/N wants to be seen as just Y/N.

Maybe she just want to prolong this little charade for a little while longer.

"Y/N nice to finally meet you"

2007, Nürburgring

Maybe its the home turf advantage that boosted his confidence but Sebastian managed to ask Y/N if she would like a tour around the place. Thankfully, she agreed. Sebastian was already blabbering about the places that they have to get to and Y/N had to remind him that they're not staying for a vacation.

He will tell you that he is not freaking out but he prepared for the whole afternoon. He even asked his mother what outfit should he wear to make it seem like a casual hangout. In his defense, he never had a lot of friends growing up and he certainly didn't have beautiful australian girls around.

"You know you don't have to bring me flowers, were just touring around"

It was his idea to bring flowers because he often sees it in airports. When someone new is in town, they bring them flowers. He felt like the orange gerberas were a good pick as advised by the florist he knows.

"But the flowers made you smile" Sebastian grinned "I'm more than pleased to have a happy tourist to tour around"

Then two engaged in a conversation about their early life. Sebastian shared stories of the town he grew up in and his stories of motorsports.Y/N, on the other hand, listened and shared some bits of her life in Australia before she traveled around the world.

Eventually the duo ended up in an orange farm, where they picked out oranges and waited for the sunrise to set in the horizon. It was a core memory that they will share with one naother.

"We should do this again sometime"Y/N suggested

"Its a breather for you and I" Sebastian agreed "Away from all the lavishness of F1 and the pressure of the sports"

"Sounds like you wanted to run away with me"

"Who wouldn't want to run away with someone like you?"

2007, Fuji Speedway.

The past few weeks has been stressful for the Webber siblings. The articles published by some news sites seems to be getting on Mark's last nerve. Everyone seems to be taunting him about how he is over a hundred of race starts already but then he still haven't won anything. The pressure is high and Mark was determined to prove them wrong.

"Mark just don't do anything stupid okay?" Y/N begs.

She watches as Mark suit up for the next race. She was already used to her brother racing but she knew this race was a little different since her brother wanted to win.

"I'm not going to be stupid Y/N, I'll drive good today and I'll get that win that they want"Mark grumbled.

Y/N handed the helmet to her brother, "Just stay safe, I don't want to lose you"

"I'll come back safe"

The race went underway and as usual, Y/N watches it in the comforts of the driver's room. She did not want too many attention focused on her and she felt like her heart might actually come out of her rib cage if she watches it on the stands.

Japan's wet races gives Y/N a heavy feeling that something bad might happen. Her heart beats rapidly as she watches cars after cars spin out or crash. She prays that none of them was Mark. or Sebastian.

There was 20 laps to go when her ears started ringing that a Red Bull has been rear-ended by a Toro Rosso.

'Please don't let it be Mark and Seb. Please don't let it be Mark and Seb'

But the voices in the Red Bull pitlanes and the storming voices of Mark confirms her worst nightmare.

"That kid is so stupid, he shouldn't have been allowed to drive" Mark roared "I had that in the bag, I was going to win"

Y/N immediately hugged her brother, "Its alright, the win will be coming soon Mark. What matters is you are safe"

There were frustrated tears from Mark as he cried in the embrace of his sister. Privacy was given to the siblings as the race continues on. She was so focused on her brother that she didn't notice that there were several messages in her phone.

Seb: Where are you? Seb: I messed up my race and Webber. Seb: Call me when you get this. Please?

2007, Shanghai International Circuit

It felt like a heavy weight on Sebastian's shoulder after he messed up. He kept on blaming himself that he did not just mess up his own race but he also messed up Webber's race. It did not help that Y/N was not replying.

The media has also been eating him up with the way that Webber responded to him. He was called a kid that did not have enough experience. It stings a lot but now he has to put up a brave face and just race.

"SEB! SEB!"

Sebastian looked back and he saw Y/N. There was no hesitation in him but he immediately hugged her. It was the only time ever since Japan that people aren't mad at him or hounding him for questions. He felt at ease to be with Y/N.

"Where have you been, I have been messaging you over the weekend"

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Y/N says "And before I forget, I made you this as a token of my apology"

In her hand, she has a paper bag. Sebastian's curiosity is piqued upon looking at the contents inside the bag. There was a tupperware with food and a sticky note in a messy handwriting "for sebastian vettel, you can do it."

"You cook?"

"I don't but hey its the thought that counts. I figure that you might need-"

Y/N doesn't have to explain a lot because Sebastian already appreciated the gesture. He hugged her again and it seems like everything just got a little bit lighter for Sebastian that weekend.

It wasn't Sebastian's weekend at all but remembering the little note, that was tucked inside his helmet, he felt a lot better. He can bounce back next season.

2008,  Autodromo Nazionale di Monza

This was the internal dilemma of being Sebastian's friend and being Mark's sister. The two of them are in different side of the coins for this season. Two drivers shared the same family with Toro Rosso being the sister family of Red Bull but it seems like that's their only similarity.

Then there was the mixed emotion. Of course, Y/N was proud of Sebastian because he is slowly improving and shining with every grand prix. She was always elated when they see each other post-qualifying or post-race at the hotel rooftop (it has been their common knowledge that they will meet up there so that they can get fresh air together). On the other hand, Y/N knows about the pressure that it is being placed with her brother. Mark has been declining and losing hope for a maiden win. He has been in the sports for some time and he believes his time should have arrived by now but he lost opportunity after opportunity.

Y/N can't fault anyone for this one. Both of them just wanted to achieve their dreams. She wished everything does not have to escalate but here they are in the 2008 Monza Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel was starting on pole while Mark was starting third. Everyone is buzzing about the possibility that Toro Rosso might clinch a first win before Red Bull. It was something that Y/N knew bugged Mark's mind.

It didn't help that it was a rainy start and it sort of brought her back to Japan 2007. She was not an overly religious person but she prayed to any higher being to please don't let Mark and Sebastian crash with each other again.

The race went underway and the rain was not as heavy as Japan. Still there was some crashes and some spin. But Y/N felt the conflict of emotions start again upon seeing how Mark started to drop places while Sebastian pulled away from the rest.

Y/N went out of the driver room when it was nearing the end of the lap. She didn't know whether she should run and congratulate Sebastian or she should stay behind and comfort his brother.

Of course, blood is thicker than water.

Mark looks absolutely defeated as people started to ask him about how he is feeling when their sister group got its first win before them or how did he manage to mess up his 3rd position to eight.

"Just please give him some space, we will be answering the questions later" Y/N stepped up. Right now she was not Mark's sister but rather Mark's assistant.

Y/N helped Mark to go back to his driver's room so he can get a few minutes to himself before he gets questioned by the media again.

"It feels like shit. I feel like I can't do anything right" Mark threw his gloves across the room.

"It wasn't your time yet Mark" Y/N replied. Its like a broken record at this point which frustrates Mark.

"Then when will it be my time? Sebastian has been here for just a year or so and he already have a grand prix victory"

Y/N knew that this was the dam breaking. No words can comfort her brother right now so she just went to give him a hug. She could only wish in silence that Mark gets his win eventually.

On the other side of the paddock, there was cheering. Sebastian Vettel was in cloud 9 as he saw the Toro Rosso mechanics and engineers calls out his name. Everyone was in full party mode that they have even tossed Sebastian up in the air.

Everyone wanted to talk to him. They wanted to ask him about how he is feeling or how he created history today. He was the youngest driver to have a maiden win and the first one to bring victory to Toro Rosso.

But Sebastian eyes seem to search for someone in the crowd. He wouldn't voice it out but there was a certain woman he was hoping to see when he stepped into the podium. It had a slight twinge in his heart but the roaring crowd silenced that feeling.

'Maybe I'll see her later' Sebastian thought.

However, there was no Y/N in sight for the rest of the weekend.

2008, Marina Bay Street Circuit

Sebastian was still experiencing the highs of his Monza win and the Singapore GP has also been a good race for him. He might not have a podium finish but 5th was good enough. However if there was one thing that bothered Sebastian was the lack of Y/N sightings.

He tried messaging her after Monza but there was no reply. He thinks its probably weird that he didn't even get a congratulations because surely Y/N would know about it. There might be a couple of reasons why she didn't see it which is a) she was sick or b) she resigned.

Sebastian was gunning for the first choice because surely Y/N won't just resign without saying goodbye.

So imagine his surprise when he saw the woman that has been bugging his mind at the exit of the pitlane.

"You could have answered my texts you know" that was Sebastian's greeting to her

Y/N seems to be caught off-guard by Sebastian's presence. She was still in her work outfit Sebastian takes note as she was carrying a tote bag.

"I'm sorry. It just got a little busy for me"

Sebastian nods, he understands how having a job here is quite difficult. He could not fault her for that.

"Why not lets celebrate? I won in Monza and I finished fifth here"Sebastian offered "Consider it as your make up dinner for not congratulating me"

There was that hesitant smile gracing her face again and it reminded Sebastian of the first time she didn't tell her name. She seems extremely conflicted.

"Seb I would love to but I still have to do some work and-"

"Y/N, there you are"

Sebastian and Y/N whipped their head to the source of the voice. Mark Webber started walking towards them. It confused Sebastian as to why he knew Y/N but then he remembered that Mark was probably the one that Y/N has been working with.

"I told you to wait for me"Mark says as he picked up the bag of Y/N "I was just fixing some things with Christian"

"I can carry my stuffs myself Mark" Y/N replied

"But you have been walking in your heels the whole day, it's going to make you cranky sooner or later" Mark quipped back.

Now this confused Sebastian. It seems like their dynamics is not just work related but rather something personal. He also felt like he has missed a whole chapter and he feels very invisible at the moment.

"You two know each other?"Sebastian managed to ask.

There was a panic in Y/N eyes as if she wanted to explain but it was Mark that beat her to it.

"Of course, I know her" Mark admitted "Why wouldn't I know my sister?"

And it was that moment that Sebastian pieced out why she haven't been able to message him or why she was MIA as well in Japan. He felt stupid because he never inquired why she didn't give out her last name or why she was booked at the same hotel as the drivers.

Great just fucking great.

2008, Interlagos

It was eating her alive that Sebastian is not in speaking terms with her.

In hindsight, she understands that sooner or later, she has to tell him about who really is. She just didn't know that it will be as early and as unprepared as what happened in Singapore. She also got an earful from Mark who questioned how did she manage to meet Sebastian and why does it seem like the two are close with each other.

Honestly, she can't wait for the season to be over so that she can rest from all the drama but she knows that she has to make amends before winter break starts.

And so she slipped to the Toro Rosso garage, under the disguise that as Mark's assistant, she has to talk to Sebastian. So here she is in Sebastian's driver room, waiting for him to arrive.

"Can't I deal with this after-"Sebastian immediately stopped in his tracks upon seeing Y/N "Oh its you"

Silence enveloped the two of them. Y/N has a practiced script in her head but no words doesn't want to come out.

