#sprint race but a win regardless

[sainzstorms]

toto is probably holding himself back not to call up kimi's manager to finalize that contract

[burgerrat]

Ok so @king-crawler technically I finished your 2 hour Turbo documentary yesterday at 3 AM BUT regardless I have recentlt watched it and I have a LOT I'd like to say, clarify details or lil things you might have missed or could be interpreted differently when you look at them another way :3

With that last bit I am diving head first into the flashback scene since it's heavily referencing that.

First and foremost, keep in mind that it is being narrated from Felix's point of view- remember that he was in his game doing his job when the accident happened, it was while every person ever was inside their respective game being busy being used as avatars; also referencing back what you said on Felix- he's not exactly the most understanding of others' situations, he stays well within his comfort zone. Keep that in mind.

When Roadblasters is plugged in the flashback, you can see the two players using TurboTime immediately abandon the game to check out the new one, and the screen Turbo's pixelated image apoears on is completely dark, don't you think that is very reminiscent of a Game Over screen? 🙃 meaning, the two players abandoned Turbo in the middle of a race, likely causing him to crash and lose.

Remember King Candy's shock, and sudden change in behaviour as soon as he sees Vanellope sprinting past him? What follows is a volatile fit of rage and violence when things don't go his way, this sudden change of trajectory. Wouldn't you reckon this moment could mirror how Turbo felt in the flashback? He's being used as an avatar, and suddenly he loses control as he gets ditched and gets his race put to a halt. That initial shock of "what is going on. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Following that, while I don't doubt he got jealous, he SPRINTED into Roadblasters the moment he lost... but not to try to take it over- to take petty revenge instead, interrupting the players' race and causing them to crash just like they did to him, preventing him from winning in his game. Picture it as a "if I can't have this, then you won't have it either" type mentality towards Roadblasters.

Going back to Felix and why his ignorance/remaining within his bubble could have possibility caused him to misread Turbo's intentions. Felix also is one to make assumptions in the beginning of the movie, like how for example when trying to calm the Nicelanders when Ralph goes missing: "Ralph probably fell asleep in Tapper's bathroom again!" Or some such. It makes sense he would make assumptions about Turbo as well, ESPECIALLY if he knew him personally and how self-obsessed he is. Doesn't take a genius to realize this guy does not like to lose.

Secondly, the final boss scene. King Candybug in general really. I disagree with your idea that Turbo has always been this hungry for power he'd want to take over the entire arcade. We both know that if that happened, if every game was infested by Cy-bugs, Litwak would be forced to close down his business because all of the games would be unplayable. His 'attention' wouldn't last very long if every game gets unplugged, his thought process to take over the arcade is purely manic and deranged for someone like him who has been well-known to be a master manipulator, able to keep a stable facade for over a decade without wanting to take over other racing games? That 'taking over the arcade' sounds very unlike him. It sounds more like... a cy-bug's programming. A cy-bug's programming that has gained enough conciousness to start plotting and planning. Because it now has the intelligence of a person, fused with him, learned what he knows.

Speaking of which, remember the cybug that ate King Candy?

Look at it's candy-pattern. Haven't we seen that somewhere before...?

Oh right! Right here, when the cybug eats some pepperming roots.

The same cybug that ended up there after falling into the taffy lake... after being ejected from a shuttle.

The same cybug that Ralph brought with himself.

What was the very first thing that King Candybug said to ralph when they see eachother again for the showdown?

"Because of you, Ralph, I'm now the most powerful virus in the arcade!"

I don't think, during this one moment at least, that this was Turbo speaking.

[valyrfia]

*insert michael jackson gif*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[leclerc-s]

track six - i can still make the whole place shimmer

series masterlist

JAPAN 2023

QATAR 2023

ines_alonso and charles_leclerc posted to close friends

so proud of you oscarpiastri, sucks that i can't be there with you the only way to celebrate a third championship and a maiden sprint win. this can only go wrong from here monopoly has been cancelled after someone nearly broke the table when he got beat

CHARLES' BIRTHDAY

ines_alonso and oscarpiastri posted new stories

he actually liked this cake, don't listen to whatever oscar has to say birthday boy 🥳🩷 an artist at work...i actually don't know what's she's trying to make

oscarpiastri and ines_alonso posted new stories

inés said we were on a time crunch, now i've lost her inside a flower shop and she's not answering her phone. send help. sos. birthday boy seems to have something devious planned second birthday cake was a success!!!

liked by charles_leclerc, isahernaez, pedri and others

ines_alonso feliz cumpleaños amorcito!! here's to spending more by your side (with osc of course) for many more years 🩷🎉

tagged: charles_leclerc

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charles_leclerc oh mon soleil, i might start crying again. please don't do this to me.

oscarpiastri you'll cry regardless charlie charles_leclerc stop being mean to me, it's my birthday oscarpiastri i got you a cake, that's enough user01 their love language is bullying each other

user02 had to sneak oscar in there somehow

user03 inés loves both her boys. i'm convinced she will never shut up about them user02 i fear you may be right bestie

oscarpiastri happy birthday booger 🧡

charles_leclerc thank you stinker ❤️ pedri i will never understand how this dynamic works arthur_leclerc mate it's been years and i still don't understand it. half the time i'm convinced they hate each other. oscarpiastri it's our love language arthur, leave us alone.

isahernaez feliz cumple charlie 🎉

charles_leclerc gracias isa 😊 user04 brother lost even his ex-girlfriend in the divorce to charles user05 not only is he not winning races but he's also not winning life, shit must suck for him. user06 he just became the only non redbull winner of the entire season, put some respect on his name louieee bitch won the race at the sacrifice of his own teammate, we'll put respect on his name when he fucking earns it. user07 besides this post is about charles, not his fucking whiny ass teammate

user08 i want to know what the product of that picture charles was taking in slide 2

user09 he's the embodiment of that proud boyfriend meme user10 he's just a silly little goofy guy

fernandoalo_oficial feliz cumpleaños to that french guy or whatever

charles_leclerc you sent me an entire paragraph telling me happy birthday this morning you're not fooling anyone fernandoalo_oficial that was supposed to be a secret tonto charles_leclerc oops

jensonbutton HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLES!! 🎉🎉 YOU'RE SO OLD NOW!!

charles_leclerc THANK YOU OLD MAN!! user11 the difference between fernando and jenson's comments is so fucking funny to me

maxverstappen1 drinks are on the birthday boy this weekend

charles_leclerc you people are animals when you drink. i should be getting free drinks not the other way around alex_albon well for my birthday i was forced to pay, so you should have to pay this weekend charles_leclerc this a hate crime against me

user12 i can't believe charles is 26, it feels like just yesterday he was starting out as a rookie at sauber

user13 STOP! YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL OLD!! user12 your bio says you're 16? how the fuck does that make you feel old?? user13 IT JUST DOES OKAY?! DON'T QUESTION ME!

patriciooward FELIZ CUMPLE CABRON!!

charles_leclerc GRACIAS PATITO!! user14 i've seen enough scuderriaferrari get this guy into your car as carlos' replacement. he speaks spanish too user15 and charles actually likes this one

ximena.gomez feliz cumpleaños charlie!!

charles_leclerc gracias ximena! inés said to ask you about the thing ximena.gomez the answer is still no charles_leclerc one chance, just one chance that's all she asks

TEXAS 2023

liked by charles_leclerc, oscarpiastri, francesca.cgomes and others

ines_alonso there's no weekend like austin gp weekend (this message was paid for by daniel ricciardo) (p.s. please wear your fucking boots right. the jeans go on the outside not tucked inside the boots)

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francesca.cgomes you know what they say, save horse ride a cowgirl

ines_alonso yeehaw!! charles_leclerc please stop flirting with her oscarpiastri you're never beating the allegations ines_alonso WHAT ALLEGATIONS?? francesca.cgomes that the boys are a cover up for our super secret romance. ines_alonso oh that, no, that is true pierregasly STOP THIS MADNESS!!

user16 how i love women

charles_leclerc i feel like this is directed towards me...

ines_alonso that outfit is atrocious and i never want to be in your presence when you wear it. justice for andrea. charles_leclerc OSCAR SAID IT LOOKED GOOD! ines_alsonso OSCAR WEARS T-SHIRTS AND SHORTS AND CALLS IT A DAY, NEVER LISTEN TO HIM maxverstappen1 mate, i'm afraid oscar lied to you oscarpiastri i live to see him make an embarrassment of himself in public. charles_leclerc you're sleeping on the couch when we get home alex_albon that's an upgrade from when your drunk ass made him sleep on a piece of turf on your balcony last year landonorris why the fuck am i never invited to anything? first it was the group bowling and now this party? danielricciardo he-who-shall-not-be-named is your friend louieee because you're a snitch bitch that's why asshole logansargeant in their defense the party was before bowling and no one wants to party with peter pettigrew or lord voldemort user17 the harry potter references i'm dying

user18 so are we supposed to act like you didn't embarrass yourself in front of patrick dempsey?

ines_alonso if we could do that, that would be great thanks user18 oh girl, that's going to haunt you for the rest of your life.

danielricciardo thank you inés i'll be venmoing you $150 later today

ines_alonso pleasure doing business with you mr.ricciardo logansargeant he's actually paying you?? he told me i would get a shoutout on his .jpg account ines_alonso i'm his favorite logan, you should know this logansargeant doesn't mean i should like it

jensonbutton i had a blast this weekend, i enjoyed watching you lose your shit on danica patrick this weekend.

ines_alonso you're ass is such a shitstirrer, i'm telling my dad! jensonbutton he sent me an audio of him cackling for a straight 3 minutes. his ass enjoyed that too user18 this is my favorite daughter and step-father duo user19 jenson button is not a step father but the father that stepped UP

lilymhe the cutest cowgirl ever

ines_alonso oh stop it, i'm actually blushing oscarpiastri unfortunately she is actually blushing. charles is glaring at her from across the room lilymhe damn charles_leclerc i took your girl charles_leclerc fight me lily alex_albon come get your girlfriend she's being irrational again alex_albon mate, we are not having this debate ever again. they're in love, let them be. charles_leclerc you're literally no fucking help

user20 love how inés, kika, and lily flirt with each other to piss off the boys

user21 alex is just resigned to the fact that they do this, charles and pierre absolutely lose it every time, meanwhile oscar just lets them have fun to see charles lose it everytime. user22 inés and oscar live for tormenting charles and i love that user20 it's the difference between gen z's born in the 00's to the 90's is so noticeable between the three of them.

