#singapore 2023 was the last singapore race ever

[sunny-sainz]

why do hot people always suffer

[caesium-55]

—seven days. [ i ]

pairing: max verstappen x manager! reader.

summary: as the third time world champion, max verstappen's manager, you function on the belief that whatever max verstappen wanted, max verstappen shall get. but this time, after four years of working as his manager, you can't give him what he wants anymore and that was to stay.

author's note: not beta-read. not edited. enjoy reading.

masterlist.

You are not surprised when Max Verstappen won the 2023 Formula One season. Given how he dominated each Grand Prix in the season, except Singapore but we don't talk about Singapore, you kind of expected the results already. This is Max's third time winning the WDC title and that makes you the manager of a three-time WDC title holder now. As someone who worked with the guy the last five years, you are immensely proud of Max. You’ve been working as his manager ever since 2019—you, twenty-three, a fresh graduate of Mechanical Engineering and he, twenty-one, an aspiring world champion but you've known each other since 2018—so you knew better than anyone else, better than Christian Horner even, just how much it took from Max just to reach the place where he is standing right now. Furthermore, Red Bull Racing also won the Constructor’s Championship so everyone in the team cannot be any happier. Celebrations are in order, of course, but you have excused yourself to retire early in the evening instead. Max has asked you why. You replied that you're tired and that's the only truth you can offer him.

You draft your resignation letter whilst everyone at Red Bull is partying in some place else in Abu Dhabi. Good for them honestly. What better way is there to celebrate a victory than with alcohol? Fortunately, there's canned beer on the mini fridge so that's your share of the victory alcohol tonight while you're hunched over your laptop on the couch. Rihanna is playing from your laptop speakers in a Youtube playlist in another Google tab while you work on the letter on a separate Google Docs tab.

Dear ________,

Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from my position as the manager of Red Bull Racing first driver, Max Verstappen, effective seven days from today’s date, November 26, 2023.

I appreciate the opportunities for growth and development you have provided me during the five years I worked for this amazing team. Leaving is not an easy decision for me but in order to further my career, I have to spread my wings and explore. Please let me know if I can help with anything to make my resignation easier for the company staff.

Thank you, Red Bull, for giving me wings and the courage to fly. Now, I believe it is time for me to soar new skies. I will cherish the time I have spent here in Red Bull Racing.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name].

You read it over and over again, checking for errors in the spelling or the grammatical structure.

“Thank you Red Bull for giving me wings and the courage to fly….” you mutter. What Red Bull gave you was five decades worth of stress. One decade's worth of stress for each year since you were accepted in the team. “Cringy as fuck.”

Your phone abruptly rings and you jump in surprise, dropping your phone and your beer and oh shoot, you almost dropped your laptop, too. You scramble to pick up the canned beer, hissing slightly when you see the liquid form a pool on the tiled floor. Your initial response is to avoid it so you sidestepped and kicked your YSL heels away from the puddle. The heels are previously placed next to your feet neatly but now they're thrown haphazardly on the floor a few meters away. Your eyes quickly search for a towel, or anything you can use to wipe that shit off before it reaches the expensive hotel carpet, but there is no towel in your vicinity and the liquid is moving fast so you take off your Red Bull shirt—haha, you’re resigning anyways—leaving you in only your sleeveless undershirt. You throw it on the floor. Then, you crouch down and hurriedly wipe the beer.

Crisis averted! Beer - 0. You - 1. You pick up the call after, already knowing it's from Max even without reading the caller ID because you have set a separate ringtone for him, using that catchy Super Max sound, “Hello, [Name] here. Anythin’ I could help?”

Daniel’s voice is not something you have expected to hear, not from Max’s phone anyway, but then again, they should be together right now at the afterparty, “Hi [Name], we kind of got ourselves stuck in a situation here.”

Your brows furrow, forehead creasing, “Danny? Somethin’ wrong?”

“It's Max.”

You stiffen before slowly rising to a stand. Your head begins running at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the pace of a Formula One car, coming up with different scenarios where Max is in danger and a list of things you can do to get him out of those situations, “What's wrong with Max?”

That's how you found yourself in the middle of the Red Bull afterparty, navigating through the sweaty and drunk Red Bull employees with your eyes actively searching for a tall, broad-shouldered, blond-brown-haired, blue-eyed Dutchman. You find him nearly ten minutes after entering the party, in a corner, on the floor, next to a yellow puddle of disgusting liquid with his head hanging low and the two Alpha Tauri drivers, Daniel and Yuki, standing right beside him. Thank God they did not leave Max.

The fact that they are in a party full of Red Bull employees and none even tried to help Max bothers you greatly. Jesus, what is wrong with these people? You lower yourself in front of him, hand coming up to his nape while the other is on his forearm before gently guiding him away from the vomit pool just in case he accidentally touches on it. If he did, you know you're the one who’s going to clean him up and frankly, you aren't in the mood for dealing with that. Max follow your hands like it's second nature for him to follow your guidance, leaning into the warmth of your palm.

“What happened?” you finally voice the question you've been dying to ask once Max is a good distance away from the pool of vomit. Daniel is the one who answers you, “He asked for you.”

That doesn't answer your question. Thankfully, Yuki decides to be more helpful, “He broke up with Kelly this morning.”

Oh.

He raced while shouldering a broken heart and still won? Poor Max. But also, you are not surprised. Not even a bit. It's very much like him to prioritize the race over his feelings because Max Verstappen only wants one thing in the world and that is to emerge victorious at the sport he loved. To prove to the world that he is top one, to prove to Jos Verstappen that he is top one and that he will go down in history as top one and the world shall remember it even after he leaves the F1 racing scene for the young ones.

“Thanks, Yuki,” you turn to Daniel and nod. “Danny, I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you sure you don't need help?”

You shake your head and offer a tight-lipped smile. Dealing with a drunk Max is no biggie. You have worked with the guy for five years already, four as his manager. That's over a hundred podiums and defeats and in each defeat and each podium, alcohol and Max become the best of friends. You’re used to this; cleaning him up, picking him up, tucking him into bed, calling his girlfriend to deal with his drunk ass, and helping him nurse the hangover in the morning with an Advil and a good breakfast.

You roll the sleeves of your champagne-colored button-up to your elbows and in one swift motion, you lift Max in a fireman’s carry. That volunteer work you did at LAFD back when you're still in university paid off in these moments.

It was a comedic sight. A 5’5” woman in heels carrying an almost six foot drunk racer who is at least two times broader than her on her shoulders. The media has already caught a picture of a similar-looking moment one time in 2019 and another in 2021—such times are the beginning of those annoying dating rumors that involves you and Max—and you can say that Twitter is mostly impressed that the Red Bull manager was strong enough to lift a high-performance athlete. Some made memes of it. You'll never admit that you saved some of them, especially the ones that made fun of Max so you could put it above his head. Some even claimed that your YSL heels must be some sort of superhero power up because you do a lot of athletic things in those heels like running through the paddock as if you were just wearing a pair of Nikes, kicking a door down, driving a motorcycle around in Monza to buy Max's morning coffee, and getting in a physical fight with Max’s anti-fan back in 2022. In theory, you can and will absolutely kill a god in those heels and honestly, it's about time YSL sponsors you because you're giving their Opyum heels so much promotion.

What the public doesn't know is that Max is lighter than he looks and paired with your capability of lifting heavy equipment and people due to your history as a volunteer firefighter, it is incredibly easy to lift him without breaking a sweat and yes, even while wearing heels. People are too easily impressed nowadays.