"I'm giving you five minutes or I'm kicking you out" Sebastian warned.

"I just came here to say that I am sorry. It wasn't really my intention to deceive you. I just wanted to be friends with you without my last name being too intimidating. I know that its terrible but I was going to tell you my name someday but Mark just got into the way and its all shit"

She was word-vomitting, she was sure of it. But hey its better than keeping everything as a burden on the shoulders.

"Say something please?" Y/N wondered with Sebastian's silence.

"You could have told me, don't you trust me?"

"I trust you Sebastian. Its just, its really complicated to be seen as Mark's sister or Mark's assistant. I just want to be just Y/N when I'm with you"Y/N sighs.

Y/N felt bummed as she thought she could fix this before winter break starts but she knows he might need some time.

"I know that its not easy to forgive me. Its selfish of me to do that so I won't force you to forgive me" she says "I'll give you some time to collect your thoughts"

Y/N reached out for the door when she felt a hand tugging her back. She saw Sebastian reaching out.

"Just give me some time"

"I will. Don't worry" she understands "I have to say I'm really proud of you this season. You did well Seb"

There was that silence when Sebastian held her. She knows things are far from okay and there is the upcoming season that has the possibility of Sebastian being upgraded to Red Bull but in this moment, none of that matters. Its just them. Just Y/N and Seb.

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Sergio Perez

Hello, this is part of a series where I focus on one driver on the current (as of Oct 2024) grid and give an overview over their career and driving styles. I will be going in championship points order. Enjoy!

Name: Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza

Age: 34

Nationality: Mexican

Years in F1: 14 (2011-2012 Alfa Romeo Sauber, 2013 Mclaren, 2014-2020 Force India/Racing Point, 2021-Present Red Bull)

Number: 11

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Perez is most well know for his patient and defensive driving style. He regularly is able to hold off stronger and faster cars behind him for extended periods of teams, meaning he holds position well and also is an asset while defending his teammate. Perez is also known to have great tire management skills, often patiently waiting until his rivals tires wear out before going on the attack with his better-maintained ones. He is also excellent in complex weather conditions, including full wet and wet-dry. A downside of Perez's style is that he struggles with consistency and setting a qualifying pace. He often is outpaced and out qualified by his teammates, especially his current one.

History:

Born not to a legacy racing family but involved in racing nonetheless, Perez began his karting career in 1996 when he was six years old. In his first year of competition he achieved four victories in the junior category and was 2nd in the standings as a rookie karter. In 1997, he participated in the Karting Youth Class, where he was the youngest driver in the category, and had a positive year, finishing 4th in the championship. The next year, in 1998, he would become the youngest driver to win the championship in that same category.

(Perez in karting)

In 1999, he raced in the 80cc Shifter category, finishing 3rd in the championship. He actually was too young to race in this category, but obtained special permission to do so and was the youngest driver to achieve a win in the category. In 2000 he would go on to do much of the same, regularly being the youngest in the categories he race din. He would soon draw the attention of various sponsors and national racing organizations. The next few years of his career would yield similar positive results, though he did not win any titles.

In 2005 Perez moved from Mexico to Europe in order to compete in the German Formula BMW ADC Series. His first year in this series would not yield super positive results, but he would improve in the 2006 season, improving to 6th in the standings. In 2007 he would switch into Formula 3 for the first time. He competed in the National Class and would win his first title that year. In 2008 he would compete again, but only get 4th in the standings.

(Perez racing in Formula BMW)

Pérez joined GP2 in 2008 for the GP2 Asia Series 2008-2009. He was the first Mexican driver to compete at this level of motorsport since Giovanni Aloi took part in International Formula 3000 in 1990. He would show significantly positive results in this series, bringing home multiple podium finishes and sprint race wins. 2009 he would switch to the main 2009 GP2 Series. Pérez finished 12th in the standings, with a best result of second coming at Valencia. His 2010 run in GP2 would be a lot better, ending the season 2nd in the standings.

(Perez after a win in GP2)

Late 2010 it was announced by F1 team Alfa Romeo Sauber that Perez would be joining their team for the 2011 season. Through this, Perez became the 5th Mexican to compete in F1. During the time of the announcement, he also became a Ferrari Academy Driver. Perez had a relatively average rookie season with Sauber, finishing in points positions a few times. He would finish that year 16th in the standings after. bad crash knocked him out of three races. 2012 was a better year for Perez, as he achieved his first podium in Malaysia, and two more during the season. He finished the year in 10th, above his teammate.

(Perez on first podium)

In 2013 Lewis Hamilton vacated the Mclaren seat and Perez was announced as his replacement, ending his relationship with the Ferrari Driver's Academy. He would have a middling year withe Mclaren, his highest finish being 4th. He would also have friction with teammate and WDC Jenson Button, who described his driving style as 'overlyaggressive'. Perhaps this is why later Perez evolved into a cautious and patient driver.

(Perez, right, with Mclaren teammate Jenson Button)

In 2014 Perez would join Force India, and solidify himself as a midfield driver. For a majority of his career with the team he would be a steady driver, most often outpacing his teammates. He achieved a few podiums with them, but also had moments of disaster, famously suffering several crashes throughout his time. He outlasted the Force India name, and was retained when the team became Racing Point in 2019. He would achieve his first win with Racing Point at the 2020 Bahrain GP, an energetic race that allowed him to show his skill. All in all, his time with midfield teams yielded good results for him, often outperforming his teammates and pulling the car to higher positions than it should be. That year it was announced that he would be joining Red Bull for the 2021 season, replacing Alex Albon.

(Perez after first win)

His time with Red Bull would be a mix of bad and good. During this time, he would regularly achieve podiums and a few wins. In 2021 he would finish 4th in the standings. While this was deemed a positive result, his teammate finished first and it put some scrutiny on Perez. 2022 saw Perez finish 3rd in the standings, behind his teammate in 1st and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. That would also be the year he achieved his maiden pole position, at the Jeddah GP. 2023 was his best year in F1, being one of few drivers to win a race that year other than Max Verstappen. He would finish 2nd in the standings behind Verstappen, and help Red Bull win another WCC. He would also help Red Bull win their first ever 1-2 in the championship.

(Perez with teammate Verstappen, 2021)

2024 so far has been a mixed bag for Perez. While he has achieved multiple podiums, he has also regularly qualified and placed multiple positions behind his teammate. This performance has led to speculation that Perez would be removed from Red Bull half way through the year, or in the 2025 season. The speculation was put to rest when Red Bull announced a contract extension through 2025 with Perez.

(Perez on the podium at the 2024 Austria GP)

Major Races:

2012 Malaysian GP - Perez's highest finish of his career then, and his first pole position. He displayed excellent tire management, completing a long stint and maintaining a competitive pace.

2014 Bahrain GP - His first podium with Force India. Perez displayed his famous defensive driving, holding off much faster cars for the entire race.

2020 Bahrain GP - Perez's first win in his last year with Racing Point. He had the greatest comebacks in his career, after being spun to the back of the grid. It was a remarkable race as he battled his way to 1st, and is the race that won him His Red Bull seat.

2021 Baku GP - His first win with Red Bull. Baku would become a track that he is known for competing well around. He held off Lewis Hamilton (who was fighting his teammate for the championship) the whole race. Many attribute his win in Baku as a major part of Verstappen's first WDC.

2022 Monaco GP- Monaco is famously a tricky circuit, and he raced extremely strategically, outmaneuvering both Ferrari's to win. It was also yet another race where Perez showed his skill in wet-dry conditions.

Alright, that's all for Perez! Up next is Fernando Alonso.

Cheers,

-B

[f1version]

BARBARA ROBERTS ★ DTN SERIES

series’ masterlist

An old chapter is reopened, that force and distinction that drove Barbara Roberts to the top of F1 for two consecutive years, back home. Malibu Racing is a new temple, the extension of a legacy.

Barbara Roberts, Team Principal and CEO of Malibu Racing F1 Team has her origins tied to history books. A two-time world champion whose on-track abilities couldn’t be ignored. A fierce competitor who came back for more.

At the young age of four, Barbara began chasing the excitement behind the wheel, observing karting races closely, going home, and developing her talent with each lap of her uncle’s old kart. She found happiness in speed, enjoyed visiting the Phoenix Street Circuit each year, obsessed over the Indy500, and watched Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost challenge each other throughout the years. Suddenly, she began to dream about a hot-pink car, all her notebooks filled with drawings of it. She, as well as her family, then understood that racing was a fire that needed to be fueled.

Roberts made her kart racing debut at the age of eight, and after winning her first race, it was a matter of time before her name was engraved on several US-based kart championship trophies. However, further progress would require expanding horizons, which prompted the Roberts to move across the ocean in 1994, supporting Barbara for what could be a challenging career. 

Europe was fast, she stayed faster. By fourteen her collection of kart titles included national, international, and world championships. Every race and practice aimed for that unattainable perfection, being aware of the judging eyes on each step she took. At 16 years old, Roberts was fearless, deciding to pursue another dream of hers, an engineering career. She used to say that the pressure was a reminder of what was yet to come.

Pieces began to fall into place, Barbara embarked on single-seaters as soon as age allowed it. Her first title in Monoposto Racing Club was followed by titles in Formula BMW ADAC, Formula Renault, and the Formula 3 Euro Series — all consecutive titles. And bound to keep the momentum, she started hunting for a seat in Formula One, closing the deal with BMW Williams in a reserve capacity for 2004 and securing a race seat for the 2005 season. 

Debuting at 21, Barbara spent her year fighting at the midfield in struggling machinery, yet was able to finish 10th in the World Championship, once again pouring ink on paper for what would be BMW Sauber in 2006. An improvement in reliability for her sophomore season placed Roberts on track for her maiden Grand Prix victory in the streets of Monaco, an unbelievable, emotional, and well-remembered drive that holds her in the tracks’ spotlight to this day.

For the 2007 season, Scuderia Ferrari took the bet on two young talents: Barbara Roberts and Kimi Räikkönen, giving both drivers the exact same 3-year-contract and an opportunity to make history. 

The pair held a fiery battle all season, ending in one of the most astonishing title deciders in the sport’s history, where the world championship rested on their number of wins due to a tie in the points. The crown sealed on Räikkönen, but Barbara’s own would arrive that very next year, securing it after 8 wins and 15 total podiums.

In her final year of mastery, Roberts became a double World Champion after a year-long battle against Brawn’s Jenson Button, three points separating them. And despite being contracted to race in 2010, Roberts decided to leave F1 behind at the end of the 2009 season.