MEXICO 2023

BRAZIL 2023

liked by lilymhe, kellypiquet, patriciooward and others

ines_alonso a little photo dump for the girlies as we head into the final race of the triple header

tagged: charles_leclerc, fernandoalo_oficial, oscarpiastri, lewishamilton, maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, alex_albon, lilymhe

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patriciooward nano and honey make a reappearance!!

louieee she's kept them hidden from us for too long ines_alonoso they're camera shy

alex_albon i've missed my godchild nano!!

maxverstappen1 that's my godchild albon! ines_alonso ladies, please, you're both nano's god father alex_albon um, i'm more qualified to take nano if a 'tragic' accident were to happen to any of you maxverstappen1 i have two cats alex, you have a fucking farm, we are not doing this. ines_alonso i've made a horrible mistake

charles_leclerc where's the picture of my mexico podium??

oscarpiastri maybe win a race then she'll post you charles_leclerc you won a sprint! not an actual race! oscarpiastri I STILL WON!

arthur_leclerc i see there's no mention of me taking that 6th picture?? where is my credit alonso??

ines_alonso we bought you dinner and yet you still found a way to complain about taking one picture arthur_leclerc you try fourth-wheeling you, dumb, and dumber louieee it's dumb, dumber, and dumbest maxverstappen1 wait but who's who? oscarpiastri charles is clearly dumbest charles_leclerc this is why people think you hate me oscarpiastri haven't you heard, we're the second coming of seb and mark. multi-21 2.0 incoming alex_albon it was very clearly multi-21 (lovers edition) oscar user23 mark is probably shitting himself seeing this comment oscarpiastri i can confirm that

user24 just a pretty girl with her pretty boyfriends

user25 how to get inés alonso to blush 101 ines_alonso wrong! it's how to get three idiots to blush

kellypiquet i see the picture of the broken table didn't make it to the photo dump

ines_alonso we're never playing monopoly again maxverstappen1 if someone hadn't cheated the table would've never broke! georgerussell63 I DIDN'T CHEAT, YOU JUST SUCK! alex_albon YEAH, TELL HIM GEORGE! user26 i feel like we're missing some important lore here pierregasly post championship and sprint win monopoly is great, until someone (max) breaks the table patriciooward don't forget to specify that it's drunk monopoly alex_albon i feel like i would remember if you were there? patriciooward oh, i wasn't there in person but i was there via facetime. all of you were so fucked up that you don't even remember it

user27 i don't know what's more surprising max breaking a table, george cheating (allegedly) at monopoly, or all of them ending up so drunk they don't remember anything besides a broken table??

user28 definitely the broken table. user29 yeah, the drunkenness is expected from them so is george facing cheating allegations in monopoly.

fernandoalo_oficial i did not give my consent to having that picture posted

ines_alonso too bad old man. you snooze, you lose. user30 the world may be calm (not really) but you can count on inés and fernando always being their chaotic selves

logansargeant this is logan sargeant erasure

ines_alonso oh sorry, the whole world must know i bought you a single shot after your point in austin logansargeant well now i feel bad because it came at the expense of lewis... charles_leclerc what about me?! i'm the reason you got the point! logansargeant you said you wouldn't watch hamilton with me again... charles_leclerc fine, we can watch hamilton again logansargeant 😄😄 user31 a duo i didn't know i needed

danielricciardo is that the picture max and i took when you fell asleep?

ines_alonso yes, i'm never leaving my phone unattended with you two maxverstappen1 that's a consequence that comes with flying airmax, deal with it baby alonso louieee BABY ALONSO!!! ines_alonso oh no, that's going to stick isn't it?? estebanocon they've been calling you baby alonso behind your back for years. jensonbutton we've been calling you baby alonso since 2015 ines_alonso oh my god

lilymhe thank you for beautifully capturing my relationship with alex

ines_alonso you're welcome my love 🩷 alex_albon i'm right here lilymhe shhh alex, it's okay, you're my one and only (sometimes) alex_albon WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?! ines_alonso it means that whenever you piss her off she runs to me and kika francesca.cgomes it's true, we kick oscar and charles out of the apartment and force them to spend the night with pierre alex_albon STOP MAKING ME SEEM LIKE A BAD BOYFRIEND! ines_alonso you're a good boyfriend alex, we're just teasing. (got to get ahead of the media)

VEGAS 2023

liked by sabrinacarpenter, louieee, alex_albon and others

ines_alonso a week spent in los angeles and las vegas. met some new friends and hung out with some old friends

tagged: charles_leclerc, oscarpiastri, sabrinacarpenter, schecoperez, logansargeant, alex_albon, lilymhe, jensonbutton, joris__trouche

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maxverstappen1 where the fuck am i?

ines_alonso bitch, you won every race this season, let other people have a chance maxverstappen1 YOU HAVE CHECO ON HERE!! schecoperez me odias o qué? maxverstappen1 no, do not put words in my mouth checo!

user32 ariana (sabrina) what are you doing here?

user33 talk about an unexpected crossover user34 the most unexpected friendship to come out of the 2023 season

louieee ooh, we look so cute

ines_alonso yeah we do!! louieee 🩷🎀

charles_leclerc i'm still mad at you...

oscarpiastri maybe you shouldn't go around telling us to call you charles leclerc-verstappen maxverstappen1 well now i'm max leclerc-verstappen redbullracing max, we can't do this again, the rumors just stopped oscarpiastri i know where you live scuderiaferrari here we go again (the rumors never stopped) mclaren oscar, please refrain from threatening fellow drivers user35 they're just so tired of having to pr train oscar user36 we're talking about the kid who willingly admitted he pushed inés off the track when they were karting because they had a bet going on and he didn't want to lose

sabrinacarpenter it was a delight to meet you and sharles

ines_alonso enough to get a nonsense outro?? sabrinacarpenter woah, take me out on a date first ines_alonso name a time and place baby 😏 charles_leclerc i can fight... oscarpiastri i can laugh as you take charles down... sabrinacarpenter oscar's my favorite now charles_leclerc of course he is

jensonbutton WHERE DID YOU GET THAT PICTURE??

ines_alonso it's a screenshot from the sky sports broadcast. it's the face i make whenever i'm forced to work with that woman jensonbutton oh my god ines_alonso it's my favorite f1 meme now

charles_leclerc now that i'm no longer upset, you look beautiful ma belle 🩷

ines_alonso thank you bebe ❤️ user37 he's trying to get back in her good graces guys oscarpiastri ass kisser charles_leclerc YOU WON'T LET ME GET A DOG alex_albon jeez oscar, let the guy get a dog oscarpiastri HE'S THE ONE WHO SAID NO MORE PETS AFTER HONEY!

logansargeant LET'S GO!! I'M OUT OF THE TRENCHES!!

patriciooward FROM THE TRENCHES WE RISE!! user38 now this, this is my favorite duo inés alonso has given us

lilymhe i look great and alex is there

francesca.cgomes she's everything and he's just ken ines_alonso the realest comment here sabrinacarpenter girls who are everything and boyfriends who are just ken pierregasly our job is just car

joris__trouche he did not want to let go of mimi

ines_alonso he genuinely cried when we left charles_leclerc STOP EXPOSING ME!! oscarpiastri you called me sobbing because you were leaving mimi behind maxverstappen1 just get him a dog oscar oscarpiastri he dug his own grave max

user39 the random jenson meme is sending me

user40 the fact that both of them have pulled the same face while working with d*nica user41 they're further proving the buttlonso lovechild allegations because i feel like fernando has also pulled the same face. user39 oh my god you're so right

francesca.cgomes just a pretty girl living her best life

ines_alonso i'm blushing oscarpiastri can confirm she is blushing charles_leclerc i'm so done. user42 free my guy user42 not from the relationship but from his partners (inés) flirting with the girls (kika, lily, sabrina) user43 nah, my guy brought this onto himself by flirting with max verstappen at every single fucking opportunity liked by ines_alonso and oscarpiastri

¡taglist!

@minmira95 // @lesliiieeeee // @vroomvroommuppett // @prongsvault // @justtprachisblog // @scuderiadevils // @cataf1 // @chezmardybum // @formulaal // @lilsiz // @norstappenvibes // @ironspdy // @nikfigueiredo @hinamesgigantica // @niniluvsainz // @matchaverse // @fakeikeastore // @theseus-jpg // @six-call // @81folklore // @emppusofi // @luvsforme // @nichmeddar // @loloekie // @luvpedro // @donttouchthegnote // @nothaqks // @inferiusreggie // @mochimommy2002 // @rach3164 // @clove08 // @clove0 // @lillysbigwilly // @jenxjar // @blupblupfish // @thereadinggremlin05 // @meowiarty // @magical-spit // @camdensreg // @laneyspaulding19 // @ocyeanicc // @yelenasloverrrrr // @percervall // @blushmimi // @spilled-coffee-cup // @greantii // @ietss // @yeanoskrrt // @brakingboundaries

¡not taggable!

@ashlovestoread1411 // @books-thingys-andstuff // @ale-522 // @aandreea_2005 // @Katness1 // @mgmoore // @Scott-McCall-could-lift-mjolnir // @xxx-betty // @ririyulife // @landonorizzz // @moldyshorts1997 // @itstimeforutogo // @yar16 // @em-andemm // @killjoycra // @◇Heart- Trees◇ //@michelleyw81

¡leclerc-s speaks!

unfortunately with the current state of the us, this is my only escape. i don't know why it became so unhinged but i remember people joking about max and charles getting married and this is a fanfic so i thought, why the fuck not?? IT'S ALL JOKES PEOPLE!!

¡disclaimer!

this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[agendabymooner]

MASTERLIST: O-Z by agendabymooner

LINK TO MASTERLIST: A-N F1 DRIVERS by agendabymooner

LINK TO SOMETHING SINFUL (SMUT) MASTERLIST by agendabymooner (MINORS DNI)

note: part two of my masterlist!

legends/genre:

a = angst g = general fic hc = hurt/comfort h = humour

s = smut (minors, dni) mc = mature content (minors, dni) f = fluff

★ - newly added ♡ - favourite piece

esteban ocon (eo31)

the royal wildcard, smau: the british media's good at getting the juiciest details of gossip from the palace, but much to their dismay, princess albertine spencer followed the footsteps of her brother harry and had done an amazing job at hiding her marriage with a certain alpine driver for three months. (f, g, h)

the royal resemblance, smau: albertine ocon lived to give her estranged family something to talk about because of her physical appearance that could be confused with her mother's ghost. too bad, ditty ocon was born into the world with the same heart attack-inducing features.

ditty and estie greet the world, fic: diana 'ditty' ocon looked so much like her namesake but act more like her father with her shyness.

pato o'ward (po29)

caught 'em lacking, smau: diwa arellano is mclaren f1's social media admin. so what if her constant teasing of oscar bites her in the ass and accidentally posts something that could potentially compromise her job? meanwhile, lando and oscar laugh at her demise while pato finds it endearing.

yapping and lacking, smau: people are slowly catching onto pato and diwa's connections during the winter break, when mclaren released their own podcast. ★

sergio perez (sp11)

she's beauty, she's grace, smau: in which carmella ayala perez, the miss universe 2018 winner, tied the knot with checo after their five years of relationship and the birth of their second child.

oscar piastri (op81)

lomi and the piastri fiasco (filo!gen z!ofc)

jollibee, madrid and all that romantic fiasco, smau: paloma san pedro is carlos sainz's cousin-in-law who also introduced oscar to his newly found filipino fast food chain addiction. safe to say that he bought a ticket last minute just so he can obsess over her, too.

live tweets, japan and all that romance fiasco, smau: how oscar's podium win in the japanese gp led to the revelation of his relationship with carlos sainz's in-law, paloma. lesson learned: just call her "pal" then she'll spill the tea for the both of you easily (f, h)

lucky charms, qatar and all that romance fiasco, smau: oscar is quite a forgetful guy, he forgot to mention to carlos, his future in-law, that paloma was his sprint lucky charm. (f)

long distance, england and all that romance fiasco, smau: paloma moved to england a year after enduring a long distance relationship with oscar.

extra: birthdays, manila and all that romance fiasco: before the japanese grand prix week, oscar had his own birthday party held in jollibee - a dream come true for him, really. ★

other pieces

12345sex, smau: oscar is secretly freaky and mercury nicoletta had to show him off at some point.

kimi raikkonen (kr7)

stop the world i wanna get off with you, smau: vera 'coppa' coppola-raikkonen is the only one who can make the iceman talk a lot. she's also the only one who can make the chatty versions of him as their three older children (romania, rooney and johann-lauri) make their presence known to the racing community. (f, g, h)

someone's dad, socmed snapshot: kimi being the coolest dad, a series.