You ignore the confused stares that are sent your way as you hurriedly walk to the comfort rooms. In a matter of seconds, you are power-walking yourself inside the male comfort room, sending an unimpressed look at the two Red Bull rookie employees making out inside. They are horrified when they see you. You can tell with the way their eyes widened and how they scrambled away from each other and hurriedly fixed themselves while muttering a thousand apologies. You don't even need to say anything. They are out before you could even tell them to.

You lock the door behind you before heading towards the bathroom sink and placing Max there. You put your hands on the back of his head and shoulders to support him until he's leaning against the mirror and sitting fully upright. You wish he won't topple over and accidentally hit his head on the tiles.

“Hey, hey,” you tap his cheek. “You good, Max?”

You sincerely hope he won't pass out. Unconscious people are heavier than conscious people when you lift them.

Procuring a water bottle inside your tote bag, you hand it to him. He accepts it wordlessly and down it in one go. You pull out an extra shirt from your bag, “Off with the shirt, big boy.”

Obediently, Max does what he is told and he peeled his shirt off him. You have to help him midway because he got it stuck around his neck. You toss the stinky shirt somewhere on the sink and hand him the shirt you brought. Again, you help him put it on because drunk Max has seemingly forgotten where the holes of the t-shirt are and which limb should enter a specific hole. Oh wait, that sounds wrong.

“You're taking good care of me.”

His voice sounds so small when he utters those words that it almost got swallowed up by the silence of the room and the muffled sound of the party outside.

“Aren't I always?”

You are paid to take good care of him after all.

“Always.”

You wet a towel in the sink and squeeze out the excess water in the wool. Your fingers gently cradle Max’s jaw as you wipe his face. He has a little vomit on his cheek.

You're used to looking at Max’s face up close but you still cannot help but be amazed by the beauty of it, you know? Some people will not consider Max as a conventionally beautiful man. Different people have different preferences. Honestly, you used to be one of those people. You met Max when he was twenty-one and that time, he looked like a fetus and greatly resembled Sid the sloth from the Ice Age movies. You used to tease him all the time about it, calling him a kid and pulling the age card when he needed to be reigned in or to annoy him until he submits into obedience, when you are only a year older than him. The stress of racing caused Max to age quickly but thankfully, he does not age badly. No, instead Max transitioned into an absolute daddy. Thank God he is more like his mother than his father, too. His mother’s genes saved him. Thank you Sophie!

You would have fallen for him, too, like the gazillion women all around the world who'll fall at his feet, but it’s hard to do so when you know he doesn't even know how to peel his own oranges. Drives a car going 300 kilometers per hour and can’t even peel a damn orange.

Twitter is always having a field day when they manage to snap a picture of you peeling oranges for him. Orange Peel Theory or whatever that is. Ludicrous bullshit, to be honest. The only theories you know are the ones taught in Physics class.

“I wonder if you know how much I need you,” he mutter. “I wonder if you can tell.”

“Very poetic,” you say flatly because Max has the tendency to say the most out of pocket yet soul breaking things when he's drunk and you are too tired to rationalize all his musings right now. We love a trauma-dumping king.

“You talkin’ ‘bout Kelly?” you ask, brow raising slightly. You continue to clean his face before proceeding to wipe his arms and his hands.

“I don't know.”

“Okay.”

He probably is talking about Kelly anyway.

Now that Kelly is gone, you’re beginning to get worried for Max. Earlier, as you wrote that resignation letter in your hotel room, the worry of leaving Max was not present. He has Kelly after all. Kelly can easily do the things you did for Max, not that she should do the work of a Red Bull manager because honestly, if she plans on taking up your job now, you’ll tell her to run and save herself. You mean the support you gave Max. You mean going all-out in protecting Max whether from haters or even his own father and especially his own darkness. You mean standing with him, inside that open cage that he can walk out of anytime but chose not to because Jos Verstappen still had his claws on him. You mean not leaving Max, no matter where he stood, may it be at the top of that glorious podium or at the end of the line. You mean taking care of Max the same way you did, even if he insists that helping him is nothing but rotten work.

But then, she left. Now what?

“I want to tell you something.”

You lift your eyes and met Max’s glazed blue ones.

“It is in my will that if I die—”

“You're not dyin’," you cut him off, not even the least bit amused about the idea of Max dying.

“Shush,” he playfully glares at you and you roll your eyes, itching to pull that I’m older than you so don't shush me card just to annoy him. “Let me finish. It is in my will that if I die, my cats will be taken care of by you. Oh come on, stop making that face. You look like you're having an aneurysm.”

“Shut up,” you swat his forearm with the damp towel, causing him to laugh at you. “Why’d you even do that? Give them to your Mom or somethin’.”

“But nobody is better at taking care of someone than you,” he says and his voice bled with rawness and honesty and so much sincerity that you're taken aback. “I want someone to take care of them like how you take care of me.”

You blink, mouth slightly agape. What can you even say to that? Thank you? I’m honored? Dude, what the fuck? Are you confessin’ to me or somethin’? You doin’ big shit over there by putting me in your will.

Now, you’re even more worried. Who will take care of Max after you're gone? The same way you took care of him?

Nonetheless, on December 13, you submit the resignation letter to Christian Horner. He reads the letter with a deep frown marring his face. It's funny how he had the same expression on his face, too, on the first day you met him when you were applying from Red Bull.

“Have you told Max?”

The guy is sleeping in his hotel bed as you speak and will probably be awake in a few hours with the world’s shittiest hangover. So no, you have not told him. Not yet, at least.

“No.”

“He wouldn't be happy with this.”

You know Max does not bode well with goodbyes, especially from the people he closely worked with leaving Red Bull. Look at what happened with Danny in 2018. Now, it is your turn. Two of his biggest friends in the Red Bull team, leaving in search of careers outside his shadow. Being in Max's shadow..... They are right after all. It is a curse.

While you love Max, platonically of course, being his manager is not what you wanted. You did not suffer through four years in engineering school just to become an errand girl for a racer. This is not what you applied for when you sent that application letter in Red Bull and Renault back when you were twenty-two. Renault didn't have an opening in their engineering team so your future with that team was quickly erased. Red Bull had no opening in their engineering team either but they had an open spot on the team as Daniel Ricciardo's manager for a whole season. You accepted their offer, naturally, hoping that their engineering team will have a place for you soon. When Danny left, you contemplated following him to Renault.

Then, Max told you to not go to Renault because they're a shitty team and perhaps he was right because in that sucky car they had, Daniel barely won podiums, but if Renault would give you the position you wanted and worth your student loans, then you'd take it.

"No, stay."

Demanding little prickly ass, he was, "I will win next year. When I become a world champion, I'll ask Horner to move you to the engineering team."

You did not know why you believed him.

2021—Max became world champion. You hoped he would ask Horner like he told you back in 2018.

2022—Max became world champion again but you're still stuck as his manager. You reminded him of his declaration in 2018. He told you he was already on it. Two rookie engineers entered the team that year, taking the spot that should have been yours years ago and you were stuck wondering if Max was really putting truth on his words.

2023—Max became a third-time world champion and you wouldn't even ask anymore.

“I know," you say, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll deal with it."

"I'll trust that you'll be the one who'll tell him?"

It amuses you how no one wants to deal with Max or drop him the big news. Everyone knew how crazy he could get when Max does not like something. He's a menace. He'll terrorize everyone. You're the only one who could hold the menace down.

"Of course, Sir. Leave it to me."

“Are you transferring teams? Are you still going to stay in Monaco near Max?”

Monaco is not home. Home is desert and heat. Home is Texas.

“Nah, goin’ back to Austin.”

Everybody knows Texas was your home, your accent and your manners spoke of it. Some Europeans look down on it, calling you a country bum and a cowgirl mascarading as a sophisticated sidehoe of a champion. Fuck 'em all.