After her F1 retirement, Barbara has taken on different roles and challenges throughout the years. In 2011 revealing her retirement's original reason, Roberts announced her new position as CEO of her family’s emblematic automobile manufacturer, Malibu Motors, linking nostalgia with modernity. In 2016, they held the biggest car launch in history, presenting one supercar and seven SUVs which resulted into having six of those as the bestselling cars of the year. In 2017, Malibu Motors became part of the Formula 3 engine programme, making the public think that was her only form of a comeback to motorsport. Yet, one year later, a victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was waiting for her and former rivals, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. And, in for 2019, she begun sponsoring multiple young women across motorsport, mentoring those in the path to Formula One.

Important figures of the sport, old colleagues, and the public, believed Barbara would be back in the car sooner or later, but after fourteen years, she has opted for a different path. A decade-long project becomes reality in 2023, with two hot-pink cars flying on track, resembling Barbie’s old childhood drawings.

★ Malibu Racing F1 ⓒ 2023

THE PINK MEMBERSHIP — @lorarri @fefieverywhere @inejghafawifesblog @lenean7 @boiohboii @monacokisses @nyxblessed @whenelisefallsinlove @peachiicherries @folklorelvrr @spencerrxids @destourtereaux @lovelytsunoda @landonorizzz @love4lando @evans-dejong @cielolercs @mae119 @spacius @almostjollypizza @elliegrey2803 @thatsadsmallchild @formulaoneluver33 @obsessed-fan-alert @teamspideyman @mikauraur @goldsainz @iamk-shale @fefieverywhere @be-your-coffee-pot @asian-vulcan @schumacheer @opheliaas-stuff @satellitelh @sialexia @folkloresreputation . . . join the taglist here

[georgegraphys]

Y'all need to understand that George is the most successful (ex) Mercedes Junior Academy driver. Because:

- After his first meeting with Toto, Gwen Lagrue put him on Tech1 Racing to compete as guest driver at Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. In the last race of the series, he took a win, pole position and fastest lap from the champion aka Nyck De Vries' hands. as a GUEST DRIVER. a wild card.

-Beat DTM drivers in literally his FIRST time testing in a DTM car, topped other teams' lap times incl. Audi and Mercedes DTM team. Not to mention him topping the lap times made BMW's professional DTM drivers do more laps to try and top George's times.

-In his 2nd FRECA season and his first year as an unofficial Mercedes Junior. Mercedes can't sign him w/ PREMA since PREMA is set to focus on a certain driver that year so they had to sign up for George with Hitech GP, a team that is new to FRECA and what did George Russell do? Bring that Hitech to 2nd in teams' championship as his teammates placed 7th and 19th and he ended up 3rd in the drivers' standing

-He went on to dominate the GP3 field with the highest points % gained of ALL time and highest point lead from the vice champion of ALL time.

-Don't get me started on his F2 stats. From double DNF in Monaco to P12>P1 in Baku and still the record holder for highest point scorer of all time. He is one of the four people to score 3 poles in a row in F2 and had a total of 5 poles, 7 wins, 11 podiums, and 5 fastest laps. All that while ART had a pretty shitty beginning of the season

Bonus: He is the YOUNGEST ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

Don't take George's junior career as a joke.

[diabolus1exmachina]

BMW M1 Turbo (the extraordinary case of the BMW M1 with 1000 hp)

Ignore the livery. Or don’t ignore it. Like with every other Jägermeister racing car, it might be hard to actually walk past this orange beast without giving the standout paint job at least one glance. It was designed to attract attention, just how Günter Mast — the man that gave his OK to race cars with the famous stag on the bonnet — intended. The truth of the matter is, however, that this particular car’s convoluted history is as complicated as the story of the BMW M1 itself. Therefore this car is not what it seems to be, as the orange Jägermeister livery stems from the imagination of the man that rebuilt the car, the legendary M1 whisperer Fritz Wagner. And if you ask anyone at Jägermeister headquarters about the car, they will potentially reply with a polite letter from their legal department. To paraphrase Samuel Beckett: there’s nothing funnier than tragedy. And so, the story of the BMW M1 could be perceived as one of the automotive world’s funniest. The car was originally designed with the ambition to create the greatest, mid-engined racing car of all time. One that would beat Porsche’s dominating 935 in the all-important Group 5. A masterpiece made of speed and German reliability which, in reality, became a car that had to be reverse engineered to be sold for the road. All because of changes in racing rules and homologation, which stipulated how many cars had to be produced before a particular model was allowed to hit the track. The production number of 400 cars — which seems so minuscule by today’s standards — turned out to be the first problem on a long list of unfolding disasters.

In essence, the life of this beautiful, light, well-made machine that had been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who reworked Paul Bracq’s original prototype, was plagued by bad luck and bad decisions. The fact that Lamborghini — who were supposed to produce it at their factory — went bust because of copyright fraud and embezzlement of funds didn’t help. However, it was the rushed solution to disperse production all over Europe that was the final nail in the coffin. Marchese built the car's tube frame, TIR molded the fiberglass, Italdesign mated the two and installed the interior, then the M1 was shipped from Italy to Stuttgart, where Baur would in­stall the BMW hardware, after which in Munich BMW Motor­sports would do the final touches and quality control. It made the M1 almost a quarter more expensive than any equivalent Ferrari or Lambo sold at the time. Case closed.

British generals in the second world war would often joke that Germans were not very good when it came to Plan B. This might be true. In the end, even if BMW’s head of Motorsport Jochen Neerpasch, the brilliant man that he is, thought of a way to market the M1 with the Procar series, in which F1 drivers like Niki Lauda, Clay Regazzoni, and Nelson Piquet would race the cars against privateers, as a prelude to the weekend's Formula 1 race, too few examples were made for the car to ever officially leave Group 4 as was originally intended. Later on, those teams who managed to finally race in Group 5, years after BMW abandoned the programme in order to enter to F1, found the M1 simply uncompetitive. Even the twin-turbocharged models built by Schnitzer, which developed 800 hp and more from their straight six engines, were plagued by problems. his finally brings us to this particular, rather unusual example. It was allegedly built for the famous Walter Brun racing team, who later on won the Group C World Championship with a Jägermeister-liveried Porsche 956. Brun’s friendship with Paul Rosche, the man who turbocharged the BMW 2002, gave rise to the idea of installing the M88 turbo engine originally planned for the March Group-5 car into a modified M1 Procar chassis wrapped into Group 5 bodywork. However, the car was never raced. Why? Even at BMW no one knows. Particularly good news considering that back in the day, when this 1090 kg machine was put on a dyno, it put out 1000 hp and 930 NM of Torque. A reading obtained just before the machine broke while the car apparently still wanted to keep going. Now in the hands of a new owner who intends to race it regularly, it will have plenty of opportunity to shine. And so a new chapter unfolds…

[distantlaughter]

Formula BMW engineer in interview: What makes Nico Rosberg tick

By Christian Nimmervoll, originally written 27 June 2015 for motorsport-total.com (x)

Between VIVA and Keke: Peter Sieber worked with Nico Rosberg when he wasn't yet a Formula 1 star and remembers the 2002 season in Formula BMW.

Many people have the wrong impression of Nico Rosberg. He comes across as effeminate, pseudo-intellectual, aloof. But envy is something you have to fight for - and level only looks like arrogance from below (to quote some Facebook wisdom). In fact, the Wiesbaden native, who grew up as the son of Finnish Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg and a German mother, is a well-bred, smart young man who speaks five languages, happens to be an excellent racer, and earns millions doing it.

What's still missing is the world championship title. With his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, Rosberg proved that he shouldn't be written off even when his back is supposedly against the wall - there's life in the old dog yet. And in doing so, he gave himself an early birthday present: Today, June 27, the Mercedes driver turns 30 - and is presumably in the prime of his Formula 1 career.

Reason enough for us to talk to a man who not only knows the superstar Nico Rosberg, but also worked with the up-and-coming driver Nico Rosberg when he first came to Formula BMW from karting - and won it outright, as the very first champion of the then new series in 2002. Peter Sieber was hired as race engineer for the world champion's son - and taught him the basics of racing.

Getting to know about Arno Zensen

Question: "Mr. Sieber, how did you meet Keke and Nico Rosberg?"

Peter Sieber: "That went through Arno Zensen, now head of the Rosberg team in the DTM. Arno used to work for Walter Lechner, and we've known each other ever since. Franz Tost was also involved at the time, who is now the boss of Toro Rosso. At the time, they had a South African race engineer at Team Rosberg in Formula BMW who had to go back home. So they asked me if I would like to be Nico's race engineer."

Question: "Can you still remember the very first time you met Nico?"

Sieber: "I had seen him at tests before, when we hadn't worked together yet. My first impression was of a very likeable and well-mannered young guy. In all my years in motorsport, I've noticed one thing: Drivers who have what it takes, who have the potential to make it to the top, don't say anything loud, don't argue, but are professional even at a young age. That was the case with Nico from the very first moment."

"I was a bit scared with him: father Keke Rosberg, Formula 1 world champion, enough money. There are always these father-son stories when the father wants the career more than the son. But that wasn't the case. In terms of people skills, I learned a lot from Keke, namely from the way he dealt with his own son. Nico was always very interested, especially in technology. That's where he always wanted to know what was going on, everywhere."

Question: "They say that Nico was an intelligent student who, if racing hadn't worked out, would have studied aerodynamics or mechanical engineering. When they worked with him, he was still at school."

Sieber: "That's true. The others always said: 'Sure, that's Rosberg's boy, he can test the most and has the best material'. But in truth that wasn't quite the case, because dear Nico had just graduated from high school. So he skipped some tests, which I then had to drive with Kimmo Liimatainen, now team manager at the Rosberg team in the DTM. Because Nico didn't have time."

"Nico didn't have it easy. When he was good, everyone said, 'Sure, I can do it with these prerequisites. And when he wasn't good, they said: 'He's just Rosberg's son, he doesn't have his dad's talent. But Nico didn't want anything as a gift, he wanted to fight for everything. He worked his ass off to achieve that. I was captivated by him right from the start. I always tried to create the best conditions for him."

Spoiled millionaire's son my ass

Question: "Lewis Hamilton said in the 2014 World Championship battle that Nico has always been a spoiled millionaire's boy, while he himself had to work hard for everything. If I'm interpreting you correctly, you don't agree with that at all?"

Sieber: "No. Keke and Nico's mother, Sina, have a very special attitude; they're not aloof people. When we had stopped working together, and Nico later won his first Formula 3 race, Sina still came up to me afterwards and gave me a hug."

"I say to her, 'Sina, I had nothing to do with that, it was Erich.' Erich Baumgärtner, a friend of mine who was Nico's race engineer in Formula 3. But Sina to me: 'No, Peter, I mean it, because you did the dirty work.' That was a statement for me! The first year is always the most difficult - that's when you have to teach a driver style, technique, work ethic. It wasn't easy, but with Nico it was really fun."