daniel ricciardo (dr3)

✿ rush smau series - daniel ricciardo x ofc (lester alessandro) ★

other pieces

leaked, smau: daniel ricciardo is a borderline blabbermouth. (filo!ofc)

when danny said, smau: daniel + sadie samuels = it feels just right. (country singer!ofc) ★

george russell (gr63)

his family and her lover, smau: eleanora 'nora' alessandro was more than happy for george's willingness to step up as her children's father regardless of how people poorly reacted on their relationship.

she's magic (youtuber!singer!ofc)

the multifaceted gf and her pets, smau: arabella 'ara' elgin is multitalented and her haters couldn't do much about it as she released a new song about her relationship with george.

carlos sainz jr. (cs55)

two worlds entangling (filipino!ofc)

ride home, smau: the ferrari driver accidentally outed himself as a married man, so mona magdalena sainz stepped in to say hi to his loyal fans. (f, g, h) (extra)

dear, smau: nobody loved each other more than magda and carlos sainz. OR a series of tweets in which magda and carlos never took each other seriously. (h)

pag-ibig, traducido (love, translated), fic: no matter what cultural context and backstories, magda and carlos' souls were entwined into one all thanks to the languages of love that they shared. OR times when the spanish and filipino defined their love in many languages. (f) ♡

logan sargeant (ls2)

he's her lobster, smau: eugenia 'genie' newton + logan sargeant = mondler (h)

mick schumacher (ms47)

big mick energy series (x filo!ofc)

she's everything... and he's just mick, smau: barbara 'barbie' blanco is the vettel family's foster child that gradually turned to kimi vettel's nanny and mick's crush? (f, g)

"besties", smau: everyone swore that mick and barbie are more than "babysitting pardners" (f)

who is kenough, smau: mick nearly took the piss from arthur leclerc after the posts that the monegasque had of barbie. too bad, mick was already hers before arthur could even try. (feat. arthur leclerc)

kenergy unfolded, fic: written version of who is kenough OR arthur leclerc was only scheming just so mick could do something about revealing his relationship with barbie. ♡

the vibing allan and the reluctant ken, smau: for mick, there are only two words to describe his girlfriend's best friend arthur: a headache. OR arthur leclerc is a third wheel that mick always get on a fight with. thankfully, barbie had fair experiences with boys who are petulant and childish at times (kimi and seb)

barbie and the schuminis

mick multiplied, socmed snapshot: girl dad!mick that's all

the little schuminis, fic: 4 times when mick showed his devotion + 1 time his devotion paid off

lance stroll (ls18)

gotta be you, smau: bora mckinnon made her presence known in the paddock one year after lance broke up with her. now, they're all over the media because of his presence in her three birthday celebrations. the question still stands: are they getting back together?

diors and diecasts, socmed snapshot: lance stroll is sassy but so was his carbon copy. OR according to him, his son was a victim of the only child apocalypse. he also said that while buying his son everything he could get his hands on.

yuki tsunoda (yt22)

line without a hook, smau: pia ellis misses her mystery bf that everyone thought to be her delusions. it turns out he's a formula one driver who definitely misses her too.

chaos family, socmed snapshot: yuki is a dad to the little mini yukis known as hana and shin.

all-american bitch, smau: some people didn't like pia's blunt and genuinely straightforward personality. that's too bad. ★

max verstappen (mv1)

✿ to loathe and to love series - max verstappen x hearth sister!ofc (sylvie ford) ♡

to loathe and to love: extras (x ofc)

lost in japan, smau: just two lost souls (with a tour guide) travelling to japan to make up for the childhood they missed. (f)

the purple chronicle (x ferrari!ofc)

paint him red, smau: alfrieda 'dina' ferrari is the only woman who can mark him as a ferrari fan - and he was quite alright with that.

sebastian vettel (sv5)

✿ sweet rich life, smau + fics series masterlist - sebastian vettel x ofc (bel ong) ★

mark webber (mw2)

the problem with following orders, smau: lydia 'liddy' vettel was what everyone considered 'a revenge best served cold.' of course that was a joke, it wasn't entirely either of their fault they were too drawn at each other. (g, h) ♡

toto wolff

✿ colour me your colour series masterlist - toto wolff x hearth sister!ofc (tilly marie hearth) series

colour me your colour: extras (x ofc)

the paddock's resident it girl, smau: besides from owning three of mercedes' competitors in the track and being the mercedes team principal's wife, she's also known as the cool girl of the paddock for her taste in fashion and husband. (f)

the paddock's lucky husband, smau: with him being spoon-fed with love from his children and wife, toto really couldn't ask for more. OR tilly wolff liked to talk about fashion but her family? she might as well write a whole book about them. (f)

the paddock's resident menace and the dame, smau: tilly wolff was presented with a damehood and her daughter tia, the girl who tends to act on her mischievous way (all thanks to toto), celebrated her 7th birthday during the silverstone gp week. fans recall her best moments in sky sports and media overall.

the paddock's iconic team owners, smau: toto and tilly wolff are considered the king and the queen of formula one for a good reason.

the arrow and the bull speared through the hearth, fic: tia wolff learned a lot from her papa and uncle christian, and tilly had to teach them a lesson too. (h)

the paddock's drive to survive, smau: in which, toto's wife tilly became a part of the season six of the netflix series 'drive to survive'. OR everyone believed her to be a part of big controversies in the formula one season of 2023.

#tbt, socmed snapshot: too many throwbacks, so little time.

other pieces

twentieth sommer of love, smau: toto wolff celebrated his 20 years of marriage with his childhood friend/wife and their four kids. OR everyone wondered why irish sommer was referred to as 'the bitch of the runway.' (supermodel!ofc)

formula equals endurance, smau: tomi roxas became the biggest name in the f1 drivers' market when she announced her retirement from world endurance championship. the problem? everyone's linking her up to a certain austrian that she's had a crush for years. �� (driver!ofc)

f1 drivers (general / multiple pairing)

✿ 9 to 5 series masterlist - f1 grid x ofc (lester alessandro) ft. fictional wolff kids

✿ f1 voicemail blurbs - series of blurbs with voicemails left by the drivers. ★

too much caring, smau, sv5 + jb22: kpop idol juno was assumed to have cheated on retired driver jenson button with his best mate sebastian vettel. oh how wrong those people were...

[charles-leclerc-official]

what are your top standout performances from charles from 2018 to present? anything that proved his adaptability, skill, or convinced you ah this guy is a future world champion.

There have been so many, when you have a skilled driver it's really hard because they are just putting out good performances constantly.

But I am gonna cheat here because the real answer to you question is his F2 career pre-2018. He has such a reputation for being terrifying in overtaking. Now drivers who are good in F2 that doesn't always translate to being really strong in F1. But really F2 is where you can see it. His Bahrain sprint performance when he went from P14 to a win in only 8 laps. It's one of the best F2 performances of all time, I highly recommend watching. Like he wasn't just good in F2, most rookies who get to F1 are. Charles was making history in F2, people still talk about his F2 performance, he did things there that we haven't seen since.

Then when he did make it to F1 he was in Sauber, and it only took him 3 races to start consistently putting that car in the points almost every race. He put that car in P6, it had no business being there. That year Sauber scored 48 points, and Charles was 39 of them. It's no wonder he caught the attention of Ferrari.

Then we get to 2019. A driver can stand out in F2, they can even be really good in the mid-field, but the real test is can they handle a top level car? Can they be competitive in a truly fast car?

It took 2 races for us to find out the answer was yes. In the Bahrain GP when Charles took pole. When he lost places after those first laps he was able to gain them again, going against Hamilton and Bottas, literally battling the two fastest cars on the field. He retook all the positions he lost, and he was on track to win that race, but the Ferrari engine lost power, and he fell back to third. He was literally on track to win his second race in Ferrari before that mechanical issue. There was no adjustment period, They put Charles in a competitive car and he was immediately driving it to a high standard.

The rest of the season just continued like this. From taking back to back wins at Spa and Monza, to immediately out-competing his teammate who was a multiple WDC, in his second year in F1 and his first year at the team. If that doesn't demonstrate WDC material to you I don't know what will.

You have to understand, no one thought the kid they pulled up from Sauber was going to out perform Sebastian Vettel in his first year. Or at all really.

After that Charles just got better. In 2020 he proved that he can out race the car he's in.

And then in later seasons we just see him continue to put in performance after performance where he is demonstrating skill and his ability to really put every ounce of performance out of a car.

You can put Charles into a bad car, he will put it in the points. You can put him in a good car, he's winning immediately. You can change the car to not suit his driving style, he's still competitive. We've seen him be competitive and standout regardless of the circumstance. In a mid-field car, in a top car, when the team is struggling etc etc.

The thing that makes him WDC material is that even in a good car, even in a very competitive car he is still out driving the car, he is still able to get that extra performance out of the car with skill on track. He's competitive overtaking, he's competitive in tyre management, he's competitive on raw speed, he's competitive on precision. This has been true since the beginning and he's only gotten better.

And in 2024 again we have seen him get his results through so much refined skill on track. He still hasn't peaked in his career because he's still getting better.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Money over lives: The tragic case of Noah Lyles’ collapse at the Paris Olympics - Published Aug 9, 2024

The horrific collapse of American sprinter Noah Lyles at the Paris Olympics due to his infection with COVID-19 has shocked masses of people throughout the world. While downplayed by the media, this event graphically exposes the reality that the pandemic is ongoing and remains dangerous for the entire population.

Before the race, Lyles was expected to win gold and possibly set a new world record in the 200m sprint, after he had just won the 100m race two days earlier. But shortly after crossing the finish line in third, Lyles fell down, writhing on the ground and visibly struggling to breathe. He then got on one knee for nearly 30 seconds before medical professionals assisted him off the track in a makeshift wheelchair in front of a stunned global audience of millions.

Lyles returned a few minutes later wearing a mask and revealed that he had been sick with COVID for the previous two days, telling a reporter, “I woke up early, about 5am on Tuesday, and I was feeling really horrible.” He later added, “I was quite light headed after that race and the shortness of breath and chest pain [were] definitely active.” He soon announced on Twitter/X that he would not take part in his final event the next day.

This disturbing episode has upended the lies of Joe Biden and other world leaders that “the pandemic is over.” In fact, COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire with no mitigations in place to protect public health. On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its wastewater data, showing that over one million Americans are now being infected with COVID-19 each day.

The onset of the pandemic forced the suspension of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to the following year, when testing, masking and other precautions were put in place. In 2022, the Beijing Olympics were held in a highly secure bubble set up in line with the Zero-COVID strategy then in place in China, protecting all athletes at the event.

All of this is now over. The Paris Olympics take place over a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) lifted the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, and every world government has scrapped all mitigations to slow the spread of COVID-19.

What was once referred to as the “Olympic spirit” is effectively a dead letter. As with all modern sporting events, a tremendous amount of money is at stake in the Olympics for the athletes, their corporate sponsors, and the event organizers. Combined with the toxic promotion of nationalism, enormous pressures are now placed upon athletes to compete with COVID, regardless of the dangers posed to themselves and others.

Those who organized the Paris Olympics were well aware that a horrific event like Lyles’ collapse would happen, but proceeded with reckless abandon anyway. Summing up the callous disregard for the health of athletes, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland stated, “We know not everybody is going to make it through the games healthy.”