“Everyone in the team is given two weeks off now that we’ve won so your resignation is immediately effective of today,” Horner says. “If the US GP is held at Austin next year, make sure to come by. Max would appreciate it.”

Christian Horner is an asshole but he is at least good to Max and that's what's important.

You get a text from Max an hour later.

him: i feel like shit

him: thanks for the advil and the soup

him: also im flying back to monaco tonight, fly with me

Tonight, you're flying to Monaco with Max Verstappen. Seven days from now, you're flying home alone.

[sainzinnorris]

okay now that i have the information, this is a CarLando recap of Singapore gp 2023:

1. lando slapping carlos's ass and carlos's response was “ that was hard” , followed by a blush and momentarily losing track of whatever he was saying.

2. p1 and p3 in quali and cue to lando pinching carlos's boobie to lando brushing his hips against carlos's and cue to carlos following him like he's mezmerized.

3. lando replying “ vamos" under carlos's twitter post and “ CARLOOOOOOOS” under his instagram post. (we all think he's whining for carlos but alright-)

4. the carlando hug. it's beautiful. it's mezmerizing. I've seen it too many times. it's poetic.

5. the podium interviews before the celebrations with carlos and lando mentioning each other more often than they're breathing, the cooldown room where they're just “ ai , ai , ai " and “ oh- oh- oh" (sounded like their foreplay without context). lewis just walks in at the last moment without any background context and the sky commentators went like “ alright, if this is how the reporting for the race happens, we'd want this informative reporting every race weekend ;)) ” [ also cue to them recreating the “ ai ” and “ oh ” ]

6. the carlando podium. that spraying technique from lando onto carlos's mouth and carlos sticking his tongue out like that. and the way carlos's practically chugs champagne onto lando's mouth (for second one reference: check the video where fred is drowning carlos in champagne, it's for a very split moment , but you can see it )

7. the post race press conference with carlando in their married domestic bubble + third wheel lewis. also cue to CarLando sitting together far away from lewis and carlos showing lando something which causes them to smile and get giddy over idk, and carlos following lando quickly in the most babygirl way ever. 🏃🏾‍♀️

8. carlos's instagram selfie post dedicated to CarLando solely + an insta story of the same post, an insta story solely dedicated to an hd aesthetic picture of their hug, cue to lando resharing the selfie post on his own story with “ #CALANDO” as well as resharing the hug™ on his story, and posting the CarLando selfie on his p2 celebration post. a joint instagram post. 😏

9. to mclaren and ferrari admin celebrating carlos and lando. [ mclaren commenting “ vamos” and scuderia ferrari commenting “ good job lando :) ” ]

10. carlos and lando being congratulated by the mclaren and ferrari mechanics.

11. the post race interview again where carlos suggested lando and him should go out for drinks tonight and smiles whenever he mentions CarLando and tone implications of suggesting he knows CarLando works exist.

12. carlos's radio message of “ gap to lando every lap" and carlos intentionally slowing down just enough to keep lando within drs range , lando understanding the signal. when told by his race engineer about the gap (0.8) carlos goes like “ it's on purpose ”. the amount of precision, trust, teamwork and respect. freaking insane.

[petit-papillion]

2023 Qatar GP Post-Race Interviews

18 drivers (not counting SAI and HAM). 1 so ill he could not finish the race (SAR), 1 taken to medical center and excused from media duties (ALB), another to medical center after almost passing out after getting out of the car (STR). 3 to podium ceremony/cooldown room. The remaining 12 drivers all had to lay down on the floor and seriously cool down, before finally making it to the media pen (although 1 had to leave to cool off more after answering only 2 questions (HUL)).

Here are some of the comments made by the drivers:

"By far the most physical race I've ever experienced. I felt close to fainting in that race. I've never experienced anything like it before. I had to ask my engineer to give me encouragement just to try to take my mind away from it. I do a lot of heat training in the sauna and so you push your body to the limit and sometimes you just need to get out of that sauna. And that's sort of how I felt from about lap 20. I opened my visor for the whole race and it was hot air, but it was better than no air. It was brutal. I was so sick in the car. I wasn't physically, I wasn't sick, but I felt ill."

- George Russell

"I was feeling ill, lap 15, 16, I was throwing up for two laps inside the cockpit. And then I was like, ‘Shit, that’s going to be a long race.' (...) It was just like 80C inside the cockpit this race. I don’t think we probably do the best job in terms of not keeping the heat in the back, but dissipating it inside the cockpit where the driver drives, and I think that was probably the reason today why we felt so bad."

- Esteban Ocon

"Especially with the g-forces, when you have a lot of dehydration, you can drink but the drink is more of a tea than anything else because it’s at 60C-plus, so it’s extremely difficult to hydrate yourself and again with the g-forces, you don’t see as well. The track limits we’re speaking about are [the difference between just] centimetres at 280km/h; in qualifying when we’re fresh it’s difficult to respect them, but then at the end of the race it’s a nightmare."

- Charles Leclerc

"You don't want to be passing out when you're driving at 200mph down the straight. And that's how I felt at times. Any hotter, I think I'd have retired because my body was going to give up."

- George Russell

"Extremely hot. Even from the beginning, I put my helmet on before the start of the race and I was sweating. It definitely didn't get any better once I was driving! Very hot."

- Oscar Piastri

"I asked my team on the radio if they would tip water over me in a pit-stop, but it was not allowed. My seat was burning hot and felt my right side was burnt by this heat. We have to think for the future -- maximum temperatures or maximum humidity... In football, they have water breaks, but we can’t have that, can we?"

- Fernando Alonso

"It's ridiculous. These temperatures -- everything goes blurry. The last 25-30 laps it's just blurry in the high-speed corners. Blood pressure dropping, just passing out, basically, in the high-speed corners with high loaded G-forces. The kerbs are now painted because they're worried about punctures. I couldn't see where I was going because I was passing out. I was fading in and out. The temperature was too much."

- Lance Stroll

"The feeling is like torture. I would say it was harder than Singapore. Just because the temperature in the cockpit started to be almost too much, I think it's getting to the limit and someone is going to have a heat stroke."

- Valtteri Bottas

"It was crazy. I had to consistently open the visor to breathe, actually. It's just too, too hot. Obviously, I don't want to open the visor because sand also comes through the visor and I could feel that sand inside my eyes, but if I close it's insane the amount of heat I felt. I don't know if other helmet manufacturers are the same, but for myself, it was tough, and if you drive behind another car, it's even worse."

- Yuki Tsunoda

"I think some of the guys who are struggling today, they are extremely fit or even fitter than me. Just the whole day, it's like you walk around in a sauna and in the night, the humidity goes up. The races are quite long. But it's not the only place...a few places are like that. Singapore is almost like a two-hour race and it's very, very warm. I think it's also quite on the limit of what should be allowed. So there are a few things to look at, but this was definitely way too hot."

- Max Verstappen

"We're in a closed car that gets extremely hot in a very physical race and it's frustrating.. I guess on TV, it probably doesn't look very physical at all. But clearly, when you have people who end up retiring, or are in such a bad state, it's too much. For the speeds we are doing is it is too dangerous. I know this race is later on in the season [in 2024], it will be a lot cooler a few months later but it’s something that needs to be talked about and I’m sure we’ll speak about it as it shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

- Lando Norris

The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, everybody.

Sources: The Race, Sky Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated

[leqclerc]

I know Charles is disappointed that they didn’t convert this to a win when they had probably the best chance since Singapore to do so, and I know that because this isn’t pole -> 1st a lot of casuals who just look at the standings and results will inevitably use this to dunk on him, but I have to say that was probably my favourite Charles performance in all of 2023.

Just seeing him so comfortable and confident right from the start, from the first practice session, and carrying that into the race was incredible. Watching him overtake the Red Bulls, multiple times, in the most dominant car/season they’ve ever had as a team, was incredible.