Question: "What does learning style and technique mean? You're hardly going to have ridden in front of Nico like an instructor…"

Sieber: "A young driver makes his first statements at the beginning, and as a race engineer I have to filter out the most important ones right away. Many say eight to ten problems at once, from which I then filter out the main problem. Because when the main problem is solved, the smaller problems usually dissolve as well. Then I see on the data: 'You need to brake earlier, but come out of the curve with more momentum.' Those are the first fundamentals you work on with a young driver."

"A young driver can only tell you about the car if you explain to him beforehand what's important. Nico soaked it all up like a sponge, he fought every second. From home he had the opportunity to race, car, engine, team - others may not be able to afford that. But his driving skills and assertiveness, he fought hard for all of that. Whether it was dry or wet, he was always really good."

Like Father, Like Son

Question: "Nico's former kart team boss Dino Chiesa once said that Nico didn't get a PlayStation game from Keke that he really wanted, and that he also got relatively little pocket money. Which suggests that he felt relatively little of his family's wealth at the time, and was also just a young racer like any other."

Sieber: "I've known Keke for a long time. I can still remember that back then, as a junior driver, he always came to the race track with a trailer and bus. Keke learned to work his way up from the bottom. And he passed that on to Nico for his development."

"I remember the Formula BMW race at the Sachsenring. Officially, testing was banned, but others tested anyway. Our weekend went really poorly. The engineer was not good, the car was not good, the driver was not good. It was a pitch-black weekend, with spins and everything."

"Then Keke arrives, with a cigar in his mouth - and grins at me, who has such a blood pressure you can see my carotid artery: 'Peter, it's going to be all right.' And I: 'Were you in the wrong movie? What I saw was a disaster.' And Keke: 'What I saw is going to be fine.' Because you two are determined to make it together, and it's going to bear fruit.' At first I couldn't do anything with that, but then we improved from race to race."

"At the beginning, it was difficult to work together because I hadn't done all the official tests and first had to get to know the car and Nico. But then we worked our way up and became champions in the end. That season we had a test day at the Nürburgring before the race. I changed the gear ratio then, which is normally done by the mechanic. But there was no time for that because of the rain. And I mistakenly swapped fifth and sixth gear. In other words, where fifth gear should have been, sixth was - and vice versa."

"Nico drove out, came back to the pits very slowly and said with a smile on his face - with a smile, not kind of angry like others would be: 'Master, how do you actually count? One, two, three, four, five, six.' And I said to him: 'But you're doing your school-leaving exams right now, you'll manage that!' So he had to change gears stupidly, skip a gear with the clutch in the sequential gearbox, but he didn't care. The next morning I found a note on the transmission: 'Love from Nico, please put the gears in the right order!' That was Nico. That's the kind of person you live motorsport for."

Criticism always constructive

Question: "Were there also situations in which Nico could get loud?"

Sieber: "No, and that was the nice thing about working with him. If something wasn't okay, it was discussed, but not loudly or in an argument, but positively. He asked questions, contributed good ideas, and the collaboration got better and better. He worked hard for his success."

Question: "Nico already had the sponsor VIVA in 2002, in Formula BMW - and therefore had a lot of media presence earlier than other drivers. Was that an advantage or a disadvantage?"

Sieber: "People were already very attentive: son of Keke Rosberg, VIVA, very well-known among the youth. The hype was sometimes too much."

Question: "Girls, too?"

Sieber: "The girls raved about him anyway. But he didn't care. Nico did his stuff."

Question: "You can't tell me that Nico didn't have a girl at the start now and then…"

Sieber: "No, not at all, really! He wasn't the typical girl hero. Sometimes they are, and then they usually forget that racing should be the most important thing. That wasn't the case with Nico. He was focused and really never had a girl with him. It wasn't until the end of 2002 that I remember there being one - and I think that was his current wife Vivian."

Question: "In 2003, Nico met Lewis Hamilton again in Formula 3. Was it already foreseeable for you back then that this duel would continue into Formula 1?"

Sieber: "In Formula 3, Nico had a different race engineer, but that was a good acquaintance of mine, so I always knew what was going on with him. When we met at the race track, we always chatted. By the way, the contact hasn't completely broken off to this day."

"And yes, for me it was already foreseeable that this could go into Formula 1, because Nico simply has a very special way. He didn't have it as easy as Hamilton claims, as a spoiled boy who gets everything dumped in his lap. Our last race in Formula BMW in 2002 was at Hockenheim. Nico won, both races, in the rain and in the dry. Afterwards, there was the award ceremony for ADAC and BMW. Keke didn't go at all, but his mom, a few mechanics and I did."

Tears at Formula BMW victory ceremony 2002

"Nico had a knitted cap on, I remember it like yesterday. Then they called him up and said they had another 'little' present for him. I wonder what that will be? A Formula 1 test drive at Williams! That's when he really broke down, sat down, put his hands in front of his eyes and cried. He was so happy at that moment because he was so disciplined, he did without so much. That's very difficult for a young lad."

"And: He himself had done it - not because he was Keke Rosberg's son, but because he was the first Formula BMW champion. That's when I realized what racing meant to him. I still remember that day today as if it were yesterday - it has stuck in my heart. He said: 'It was always my dream to drive Formula 1 one day. That's what I've worked for.' That was an honest moment. As honest as Nico is."

Question: "Do you think it sometimes hurt Nico to be reduced to Keke Rosberg's son? Did that get to him?"

Sieber: "I think it was close to him. As I said before, if he was good, then it was the good material, but if not, then he's just Rosberg's son, but not as good as Keke. But Keke always stood behind him and told him: 'Nico, you have the greatest job in the world, you are a racing driver. People are all coming here to see your race. Enjoy it and have fun.'"

"And so he took all the pressure off the kid. That was awesome. That was Keke. People were brutal to Nico sometimes. When all he ever wanted was for them to just respect that he was doing his job, that he was doing everything he could to get into Formula One, and that he had talent. The Rosberg name was very positive for Nico, but on the other hand it didn't make it easy for him either.

Question: "It doesn't sound like Keke interfered much with Nico.

Sieber: "No. He left us alone. If he saw something that the competition was doing, for example, he told me, but without interfering. He would say, 'You can worry about that.' That was it, but then he was gone again."

Always looked up to father Keke

Question: "Nico's former karting team boss Dino Chiesa says that it was always important for Nico to once be as good as or better than Keke. Is that true in your opinion?"

Sieber: "He always looked up to his father, because Keke achieved a lot and was a driving force for Nico. But Nico was self-motivated enough to go this way and achieve something himself. He was looking in the right direction, he fought for it. Nico was an intelligent young man for his age. Of course, he sometimes took his cue from his father."

Question: "Were there ever moments when Nico cried to you about Keke?"

Sieber: "No, never. I admire the way Keke handled his boy. Keke always managed to motivate us all. In a positive sense, he was a gangster! It's okay to write that, I mean it in a positive way. Once he came to see me at the Nürburgring, Formula 1 weekend, and Nico had finished third in Formula BMW on Saturday. The conditions were difficult, race started in the rain, then it dried up."

"Keke comes up to me afterwards and is really happy about third place, but in the same breath says, 'We're not good enough, the others are better!' Inside I was boiling. That's when he lit a spark in me, so that even in the hotel I was still thinking about the car. And then we won on Sunday. Grins Keke: 'Oh, did it work?' Motivating his people, Keke always understood that."

Question: "Mr. Sieber, is there anything else you would like to add?"

Sieber: "Yes, two things. First, my son has a problem with his spine. I told Nico about it once in passing, and he said to me, 'Hey, my physio Daniel, he also had a back operation. I'll put you in touch with him, I'm sure he can recommend a good specialist. And that's what he did. He wouldn't have to do something like that - others don't."

"And another story: For the 2002 championship title, he got the Formula 1 test that Keke and Nico wanted to take me to. Unfortunately, my son was ill and I had to stay at home with a heavy heart. So they sent me a video after the test and talked to me live on the phone during the test. And Nico gave me his helmet, with which he became Formula BMW champion and tested Formula 1 for the first time, as a small consolation. That's just the way Nico is.

Question: "Will you wish him a happy 30th birthday?"

Sieber: "Yes, for sure. I'll think of something! We still see each other from time to time. Last year, for example, he invited me to the German Grand Prix."

[kingofthering]

f1 drivers : where were they before f1 and with who (promoting series edition)

Hello, today we’re looking at F1 drivers and the promoting series they drove in before reaching F1 (along with the results they obtained and the teams they were with). It’s also the occasion to notice which of them have known each other for a very long time, which I’ve also found quite interesting.

The main table contains a total of 42 drivers. All of the 2023 grid and drivers going back a few years (and a couple personal choices).

Regarding the instances where a driver only did a couple of races (and barely got points in the process), they might not have been included in the table.

You can find everyone ranked by birth year at the end of this post (under the cut), along with a study of each generation (which I think is the most interesting thing of it all) (with the 1985 exception, I only highlighted the year/serie combos where at least two of the concerned drivers participated).

I recommend clicking on the picture for better quality/to make them easier to read. I have made the google sheet available in reading mode here, for easier navigation.

A couple of things to note to understand the table properly, some changes in the series :

in 2019, F3 Europe and GP3 merged into the current F3 Championship

in 2017, the GP2 series became F2

in 2012, Formula Renault 2.0 Italia and Formula Renault 2.0 Switzerland merged into Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS

in 2008, Formula BMW ADAC (Germany) merged with Formula BMW UK into Formula BMW Europe

in 2008, French Formula Renault 2.0 became Formula Renault 2.0 WEC

in 2006, Formula Renault 2.0 Germany and Formula Renault 2.0 Netherlands merged into Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

F2 & F3 titles

4 drivers got an F3 series and F2 title, in chronological order : Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Mick Schumacher, Oscar Piastri (the only one who got them in consecutive seasons).

1985

Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg.

1986-1987

Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean, Nico Hülkenberg, Sebastian Vettel.

1988-1989

Jules Bianchi, Valtteri Bottas, Marcus Ericsson, Esteban Gutierrez, Brendon Hartley, Joylon Palmer, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne.

1992-1994

Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniil Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, Carlos Sainz, Stoffel Vandoorne, Pascal Wherlein.

1995-1996

Alex Albon, Nyck De Vries, Pierre Gasly, Nicholas Latifi, Esteban Ocon, Sergey Sirotkin, Max Verstappen*.

*yes, Max was born in 1997 but racing wise, it made more sense to put him in this group.

1997-1998

Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lance Stroll.

1999-2001

Lando Norris, Nikita Mazepin, Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, Guanyu Zhou.