Indeed, the Paris Olympics has quickly become a super-spreader event. Some 11,000 athletes and millions of mask-less fans have traveled to the French capital from throughout the world, creating a metropolitan petri dish of different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Lyles is one of nearly 50 athletes with confirmed COVID infections, with the real toll undoubtedly far higher.

The fact that the fastest man alive was struck down and required medical assistance underscores that COVID-19 remains a significant health risk to everyone throughout the world. It is a damning exposure of all the propaganda portraying COVID-19 as “mild” and comparable to the flu or common cold.

Lyles has suffered from asthma his entire life and is therefore at greater risk of developing a severe infection and potentially Long COVID. This has gone unreported in the corporate media. In fact, he is lucky to be alive, as strenuous exercise while sick with COVID—especially when suffering from asthma—places one at elevated risk of respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.

Read the rest at either link!

[gayf1hoe]

Part 10

“Welcome back to another Formula One race weekend where we are anticipating another thrilling race in the triple header of the season. Lewis Hamillton is leading the championship by just 18 points with Y/N L/N just falling behind. And Y/N leads Max Verstappen by just 16 points. It is of course a sprint weekend so drivers will be looking to take home maximum points. Let's hope that the drivers in the top 3 can avoid contact, unlike they did at Silverstone.” 

Over the course of the past few weeks things really haven't been going my way. I have spent nearly every waking minute trying to arrange the moving details to my apartment in Monaco but since Monaco doesn't have an Airport it's been difficult to arrange all the shipping - it's also made me have a lot more respect for the team in logistics who have to move an entire F1 paddock to another country within 1 to 2 weeks.

Max and Kelly have been confirmed to be a couple which I can't say surprises me. But I haven’t been focused on them. I have made sure to spend loads of time outside in the natural environment, I have started reading again and doing relaxation tasks. Additionally the past few weeks I have spent a lot of time with Kimi. Everything I have done has been alongside him. It has felt strange hanging around with Kimi without Ollie as he is the whole reason we have met each other, but it has allowed us to get to know each other without Ollie exposing both of us, and as much as we love him he's a lot more talkative than we are so it's allowed us to open up to each other at our own pace rather than having Ollie catalyse everything. 

Sauber have also taken note of mine and Kimi's friendship and have invited him to sit in the Sauber garage over the race weekend. Obviously we had to ask Toto for permission and reassure him that Kimi isn't betraying Mercedes and that we are not trying to steal his young academy driver. 

Just before I get in my car I go over to Kimi and give him a fist bump and he reassures me I will do well. 

As It's only the sprint I can't lie I'm not that bothered. Now I know a racing driver who doesn't care about winning a race is no longer a driver. But what I mean is this is really a test for the new upgrades the team have put on the car. So I'm seeing it more as a test for Sunday. 

The track, unlike Silverstone, is dry and the weather is much warmer which makes driving a lot more uncomfortable. The stands are surprisingly full for sprint qualifying. As it's the Austrian Grand Prix weekend the crowds are dominated by a sea of Red Bull merch. As a driver your home race is the most pivotal thing of the season even if it's only your team's home race, but for the other drivers they always feel a little intimidated by the support the home fans have for home driver's and team's but at the end of the day we are racers and have to beat them regardless of the hate from the home fans. 

“Y/N Green light, we are good to go” 

Heading into any session there are always these nerves festering inside you and as the Sauber garage is at the end of the pit lane I don't have much time to take in my surroundings when coming out of the garage. 

My first lap is absolutely abysmal but I manage to improve drastically on my second lap excelling through to SQ2. The upgrades have started to show their limitations and in SQ2 I feel like I'm sitting on a bouncy castle as the car is bouncing up and down the straights. And it obviously impacts my performance. 

“Have we been bumped?” I ask my engineer.

“Yes Y/N we are P11” 

I would say I'm upset but I'm also not surprised. The car hasn't been at its best all weekend and it feels like we have gone back to square one. The team have only made one change to the car so we know exactly what it is, but we can't change it as Parc Fermé rules state teams can't change the cars before a race.

As I jump out of the car I see Kimi smiling at me eagerly out of the corner of my eye, and it seems to make me a lot less stressed and unhappy. But my anger with the car still causes me to slam my helmet on one of the table's in the garage and throw my gloves aside. 

My engineer comes by and squeezes my shoulder but I shrug his hand off and walk through the back of the garage to my motorhome which is situated in the back. 

“Y/N wait”, I hear a voice shout behind me.

“What?” I say turning to see its Kimi and I instantly regret my coarse tone. 

“Look it wasn't your fault, it was the car it's a miracle it even got through to SQ2 so don't be harsh on yourself”

“Thanks Kimi” 

“Why don't we go out for dinner tonight, just me and you”

“Sure, let me get changed out of my race suit”

I meet Kimi in the parking area and we get into the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale the team has got for me this weekend. Kimi directs me using Google Maps but we still somehow manage to get lost in the winding streets. We do eventually emerge from the complex labyrinth of streets and arrive at the restaurant 25 minutes later than our reservation. We are seated outside but the Austrian daytime heat seems to have continued into the evening. 

“So what do you want?” Kimi asks. 

“I have no idea why don't you choose for me”

Kimi orders some seafood dishes and normally I'm not a huge fan of seafood but when it arrives at the table it looks surprisingly nice. And I'm genuinely surprised at the flavour, it's not too powerful and Kimi can see my surprise. 

“See you should trust me more often” 

After dinner we head back to the motorhomes, Kimi is staying in mine as there is a separate bed. When we get back I have to go and speak to Zhou quickly so I leave Kimi in the motorhome. It's practically pitch black and on my way back I trip and fall but stand up a bit lost. I see a lot of lights emanating from a lot of trailers and then I see a figure walking towards me. It isn't until the future gets closer that I see it's Max and as I go to avoid him he grabs my arm. 

“Max let me go” I demand 

“Wait baby”, as he speaks I can smell the strong and pungent smell of alcohol.

“I am not your baby, you have a girlfriend so fuck off and leave me alone” 

“You just want to go back and fuck Kimi is that it” 

“I'm sorry, what did you say?”

“You heard me, you left me because you wanted Kimi” 

“I left you Max because you were an unsupportive, annoying, self centred dick who only cared about himself and as much as you say you are not like your dad, you seem to be exactly like him. And you stand there like you haven't already moved on”

I storm off and enter the trailer and slam the door shut. 

“Is everything OK?” Kimi asks. 

“Absolutely fine”

When I enter the paddock I see Max walking past with his media officer and he doesn't even acknowledge me. He must either be so embarrassed about his behaviour or he was so inebriated that he couldn't member what happened. When I entered the team room, they told me that I'm starting from the pit lane because they changed the component that was making the car drive like an Alpine in the first place. 

Interviewer: So Y/N you are starting from the pit lane today. What are your plans for the sprint?

Y/N: Well hopefully make up some places and get into the points but it won't be an easy task. 

Interviewer: Have the team made changes that will improve the car?

Y/N: Well I hope so. But we know what the issue was with the car and hopefully it has been rectified and we have better pace for the Race and Qualifying. 

Interviewer: Lastly, I know you might not want to speak on this but you and Max Vertsappen what's going on with you two. 

Y/N: We are no longer dating but other than that nothing has changed he's no different to the 18 other drivers on the grid.

 It's my first time starting any race from the Pit lane and it does feel a little weird as my view of the track is obstructed but thankfully there is a screen that is angled that makes me able to see the drivers on the screen. 

“Y/N when the last driver has past the pit lane the light will turn green and you can go” 

The second I see the back of Logan’s Williams I immediately accelerate and try to play catch up. I quickly catch up with Logan and get past and set my eyes on Alex. By lap 4 I am sat in 17th which pisses me off. But my overall pace is quite good and in the straight I get past Pierre and Nico. Then as my day was starting to show an inkling of improving my engineer dashes my hopes of any success. 

“Y/N retire the car engine fault”

“This fucking car is unbelievable”

“Y/N radio off”

“Fucking unreal” 

I park the car in one of the runoff areas and switch everything off and place my head In my hands. I feel like all the progress we had made is proving to be futile and the team is just regressing back to its original state. But as Audi is taking over next year they have reduced the amount of funding and investments into departments as in their eyes there's no point if the team won't be here next year. Eventually the marshals instruct me to leave the car and I take the longest and quietest route back to the garage to give myself time to calm down and reflect. 

Reassuringly they tell me that the car will be fixed in time for qualifying but at this point I am past the point of caring, I already have a seat next year so what happens between now and November doesn't really matter. Obviously I want to finish in the top 3 of the standings but if the car continues going like this I have lost all hope. 

It wasn't exactly the sprint I was hoping for with a DNF and Lewis extending his lead by another 8 points really isn't ideal. But I guess we got some valuable data and the bouncing issue was no longer present. 

After the sprint I'm sat in the driver's private area just on my phone and that's when Daniel approaches me with his usual mischievous grin etched onto his face. 

“Hey man” he says.

“Hey Danny, what do you want?” 

“Why do you assume I want something”

“Well the past 3 times you have spoken to me the conversation has started with “Can you” so I have a valid reason”

“Well I was wondering if you could maybe speak with Max about what happened last night he's really embarrassed and wants to move on, but apparently you were incredibly harsh and rude towards him last night”

“I don't need to speak to Max for him to move on he just needs to grow up act his age and realise that what I said last night was true and that's the reason he is so provoked by it”

“God you are stubborn”

“Thank you Danny” 

The second my interaction with Danny ends he walks over to Max and shakes his head in a no fashion and Max looks a little deflated. I don't see why he can't get over me. He's already dating someone else so he shouldn't be so obsessed with me. Maybe he hasn't moved on yet. Maybe there's a chance of us getting back together. What am I even thinking, why would I want to get back with him. He was a dick to me, but I guess last night I was harsh especially when I made that comment about Jos. I know how much trauma he caused Max as a kid so I probably shouldn't have used it against him. Then again he shouldn't have insinuated that me and Kimi were together, I mean he's my friend. Yes he's cute and funny but we are just friends.

My phone starts to vibrate in my hands, snapping me out of my verbose thoughts that have created more confusion than clarity. I look down and see that it's a text from Ollie. 

****

Ollie: Hey Y/N I was just wondering what's been going on between you and Kimi recently.

Y/N: Nothing, why do you ask?

Ollie: Well he's been acting differently since you have been hanging out together.

Y/N: Differently how?

Ollie: Well for one he is normally super shy yet around you he has this new found energy and also in Silverstone he practically was asking me everything about you. Like your nickname, the most embarrassing thing you have done. 

Y/N: YOU DID NOT TELL HIM ABOUT THE INCIDENT

Ollie: No, I didn't tell him about the time you called Sebastian Vettel “the hottest F1 driver” and he ended up being right behind you. 

Y/N: Even hearing it back I cringe.

Ollie: You said it not me. 

Y/N: Anyway, me and Kimi are just friends and he probably just wants to get to know me better.

Ollie: You're probably right, we will speak later. Bye [Nickname]

Y/N: Bye BEARman. 

****

That's probably the weirdest interaction I have ever had with Ollie. I feel like he wasn't being totally upfront but I don't have time to ponder his authenticity as I have to go and do my favourite thing of all time - an engineering meeting. It's basically the most boring part about being a racing driver. You sit in a room on a video call with the team back at the base who have all the data and talk about what went well and what can be improved. For me the improvement is obviously going to be having an engine that lasts to the end of the race. 

I take my seat next to my engineer and for some reason in these serious conversations when the team is talking about data I find myself picturing something way more entertaining and spontaneously breaking out into laughter which I have to contain to maintain the “professional image” that everyone knows I don't have. 