Honestly, his entire run from Singapore onwards has been really strong, even if it’s unlikely to be remembered as such because the results belie the effort and performance. It’s so, so satisfying to hear him say “I need to work on this” and then literally see the effects on track weeks later. Improving in mixed conditions? He did that. Trying to get to grips with a car that doesn’t suit him to try and extract the maximum out of it? He did that. Improving his qualifying form after the disappointment of Monza and Singapore? Three poles in four races.

It was 100% worth getting up for Las Vegas, to watch him put in a mighty performance that mentally had me convinced we’re in early 2022. He’s always a joy to watch but it’s a special kind of joy when he’s racing out in front and he finally gets the attention and recognition and praise he deserves. I don’t think anyone has come this close so far this year to really making Red Bulls sweat and work hard to keep him at bay. Charles is good at managing expectations but if even he said the win was theirs for the taking had it not been for the timing of the safety car, then that really shows the magnitude of his performance and how confident he was this weekend. That last lap lunge? Chills.

An unforgettable performance in a season to forget.

[janesurlife]

"he did have problems with max" the problem was between the Fathers. Carlos and max are still good friends. Max hasn't said anything bad about carlitos being his teammate.

"he was beaten by Hulk at Renault" I know charles fans are illiterate but please learn to read. We're talking about teammates'relationships. Hulk and Carlos were good teammates, and are still good friends. Nico even wants carlos back as his teammate in Audi (cause nico likes them big brown eyes with big eyelashes... sorry jk)

Lando and Carlos... I don't think I have to say anything. They were such good teammates that they still understand each other's race craft completely (Singapore 2023).

"if Carlos had stayed at McLaren, they would have had problems" so you don't have an argument and talking hypothesis now. Ok let's do that, I'm no fortune teller but I'm DAMM sure lando would NEVER EVER treat Carlos like Charles did after Spanish gp. Lando wouldn't have disrespect and demeaned him in his last home race with the team. So there's your stupid argument. Now do you have the guts to talk about the treatment of seb in ferrari and the fallout between him and Charles ?

[fortheloveofaussiegrit]

WHY WEBBER SHOULD NOT ATTEND ANYMORE RACES by fortheloveofaussiegrit

a look into his actions and the associated consequences for Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso during the 2023 Formula One Season

RACE ONE: Bahrain Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? DNF/20th

I have never cried this early into a season before, and who am i blaming? Mark Webber. Just fifteen laps into his first race in Formula 1, a day i have been waiting years for and Oscar retires due to an electrical issue on lap thirteen. The Aussie curse is still in full swing.

RACE TWO: Saudi Arabia Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 15th

I don’t think i ever actually watched this race in full, but i know that Oscar started the race in 8th and finished the race in 15th after picking up wing damage on the first lap from Carlos Sainz. Two out of two races, Mark’s been there, and Oscar finished significantly lower than where he started.

RACE THREE: Australia Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 8th

Australia is one of the anomalies in this theory, and i’m going to put it down to the chaos of the race rather than Mark’s presence being the deciding factor. Oscar just wanted to get points in his first home grand prix, like his countrymen before him.

RACE SIX: Monaco Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 10th

Monaco is another anomaly, but that anomaly is Sebastian Vettel, because it just so happens that at the only two races Seb has been at, Oscar has done well.

RACE EIGHT: Canada Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 11th Fernando's finish? 2nd

Canada is a funny one because, on the one hand, Mark wasn’t there and Fernando was back on the podium, but on the other hand, Oscar dropped from 8th to 11th. 

RACE NINE: Austria Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 16th

With Mark back at the Austrian GP, we saw neither Fernando or Oscar have a brilliant weekend with a disappointing 16th place for Oscar in the race dropping three places. 

RACE TEN: Great Britain Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 4th Fernando's finish? 7th

Silverstone looks to be another anomaly with Mark being there and Oscar finishing in 4th, but Oscar qualified in 3rd but finished behind Lewis after being fucked over with strategy by McLaren, which interestingly happens more often than not when Mark is there. Fernando also finished in seventh, which was again a non-podium finish when Mark was there.

RACE TWELVE: Belgium Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? Last/DNF

Pep talk before the race only means one thing... DNF

RACE THIRTEEN: Netherlands Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 9th Fernando's finish? 2nd

Funnily enough, Mark didn't attend the Dutch GP, and we saw Oscar back in the points and Fernando back on the podium.

RACE FOURTEEN: Italy Web there? Yes/No Fernando's finish? 9th Oscar's finish? 12th

This is where the pattern really starts to pick up. Webber is back at the Italian GP, Fernando's finishes in 9th, and Oscar finishes 12th after starting 7th.

RACE FIFTEEN: Singapore Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 7th Fernando's finish? 15th

Here is Mark jinxing Fernando before the race, and where did Fernando finish? Fifteenth. And Oscar, you ask? Well, he did the drive of his life after starting in 17th to finish in 7th! (An anomaly, but he ain't the rookie of the decade for no reason, and I'm blaming Mark for the Q1 knockout.) Also putting some blame on him for the grussell crash.

RACE SIXTEEN: Japan Web there? Yes/No Oscar's finish? 3rd!

Japan was the race that made me realise that I needed to make this post. Mark didn't attend the Japanese GP because he was playing with cars in the Australian outback, but whilst he was doing that Oscar only went and put it on the podium!! I'd also like to add that Seb was here this weekend.. funny that.

[boxboxblog]

A General History of F1: Where We Are Now

The 2024 season so far has been a season for dreamers. Some of the most poetic wins and losses have happened this year. There has been heartbreak, and heroics. Returns of a champion, and new winners. But that isn't exactly how the season started.

When Max Verstappen won the first few races, the racing world sighed and assumed it would be a 2023 repeat. While watching a driver dominate can be fun, most people were bored by how the season went. Where was the drama? Where was the spice? Where was the storytelling F1 is so famous for?

Now, I want you to imagine a voice, slowly getting louder, saying 'Incommmmmmming!'

The Australian GP was where Red Bulls luck seemed to end. Due to mechanical error, Verstappen retired on lap 4. Instead, the winner was Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who had been the only non-Red Bull winner in 2023. Verstappen won many of the next races, however his victories were regularly interrupted by other driver wins, and their stories. I said it was a season for dreamers right? Let me tell you why.

The first dream that was achieved was by Mclaren's Lando Norris. A driver for the team since 2019, Norris won the Miami GP, his first ever. After 5 years in F1, this was a sweetly anticipated victory for Norris and Mclaren. He would go on to win in Zandervoort (Verstappen's home GP) and Singapore, making him the closest to Verstappen in the championship fight. A shock considering Mclaren's form in recent years, however they are seen as the best car this year.

We also saw George Russell and Lewis Hamilton get Mercedes' first wins in years. Russell won in Austria (his second win ever), and Hamilton won his home race in Silverstone. Many considered this win to be the return of a champion, as Hamilton had not won a race in some time by this point. It was a rather poetic win, considering it is his last year with Mercedes, the team who he won 6 championships with.

Oscar Piastri was another first time winner that left his mark, winning first in Hungary after controversial team orders, and then in Baku with a master class race. It is only his second year in F1 and he is quickly showing himself to be highly competitive.

Perhaps the biggest wins were for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Born and raised in Monaco, Leclerc was one of the few Monagasque drivers in F1 history. So when he won his home GP, the famous Monaco GP, there were tears in many eyes. He was the first hometown winner in Monaco in over 90 years. He then went on to win Ferrari's home race in Monza as well. A storybook year of home race wins for Leclerc.