List of drivers in the table & Birth Years

1976 : Webber

-

1980 : Button

1981 : Massa

-

1984 : Kubica

1985 : Hamilton, Rosberg

1986 : Grosjean, di Resta

1987 : Vettel, Hülkenberg

-

1989 : Ricciardo, Bottas, Bianchi, Hartley

1990 : Vergne, Perez, Ericsson

1991 : Palmer, Gutierrez

1992 : Magnussen, Vandoorne

1993 : Giovinazzi

1994 : Sainz, Wherlein, Kvyat

1995 : Latifi, De Vries, Sirotkin

1996 : Albon, Gasly, Ocon

1997 : Verstappen, Leclerc

1998 : Russell, Stroll

1999 : Zhou, Norris, Schumacher, Mazepin

2000 : Tsunoda, Sargeant

2001 : Piastri

[prema2018core]

HIII can you tell me more about your favourite rio ship?? and about that fic you're working on as well perhaps 😙😙

Well hello again my child, I'm glad you decided to ask again and welcome back to

RIO HARYANTO SHIPS SHENANIGANS

And I'm your host for this, prema2018core

Moving along to the first question: My favorite Rio ships that I had gathered are PasRio (Pascal x Rio), ValRio (Valtteri x Rio), StoffRio (Stoffel x Rio), Gutiyanto (Esteban Gutierrez (not the other Esteban) x Rio), and FeliRio (Felipe Nasr x Rio)

With some honorable mentions of JolRio (Jolyon Palmer x Rio), Eriyanto (Marcus Ericsson x Rio), SerRio (Sergey Sirotkin x Rio), RossRio (Alexander Rossi x Rio), PieRio (Pierre x Rio) and TehRio (Esteban Ocon x Rio)

I already explained the first two ships in your first ask so I'm gonna go ahead to slip to StoffRio now (and yes I'll be doing some more MPreg thoughts)

3. StoffRio (Stoffel x Rio)

I got the urge to ship these two when I saw their race winner photos together and boy...

Like... What do you mean this doesn't scream gay? It's literally giving Kimi no Nawa. Like the smile and idkejskdjw I love them your honor. Did you know that Stoffel basically congratulated Rio on his team radio when Rio got his maiden win in Bahrain and the fact that Rio was supposed to be in WEC in 2021 with Peugeot with Stoffel... Rio this is a call for help, please come back to motorsports your husbands need you.

MPreg thoughts: They have three children together, a singleton daughter and a pair of twin boys. Rio started crushing on Stoffel in 2014 and got close to him in 2015, they finally made it official in 2017.

4. Gutiyanto (Esteban Gutierrez x Rio)

The reason for how I got to ship these two are the same as StoffRio (and probably the other ships that I'm going to list here)

HELLO?! WEDDING PHOTOS?! AND THERE'S EVEN A CONTINUATION OF THIS PHOTO IN 2016?!

IT'S GIVING TEEN LOVE TO MARRIAGE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP AND I'M HERE FOR IT. Rio would definitely talk to him in Spanish and always ask Gutierrez if he said the things that he said are correct or not. Gutierrez calling Rio "mi corazon" will be the death for me and I'm fine with it. Their interactions in the junior series were just so cute that it might have given me diabetes.

Mpreg thoughts: Definitely teenage parents situation where they got drunk one night after the last round of GP3 2010 in Monza and they got freaky without protection. But it's a cryptic pregnancy so Rio doesn't even know he's actually pregnant. When the kid was born (it was a girl) they decided to do a shotgun wedding. When Rio got tossed aside by Manor, he went to Gutierrez for comfort and it turned spicy again which made him pregnant again.

5. FeliRio (Felipe Nasr x Rio)

Their interactions since Formula BMW was so natural I can't help myself to not ship this ship. A goofy Brazilian x Too Oblivious Indonesian, what's there more to ask??

Look at them, Felipe and his favorite ball of a sunshine Indonesian. I love em. They basically never leave each other's side during the driver's parade. Poor Rio basically clings to everyone he knows like his life depended on it.

MPreg thoughts: Even though they know each other since Formula BMW, I don't think they would go the teen pregnancy route. Rio is so oblivious to Felipe's pursuit that he just thought he was just doing his usual silly Felipe routine but no, Felipe was trying so hard to flirt with him. Rio got preggo after the 2016 season ended and it resulted in twins.

I'll go back to the ships (the ones in the honorable mention) if you ask for it as usual

For question two, I have two fanfictions cooking up one is an Mpreg fanfic of PasRio/Wehryanto that takes place in an AU where Rio got a seat in Formula E after his Formula 1 journey was a bust. The other one is actually a SeanNyck fanfiction with a touch of StoffRio added to it that takes place in 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 (SeanNyck) and GP2 (StoffRio)

ASK ME MORE SWEETIES!!

[onboardsorasora]

https://www.tumblr.com/onboardsorasora/763432054668066816/httpswwwtumblrcomonboardsorasora763429306526

All the boyfriends have some enchante piece released in the past few years

But Max is pulling out some of the now obscure ric3 merch from their Red Bull days so obviously Lewis has to pull out the HRT hat he has

They’re going back and forth with obscure Daniel merch from 2011 to 2018 when Valtteri shows up with something of Daniel’s from their junior series days

scream!! Val shows up, rocking a formula bmw shirt that daniel split some juice on and it got stained and then he wrote 'my bad :D' on the shoulder when Val fell asleep or something similarly obscure

Lewis has to pull for old snapchat and voice notes, pics and videos daniel used to leave on his phone cause he left it lying about

[youjustwaitsunshine]

Very Long 2010 pre-season Seb Post

Under the cut you will find posts from the sebsite which include:

The RB6 car launch + RB6 specs

Seb's test days in Jerez

Test days in Barcelona (original in german + my english translation)

a short blurb on the name of the car

some pictures

masterpost // pre-season 2010

10 | 02 | 10

2010 Car Launch

Sebastian Vettel | Driver – Car 5

Sebastian Vettel’s first foray into Formula One saw him fined for speeding in the pitlane during the first ten seconds of his debut. It’s fair to say he hasn’t slowed down much since.

Fame and fortune hasn’t made any discernable impact on Seb (“What fortune?” he asks, bewildered). He still gives his cars girl’s names, argues that there are more exciting things in life than driving Formula One cars (but not many) and is proud of being taller than Rubens Barrichello. He loathes being referred as ‘the new Schumacher,’ and so is relieved to see his Race of Champions team-mate returning to F1.

Born 3 July 1987 in the town of Heppenheim, Germany, Sebastian enjoyed a successful career in karting before making an immediate impression the moment he came into open-wheel racing. Starting the 2003 season aged 15, he won five of 19 races in his debut Formula BMW year, finishing second in the German Championship. The next year he took the title, winning 18 of the 20 races (he finished on the podium in the other two but doesn’t like to talk about them).

It marked Vettel as one to watch and he duly tested F1 cars for Williams and BMW-Sauber, while moving up through the junior ranks, impressing in Formula 3 and the World Series by Renault. Vettel’s chance in F1 came when he replaced Robert Kubica as BMW-Sauber’s third driver in the second half of the 2006 season. In addition to incurring the Stewards’ wrath, Vettel’s debut during Friday practice for the Turkish Grand Prix also saw him finish the day top of the timesheets.

While the performance on track was impressive, everyone was equally knocked out by the confidence and effervescence with which the teenage Seb dealt with the garage and Paddock. The authority with which he spoke and the evident self-deprecating wit stood him out as much as the blistering pace.

Sebastian finally got his chance to race a year later, standing in for the injured Kubica at the United States Grand Prix. Still only 19, he qualified seventh and finished eighth, becoming the youngest man to score a Championship point. Later in the 2007 season he moved to a permanent seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso. He made a lasting impression on future team-mate Mark Webber (and the rear of his car) during the monsoon-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji before bouncing back a week later to secure fourth place at an equally waterlogged Chinese Grand Prix.

Confirmed for 2008, Vettel didn’t have the best start to his first full season and crashed out of the first four races, mostly as a result of being dragged into other drivers’ accidents. Fortunately the crash-magnet curse was soon lifted and Vettel scored points at Monaco, Montreal, Hockenheim, Valencia, Spa, Singapore, Fuji and Interlagos – though the only race anyone properly remembers is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

On the back of a strong fifth place in Belgium, Vettel and Scuderia Toro Rosso went to Italy in good form. Torrential rain over the weekend failed to dampen their pace and Vettel duly became, first, the youngest driver to take pole position in Formula One history, and then the youngest race winner, having utterly dominated the race in which a rudder may have been of more use than a steering wheel.

Elevated to the senior Red Bull team for 2009, Vettel won his second, and Red Bull Racing’s first, victory at the third race of the year. He followed it with a string of podium and solid points-scoring finishes and established himself as a firm championship contender with a second, commanding victory in the British Grand Prix. He finished the season strongly with further victories in Japan and Abu Dhabi that, together with four other podium finishes, took him to second place in the Drivers’ Championship.

Definitely a follower of the ‘second is first of the losers’ philosophy, Sebastian has loftier ambitions for 2010. He lists his lifetime ambitions as winning the Formula One World Championship and beating Kimi Räikkönen at badminton.

RB6 – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Renault V8 engine as fully stressed member

Transmission: Seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. AP Racing clutch

Wheels: OZ Racing, Front: 12.0in x 13in diam., Rear: 13.7in x 13in diam.

Tyres: Bridgestone

Suspension: Front: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Rear: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Brakes: Brembo calipers, Brembo carbon discs and pads

Electronics: FIA (MESL) standard control unit

Fuel: Total Group

Renault Engine RS27 – 2010

Number of cylinders: 8

Capacity: 2400cc

Max rpm: 18,000rpm

Number of valves: 32

Vee angle: 90 degrees

Power output: Not disclosed

Engine construction: Cylinder block in cast aluminium

Engine management: FIA (MESL) standard control unit TAG310B

Oil: Total Group

Weight: FIA minimum weight of 95kg

important: the picture on the left is - on the sebsite - called 'sebi-vettel'

10 | 02 | 10

Sebastian and the RB6

It was windy, it was cold - rain was just a matter of time. Sebastian‘s face was nearly covered by his Beanie cap, but despite the dark clouds he was in really good mood. The reason why? It was the moment when his new car was unveiled. Sebastian laughs: „Finally we are back on the track - the winter break was far too long."

Sebastian stands in front of his car and proudly he gives a short version explanation: „We were lucky to have the best of all cars during the second half of the season. That means we had a very good base right from the beginning, so we just had to develop the car. In contrast some of the opponents had to develop completely new designed cars."

The only real new part: „I got a new seat, it‘s like having a new chair. Beside that in general all the more than thousand parts of a Formula One car have been optimised. "I have a feeling I can reach my target"… So far I have not made a decision regarding the car‘s name. So ideas are welcomed.More next Friday: Today and tomorrow my team mate Mark will do the shake down and the first laps.

On Friday it will be my turn and so on Friday evening I will able to give you further information, about how the RB6´s handling qualities.