The sun has disappeared and the skies are grey but there is no sign of tian ahead of Quali. I am pedantically walking up and down the garage as my car still isn't fixed with 6 minutes to go until Quali. But I think my presence is looming over the engineers and putting more pressure on them which is causing them to make mistakes. But as I watch the clock the seconds seem to fly by and the car still isn't put together so I look away and talk to Kimi to distract myself from the shit show that is going on behind me. 

“Y/N you can get in now” my engineer calls out with exactly 1 minute to go until Q1 starts. 

As I'm coming out my garage I see that there is a spot behind the Haas and I have enough time to get behind it before the Red Bull that's coming down the pit reaches me, I slot myself in but the Red Bull behind me - which given by the bright red number 1 on it I can only assume its Max - doesn't slow and comes down the outside of me trying to push past despite the clear line and order of traffic. 

“Typical Max” I say to my engineer.

“Yep we don't know what he's doing mate just let him go don't risk any damage”

“I have seen F4 drivers with more maturity and professionalism” 

I let him go begrudgingly and extend my middle finger over the halo making sure he can see it in his mirrors. I wait for 10 seconds to provide some space before going out on the track for my first run. The first run is only good enough for P6 so we go again and get through to Q2 in P2. 

The Red Bull's and Ferrari for some reason are massively off the pace with Charles and Sergio out in Q1. Max is also struggling as he barely got through to Q2. 

“Y/N you are the final driver on a flying lap in Q2 the driver at risk is Verstappen we are in P13”

I push the car and throw it into the corners barely touching the brakes, trying to find even a tenth of a second where possible. 

The rush up to the line is always the worst as you never feel like you are going fast enough and you always have that second of silence before your engineer tells you where you are.

“P1, you Are through to Q3 the drivers out are Ocon, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Sargeant and Vertsappen” 

The car clearly has the pace and I have never had a GP pole position in F1 so I am determined to get it. 

We go out early in Q3 to set the benchmark tine and I come back into the pits and see that only Lando, Nico and Oscar can go faster than me. 

“We have time for one last lap, give it everything Y/N”

I change about a million settings during the lap to maximise the potential of the car and reduce time where I can.

“Purple sector 1” 

“Purple sector 2” 

The last sector always feels the longest but it's also the sector you can afford to mess up on, at least in sector 1 if you mess up you haven't lost a lot but if you mess up in sector 3 you have just ruined a good lap. 

“What did we get?” I ask eagerly as I cross the line.

“POLE POSITION” My engineer shouts. 

“Let's fucking go, awesome jobs guys” 

Reporter: Y/N first pole position of your career and I'm sure the first of many how does it feel to get your first pole position after your first win? 

Y/N: It feels weird to get pole after achieving a win, normally people do the reverse but it's a good feeling to know that today at least we were the fastest car on the track and it's a comeback from this morning and the DNF in the sprint. 

Reporter: We saw at the start of Q1 there was some drama in the pit lane between you and Max Vertsappen, what's your view on the incident?

Y/N: Well I obviously had the right of way. I got into the spot well before he reached me and for some reason he went around me and pushed in. I don't know why he did it but even in junior racing series you learn that the pit lane etiquette is to wait your turn so I don't see why he didn't do that, but I won't waste my energy on his childish behaviour. 

Reporter: Lastly going into tomorrow on Pole, you have your good friend Kimi Antonelli cheering you on from your garage, is your second career win on the table?

Y/N: Well I say let's not be too optimistic but nothing is off the table, I will try my best and hopefully get the strategy right and it will be a good race. 

After all the media and interview stuff I head back to the motorhome with the boxes of food I collected from the hospitality building. Kimi decided to come and sit inside as he was getting a little cold but I gave him my jacket so that whilst he was walking back he didn't get any colder. 

“Sorry I took so long, the media just didn't stop asking questions” I say placing the food on the table. 

“It's fine I know what it's like, thanks for the food” 

We eat our food together and spend a while chatting before we both get ready for bed. 

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” I ask and he doesn't even reply before hopping onto my bed. 

I turn on Netflix and we flip through a few movies and shows and eventually put on a true crime documentary. No more than 5 minutes later I hear a faint yet heavy breathing sound and see that Kimi has fallen asleep, how anyone could fall asleep when watching a gruesome documentary on a mass killer is beyond me.

I switch off the TV and pull the duvet to my shoulders and turn to face the wall. 

Waking up I feel a heavy weight on my chest and lift the cover to see Kimi's arm draped over my chest. I try to move without waking him but he must be a light sleeper because he immediately awakes as I try to move. 

“Sorry I tried not to wake you”

“it's fine sorry for falling asleep in your bed and then somehow hugging you” 

“It's fine Ollie has done it plenty of times, but he normally puts his entire body weight on me so that I can't move” 

The Grand Prix race nerves are mustering in my stomach the second I step out of bed. I collect my pre organised outfit from the wardrobe and get changed before placing some bread in the toaster and taking a moment to sit down and do some stretching exercises.  

“So do you think you will win today?” 

“Maybe, I'm not 100% sure on anything”

“Well I will be there cheering you on” 

“Thanks it means a lot”

“Well you are a great driver so you don't need me as a good luck charm but you might need a good luck charm when it comes to cooking”

“What do you mean?” 

“The toaster is smoking”

“Shit!”

If this is a sign as to how my day is going to go I would rather not race. After one last check of the weather forecast where it says it's not going to rain I head to the paddock autographing the odd thing for fans. One so-called fan shouts “Max is better than you” but that's not an insult, it's a fact based on data, so it doesn't upset me. 

I see Ollie wandering around the paddock so I go and sneak up behind him and scare him. 

“Where's Kimi?” He asks 

“He's coming later, we aren't joined at the hip you know” 

“Could have fooled me”

“Are you jealous Oliver?”

“No and don't call me that it's weird” 

I spend the build up to the race with Ollie to satisfy him and remind him that he's still my best friend, although deep down he knows no one will ever replace him. 

The drivers parade is usually fun but today I'm just not feeling it. I'm stood around talking with Logan and Alex as they are the people that are closest to me but I can just feel someone death staring at me but everytime I turn around there is no one looking at me. There is a huge sea of Red Bull supporters which is unsurprising as it is their home GP. 

After the national anthem ceremony I climb into the car and for the first time I have a clear view ahead of me. 

“li's lights out and away we go and Y/N gets off the line well and defends against Norris and holds onto P1. Verstappen has made up a few places and so has Zhou Guanyu” 

Lap 24: “And its Sauber who will make the first pit stop and for a team that has struggled with pit stops recently set a time of 2.1 seconds which is very respectable, Y/N will come out just behind Vertsappen who has made his way up to P5 but not for long as Y/N takes a massive dive on the inside and moves up to P5 on his pit exit” 

Lap 34: “Sauber are boxing Y/N again very early ahead of all the other drivers, and they have gone for softs. A very questionable strategy by the team to give Y/N a set of tyres that should last around 25 Laps for 37 laps let's see what he has to say about that” 

“Whoever made that call better pray for a miracle because I don't see how these tyres are going to last” 

I can't believe the team. They might have just thrown away a good race with a bad strategy call. All I can say is no one will be letting out a sigh of relief until the chequered flag. 

I sat in P3 by lap 45 which is when the team should have brought me in but thankfully the gap to the front drivers is small so when they pit I can retake the lead, but there is no way I can relax with these tyres on. 

Lap 60 is when I feel my stomach start to sink as the rears lock up and the grip becomes almost non existent. 

“Y/N if we were to box again we would come out in P6 behind Russell, do you want to pit?”

“No, just let me drive this thing”

“Copied”

With 2 laps to go my front left rear is coming off, I have seen literal chunks of rubber fly off the wheel. 

“Last lap Hamilton 2.2 seconds behind’ 

I don't think the car is going to make it to the end of the lap, I can just about turn the car and seeing the Mercedes of Lewis dart in and out of view isn't doing much good for my nerves. 

“Chequered flag, chequered flag. That's P1”

“Let's go guys. Amazing job. It was tough and I'm sure the car is missing a tyre but we did it” 

Reporter: Congratulations on a second career win in your rookie season. How does it feel?

Y/N: Pretty awesome it was so hard to get to this point so it's definitely rewarding. 

Reporter: Now we saw Kimi cheering you on from the Sauber garage. Has his presence today made you do well?

Y/N: Well he has proved himself to be a good luck charm all weekend so I might just bring him everywhere with me now. 

Reporter: Something you may not have seen is that on your overtake on Max after your pit stop he said on the radio “That's quite dangerous and bold… He doesn't care for safety”. What's your response to that?

Y/N: I say let's go back to Max's rookie year and see if he was any less aggressive or had any more care for driver safety. Recently he's been critiquing my driving but I think that's because he sees me as a threat to him. This is the 4th Grand Prix out of the season so far where I have achieved a higher finish than him but there's no reason for him to criticise me. 

The atmosphere in the garage is one of pure elation and pride. Kimi hugs me alongside every team member who are all delighted with today's result. 

There is the usual celebration party after the race but I can't be bothered to go so instead me and Kimi get a bottle of champagne and walk to a lake that's near the track but very secluded and only accessible if you have a pass to get which means no media. 

The lake is quiet and peaceful which is a welcomed sound away from the roaring engines and crowds that have certainly made me go a little deaf today. But the silence is broken by Kimi's soft and angelic voice.

“Y/N I have to tell you something…” 

[bunnytalksf1]

McLaren are fastest. So why do they keep losing out?

The general consensus for the duration of the triple header (since Monaco, for some people, who aruged that Piastri's fastest sectors proved that he could have taken pole with an "ideal" lap). For the purposes of this post I'm going to count Barcelona as the first race they were fastest.

So, what unravelled them? For the most part, it's Norris. He just can't seem to shake up under pressure, and it's costing them results bigtime. He started on pole in Barcelona, and a stupid, overly defensive move that pushed Verstappen onto the grass cost him two places when George Russell jumped down the outside and kamikaze'd his way into the lead. This was Norris' fault, he drove desperately, and made a very difficult job for himself to catch up later in the race, and ultimately couldn't do it. The gap to Verstappen was still two seconds, in the end.

I don't want to stoop to the lows of the stuff I'm seeing online about Norris, but what I will say is this: he seems to really struggle under pressure. This isn't just when he's in a championship fight, it was making the difference in the stint of races last year where McLaren had a competitive car. Qatar, where Piastri won the sprint, Lando had issues with track limits. The inability to keep cool under pressure really affects him in quali, and he tends to underdeliver. He's not a Leclerc, or a Verstappen in quali, where they push and push. I can handle a mediocre qualifier. His racecraft is more than enough to make up for it, and his overtakes are usually smooth and calculated.

Then we go to Austria. Verstappen is making the difference this whole weekend and starts the sprint from pole, Norris from P2. The McLaren is faster and by lap five, Norris was brave and lunged down the inside, but he got worse traction. He came from very far back, and his acceleration out of the corner was sub-optimal, allowing Verstappen AND Piastri to collect him in the next corner where he also ran wide. And then after that he got stuck behind Piastri, who is typically slower in race trim, and Verstappen checked out, losing the win. I do think in the sprint it was less of a indicator of Norris' lack of quality and more so an indicator of the quality of the racers around him in PIA and VER.

Same order for the GP. Norris started P2. Honestly, I turned the race off as Verstappen checked out and my ferrari heart couldn't handle the race after charles' lap one contact (lol, if only i knew about today!!) and then my friend turned around and showed me the george russell graphic, so I didn't watch this live. Clumsy racing from both VER and NOR cost both of their races, VER moving under braking and NOR with divebombs that were never going to work or stick.