All in all, it has been 7 races since Max Verstappen won, and his lead is slowly being chipped away at. Mclaren, in fact, has surpassed Red Bull in the WCC, often attributed to Sergio Perez's weak performance throughout the year. Many wonder how a titan like Verstappen could fall, but people always forget that every team has their moments where they fail and where they succeed.

Other than race wins, it has been an interesting year in terms of lineup. So far there has been two mid-season driver swaps (Williams' Logan Sargent replaced by Franco Colapinto and VCARB’s Daniel Riccardo replaced by Liam Lawson), news of driver changes for next year, (Hamilton to Ferrari, Sainz to Williams, Nico Hulkenberg to Sauber, Esteban Ocon to Haas), the knowledge that we will lose a few drivers next year (Haas' Kevin Magnussen, Sauber's Zhou Guanyu and Valterri Bottas, etc.), and announcements of multiple rookies joining the grid in 2025.

Thats everything so far. Very surprised I got through that all, but I did keep it pretty surface level. It anyone wants me to take a deeper dive into certain years please let me know, I would be very willing.

Cheers,

-B

[m4xlesbian]

ROUND 17/23 ⸺ japanese grand prix ✩ 24.09.2023

maple's rating: ★★★★ (9.6/10)

☁︎ click read more facts, highlights & experiences ☁︎

✩ facts

red bull won their sixth wcc!!

today was the 13th consecutive time max has won when starting from pole position, beating michael schumacher's previous record 🥺

it was max’s 28th win since the start of last season

max’s fastest lap was 1.064s quicker than any other driver’s

checo’s retirement ended red bull's 100 percent finishing record in 2023

✩ raceweek highlights

yoooo seb vet! he is here! 🐝😁

max absolutely going into the weekend with a killing mindset 💀💀👍

logan in the wall…

red flag 💔🥺

japanese fans with all their beautiful fan merch!!! 🥰🥰🥰😭✨✨✨

zhou in the grass…

alex slaying in quali q1 + q2

yuki to q3!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

absolute banger lap from max. like absolute banger. like one of the best max laps ever. ☀️🥰🥺💌🙏💥‼️

"there you go. 28." "duly taken." LIKE SKFHGDF???? 😭😭😭😭😭

lando amazing start, max even better‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

liam ahead of yuki? wow!

safetyyyyyyyyyyy car 😭😭😭😭😭

checo and lewis contact… ch3wis tease… 😘

alex contact :(

valtteri off the road because of logan

INSANE britcedes battle. love u george! 😁😁😁😁😁

valtteri dnf

checo crashing into kevin (jesus)

checo dnf (OR?) 👀👀👀

fuckass pitstop for max…

gax "fight"

fernando and lewis fight (tea)

oscar and lando fight… in suzuka…. prosenna…

checo +5 laps. CHECO +5 LAPS. RED BULL MY BELOVED EVIL TEAM!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

RED BULL ARE THE CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONS!!!!!🍾🍾🍾🍾

max kinda sad he didnt get 20 second gap. he just like me fr. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

MAX KISSING DA TROPHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YAYYYYY 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘😘😘

✩ maple's diary

[chequeredandreas]

The Upcoming Singapore Grand Prix

Facts

The Singapore Grand Prix has been held yearly at the Marina Bay Street Circuit (aka Singapore Street Circuit) since 2008. The first Singaporean Grand Prix was held in 1966 at the Thomson Road, it was the first ever F1 race held at nighttime. It remained on the race calendar until 1973 before rejoining the calendar in 2008.

There are 62 laps in the current circuit, with 19 turns. With a track length of 4.940km (3.070 mi) long, and a race length of 306.143km (190.228 mi) in total.

For 2024, they added a 4th DRS zone to the track. This is the second track in F1 history to feature as many as four DRS zones.

This is a track dominated by Ferrari, being the team with the most wins. The driver with the most wins in the Singapore Grand Prix so far is Sebastian Vettel. He has 5 victories in total. Lewis Hamilton follows with a total of 4.

The Singapore Grand Prix has been held 22 times before this year.

The Singapore Grand Prix is also well known as one of the toughest races in the F1 calendar because drivers undergo much strain due to factors like high humidity and high heat causing the drivers to feel hot and even dehydrated.

(Not-So)Fun Fact: Did you know that the Marina Bay Street Circuit is also known for featuring at least 1 safety car per race? In 2008, during the inaugural Grand Prix on the circuit, Fernando Alonso won while driving for Renault (now known as Alpine), this became controversial as it was revealed a year later that Nelson Piquet Jr. (who was Alonso's teammate then) was ordered to crash in order to bring out a safety car at a certain time to benefit the Spaniard, earning him a win. This went down in history as the Crashgate incident.

Thoughts

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a track dominated by Ferrari. Although the Red Bulls also have had their podium moments, with Perez taking the win last 2022, Verstappen is yet to win in this track showing us that this isn't a track that heavily favors the Red Bulls.

Last year, we saw Sainz dominate the Grand Prix and eventually win! Norris took second place, while Hamilton took third. George Russell also almost took a podium spot if only he hadn't crashed on the last lap.

Putting all of that into thought, we are likely to see another Ferrari-McLaren dominance. Maybe even another Carlando podium.

Sainz and Leclerc have done well in this track previously, with both having been on podium a few times. Leclerc is good in street circuits, having proven that countless of times, even taking P2 after a race in the streets of Baku. We could see him aiming for P1 once more.

Simultaneously, his teammate is also talented in this circuit. Let's not forget that Sainz became the only non-Red Bull winner of 2023 after winning the Singapore GP that year. El matador it is. After crashing out in Baku, I'm sure he'll be aiming for better results in this Grand Prix.

The McLarens could also possibly win this race. Norris took P2 last year, and with McLaren's current pace, we could see him dominating this round. Being second in the current WDC, he'll be doing everything to close in on Verstappen.

Furthermore, Piastri is consistently improving, even winning ahead of the Ferraris and the Red Bulls last race. If he keeps that same pace, he could be taking back-to-back wins and the third victory in his F1 career.

At any rate, the two Papaya drivers have proved themselves to be fast, and they're not slowing down anytime soon.

The Mercs are also a possible wild card, Hamilton might be able to match Vettel's 5 Singapore GP victories should he win this year's round. On the other hand, Russell could've had a podium spot last year as well, but he crashed on the last lap. Maybe we could see the Mercs competing for another win this year.

The Red Bulls have been out of the podium since Zandvoort, with Perez losing his chances of podium last race after the incident with Sainz. Verstappen is still leading the championship, but he needs to hurry or Norris will be able to catch up to him. Could we have a new WDC this year?

But enough of the podium talk!

I’m excited to see how Williams will perform in this race. This isn’t a team that we see dominating often, but last race we got to see Albon and Colapinto scoring a total of 10 points. What other tricks up their sleeves could these two be hiding? With only a few more races left, rookie Colapinto is putting his best foot forward.

Meanwhile, with a back-to-back DNF for Tsunoda (both caused by colliding with another driver), I am hoping he stays away from incidents in Singapore and that we can see him actually perform. There are rumors circulating that the future of his teammate will be announced after the Grand Prix, will we still see Ricciardo next year? I sure hope so.

Stroll also had to retire his car in the Azerbaijan GP and wasn’t able to finish but was in P17 respectively before doing so. With Adrian Newey onboard, could we see a better result from the Canadian like we did from Alonso, in the last race?

Lastly, Kevin Magnussen is back! With 0 points now, he is definitely itching to gain any before this season ends. We will undoubtedly see him put on a show.

This Grand Prix will be a must-watch for sure. Stay tuned for future updates!

For more content like this, please follow me on Tumblr as @chequeredandreas. I am also on Instagram and Threads as @chequeredandreas.