------------

Jerez Test

12 | 02 | 10

JEREZ TEST – Day Three

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 59

Best time: 1.21.783

Circuit length: 4.423 km

Fastest lap: J. Alguersuari – 1:19.919

Sebastian Vettel drove Red Bull Racing’s 2010 championship challenger, the RB6, for the first time today, as he took over from Mark Webber on day three of the current four-day test in Jerez.

After an initial run on dry tyres, Sebastian was forced to use intermediate and extremes for the rest of the day as wet weather set in from 0945hrs. The team’s plan was to focus on aero-testing, but progress was hampered by deteriorating weather. By 1615hrs, conditions were so wet on track that Red Bull Racing, in line with the other Formula One teams testing in Jerez, decided to end the session early. Despite the weather, the car ran without any problems today.

Sebastian Vettel commented; “After three months, it was good to come back and drive the car – it felt okay and we didn’t have any big issues. Obviously the weather is not ideal for us to find out more about the car, but we knew the rain was coming so we didn’t mess around this morning and went straight out to do some laps. It then rained all day, but you could face these conditions in a grand prix, so it’s important to do laps in the wet. Overall, we didn’t do enough because of the weather, but I’m pretty happy.”

Sebastian will be driving the RB6 again tomorrow for the last day of this current preseason F1 test at the Jerez Circuit.

2010 Rider on the Storm

Sebastian Vettel | Driver – Car 5

"You can't influence the weather, we have seen that today. After a three month break, I was finally able to sit in the car today and it was good fun, I am still able to drive and the car feels good. This morning I did some (a few) laps in the dry the car went well straight away, but then it started raining and I had to park the car for some time in the garage. For sure it's a shame that it wasn't dry all day but also its possible to have rain in a race and so you have to learn to keep up with diffrent weather conditions. At the moment its still very difficult to give an idea of where everybody stands due to the new rules and the big tanks. The teams are driving with diffrent fuel levels and this also keeps changing. I hope it continues raining over night so that nothing is left for tomorrow and I can speed though all day, but as I said we have to see as we can't tell mother nature what to do..."

13 | 02 | 10

JEREZ TEST – Day Four

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 90

Best time: 1.21.203

Circuit length: 4.423 km

Fastest lap: L. Hamilton – 1.19.583

Sebastian Vettel was at the wheel of Red Bull Racing’s RB6 today for the final day of the current Jerez test. It was his second day of testing, as Mark Webber had driven on days one and two.

The team’s plan was to focus on set-up work and aero testing, although the weather once again played a part and damp conditions in the morning meant Sebastian began the day on intermediate tyres.

Conditions dried by lunchtime, but a fuel pump failure in the afternoon cost the team around three hours of dry running time. Sebastian ended the day with a final long run on dry tyres.

At the end of the RB6’s first test, Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering said: “It’s been a productive first week with the RB6, despite the weather and lack of dry conditions. We’re pleased with the car overall, it’s showing a lot of promise.” The next test will take place at the Jerez Circuit, starting on Wednesday 17 February.

-------

Barcelona Test

26 | 02 | 10

Barcelona Test - Tag 2 (english version below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-01

Auto: RB6-01

Runden: 125

Bestzeit: 1.21,258 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: N. Hülkenberg (1.20,614 Min.)

Das Team fuhr seine zweite Rennwochenend-Simulation, und am Ende des Tages hatte Sebastian 125 Runden zurückgelegt.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Heute erlebten wir in etwa eine Wiederholung der Renn-Simulation, die Mark gestern gefahren war. Alles lief mehr oder weniger nach Plan. Erneut stoppten wir das Auto während der Renn-Simulation. Dabei handelte es sich um eine Vorsichtsmaßnahme, um einige Dinge kontrollieren zu können. Es ging um ein kleines Problem, und wir konnten schon wenig später weiterfahren. Sebastian konnte die Simulation vor Ende des Testtages in voller Länge beenden. Wir drehten viele Runden und sind recht happy, was das Auto angeht."

Sebastian Vettel meinte: „Das war ein guter Tag - größere Probleme traten nicht auf. Im Verlauf des Nachmittags mussten wir wegen einer Kleinigkeit unterbrechen, aber bei Testfahrten ist das ziemlich normal. Während der Tests will man keine Schäden riskieren. Aus diesem Grund ist es am besten, das Auto abzustellen, sobald es im Hintergrund Alarmsignale gibt. Weil es in Jerez oft regnete, haben wir an den beiden kommenden Tagen noch viel Arbeit vor uns. Beispielsweise müssen wir mehr über die Reifen herausfinden und einige Abstimmungsarbeiten erledigen."

Sebastian Vettel wird morgen erneut zum Einsatz kommen, bevor Mark das Cockpit am Sonntag, dem letzten Testtag, wieder übernehmen wird.

Barcelona Test - Day 2

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 125

Best time: 1.21.285

Circuit length: 4.655 km

Fastest lap: N. Hülkenberg – 1:20.614

The team drove its second race simulation, and at the end of the day Sebastian had completed 125 laps.

Ian Morgen, Head of Race Engineering said; “Today we experienced about a repeat of the race simulation that Mark drove yesterday. Everything went more or less according to plan. We again stopped the car during the simulation. This was a safety measure to control a few things. It was a small problem and we could continue soon after. Sebastian could finish the race simulation in full length before end of the test day. We ran many laps and are quite happy about the car.”

Sebastian Vettel said: “This was a good day – no large problems showed up. During the course of the afternoon we had to take a break due to a small thing, but that’s pretty normal with testing drives. On test days you don’t want to risk damage. For that reason it’s best to stop the car once there’s alarms in the background. Because it rained a lot in Jerez, we have a lot of work to do in the coming few days. For example we have to find out more about the tires and do a bit of coordination work.”

Sebastian Vettel will take the wheel again tomorrow before passing it back again to Mark on Sunday, the last test day.

Barcelona Test - Tag 3 (english below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-02

Auto: RB6-02

Runden: 44

Bestzeit: 1.23,123 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: N. Rosberg (1.20,686 km)

Sebastian Vettel absolvierte in Barcelona beim letzten Test vor Saisonbeginn seinen zweiten Testtag. Der Tag wurde durch Regen beeinträchtigt. Morgens wurden wegen eines Mix aus Regenschauern und technischen Problemen nur wenige Runden gefahren. Der Nachmittag erwies sich als wertvoller, denn das Team arbeitete an der Abstimmung für das erste Rennen der Saison in Bahrain. Seine Bestzeit erreichte Sebastian während seiner letzten Runde des Tages. Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Nach den nächtlichen Umbauarbeiten mit Blick auf das für heute geplante Programm waren wir morgens wegen einiger technischer Probleme spät dran. Nachdem wir nachmittags richtig zum Fahren kamen, gelangen uns drei, vier Tests bezüglich der Abstimmungsrichtung für das Rennen in Bahrain. Sie brachten uns klare Resultate. Entsprechend beendeten wir den Tag in deutlich besserer Form." Am morgigen letzten Testtag werden sich Sebastian und Mark Webber das Auto teilen.

Barcelona Test - Day 3

Driver: Sebastian Vettel

Car: RB6 – 01

Laps: 44

Best time: 1:23.123

Circuit length: 4.655 km

Fastest lap: N. Rosberg – 1:20.686

Sebastian Vettel finished his second test day in Barcelona at the last test before the start of the season. The day was affected by rain. In the morning only few laps were run due to a mix of rain showers and technical problems. The afternoon showed to be more useful because the team worked on the race setup for the first race of the season in Bahrain. Sebastian reached his best time during the last lap of the day. Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering said; “After the nightly work in view of the program planned for the day we were late due to a few technical problems in the morning. After we got to driving in the afternoon, we managed to do three, four setup tests for the race in Bahrain. Those brought us clear results. Accordingly we finished the day in much better form.“ Tomorrow, on the last test day, Sebastian and Mark Webber will be sharing the car.

28 | 02 | 10

Barcelona Test - Tag 4 (english below)

Sebastian Vettel | Fahrer – RB6-02

Eigentlich wären meine Tests am Samstag abgeschlossen gewesen, aber durch die schlechten Wetterverhältnisse bin ich nicht auf meine gewünschten Kilometer gekommen.

Deswegen haben wir uns darauf geeinigt, dass ich am Sonntagvormittag nochmal ins Auto steige.

Am Freitag haben wir eine Rennsimulation gemacht, das verlief mehr oder weniger alles nach Plan. Jetzt muessen wir das erste Rennen in Bahrain abwarten, heute in 14 Tagen, wo alle die Hosen runterlassen... Wir müssen bis Bahrain noch etwas an unserem Topspeed arbeiten, aber insgesamt bin ich ganz zufrieden mit meinem Auto. Übrigens: Einen Namen habe ich auch schon, aber den werde ich erst am Montag vor dem GP in Bahrain auf meiner Website bekanntgeben...

Fahrer: Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber

Auto: RB6-02

Runden: 137 (Vettel – 76; Webber – 61)

Bestzeit: Vettel: 1.20,667 Min.

Streckenlänge: 4,655 km

Tagesschnellster: L. Hamilton (1.20,472 Min.)

Nachdem er gestern auf der Piste weniger Zeit als erwartet verbracht hatte, kam Sebastian vormittags zum Einsatz, während Mark unsere Vorbereitungen auf die neue Saison nachmittags beendete. Die beiden Fahrer standen vor ähnlichen Programmen, die das Team erfolgreich bewältigte. Die vorläufig endgültigen Abstimmungen für unterschiedliche Tankfüllungen beim Saisonbeginn wurden gefunden.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, sagte: „Weil wir gestern etwas Zeit verloren hatten, konnten wir mit Seb nicht alles abhaken, was wir uns vorgenommen hatten. Aus diesem Grund erledigten wir heute mehr oder weniger das Pensum von eineinhalb Testtagen, weshalb wir auf insgesamt 137 Runden kamen. Das war ein ziemlicher Wirbel, aber wir haben viel geschafft.

Der letzte Test verlief gut für uns. Nach eingeschränkten Testmöglichkeiten auf trockenem Asphalt während der beiden Tests in Jerez, hatten hier die fast komplett trockenen vier Testtage zur Folge, dass wir wieder auf Kurs kamen. Im Verlauf der Woche machten wir große Fortschritte. Das waren sehr gute Testfahrten."

Zwei Wochen trennen uns nun noch vom ersten WM-Lauf der Saison, dem Grand Prix von Bahrain.

Barcelona Test - Day 4

Usually, my Tests would have concluded on Saturday, but due to the bad weather conditions I did not get to the distance I wanted. Because of that we agreed that I’d get back into the car Sunday morning. On Friday we did a race simulation where everything went more or less according to plan. Now we need to wait for the first race in Bahrain, today in two weeks, where everyone will drop their pants… We’ll have to work on our top speed until then, but all in all I’m rather happy with the car. By the way: I have a name already, but I’ll only share that one on my website the Monday before the GP…

Drivers: Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber

Car: RB6-02

Laps: 137 (Vettel – 76; Webber – 61)

Best time: Vettel: 1:20.667

Circuit length: 4,655 km

Fastest lap: L. Hamilton – 1:20.472

After he spent less time on the track than expected, Sebastian was in the car in the morning, while Mark finished our preparations for the new season in the afternoon. Both drivers followed similar programs that the team successfully completed. The provisionally final setups for different tank fillings were found.