The issue for me in Austria is that the damage to Norris' car was manageable to go back out and fight for points, which he sorely needed. He made the call to retire, as far as I'm aware. If I'm correct, he did have to pit twice regardless though, so I'm not sure if that was an influence. The decision to DNF cost them valuable points (even if the max was only two or four, he should've gone back out) and extended Verstappen's lead.

Now we go to Silverstone.

Honestly. A brilliant race. You can argue that Norris and Piastri both underdelivered slightly in quali, but Mercedes were rapid, and Hamilton (at Silverstone, at least, lol) and GR are phenomenal qualifiers. P3 for Norris, P5 for Piastri (after they screwed him with timings on his last Q3 run).

Here's where I'm going to criticise McLaren. Both Lando and Oscar did a phenomenal job today. By the time it was time to pit for inters, Lando and Oscar were P1 and P2, after mistakes from both Mercedes drivers. They then pitted Lando for inters from the lead and left Oscar out, and he lost position to both Mercs, Verstappen and Sainz. Working up to the last stint on slicks, oscar managed to pull back past Sainz, but Norris led the race.

Hamilton pit first, and went to the soft, with twelve laps left to go. The McLaren pit wall had already put Piastri onto the mediums at this stage and the team had all the data, and a new set of mediums. They then asked Norris which tyre he thought was best, and went on a used soft to "cover Hamilton". This, as most of the pundits have already pointed out, was the wrong call, and probably lost McLaren the race win. Norris blamed himself in the post-race media, but it's much less a driver issue here than it has been in previous race weekends.

McLaren has a long standing issue where they seem to over-rely on driver feedback rather than the data that they collect, which is frustrating to look at. The internet at large can be incredibly cruel, and its trendy to hate on Norris right now. Whilst I don't like him, nor rate him as highly as I do LEC/VER/HAM, he's definitely earnt his place on this grid and he's got some very good racecraft. Onto my point: Sochi 21 was NOT HIS FAULT. Controversial opinion, I'm aware. But as a team, you don't trust your drivers, particularly when your driver is a 20-year-old under immense pressure for his first race win in F1. The team had the data, it shouldn't have been a discussion. Pit for inters, pit for wets. Yes, Norris' attitude was awful, but Verstappen is similar with his engineer, and I can't blame him when he wanted it that badly. The team needs to take unequivocal responsibilty for its strategy, and rely less on dialogue with their drivers. They don't have the data. And today was a prime example of that.

Norris would have won today on the mediums. Piastri also could've been in the hunt had they double-stacked. But this is a problem that has existed for a long time and needs to be changed fundementally: the team has the data. Make the strategy decisions, and let them drive. It doesn't always cause them problems, but neither driver is used to fighting at the front and they need their team to lean on. That's the point of a strategy department.

Although Andrea Stella acknowledged much of this, so hopefully the only way is up?

[just-here-with-my-thoughts]

Loved the birthday cake fic

Pretty please may I request some brotherly fluff in the form of Crosshair plaiting Hunter's hair?

idk how to spell sorry if that's wrong

Heya! Here you go... 2k of lead in for 150 words of hair braiding ^^;

Beach Days & Hair Braiding for @ninjadeathblade

Fandom: The Bad Batch Characters: Hunter, Crosshair, Omega Word Count: ~2525

Synopsis: Nothing but sweet, tooth-rotting, brotherly fluff. Beach days and hair braiding on Pabu.

Crosshair closed his eyes, relaxing into the soft sand floor of the cove and letting the sun-warmed grains spread their tingling heat to his bare back. The afternoon sun was at the peak of the day’s temperature, beating down with a warmth that permeated to his core and for once chased away the near-perpetual chill he felt. His brothers had always joked that he ran colder than them, but after his long stints alone on Kamino, Barton IV, and Tantiss, he couldn’t deny that it sometimes seemed like he felt cold regardless of the weather on tropical Pabu.

He didn’t get to enjoy the relaxation for long. A hard thump startled him as a bottle landed on his abdomen, making him jerk upright. He grabbed at the offending item, a bottle of sun-lotion thrown at him by a grinning Hunter.

“Better top up if you’re planning to bask,” his brother quipped. “Otherwise you’ll burn to a crisp.”

Crosshair grumbled and unstopped the bottle, squeezing a slug of cream onto each of his limbs before rubbing it in. Hunter was performing the same ritual on Omega, the girl practically bouncing on her toes as she waited impatiently for him to finish.

“Then we can swim, once we’ve got sun lotion on?” she asked, glancing longingly at the sparkling blue ocean.

“Yes, then you can swim,” confirmed Hunter with an indulgent smile. Omega lifted her hair from the back of her neck, letting him spread the lotion evenly over her skin, then giggled as he flicked a smear of the stuff onto her nose before rubbing it in across her cheeks.

“Race you to the water!” she shouted, and was off like a shot the moment he was done.

“Omega, wait!” yelled Hunter after her, gesturing helplessly. He glanced at Crosshair for support. “Can you keep an eye on her until I’ve done my lotion? Make sure she doesn’t go in the deep water.”

Crosshair grunted and heaved himself up, squeezing a generous helping of the lotion into his palm before tossing the bottle back to Hunter. He smeared the stuff over his chest and back, reaching up between his shoulders to make sure he was fully coated. Hunter was more tanned than him but even he was careful in Pabu’s sun, and Crosshair’s paler skin was prone to burning.

Casting his gaze about the sheltered cove, Crosshair pretended not to see where Omega was crouched behind their boat, waiting to ambush him. They had sailed in on the small craft early this morning, pulling it up onto the sand out of reach of the tide, before they had spent the day exploring the far side of the island.

Crosshair had made a show of protesting the choice of activity, then allowed Omega to win him round to it.

The glow of Hunter’s smile when he agreed to join them made it worth it.

Now he deliberately turned away so that Omega could leap onto his back, legs locking round his waist and arms around his neck as she pressed her giggling face into his ear.

“Gotcha, Crosshair!”

He reached up and easily flipped her over his shoulder, grabbing her at the last moment to slow her fall so that she hit the sand softly. She scrambled back to her feet, still laughing, and tore off towards the sea.

A small smile twitched at the corner of Crosshair’s mouth as he set his feet into the sand and launched into his own sprint. With his long legs he caught Omega easily, swinging her up and around and dumping her unceremoniously back to face the wrong direction. Then he overtook her, his speed increasing as dry sand became damp near the water’s edge, until he splashed up to his ankles into the warm sea.

He turned back with a triumphant smile, arms folded across his chest, waiting for Omega to catch up to him. The girl was gasping when she did, doubled over as she laughed and caught her breath at the same time.

“You’re too fast, Crosshair,” she half-scolded, bending down to flick water up at him. “It’s not a fair race!”

“It’s fair when you race Hunter? You started before he was ready.”

“He lets me have a head start!”

Crosshair glanced back up the beach to where Hunter was stowing the sun lotion with their packs before heading to join them. “Lets you,” he said with an eye roll. “Sure.”

By the time Hunter reached them Omega was happily splashing about, practicing messy swimming strokes. Crosshair hadn’t ventured any further into the water, content to stand and watch, keeping his gaze fixed on Omega as his brother came to stand by his side.

“She’s like you,” he commented, tilting his head a little as he spoke.

Hunter glanced up at him. “How do you mean?”

A wry grin. “She’s never going to beat me in a flat race.”

Crosshair staggered as Hunter shoved him, almost flailing forwards into the water. He rounded on his brother, dashing water up the same way Omega had earlier, but Hunter tackled him with full force and sent them both sprawling into the shallows.

Old combat training was hard to ignore, and Crosshair kicked his feet up under Hunter’s body to send him flying over his head and into the deeper water. Omega squealed and splashed out of the way as Hunter crashed near her, and Crosshair rolled to his feet, running a hand through his hair to brush the warm saltwater from it.

Ocean water. Warm, and welcoming, and fun. How different their lives on Pabu were to their early days on Kamino.

Crosshair shook his arms out next, droplets of water arcing in the sun. “What’s the point of sun lotion if you’re going to drench me and wash it off?” he grumbled, glaring at where Hunter surfaced beside Omega with his own long brown hair plastered to his shoulders.

Hunter merely grinned and turned to Omega. “Ready for your swimming lesson, kid?”

Crosshair smiled to himself as the two of them took off, Hunter’s strong brown arms cutting cleanly through the water, Omega splashing a little more erratically as she tried to keep up. The former sniper turned and ventured back up the beach, finding a warm, dry patch of sand to settle down on again.

For a while he sat with his elbows resting loosely on his knees, watching his siblings at play in the water. Something strange tugged in his chest as he did so – something welcome, a little bit light, a little bit painful, an ache of longing and belonging that he was learning to sit with comfortably now.

Things had changed. A lot. But if this was where they were settling, he could be happy about it.

Eventually he laid back, finding his comfortable basking position again, and closed his eyes. Then all he watched was brightness as the sun danced over his lids, feeling the soft scrape of sand against his skin and scalp as he nestled into his warm position.

Omega and Hunter’s laughter carried softly above the sound of lapping water and the distant calls of seabirds. A gentle breeze moved the fronds of nearby trees, and tickled pleasantly across Crosshair’s skin. Despite Hunter dunking him into the water his shorts were drying quickly, and his skin was already dry and warm again.

It was so peaceful that Crosshair let himself doze.

*

“Cross.” Hunter nudged him gently. “Ready for dinner?”

Crosshair stirred slowly from his pleasant nap, detecting the scent of wood-smoke and cooked food before opening his eyes. Hunter’s half-tattooed face was above him, inverted, hair hanging down loosely between them.

“’m coming,” muttered Crosshair, stretching the sleep from his limbs before sitting up. The sun was lower now, sparkling golden-red as it hovered much closer to the horizon. It was still warm, but the breeze from the water carried a little more chill and Crosshair shivered.

Without a word Hunter passed him his shirt and he pulled it loosely over his head, threading arms through and standing to follow his brother to the small campfire further up the beach. Omega was still in her swim-gear, wrapped in a fluffy towel, poking at the embers which gently cooked their evening meal. Hunter didn’t seem to mind the chill of early evening, still only in his swim-shorts.

Crosshair thumped down on one side of the fire and Hunter crossed to the other, sitting beside Omega. The heat that radiated from the fire was welcome, and Crosshair brushed sand from his hands and took the plate that Omega passed him.

“How’d the swim lesson go?” he asked, holding the plate steady as Hunter portioned their meal into it. The sweet aroma of baked fruits made his mouth water, and he tucked in the moment his was served.

“Crosshair, wait for ours,” Omega complained, but he only grinned and made a show of taking another succulent mouthful.

“Swimming was good,” Hunter told him, handing Omega her plate before dishing his own. He was a little breathless, making Crosshair wonder if he had been back into the water after sending Omega to watch the fire. His hair dripped rivulets of water down his bare shoulders and chest, and Crosshair decided his theory was probably correct.

“I can do back-stroke now,” Omega told him proudly, grinning up at Hunter.

Hunter’s smile softened and he ruffled Omega’s drying hair. “You did good, kid,” he praised, and Crosshair’s heart tugged at the glow of affection between them.

Crosshair gestured towards their small boat. “Guess I get more legroom on the row home, if you’re swimming alongside the boat,” he teased, and Omega stuck her tongue out at him. Hunter only chuckled.