[thinkingformula]

A Final Stint For Daniel Ricciardo

Standing 14th in the drivers championship with 12 points to his name, Daniel Ricciardo’s career in Formula 1 hasn’t taken the course anyone expected when he first stepped onto the grid. In Singapore this weekend, the rumour mill has been in overdrive as whispers of Ricciardo’s future in Formula 1 is debated. The question being: is this Ricciardo’s last race on the grid?

After a series of controversial moves across the grid, beginning with the initial move from Red Bull to Renault only to end up where he started after years of disappointing results, Ricciardo finds himself at the back of the grid once more. Plenty of people have argued against the decisions Ricciardo has made throughout his career. Leaving Red Bull at a time when the team was seemingly on the up to one which was comfortably in the midfield was questioned intensely at the time. Just as the following move from Renault, a team who’d been prepared to shape their future around Ricciardo, to McLaren, one who already had its eyes set on its newest young talent, was.

All of this was in the sake of pursuing that world championship all drivers on the grid covet. But particularly Ricciardo, who’d been named a future champion from the moment he stepped into Red Bull and beat their golden boy, Sebastian Vettel, in his very first season with the team.

No one can doubt Ricciardo’s talent. At his best, he was one of the finest drivers on the grid. Daring and confident, it seems like Ricciardo has been a victim of bad timing. Something that many great drivers have suffered from over the years. As Mercedes reigned dominant and prodigy Max Verstappen joined the grid, Ricciardo never really got the chance he might have thought he deserved. Whether he’d have been better off staying at Red Bull, no one can say for sure. But undoubtedly, this isn’t where he wanted to find himself.

At first, it seemed like Ricciardo’s step into Alpha Tauri, replacing the underperforming Nyck DeVries, might have been the last hurrah the Aussie needed to secure a name for himself in Formula 1. With Sergio Perez’s underwhelming performances in 2023, Ricciardo had a real chance to prove himself to the championship winning team. With his history and close relationship to important Red Bull figures, Ricciardo was proclaimed as the obvious choice to replace Perez. 

Of course, he had to prove himself first.

Instead, on his third weekend back in Formula 1, tragedy struck the 8-time race winner. In an attempt to avoid Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo crashed during practice 2 in the Netherlands and suffered a break to his hand which took him out for the following 5 races.

His replacement? Rookie Liam Lawson.

Lawson managed to make a name for himself in that short 5-race period. Out-qualifying and knocking out the current world champion, Verstappen, at the Singapore Grand Prix was one of his big moments. Followed by the securing of 2 points in his 3rd ever race, Lawson had many declaring that he should find himself in a Formula 1 seat as soon as possible.

Now, a year later, Lawson could be getting his chance.

Ricciardo hasn’t made the impact he perhaps might have wanted following his dismissal from McLaren at the end of 2022. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, has 22 points to his 12 and has seemed to be on equal foot or better throughout this season. No longer does it look like Ricciardo is the obvious choice to take the second seat at Red Bull. Especially now that it’s come to light that Perez’s struggles were largely due to the fundamental issues with the car. Failing to beat Lando Norris at McLaren can be excused, but up against Tsunoda it appears as if Ricciardo has truly lost the spark that once made him so great.

Coming into Singapore, the rumour that this could be Ricciardo’s last race in Formula 1 seemed to come out of nowhere. They revealed that Lawson looked set to take the Aussie’s spot for the Austin Grand Prix next month. Looking at the reaction from the rest of the grid and the crew at RB, it seems the rumours might have held some weight. But even now, with the weekend having past, nothing has been confirmed for sure.

“Given this may have been Daniel’s last race, we wanted to give him the chance to savour it and go out with the fastest lap.”

Strangely, it seems even Laurent Mekies – RB team principal – seemed to not have the answers to who will be driving the car next race. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the decision-making is coming from the top, from Red Bull, and that Ricciardo has become a small cog in bigger operations. 

Though the rumours seem to have come out of nowhere, it’s not entirely unexpected that they’ve come up at all. With the current pool of Red Bull drivers the weakest they’ve ever had, it looks like the team is prepared to try something new. A late-season swap is not exactly new to the Belgian team. In 2017 alone there were four swaps in the final few rounds of the championship. Evidently, the situation isn’t much different now.

With Tsunoda already confirmed for 2025, Ricciardo’s seat is the obvious sacrifice. It’s clear that they’ve given up on Ricciardo as the shining hope for the functionally wavering Red Bull team. After his less-than-spectacular performance at the beginning of the season, Red Bull’s decision to stick with Perez confirmed this. Now, they can’t risk putting a rookie in Red Bull when Verstappen’s championship is in a visibly tenuous position, despite Perez’s weak form. If they want to test the New Zealand driver out before signing him to the junior team for next season, it makes sense to put him in Ricciardo’s car for the final six races to guarantee that he’ll be the best choice.

“It’s been a little bit of a race-by-race situation and I would have obviously loved the weekend to have gone better. It didn’t, so I have to prepare for this maybe being it.”

At the very least, Ricciardo managed to take something out of the inarguably difficult weekend he’s had. Pitting for the third time in the final lap (the only driver to do so), Ricciardo came out with a pair of soft tyres with the intention of going for the fastest lap of the race.

“Daniel obviously wanted to finish the race on a high.”

While the move has brought out further talks about the sensitive nature of a top team having a “junior” team and the ethical questions that have been raised since, Horner and Mekies have both referred to it as a potential final swan song for the Australian driver. 

While achieving this last accolade of his career in Formula 1, Riccardo has also managed to help his ex-teammate and good friend, Verstappen, in protecting his championship lead against the much-quicker McLaren of Norris. Now, with Ricciardo’s help, if Verstappen finishes second to Norris at the following six races, they will go into Abu Dhabi equal on points. Whether Ricciardo considered this as he pitted for the final time, we can’t know for sure. But, perhaps, it will bring him some consolation to see a good friend beat the team that ousted him back in 2022. 

There will be a lot of people across the paddock and beyond who will be sad to see Ricciardo go. A fan favourite amongst the masses, Ricciardo won’t be leaving Formula 1 without his triumphs. At 35-years-old, Ricciardo departs with 8 wins and 32 podiums under his belt. He finished best of the rest in 2016 and 2014, despite the presence of a 4-time world champion on the opposite side of the garage. Unquestionably, he should be proud of all he’s done and what he’s managed to achieve in his time in Formula 1.

Still so young, Ricciardo could go anywhere he’d like in the motorsport world and be faced with welcoming arms from everyone.

written by Eleanor Hooper 24/09/24

[kevinskorchinski]

sameee I'm so happy to see all my goofy little guys back on the ice 🥹

I've been interested about getting into f1 but at the same time I don't really have time to watch it or learn rn loll

F1 for en is difficult to watch because I am Australian so most of the races are at midnight and with f1 I found it easier to get into because there are more people talking about it/a bigger fan base

if you want to get into it i linked some info

A primer by @lina-corsasa breaking down the teams, tracks, calander etc. she also has one for team history

But there has been so much to happen this year that i will give you a very basic run down.

Red Bull: Something to note with Red Bull is that they have a junior team called "Visa CashApp RB" terrible name i know but it used to be known as AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso. And these two combine for lots of driver change drama. like this year Liam Lawson (the rb reserve driver) replaced Daniel Ricciardo (fan favourite driver) after the singapore drama. This sparked a lot of drama because no one knew for certain if it was daniels last race and it was only announced a week after the race finished that it was.

RED BULL AND VCARB DRIVERS:

Red Bull; MAX VERSTAPPEN (Dutch): he has 3 drivers championships (2021,22,23) he is the youngest ever f1 driver (joined the sports in 2016 when he was 17, that is why the fia added that you have to be 18 and over to get a super license), hes currently on top of the championship and his closest rival is Lando Norris. Also his dad is a piece of shit that made max sacrifice his whole childhood to be the driver he is today.