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering, said; ”Because we lost some time yesterday, we couldn’t finish everything we set out to do with Seb. For that reason we went over more or less one and a half test days worth of work, which got us to 137 laps. That was a lot of turmoil but we managed to do a lot.

The last test went well for us. After limited testing opportunities on dry track during the tests in Jerez, the almost fully dry four days of testing here let us get back on course. During the course of the week we took great steps. These were very good test drives.”

Two weeks still separate us from the first World Championship race, the Bahrain GP.

05 | 03 | 10

In diesem Jahr nenne ich sie Luscious Liz

Einige von Ihnen wissen vermutlich schon, dass ich meinen Formel 1-Rennwagen Namen gebe.

In der vorigen Saison fuhr ich zwei Autos, die ich auf die Namen Kate und Kates dirty Sister taufte.

In diesem Jahr nenne ich sie Luscious Liz!

This year I’m calling her Luscious Liz

A few of you probably already know that I give names to my F1 cars. In the last season I drove two cars who I christened Kate and Kates dirty Sister.

This year I’m calling her Luscious Liz!

back to the masterpost

the pre-season in general

[oceangirl24]

BMW FanFic Rec List: Updated 02/17/24

I felt it was time to put together a list of my favorite BMW stories. These are the hidden gems that I feel deserve more love.

All these rec can be found in my AO3 collection and is often updated first.

If you check any of these out, I'm sure the authors would love to hear your thoughts.

*NEW

In for three, hold for three, out for three by Thalia_the_tree_girl

Shawn has a panic attack in class, Mr. Turner comforts him.

George and Lila's Walk in the Park by @fandoms4lifesblog

George and Lila walk into the park to discuss their future

In between Bee True and State of Unions episodes

Valentine's Day- George and Lila by @fandoms4lifesblog

A one shot story of a first valentine's day with George and Lila

More BMW gems below the cut:

The Proposal by @fandoms4lifesblog

Missing scene of The Proposal of George and Lila

Topanga Meets The World by osced

There are just not enough Topanga-focused fics out there. This one takes a look what was going on with Topanga and her family when she wasn't with Cory.

Murphy's Fool by darkblueau- This is an incredible look at all the continuity and character inconsistencies we saw in BMW through Eric's eyes.

Very clever.

Boy Meets Family by Myfavoritefoodissoftpretzels

The boy in this story is Shawn and it takes a closer look at his life with Chet and Virna post "Fishing for Virna". The thing that makes this story so unique is that it keeps the sitcom vibe of the show while dealing with more serious issues. It's rare to see someone follow the show's formula.

Complete with Cory and Shawn antics, this WIP is worth checking out.

How Can You Blame Me? Growing Up Is Chaotic by @winterlovesong1 - I'm linking to her entire profile because there is just too much Shawn/Angela goodness to pick just one story. Her character study of Shawn is perfection. Her writing has an ethereal quality which make her stories feel like a dream.

For Those Who Would Wish In Happily Ever Afters by @justanotherpersonwhowrites - this is a WIP that is very much worth checking out. It's a fresh look at Jon and Shawn's relationship post "Cult Fiction". Shawn is spiraling after Virna's letter turns his life upside down. With nowhere left to go, he ends up back at apartment 8.

Aside from the plot itself being engaging, there is an OC introduced who is new to Shawn but not to Jon. If you like Audrey, you'll like Sarah.

They Say Ignorance Is Bliss by @justanotherpersonwhowrites

Beautiful take on Cory and Shawn's friendship from Cory's POV. Canon inconsistencies are mentioned and given a twist that makes sense. Pre-show set up for this iconic friendship.

My Own Boy Meets World Reboot by @obscureobsidiandraws - I cannot recommend this one enough and it deserves more attention than it's getting. I can't find a complaint that BMW fans have had over the years that isn't addressed and corrected. While changes have been made to character backgrounds and it's no longer the 90s the heart and humor of the show shines through.

If you like early seasons Eric, you'll definitely want to look into this. Those wanting Jonathan Turner to adopt Shawn will be happy too. Audrey is also a part of the cast, although with a bit of change to her as well. It's been a lot of fun discovering this new version of her.

The series is written in script format, but I encourage you not to skip past it because of that. These scripts are detailed and make me feel like I'm watching the show as I read.

For an idea of what the series will be like, learn about it here and here.

Let's Get All the Mirrors at the Bottom of the Well by Veillee- set before the show begins, this one shot takes a look at Shawn's life with Stacy and Eddie.

A Test of Time by The Rising Phoenix- Shawn is struggling with losing Angela so his best friends step in with a distraction that takes him on a journey through NYC.

I love this one for the concept.

Although unfinished on AO3 it is complete on FFN.

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Carlos Sainz

Hello, this is part of a series where I focus on one driver on the current (as of Oct 2024) grid and give an overview over their career and driving styles. I will be going in championship points order. Enjoy!

Name: Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro

Age: 30

Nationality: Spanish

Years in F1: 9 ( Toro Rosso 2015- Oct 2017, Renault Oct 2017-2018, Mclaren 2019-2020, Ferrari 2021-Present)

Number: 55

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Sainz is most well known for his strategy more than anything. Regularly during races it is his suggestions on strat that are chosen, and most often they yield positive results. Beyond strategy, he has a calm and effective tire management and calculate decision making skills. All of this together leads to very intelligent driver, and allows him to be one of the smoothest drivers on the track. While he can be aggressive when needed, it is tempered by his patience (similar to teammate Charles Leclerc). The negatives about Sainz is that he tends to overthink in races. This is mostly due to his strategic and cautious way of racing, but it does not let him make split-second decisions very easily. He tends to not rely on his instinct very much.

History:

Sainz is the son of Rally World Champion Carlos Sainz Sr., and with his fathers racing fame came pressure at a young age. Sainz started his career in karting in 2006, after participating in smaller series in Spain. In 2008, he won the Asia-Pacific KF3 title, as well as finishing runner-up in the Spanish Championship In 2009, he also won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup, and was runner-up in the European KF3 Championship. In 2010 at age 16 Sainz raced in Formula BMW, and was added to the Red Bull Junior Program. He finished his season in Formula BMW in 4th place.

(Young Sainz sitting in Fernando Alonso's Renault)

During 2012, Sainz raced in both the Euro Series and British F3 Championships. He did well in both series, gaining multiple pole positions and podiums, but did not get particularly close to winning the championships.

In 2013 Sainz signed with a GP3 team to compete in that years championship. He was a midfielder during this time, and his highest finish was P7. He then competed in Formula Renault 3.5 the same year, and had a difficult year there as well.

In 2015 Sainz was brought up to Formula 1 to drive for Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team, opposite Max Verstappen. His time with Toro Rosso was difficult for Sainz, regularly experiencing mechanical problems and crashes. His first season with them he would find himself 15th in the championship. 2016 would see Sainz get his best career finish of P6, but still is counted as a rather negative year for the Spainard. 2017 was Sainz's best year with Toro Rosso, finishing at the Singapore GP in 4th place. Shortly before this race it was announced Sainz would be on loan to Renualt for the last 4 races and the 2018 season. Sainz stated it was unlikely he would return to Toro Ross. He never did.

(Sainz with teammate Verstappen)

The 2018 season with Renault saw Sainz have significantly more positive results. He qualified in the top ten for the beginning races, and finished in the points for all but one. For the next races, he would consistently score points. however, this was not enough for Renault and he was replace by Daniel Riccardo for the 2019 season. Happily for Sainz, he was able to sign a contract with Mclaren to replace his one with Renault.

(Sainz when he was with Renault)

The 2019 season and his first year with Mclaren saw Sainz achieve even better results. While his first three races were unfortunate, after he consistently scored high points right behind the top 3 teams and finished above his teammate, Lando Norris. He would go on to get his maiden podium at the Brazilian GP after Lewis Hamilton received a post race time penalty. Unfortunately the rest of the season was rather negative for Sainz, encountering engine problems, pit problems, and other things that made him DNF multiple races. 2020 was a more positive year, which saw him achieve more podiums and finish 6th in the championship.

(Sainz in his Mclaren)

In 2021 Sainz joined Ferrari opposite Charles Leclerc, by the far the most successful team he has been a part of. While he had some issues during the year, he also had a majority of his highest results, finishing the season in fifth and ahead of his teammate. 2022 saw his maiden win at the British GP. Won in a difficult rain race, he showed that he had the chops to keep up with his Championship battling teammate, and had a variety of positive results that year. He ended in fifth in the championship that year, this time behind his teammate. 2023 was a rough year for every team but Red Bull, however Sainz was the only non-Redbull winner that year at the Singapore GP, which was a mark of honor that year.

(Sainz after securing maiden win)

This season Sainz has shown to be an impressive driver and teammate, regularly getting on the podium and winning the Australian GP. While he is behind is teammate in points, he has had a strong year and is on the table to be one of the multi race winners this year.

(Sainz getting champagne poured on his head by teammate Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Australian GP)

Major Races:

2019 Brazilian GP - Sainz first podium finish, he achieved it after Lewis Hamilton received a time penalty post race. Regardless, he has a strong race and was able to compete with top teams ina. midfield car.

2020 Italian GP - Driving withe Mclaren, he achieved a P2 finish, his highest at the time. Again, we see Sainz has a talent for pulling the maximum out of his car.

2021 Monaco GP - His first podium with Ferrari, the Monaco GP is a prestigious and difficult race. On top of that, it is an early race, and displayed how fast Sainz adapted to the Ferrari car.

2022 British GP - His first win, this race was a wet one which saw multiple DNF's from other drivers. His skill in wet weather allowed him to battle with top drivers like Hamilton and take the win.

2023 Singapore GP - As the only non-Red Bull winner that year, this race result will always show how strong his race craft is. Whiel he held the lead for most of the race, a late safety car threatened his position. In a spur of genius he used Mclaren driver Lando Norris as a buffer to the attacking cars behind, keeping Norris within DRS range but not allowing him by. By far the most impressive use of DRS I have seen from a front car.

2024 Australian GP - Shortly after his appendix surgery, Sainz won through pure race skill, and got Ferrari there first 1-2 of the season, giving them a major lead in the championships.

2024 Monza GP - While Sainz did not even finish on the podium for this race, he acted as a perfect teammate while letting Charles Leclerc (who had the faster pace) by and helping defend his teammate against attacking cars. He ended in a strong 4th.