“Are we rowing back after we’ve eaten?” he asked, looking to where the sun shimmered above the water.

Omega made a dismayed noise. Crosshair glanced at her, then turned his sharp gaze on Hunter.

“Seems a shame to waste such a clear night,” he said, his tone nonchalant, the way he held Hunter’s eyes anything but. “You two head back if you want. I might stay out.”

“If Crosshair’s staying, I’m staying,” said Omega firmly, turning to Hunter with a flash of stubbornness.

Hunter shook his head with a rueful smile. “Guess I’m outnumbered,” he said, tucking Omega under his arm for a hug. “Good thing I brought camping gear.”

Omega squeaked with delight and wrapped her arms round Hunter, returning his half-embrace with her whole-hearted one. Then she was off, abandoning her meal to run down to their boat and search the storage compartment for the camping equipment she hadn’t known they had.

“You spoil her,” said Crosshair drily.

“Like you’re any better.”

A fleeting flicker of affection passed over Crosshair’s face as he watched Omega “I don’t know what you mean.”

*

The moon gleamed silvery-blue on the rippling water, highlighting the crests of waves that the night breeze chased gently onto the sand. The air was full of the chirp of insects from the grass-tufted cliff that ringed the cove; the occasional lonely caw of a seabird that had yet to roost joined their chorus.

Hunter let out a soft, contented growl as Crosshair scratched his fingers into his hair, running his nails over Hunter's scalp. He was lay with his head in his brother’s lap, body stretched out long in the sand beside the dying warmth of their campfire. In the small tent behind them, Omega was already asleep.

Smiling softly to see his brother so relaxed, Cross pulled at the long strands of his hair, still slightly damp from the ocean.

"You should cut your hair."

Hunter kept his eyes closed but bared his teeth in a dangerous smile. "Not happening. I like it long."

Crosshair huffed a laugh, raking his fingers through the lengths. Since settling on Pabu Hunter's hair had grown out, curling down past his collar. When it had been wet from their swim, it had reached half-way down his shoulder-blades.

"I bet you didn't bring a comb," he continued, teasing knots from Hunter's mane. "If you sleep with it like this it’ll be a nightmare to deal with in the morning."

"So do something about it," said Hunter, a sleepy challenge accompanied by a yawn.

Crosshair snorted softly and continued combing his fingers through Hunter's hair, making sure to stop and attend to any tangles that caught. Hunter merely dozed contentedly, head relaxed back into Crosshair's lap and eyes hooded to slits.

"Sit up," Crosshair demanded after a while, tapping Hunter on the shoulder. His brother opened his eyes and grumbled but did so, looking at Cross inquisitively.

"No, with your back to me," Crosshair said, pushing at Hunter to turn him. Once he had shifted into position Crosshair raked his hair smooth once more, then portioned it into three thick strands and carefully began to weave.

Hunter chucked, bringing one hand up to brush his fingers over the base of the plait. "Where did you learn to do this?" he asked. Crosshair ignored him, deftly braiding the strands together before tying off the ends with a small knot.

"There," he said with a hum of satisfaction. "Now it won't tangle."

"Feels weird," Hunter complained, resting his back against Crosshair's front, head reclined on his shoulder.

Crosshair didn't reply, just smoothed his hand over Hunter's hair once more. Before long Hunter had gone heavy against him, lulled into relaxing as Crosshair absent-mindedly continued to stroke his hair.

“You can sleep,” Crosshair murmured, words barely more than a breath by Hunter’s ear. “I’ll keep watch.”

Hunter tilted his face sleepily into Crosshair’s neck. “We’re not soldiers any more,” was his whispered reply. “You don’t have to keep watch.”

Crosshair’s hand stilled, his body tensing. Hunter flickered his eyes open, a quick glance at his brother, before nudging his head back under his hand to prompt Crosshair to resume his ministrations.

“Teach me to braid hair?” he asked after a while, a soft, embarrassed plea.

Scrunching his fingers into Hunter’s hair, Crosshair shook himself from his thoughts with a dry chuckle. “You just said it feels weird?”

“So I can braid Omega’s.”

The puff of Crosshair’s breath tickled Hunter’s ear. “Sure. Why not.”

A lull of silence. Crosshair felt his thoughts grow hazy, sleep tugging at the corners of his senses. Hunter was right. No need to stay awake through the night.

“Crosshair?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. For helping me with Omega.”

A thin smile pulled at Crosshair’s lips. “Kid’s had a good day.”

“Because you joined us for this camping trip.”

Fingers stroked gently through Hunter’s hair. “You’re doing well with her. You make a better big brother than you did a sergeant.”

Hunter reached one hand up, lazily rubbing his palm over Crosshair’s coarse silvery hair. “I had a good role model.”

Crosshair swatted his hand away, but his pretence at disgruntlement was belied by his smile. “You’re getting soft.”

A yawn and a stretch. “I… think I’m okay with that.”

Crosshair’s smile turned tender as he wrapped his other arm round Hunter’s chest, holding him close.

“I think I am too.”

[f0point5]

Okay, I had to work during most of the race which was super unfortunate and I didn't really get to watch the post race interviews until just now and boy..... people talk about media literacy but completely disregard one of Lando's interviews.

Lando Norris. I almost feel like something happened between Mexico and Brazil because his attitude just seemed off. Arguing about positions in the sprint, getting snippy with the reporter asking about Max and the Championship for the millionth time and then everything that was the post race interviews. The clip thats going around with talent and luck IS taken out of context because he was referring to pitting under the red flag. HOWEVER, I wouldn't have used talent or luck but rather say they had a better strategy than we did and it paid off. Lando was the one begging on the radios to pit laps before he did and now he's frustrated that everyone else got a free pit stop. They took a gamble when they pit and it didn't work. Them be the breaks. Lando saying that "they didn't do anything wrong" and "I don't care what people have to say" You do care and thats fine. But just admit that McLaren had a bad strategy. It's fine. That happens to everyone. Then he's complaining that no one agrees with the rule about being able to change your tires under a red flag unless it benefits them. Lando - didn't you win your first GP under similar circumstances with a free pit? Pot meet Kettle. Now in a DIFFERENT interview Lando clearly states that George deserved the win over anyone else and that yes Max drove well but he got a bit lucky. Luck is will always be involved with racing and to lean so heavily into that luck was a big factor in Max's win is a little cringe. Lando did admit he made mistakes but his whole vibe was VERY defensive and just off putting. Get this man PR training and an agent ASAP. Regardless - this man shouldn't be receiving any sort of hate or death threats - no driver should be.

George Russell. George was frustrated and rightly so. You can clearly see in his radio messages he was fighting to stay out to pit under the red flag but was told to come in early by his pit lane which ultimate screwed him over. He just expressed his frustration with the bad strategy call. A much different vibe than Lando.

I feel like it physically pained Buxton to say race winner Max Verstappen 🤣 It was also so frustrating yet slightly funny watching them have to compliment Max after his dominate performance after all the shit they were talking about him in previous weeks.

James Hinchcliffe described it perfectly "Some teams made the right calls at the right time" McLaren and Lando's pit stop was not it.

Buxton, when talking about all the infringements and penalties in regards to the aborted start, said Rules are Rules and Lando CLEARLY broke the aborted start procedure yet he ONLY got a fine and reprimand.... okay we all know if it was Max he would have gotten something worse except Max actually knows the rules so he wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Buxton again saying that it was a good thing the race started earlier with the amount of meetings with drivers they have (for the first time in a while Max wasn't involved 🤣)

Alpine deserves SO much praise. Seeing that whole garage, Pierre and Estie so happy was just just so heartwarming.

I also cannot stop smiling from how happy Max was with this race win. It looked near impossible with how quali went. But boy did he use every piece of luck and talent and pure spite to get that RB20 to P1. 17 Fastest laps to the point where GP was like Max cut it out you've made your point 🤣 It feels like such weight off the shoulders and relief after the last few races. Fingers crossed this momentum can keep up the last 3 races.

I hate McLarens hats. Lol they look like visors with the placement of the black coloring ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Apparently, Williams doesn't have enough parts to fix the cars by Vegas. I don't have a ton of information on this but I saw this briefly on a TikTok from someone who has an in at Williams.

Thank you for letting me rant and getting all that off my chest.

Oh I could talk all dayyyy about those Lando interviews and I did. I think I’ve talked that whole thing to death lol but I just need to reiterate…Red Bull and Alpine made a calculated decision to wait for a red flag. Are they lucky it worked out? Yes. But they made a gamble, they weren’t just sitting there waiting for the race to come to them.

McLaren and Merc made bad calls. And I will introduce my latest evidence of this - they both put on new inters? When the rain was clearly increasing? So they gambled on not having to come back for full wets…what the fuck kind of move was that when Max said you could pretty much drive a jet ski in the puddles on the camber? So not only did they pit and lose track position, if they thought the red flag wasn’t coming surely they should have at least gambled in wet tyres? Sorry but I think they shit the bed there. And what reallyyyy gets my goat about it is that Lucky Lando over there wanted to pit earlier. George at least didn’t want to come in at all but Lando was out there on lap 10 wanting to come in and even the engineers were perplexed. Sir, you weren’t unlucky you were just wrong.

I said I wasn’t going to rant about it again but I couldn’t stop myself because wow those comments were stupid 😂

I don’t know what happened to him after Mexico, he just cracked like an egg. Idk if it was the moment he realised the WDC wasn’t happening or what but he turned up in the paddock like “I don’t care don’t even talk to me who is Max don’t know him WDC never heard of her”. Fair enough bro I get it you’re bored of the questions and I understand why he feels he needs to defend himself but him saying Max has to change his driving like Lando what are you smoking? 3x WDC has to change his driving style because boy with fast car says so? Don’t make me laugh. It’s unfortunate because he came back from autumn break in such a good place and that seems to have evaporated, which is why I say, the paddock is not a place that brings out his most likeable qualities.

If I had to guess, I think Mexico really took him out of it a bit. He said the moment with Max was a “momentum killer” and I think he meant for more than the race. I think he realised that unless he is able to avoid Max entirely till Abu Dhabi he’s a bit fucked because Max will burn every single bridge in pursuit of that championship. I don’t think Lando can comprehend that level of ruthlessness and I think he was like “well wtf can I do now because if I get within 100m of him I’m risking a DNF”. He seemed annoyed but also quite hopeless even on Thursday. He did not seem like he had any confidence in the championship battle after Mexico.

Will Buxton and Damon Hill having to watch that drive…I hope it burnedddd. Damon in the post race with Christian…man was seething. It was like all his Schumacher trauma was playing like a film reel in his head. they’re so unnerved by him. It is delicious.

The Baguettes brought so much to the podium. Those guys in the best cars, they get on the podium and all they’re thinking is they didn’t win, and they’re doing maths in their head for points totals. It was such a refreshing change to see two guys on the podium who were nothing but overjoyed to be there. And the fact that they were so happy to do it together was so touching. You can feel that there is almost like a familial bond between them - complicated but inescapable. Also having them in the cool-down really drove home that the vibes have been pretty off in there for a long time.

Max cooked, fished out, and served in that race. The unadulterated rage simmering in him after that qualifying did something to him. And shoutout to GP because the way he spoke to Max through the race was so spot on. He knew what he needed to hear the whole time, it was like hive mind. Their relationship is something so special. Hearing GP clap over the radio and him betting with Helmut on Max making the podium, it’s too cute. I was worried as hell when he kept banging in those fastest laps though. I was like he’s going to cook the engine or spin to win like in Hungary 22 😭 but as always he knew his limits.