Red Bull; SERGIO PEREZ (Mexicain): he is in the second red bull seat which is seen as the cursed seat because so many people have been in that seat than replaced. And compared to max, checo is not performing well and this is what give him a lot of unnecessary hate. (well in MY opinion sergio is so hated and not for good reason most of the time its because he's in a good team but is driving like shit, but that isn't a good enough reason for him to be on of the most hated people).

VCARB; YUKI TSUNODA 角田 裕毅 (Japanese): he was very crash prone in his earlier years but he has cleaned up his act. and he is one of my personal favourites. He is a very intense driver and oftentimes not taken that seriously because if his earlier years which suck :(

VCARB; LIAM LAWSON (kiwi): his first f1 race actaully wasn't last weekend (Austin GP) but was the Dutch GP 2023 when daniel ricciardo (second race back) crashed and broke his hand so liam being the reserve driver he got a shot. And so far in is very short f1 career he is doing well. Also one of his biggest inspirations growing up was lightning mcqueen.

MCLAREN DRIVERS:

LANDO NORRIS (British): jack hughes but f1 driver version (but less injured and more egotistical (sorry ln4 fans))

OSCAR PIASTRI (Australian): Oscar is my goat and the reason i got into motorsports. He is consisdered a generational driver. And because of that fact he caused a whole legal meltdown between mclaren and alpine. He was in the Alpine junior driver program and was their reserve driver, then when fernando alonso announced that he was leaving alpine announced oscar but he had already signed a contract with mclaren. so of course alpine wasn't happy took oscar and mcalren to court but oscar and mclaren ended up winning. also oscar is very funny and i love him.

ALPINE:

Esteban Ocon (french): he is leaving the team at the end of te year to go to haas. people don't like ocon because he is a teammate... annoyeer? idk none of his teammates like him. But that doesn't mean his story of barley having any money but making it to f1 is any less inspiring.

PIERRE GASLY (french): pierre... idk how to describe pierre. he's like a very competitive tiktok fuckboy that just so happens to be an f1 driver.

ASTON MARTIN:

FERNANDO ALONSO (Spanish): has two world championships (2005,06). he has been in the sports since 2001 and is one of the GOATS because he can extract everything out of the car. also his tiktok is hilarious check that out

LANCE STROLL (Canadian): not many people like him because he is a pay driver to the highest degree as well. His dad literally bought racing point (now aston martin) so lance is never leaving the sports until he gets tired of it.

FERRARI: i'm not a ferrari fan but you cannot deny there would not be f1 without ferrari

CHARLES LECLERC (monegasque): a fan favourite driver and he can genuinely fight for a championship but he has the worst luck

CARLOS SAINZ JR (Spanish): his dad carlos sainz sr is a world champion rally cross driver. Carlos isn't driving for ferrari next year after it was announced lewis hamilton is driving for the team next year (that caused an absolute meltdown btw). Next year he is driving for williams.

WILLIAMS:

ALEX ALBON (Thai): he is a dual citizanship driver he was bron and raced in britain to a thai mother but he doesn't like being called a british driver and called people out on this. They mention his dual citizenship when he does well. also he has a lot of pets and his gf lily is very cool as well.

FRANCO COLAPINTO (Argentine): his first race was Monza (italian gp) this year after he replaced logan sargeant. Franco immediatly became a fan fav because he is funny a charismatic and people really want him to get a seat next year but the only place avalible is the sauber but no one likes sauber.

STAKE F1 KICK SAUBER TEAM (i actually don't know their name most people just call them stake or sauber):

VALTTERI BOTTAS (finnish): one of the most famous second drivers because at his time at mercedes he was always behind lewis hamilton. he's just idk there ig he likes to show his ass.

ZHOU GUAYNU 周冠宇 (Chinese): the first ever chinese driver. and i have a soft spot for him even though he cannot qualify well but it's not helped when the sauber is an actual tractor.

HAAS:

NICO HULKENBERG (german): he is amazing at qualifying but since that haas is a trashbox (to note: less so this year) he can barely fight in the race. also something that is mentioned when hulk is mentioned is he has the most race starts without a podium. also he is racing for sauber next year because sauber is being taken over by audi in 2026.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN (danish): he doesn't have a seat for next year, sadly. because this year he has been an ontrack terrorist to make sure nico gets points. Kevin Magnussen you will be missed next year.

MERCEDES:

LEWIS HAMILTON (British): 🐐 (he also has a dog called roscoe)

GEORGE RUSSELL (British): idk who to describe george i genuinely don't. hes a good-solid driver and his humour is underrated (imo).

DRIVER TRANSFERS FOR THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEARS:

VCARB: 2024

Danial Riccardo -> Liam Lawson

WILLIAMS: 2024-25

Logan Sargeant -> Franco Colapinto -> Carlos Sainz

FERRARI: 2025

Carlos Sainz -> Lewis Hamilton

ALPINE: 2025

Esteban Ocon -> Jack Doohan

HAAS: 2025

Nico Hulkenberg -> Esteban Ocon

Kevin Magnussen -> Ollie Bearman

MERCEDES: 2025

Lewis Hamilton -> Kimi Antonelli

NEXT YEAR DRIVERS:

JACK DOOHAN (Australian): he was the alpine reserve driver and is replacing esteban ocon next year. he also was a twitch streamer and did some pre and post race commentary for sky sports.

OLLIE BEARMAN (British): Ferrari junior driver. Already a fan favourite and is racing for has next year.

KIMI ANTONELLI (italian): he is also generational and that is why team owner and principal of mercedes wants kimi in a seat so bad. and so when lewis dropped the ferrari bombshell people were already speculating that kimi would be announced. But there was a slight issue he was 17 so he wouldn't be eligible for a super license. but he turned 18 so he's now eligible (idk if he got it i think he does)

[formulaonedirection]

top 5 Lewis races please!

this is a flop list bc I only started watching f1 in 2021 but #mylistmyrules

5. Brazil 2008 - one of the only old races I've ever gone back to watch it ROCKED MY WORLD like when he passed timo glock and got back the 5th position and light drained from Felipe Massa's eyes. Wow cinema.

4. Singapore 2023 - he didn't win but he was on the podium and I've never screamed so loud in public bc I literally bought the tickets the night before to manifest his podium

3. Jeddah 2021 - Was this a GOOD race? no. Did it almost kill me? Yes. Did it almost kill Lewis? Yes. Was it the last time any of us really felt some sort of happiness? Yes

2. Brazil 2021 - Watching this live was genuinely The Experience Of All Time. Like that whole weekend shaped me into the person I am today.

Silverstone 2021

enough said

ask for my top 5 anything

[f0point5]

I feel like this race really highlighted how many of Lando fans are newer fans or even dts fans. Or even anti Max fans. I stand by the fact that if the roles were reversed this would be a non issue from everyone.

Im curious if the GDPA or anyone would look into changing the rule or giving it extra clarity due to recent events.

I feel like McKaren is going to be up the FIA’s ass about it or something 😂 tbh I don’t see the GPDA making a fuss because I don’t think the drivers are confused. I think the confusion was if Lando was ahead and where “Apex” starts which maybe they can ask for clarification but the stewards aren’t going to provide a line like a DRS like for every track.

The GPDA can maybe ask that stewards be consistent in handing out penalties across a race but again they can pull out a bunch of screenshots showing George behind at the same point Max was ahead so it’s a hard point to argue. And Lap 1 isn’t even a thing because they hardly ever penalise lap 1 and that’s for the good of everyone.