That's all for Sainz. Up next is Lewis Hamilton (which will be a long one)

Cheers!

-B

[dystini]

Indycar Driver Lore

Indycar Driver Lore Masterlist

Colton Thomas Herta

Birthdate: March 30, 2000 Hometown: Valencia, California Residence: Brentwood, Tennessee Height/Weight: 5’10”/140lbs

Rookie Year: 2019

Team: Andretti Global

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Career Stats

2018: 1 race with Harding Racing - 37th Overall 2019: Harding Steinbrenner Racing - 7thg Overall 2020: Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport - 3rd Overall 2021: Andretti Autosport - 5th Overall 2022: Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian - 10th Overall 2023: Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian - 10th Overall

IMSA 2019 BMW Team RLL, GTLM class, won Daytona 24 2020 BMW Team RLL, GTLM class 2021 Turner Motorsport, GTD class 2022 DragonSpeed USA, LMP2 class, won Daytona 24 2023 BMW M Team RLL, GTP class

2022 Race of Champions

-He was the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver born in the 2000’s and is a seven-time race winner. -Became the youngest race winner in NTT INDYCAR SERIES history when he won at Circuit of The Americas in 2019 at 18 years, 359 days old and became youngest pole winner in NTT INDYCAR SERIES history at 19 years 83 days when he scored his first pole at Road America in 2019. -Son of former NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Bryan Herta, who won four races in his driving career and two Indianapolis 500s as a team owner. Bryan Herta was race strategist for his son's NTT INDYCAR SERIES team and a co-owner of the Andretti Herta Haupert with Marco and Curb-Agajanian entry. -Won the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona with BMW Team RLL in GT Le Mans class. -Competed for Andretti Steinbrenner Racing in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2017-18, winning six races. -Enjoys electronic dance music (EDM), comedies and video games. He is also an active athlete who enjoys cycling, running and golf. -Plays drums in a rock band caled The Zibs, which is an arabic slang term for penis. The band toured the West Coast in 2019 -Doesn't really drink coffee

-left handed

Iconic/memorable moments 2022 INSIDE THE RACE // COLTON HERTA AT HONDA INDY TORONTO Outside the Line: Colton Herta HONDA PACE CAR // COLTON HERTA AND ALEXANDER ROSSI What Racecar Phenom Colton Herta Is Listening To JAVA WITH JAMES // JAMES HINCHCLIFFE WITH COLTON HERTA Colton Herta crashes, flips in final Indy 500 practice | Motorsports on NBC Colton Herta impresses in Formula One test at Portimão Circuit Outside the Line: Colton Herta The Racer Channel videos with Colton Herta Unbelievable Herta Save | Indycar GMR Grand Prix 2022 2022 PACE CAR LAPS // BRYAN AND COLTON HERTA ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH King Taco: Questions with Colton Herta

IndyCar rookie phenom Colton Herta's side gig: Rock band drummer Colton Herta INTERVIEW! The IndyCar Podcast Tom Griswold Interviews Colton Herta (2022 Indy 500) Colton Herta and Dan Wheldon Celebrate Bryan Herta's Win at Michigan 2005 MP 651: The Week In IndyCar,, Sept 28, with Colton Herta Colton Herta Loves Star Wars, Drumming, & Talladega Nights

Andretti IndyCar Drivers Test Their Pit Stop Skills | #AllAndretti | Indy 500

Road and Track's music issue, Feb/Mar 2023:

Colton is easygoing and laidback, a true California kid, yet is intensely competitive. Participant (rumored to be the mastermind) in several of the infamous Indy 500 bus lot pranks in recent years, he somehow eludes any true blame falling upon him. He’s well-liked within the paddock, most recently sort of adopted by the Bus Bros and nicknamed “Swolton.” He is also close friends with Alex Rossi, often staying with his former teammate when he needs to be in Indy. He doesn’t make a lot of waves off-track, one of the quietest drivers on social media, but makes up for it on-track with fantastic saves and crashes in equal measure. Just 23 years old in 2023 has 7 wins, 11 podiums and 9 poles in his young life.

F1 discussions.

In late summer 2022, it was announced that F1 team AlphaTauri had an interest in Colton for the 2024 F1 season. Colton, already signed to McLaren F1 as a test driver in addition to his Andretti contract in Indycar, was not eligible for a Super License, a requirement to drive in F1, but this could be addressed with an exception by the FIA. At one point it was announced that this was a done deal but it was not and Red Bull (AlphaTauri’s parent team) soon abandoned all efforts to acquire Colton as a driver.

The Super License system is a convoluted thing that I will not explain here other than to say that Indycar is vastly underrated in points assigned and if not for this discrepancy, Colton would have had more than enough points. But as it is, Colton had 32 points out of a needed 40. Other drivers in similar situations have raced in various lower tier FIA sanctioned series to make up the points and Colton was willing to do this over the winter of 2022-23 but this was also not allowed by the FIA.

But seeing Colton in F1 is still a possibility, should he do well enough in Indycar to earn the points needed and should Michael Andretti eventually succeed in buying an existing F1 team or convincing F1 to allow him to enter a new team. After the end of the 2022 Indycar season, Colton signed a multi-year contract extension with Andretti that includes the ability to switch to an Andretti owned F1 team.

Fanfic Lore

Paired with Pato O'Ward, ship name O'Herta

[georgegraphys]

Timeline of George Russell to Mercedes

2014: His manager got a hand of Toto's e-mail, gave it to George, he sent his CV to Toto after winning British F4. Toto answered several weeks later, they met up alongside other racing executives in Mercedes, George came there alone and presented his CV to Toto. Toto invited him to join the junior programme but could only offer him a seat at Mücke Motorsport (based in Germany which could mean him moving to Germany) due to Mercedes limited seat connection (wants to put George on PREMA but is a Stroll focused team). George rejected the offer but Toto and George kept in contact for the future. He joins Carlin Volkswagen, a british team (currently Rodin Motorspot)

2015: George enters F3 European with Carlin Volkswagen. Finishes 6th. Due to financial problems, he was driven to the edge because he could no longer continue Formula careers with his own funding. As a back up, he tested for BMW in DTM series. He tops the testing, beating Mercedes and Audi's time (even beating BMW's drivers) and BMW offered him a $$$,$$$ contract. At the same time, he was already an unofficial test driver for BMW.

Mercedes heard of this through an ex-BMW employee who moved to Mercedes and Gwen Lagrue contacts George for the second time (For reference, Gwen Lagrue. Not Toto. Gwen Lagrue has known George since karting and helped him to get a seat in Eurocup Formula Renault while Gwen was at Lotus, but couldn't bring George to Lotus Junior Academy due to financial problems). Mercedes met up with him and explains if George picks BMW, Mercedes will close their door on George and he will no longer be their option.

George and Gwen sat down, agreed on one-year testing period in which George will do sims for Mercedes and they will see his performance on and off track before accepting him as a junior driver. In 2016, he became an unofficial Mercedes Junior Driver and signed up with HiTech GP, a Mercedes powered team for his second season in F3 European, leaving Carlin Volkswagen (because it's powered by VW and Merc don't want that). George finishes 3rd in a completely new team and behind two PREMAs.

2017: George was officially signed as a Mercedes Junior Driver. He got his first F1 test at Budapest 2017 and he joined ART Grand Prix for his GP3 and F2 stint.

[diabolus1exmachina]

Borgward Isabella Coupé 

Has any automaker gone from oblivion to success and back again as quickly as Borgward? Mention the name today, and you're likely to get blank stares, or questions along the lines of "Borgward? Who made those?" It's hard to imagine any European posing that sort of question in 1955, when Borgward had risen from the post-war rubble to outsell all other German automakers but Volkswagen, or 1958, when the Bremen firm very nearly nipped Porsche for the German sports-car championship. And yet, by 1962, the company was gone, the victim of a tragic and avoidable series of circumstances.

The Isabella was a bull's-eye in the mid-priced sedan market segment. Volkswagens were less expensive, but smaller and less powerful. Mercedes-Benz's 180 sedan had the sophistication of an overhead cam, but no greater top speed, and cost 30 percent more than the Isabella's list price of 7,265 Deutsche Marks. Opel's Olympia Rekord couldn't touch its top speed, or its all-coil-sprung suspension; and BMW had nothing between the fantastically expensive "Baroque Angel" 501 and the Isetta-based 600 microcar. On top of it all, the press loved the car. By the end of 1954, more than 10,000 Isabellas had rolled out the factory gates.

The Isabella had thoroughly up-to-date underpinnings, with a coil spring at each corner, swing axles in the rear and A-arms up front. The engine, a pushrod four designed by Karl Ludwig Brandt, wrung 75hp from its 1,493cc, with its relatively high 8.2:1 compression ratio and good breathing. The intake manifold was entirely enclosed atop the engine, making for a tidy design that could have been mistaken for an OHC. So sound was the engine that, developed for racing, it powered Cooper-Borgwards to many Formula 2 victories in the Fifties. The Borgward RS, or Rennsport, became Porsche's nemesis in the hands of drivers like Stirling Moss, Jo Bonnier and Hans Herrmann.

If the Isabella had a flaw, it was that its development had been limited, and early cars suffered from weak engine bearings and front-end components. Competitors started a whispering campaign about "die Traumfrau mit der schmutzigen Unterwäsche," or "the dream girl with the dirty underwear," but Borgward, unfazed, worked with its suppliers to iron out the bugs, and no real harm was done to the model's reputation.

Just as with the Hansa 1500, new models were quickly spun off the Isabella. In 1955, Borgward launched convertible and station wagon versions, as well as a hot TS ("Touring Sport") model with a two-barrel carburetor that could top 90 MPH, leaving Porsche 1300s behind. As the decade wore on, new designs from its competitors and a softening economic situation led to declining sales, prompting Carl F. W. to add the most glamorous model yet to the Isabella lineup: the Coupé.

[umseb]

sebastian vettel is interviewed during the formula bmw world final - 2006 german to english translations provided by the lovely and wonderful @lennies-blog 💚 0:00-0:23 “In 2003 I switched to Formula BMW, became Rookie Champion there in 2003 and second overall, became champion in 2004 in my second year, and then I switched to the Formula 3 Euro Series; have been driving there for two years now and that’s where we actually are right now. In addition to that, the last five Grands Prix in Formula 1 as a Friday-driver (*hope I got that one right*) and confirmed as a test driver for next year.” 0:23-0:41 “That is basically the step out of karting into motorsport, into a Formula car, and that is a huge step. There you can learn how to walk, and everything you need at a later stage you’re getting taught there or have to teach it to yourself in a way.” 0:41-0:53 “Determination, I think. You need to have fun, and yeah... have the will to drive along at the very front, to win, and talent can’t be bad either.” 📷 https://twitter.com/formulogs/status/1590309369480372226