Mclaren’s hats looked better with the numbers in blue. Black is too harsh on that orange and it always looks like a Halloween thing.

Not surprised about Williams. I wonder what kind of conversations they’re having about Albon because since Colapinto arrived Alex has been on fraud watch and I don’t think he likes having a good teammate. Will be interesting to see what happens when sainz arrives

[inchidentally]

https://www.tumblr.com/inchidentally/736789284327129088?source=share

The longer I look at this photo, I see in Lando's eyes "why is he celebrating my good result despite his bad?", "why is he happy for me?". I think this moment allowed Lando to understand that Oscar is, above all, a team player (I remember how, after Prema won the championship in F2, he was happy that the team had sealed the title earlier and that he would be able to focus on winning his title in Abu Dhabi). And I think it helped break something in Lando's head that he could mention Oscar's victory in the sprint with a slight smile on his face. I think next season we will see Lando celebrating Oscar's victories as his own. And I hope that Lando will finally win his first race and some of the burden will disappear from his back. They both deserve the best!

god I know I keep rb that post and that it could easily just be a passing moment but I'm running w the fact that Lando's emotions play out like the words are typed on his forehead and it just feels so loaded for what is a simple congratulation from Oscar

no fr what I've learned about Oscar since and what @twinkodium has educated me on is that Oscar has always been like this and god I love that about him !! there's an Everyman quality to Oscar and the fact that he chose his A Levels in preparation for a backup career in engineering so that he could at least stay in F1 if he didn't get a seat is so. just. normal and healthy and humble of him. but in so many ways Oscar has this intense laser focus and a fierce steely competitiveness and daring and something about his social media history being so heavily Lando makes it so easy to drift into seeing him as directing his own fate with such a sure hand?? like he knows exactly what he's capable of and will fight to get it even if he can't swear that he'll get it. noble is probably such an over the top word for it but I'm already over the top so !

and then this firm decision from the start to show up for Lando every single time Lando did well - even standing unseen in the crowd far away from the podium with the rest of the team - and it feels idk?? it's such a bold thing to do as a rookie with your experienced teammate to say "I want to do this for you regardless". and we know it isn't performative bc it would've been MUCH easier to pull out his goofier side (that we've seen in all his team social media before) and done a bromance/buddy act for the cameras if he just wanted people to see him and Lando as friends for the sake of his own interests. he knows Lando responds well to bromances so that would've been a much faster way to his affections than patiently waiting (and sometimes pushing and shoving) to get to Lando for a congratulatory handshake and a smile.

so that's why I fully project the feeling of being confused yet fond and unsure of the reason but knowing that it's honorable either way onto Lando's face here <3

[silentreigns]

US GP 2023 Reflection

I really enjoyed this race! Although many things happened that left me with a lot of questions. This is gonna be a long one because A LOT happened

Lando did very well being in control during the first half of the race. Jenson got a laugh out of me when he said that if this was a Sprint Race, Lando would have won. I don't think Lando found that as funny though

With Lando getting P3, McLaren have moved up in the constructor's championship. Very excited to see how McLaren vs Ferrari will pan out

Ferrari putting Charles on a one stop when he started on pole is CRAZY. Charles did well to manage his tires though. But they gave Carlos a better strategy when he qualified behind? What are they cooking over there? We will never know honestly

And also why did it take Checo so long to overtake Charles when Charles doesn't even have functioning tires? Like come on 😭😭😭

Someone on the tl said that Daniel had contact at the beginning of the race, that's why he had like no pace. His car was like damaged the whole time. Gonna have to look into this

Speaking of Daniel, why did they box him on softs to take the fastest lap point off of Checo. Then they boxed Yuki to take the fastest lap point off of Yuki? What is going ON?

Also congrats to Yuki for finishing in the points! Also, is this his first fastest lap point? Pretty cool for him to get, it means that they're taking the car in the right direction

And another thing: I read an article that AlphaTauri was supposed to reveal their new title sponsor this weekend but we never got that. Need the Hugo Boss Bulls Racing announcement quickly so I can make fun of how dumb that team name sounds

FINALLY Lance got points! Its been too many weekends where he's just been so unlucky. Starting from the pitlane and climbing up to 9th is amazing! Let's hope he can keep the momentum going.

They said Esteban and Oscar's collision was a racing incident. Which is very unfortunate, i never like seeing people get taken out in the first lap

6 DNFs in 18 races. I don't know how Esteban hasn't found it in him to lose his composure. I would have by now.

Pierre finishing in the points with both races is good! Considering up until this weekend he has never scored points here. He really wasn't shown on TV but I know he did well!

Lewis sweetie you deserved that win and everyone knows it. Imagine if he had 2.4 and a 2.6 second pitstops. He would of had the pace to catch Max. Mercedes needs a whole new pitcrew period.

Mercedes really set Lewis up for failure. Y'all have already done this 303839337393 times like Max always undercuts people. They waited too long to pit Lewis after that first stint and it cost him so much time.

That team relies on Lewis being the greatest driver ever too much to cover up their shortcomings and I am tired of it. They better get it together for these last couple of races

Mexico will be interesting for the simple fact that thr fans will just chant for Checo regardless of who's on the screen. I think that's adorable

[ninetqs]

https://www.tumblr.com/ninetqs/765529669699272704/my-thoughts-shitter-weekend-from-charles-his?source=share

about your 1 point: I'm so afraid of him not recovering in brazil. god I trust him, but I really can't deal with carlos doing better, I'm a brat just like charles. Especially now that ferrari is good and winning is a real possibility on races. It's essential he gets it back asap.

about your 2 point: why do you think they did this? Was it because of carlos complainin, were they afraid of a fight so they manufactured a gap or was it really just to save engine.

under cut bcs it got longer than i expected

brazil isn't shaping up to be an amazing race for ferrari anyway tbh... cold temps and rain... not exactly the sf-24's favourite things. granted the current spec is very different from the early european races so we don't know with confidence how it'll perform but i'm not expecting ferrari to fight for the win as firmly as they have in these two races. if they DO turn out to be strong it'll fill me with much optimism for next year since it means one of the fundamental issues of the sf-24 has been patched to a functioning level and hopefully can be improved upon even more

the reason i have faith in charles is historically he's been good about reviewing races to see where he went wrong and how he can improve. clearly he was doing something wrong this weekend either in his setup or how he was driving and i trust he will look it over and determine what can be improved. albeit like he said himself low grip tracks aren't his strong point and this isn't something that'll be fixed in one week

brazil being a sprint might make things overly chaotic but it at least means every driver will have setup struggles and not just charles. one negative about charles is he takes longer to find a comfortable setup and the sf-24 already has quite a narrow window so having only one effective fp session this weekend hurt. judging by fred's comments it seems like the fp2 tire test (plus red flag) wasn't helpful for them, which is unfortunate because i'd really been hoping the extra thirty minutes would result in there being little net loss in configuration

all that being said. i understand it's tough to see our blorbo flop compared to expectations but it isn't luck that charles is p3 in the wdc (despite the myriad of issues this year) or that he's beating carlos in their h2h (despite carlos getting like a 4 race lead on it at the start of the year). he's been driving very well for most of this season and if he mentally survived the spain to monaco, silverstone to hungary stretches of 2022, and the triple headers both this year and last year, he can surely survive getting p3 in one race lol

re: second point, i think it was like 30% creating a gap to carlos and 70% for the car. initially i think they wanted him to slow for the gap but the extended lico was not because of carlos

i know ppl are alarmed because it didn't seem like carlos was suffering from it as much (which is true) but the cars evidently had different setups and they weren't driving in the same way. whatever charles was doing overheated the car (brakes, possibly pu) quicker -> i don't want to say if this was him or the setup "causing" it, but either way charles has had to lico like a crazy person the past few races, regardless of where carlos is, so it's not as if the increased lifting is unusual

it's worth noting a lot of drivers had to sacrifice pace to lico, not just charles. also for more of the race carlos was in free air while charles was chewing through fumes (from both carlos and then from backmarkers) and i doubt this helped comparatively

i never like to say things definitively bcs this sport is so unpredictable, especially this year, but i am not worried about charles. i think it's important to remember that while you're only as good as your last race and right now the wound is still fresh, charles' abilities are based on hundreds of races. this isn't erased because of a few mediocre ones. he wouldn't have gotten to this point without taking these losses as experiences to learn from

[f1gure-skater]

what's going on in f1? :(

Boring race today

McLaren dominance not sitting well and it's making the races boring as heck

Ferrari had a shitty qualifying so they were screwed since Singapore isn't easy to overtake on and it showed when Charles was caught behind two cars that were slower than him for about half of the race

This could've been Daniel Ricciardo's last race but it hasn't been confirmed yet. (Though the commentators for the F1 international stream (I think it was probably skysports?) really liked bringing that up) Not a Danny Ric fan though so it doesn't really affect me too much.

What Daniel did do today was get fastest lap, nullifying the point since he wasn't finishing within the points but it did secure Max his WDC IF he's able to finish at least second to Lando in all the races and sprints, regardless of the fastest lap point.

Um Maya Weug, F1 Academy Ferrari livery driver and first female driver in the Ferrari Drivers Academy, finished second in the second F1 academy race this weekend so she finished second in both of the races this weekend which is a nice positive -> Only Ferrari driver to actually have a good weekend :) and Abbi Pulling, Alpine livery driver in F1 Academy, dominated the weekend with a pole -> win conversion for both races.

ALSO, McLaren had an illegal rear-wing that wasn't exactly illegal since it passed the tests and it was more them finding a loophole. So there's some discourse about that.

Also, this race marked the first race in Singapore where there was no Safety Car and everyone has voiced their displeasure over that since it means literally nothing interesting happened this race. Even though I was just so focused on what Charles was doing for the entire race, I do agree that it could've been more interesting. might've been secretly hoping for Lando to have caused some more serious damage during his run-ins with the wall but alas

Yeah, ABOUT THAT, so many people are saying that Lando's lead was so dominant this race and the first show of dominance seen in F1 in a while. As if he didn't have some scrapes with the wall that he just got lucky with only sustaining minor damage and Max isn't RIGHT THERE with his 2023 dominance.

So yeah, that's everything I believe...

If anyone has more feel free to add (I literally only remember the stress of focusing on Charles for the full race so yeah) (Is it also obvious that I'm biased against McLaren or no?)

[sebscore]

hi jenny!!! it’s been a while omg !!!

i’ve been trying to catch up on f2 - i slacked off after ollie’s baku - and i just finished silverstone omg im so rooting for the prema boys and of course arthur 🫶🏼

ollie and jack’s battle during the sprint had me at the edge of my seat like holy ollie was holding on for dear life. too bad he missed out on a podium i really thought it was gonna be a 1-2 and then he started falling back 😭😭😭

i thought of what LL would think cause like arthur was picking up places but ollie was falling back ☹️

if i can’t get a charles or lewis ‘23 wdc, i hope i get a fred f2 ‘23 champ (i pray that i didnt just jinx the heck out of this 🤞🏼😭🤞🏼)

have a great day lovey!!!

- 🫶🏼

I also haven’t been keeping up that well with the f2 races, I’ve just been checking ollie, arthur and fred’s results 😅

and I also thought he would get a podium either in the sprint or the feature, but he did well regardless and got some points! 🫶🏻 and I think LL was mainly said for ollie, cause it’s his home race and she knows that this would upset him 😕

OMG YES! I’m rooting for fred or ollie to win, cause the prema boys deserve it so much!! 🩵🩵🩵

have a great day as well, darling! 🥹