I feel like this is a non issue that has been blown out of proportion by people who hate Max. And yeah stewarding is inconsistent but I’ve only ever seen that brought up when Max is involved (eg Singapore 2023, Austria, now, all the pitlane drama last year). The stewarding is an ongoing discussion that fans only pick up on when it’s about Max.

They could ask to change the rule but change it to what? That’s a long conversation really.

The vocal Lando fans who do the arguing are always young and new to motorsport. I’m reluctant to say DTS fans because you can get in through any channel and take the time to learn and understand the sport so that shouldn’t be an issue. But a lot of them give “I don’t watch the races I just watch the highlights” or “I like to watch the cars go fast I’ve never seen any analysis of the actual driving”. Which is fine if you just watch it for entertainment but you can’t come and argue a point with no basis.

At the end of the day it’s totally legitimate to not enjoy the way Max drives. It’s literally fine to say he drives like a twat and it sucks to watch him succeed by just being a huge bully on track. That’s an opinion and you can have whichever one of those you want. What you can’t do is say “he drives outside the rules” with your whole chest and expect everyone to agree with you. That’s ignorant af. And I feel like they feel the former and say the latter and it’s like…just dislike him in peace you don’t have to justify it with straight bullshit 😂

[hertwood]

dts s5 e9-10: THE FINAL POST

e9: -have not been looking forward to the christian horner episode i must say -GOD listening to everyone talk abt how dominant of a year this was for max knowing whats to come 🙃🙃🙃🙃 -this whole "well we didnt do it on purpose so its not cheating" is SO SILLY like imagine if i went to the irs like sowwy i didnt pay my taxes correctly i didnt know 🥺🥺 doesnt matter ur still getting fined lol -i have always felt that christian's whining here is Extra Obnoxious like he didnt spend YEARS going after every lil thing mercedes might've stepped wrong on. if there was a rumor that mercedes went even $100 over cost cap you KNOW he wouldn't shut up about it but when the tables turned he's such a victim -max is going to be deaf by 40 istg. insert huh cat meme that is him always. (affecionate) -"these people talk shit through the media but'll never say it to my face" have u considered its not bc theyre scared to say it to you but bc you're a rancid person they'd like to avoid interacting with. food for thought -"maybe you feel guilty, i dunno" binotto ate with that one i mean IF THE SHOE FITS -I THINK. as it was in 2020 w/ the pink mercedes. (and in 2007 with mclaren!) the penalty for the cost cap breach should've been a dock in constructors championship points. it wouldn't affect the final standings of 2021 (mercedes beat them anyway, there was a big gap to ferrari in 3rd). it would be a great way to set a strict precedent that would easily motivate teams to be very careful with the budget cap WITHOUT changing any results. FIA hire me -say what u like abt will buxton they will never make me hate you will buxton. the way he is with words explaining drama he is the caesar flickerman of f1 and if you cant appreciate it thats a you issue -showing the singapore grand prix and all i can think abt is iconic post race dando interview. yeah i'm sure the race was cool too i guess -I FUCKING FORGOT HE PULLED THE MENTAL HEALTH CARD bro is seriously like dont talk about the cheating we did think of our poor mental health 🥺🥺🥺 anyway i'm gonna go fire nyck devries midseason brb -WOMP WOMP -once again if the roles were reversed christian would be spearheading a campaign to get a mercedes title stripped be so fucking forreal -more max/gp fics. their dynamic is immaculate chefs kiss -god if lewis won this race it wouldve been so iconic. sad

e10: -ad22 top 10 daniel outfits ever. btw -um lando norris neurodivergent agenda the way he's talking about food here? something going on in that brain. when he ordered 13 spring rolls as a meal in that iconic nortrell stream? that is not a way a neurotypical person eats i swear on god -them asking charles how his season was then immediately cutting to the france crash is so mean. good narrative storytelling, but mean nonetheless -how cathartic it must be for nando to benefit from ferrari blunders lol -pre this season coming out, i remember hoping they'd have a proper focus on carlos' austria dnf. it did get a lil moment but it was, for me, the most shocking mechanical dnf of the season and i was looking forward to seeing more of the inner details of it all. oh well -cinematic parallels between merc & ferrari fighting for 2nd in 2022 AND 2023 -brazil must have some typa rule abt not having netflix there bc they always miss out on the most bangers of races. sad. i love u brazil 22 :') -"they told me i can do whatever i want. when i see carlos, put him in the wall" max i am. i am kissing u. on the mouth. mwah mwah mwah -i DO wish. the focused more on the charles v checo battle. that was simply more important. but i guess that didnt work well with the happy ending they gave checo in e7 so -"omtar might get the last laugh this time around" :)))))) for the last time babey hell yeah -FUCK hate how awkward this dando moment they chose to feature is. they're so much more than that. dts only watchers they're in love and doing the nasty on the reg i PROMISE -this daniel comp is so goofy silly now that hes coming back lmao. i do love him he is so important for the reach of f1 and drive to survive and he deserves all the love he gets -HI LOGAN SO EXCITED TO SEE MORE OF U IN THE NEW SEASON MWAH

[umgeorge]

george russell speaks to journalists on media day, azerbaijan - april 27, 2023 (transcription under the cut)

Interviewer: "...one of the harder weekends of the year so far? All these qualifyings, all these races, walls so close?" George: "Yeah, I mean, we're going from two out of the five sessions being a competition, to now four out of the five being a competition, so same for everybody. It's not the easiest track in the world to have a format like this. Track's gonna be dirty in practice, which makes it quite irrelevant. They've resurfaced the track in half of the corners, which will have a massive change on the tires so, again, that's another unknown. But it's the same for everyone, so we'll go in with an open mind and try and maximize it." Interviewer: "Okay. Anything to maximize on the car? Any new bits, or are we still waiting for Imola, more or less?" George: "No, we've brought a few new bits; just sort of part of the standard development process throughout the year, but nothing that will transform it this weekend. But we'll see. It's been tight with Ferrari and Aston Martin the last two races. Ferrari have historically been pretty quick here. They're always quick on the C5 tire compound circuits-so here and Monaco and Singapore, they're pretty competitive-so they normally have a bit of a trick up their sleeve when it comes to that soft tire, so they might be a little bit more competitive than we've seen in recent races. But the race and points is scored on... Well, on Saturday and Sunday now, so yeah, let's see." Interviewer: "Okay. Alright. And big news from the team, in terms of getting back into the competitive sharp end of Formula 1: a change of Technical Director. James Allison's come back. Technical Director Mike Elliott swapped jobs with him; CTO, Chief Technical Officer. How do you feel about it?" George: "Yeah, I think it's really good news, to be honest, because obviously Mike was the Technical Director and James was sort of overseeing a few different projects, and now, effectively, we've got both of them full-time, and Mike is one of, if not the, most intelligent bloke I've ever come across in my life. But I think placing him in this new role will really put him in his element, and I think... You know, when you come to a team sport, not just drivers, but Toto's managing 2,000 people, or you talk about a football team, you need to get your best players in the right position to get the overall team result and, effectively, that's what this change has been. So I think, in both regards, we've swapped around and probably put both where they belong." Interviewer: "Okay. Just finally, the team's been very clear about it wasn't anyone being held accountable for the cars that you had last year and this year that haven't been right at the top of Formula 1. And it's not like W13 and 14 have been one man-Mike's-cars, have they? It's all..." George: "It's teamwork. It's absolutely teamwork. There's a number of people who contribute towards, let's say, the overall decisions and feedback into the rest of the factory, or of the direction that we take, and James was involved in some of those conversations and decisions in the past. But it's how the game goes. This was a team decision. Obviously there's the saying, you win and lose together, and that's truly how it is, and there's never one person accountable for any success or any failure. It's always a team..."