#this just shows how much mercedes is on the fucking podium

[cheriladycl01]

Best Secret Santa - The Grid x Driver! Reader

Plot: in which everyone wants to have Y/N as their secret Santa because she is the best gift giver and never fails to make peoples day by going above and beyond for it!

2017

“So Y/N this is the first year of Secret Santa, how excited are you!” The F1 interviewer asks!

“I’m so excited! I love gift gifting it’s one of my love languages to show people that I know them, and I listen to them!”

“Okay are you ready to open your gift then?” She asks pushing forward a small bag that had presents wrapped up very nicely inside. You take the bag and look at the wrapping paper, it was well wrapped and good quality.

You open the first which feels as if it could be a wooden box but doesn’t really indicate what it could be.

You see that you were correct and a wooden box with your favourite paint brand is there on the top. You unclip the clasp that’s holding the lid down seeing the various paints.

“Oh this is a good present, but not many people know that I paint on the grid.

“Who knows you paint in the grid?” She asks you.

“Hmmm Romain Grosjean, K Mag, Kimi”

“So do you think it could be one of them?”

“Maybe… potentially Kimi, he knows me very well and has really helped me as a Red Bull Junior Driver and in my Rookie Year this Year”

“I think if you open the second present you’ll know who your secret Santa is” she explains and you take the second present of the table, it was pretty weighty but not as heavy as the paints.

“This feels like a book, like a hard back” you say as you start to tear into it. And it was, it was the Romain Grosjean book.

“It’s Romain!! He’s my Secret Santa?” You look at the F1 with a massive wide grin making her smile back at her!

“Wait, come with me” she becons the lady and camera crew to follow her. She walks through the building they are all in, in Abu Dhabi until she finds Romain.

“Romain, Romain wait up wait up” you shout running after him making the camera crew follow!

“Ahhh i see you received my gift!” He exclaims and she pulls him into a thankful hug.

“Please can you sigh it Mr Grosjean, I’m a huge fan of your work in Haas!” You exclaim, handing him a pen making him chuckle but still sign the book he gifted to you!

“Thank you for you time” you giggle before the cameras cut, and they decide to do Romains secret Santa while he is there.

*Flip*

“And now we are here with Lewis Hamilton who we’ve interrupted from getting ready for his Mercedes After Party for his 4 time world championship” the F1 lady smiles at Lewis Hamilton and he kindly smiles back.

“So your Secret Santa went all out, we’ve had to set the cameras a little further back and you’ve got some sizeable gifts here but they requested you read the card first”

“Holy shit” Lewis says as they start to bring in a huge box (big enough to fit the likes of Toto Wolff inside) followed by a smaller bag to the left that had three neatly wrapped presents inside.

“Who, what the fuck” Lewis says looking at the camera as if he was on the office. He looks at the F1 presenter who just shrugs her shoulders and waits for him to open the card.

“Dear Lewis, Here are 4 gifts to commemorate your 4 World Championships! Have a great winter season, and here’s to many more championships ahead! Love, Your Secret Santa” he reads seeing the little doodles inside the card.

“Any ideas on who it could be” she asks.

“No clue, everyone on the grid would know how many championships I’ve won, so this doesn’t give away much” he offers with a laugh. He grabs the bag wanting to leave the big present till last.

“Ohhh a Vegan Cook book, so they know I’m Vegan and a Japan Fridge Magnet. Okay so this is either Max or Y/N as they shared a podium with me, I’m sure off it!” He grins before taking the next present out the bag.

“What is this” he says unwrapping a rather small but oddly shaped present.

“Oh that’s so cute it’s a Dog Collar for Roscoe! Wait, holy shit it’s personalised from Dior. Surely this can’t be Max, is it Max?” He asks and the F1 presenter just shrugs.

“Thank you, this honestly is very thoughtful as Roscoe is one of my favourite things and I love the brand and wear it all the time!” He grins.

“Okay, how about we attempt to open this bigger present. I don’t actually know how you’ll get this through customs”

“I’m scared to see what it is” Lewis laughs before tearing the box open. Inside is a surfboard that is hand painted on either side with Lewis car and many other little doddles to cover the board that has something to do with Lewis.

“Oh woah a custom made board, this must have been really expensive to have made” he says observing it before picking out all the different doodles and talking about them.

“It’s not custom made, your Secret Santa actually Hand Painted this themselves” Lewis head snaps away from the board to look at the presenter in shock.

“Oh it’s got to be Y/N”

“That is correct”

“Y/N you are the cutest. I will use this board today here in Abu Dhabi before I make good use of it in the off season! I’ve never actually had anything like this before so thank you so much, you are so very thoughtful and you have the kindest soul! Thank you for everything and I hope to share a podium with you in 2018” he smiles grinning before turning his attention back to the surfboard.

2018

“Hello Y/N it is now November 2018, after the final Grand Prix of the 2018 season. So you know what time that is!” The F1 presenter asks.

“SECRET SANTA!” You scream, pulling forward the presents, there was a medium sized box in front of you.

“Can I start”

“Of course”

You pulled the lid of the box off and immediately gasp at the first thing that isn’t wrapped that you can see what it is!

“Oh my lord, how - I’ve been needing new camera lenses and a case for mine! I take pictures of everyone around the paddock! So it could be anyone, but I was talking to Max, Pierre and Dani about needing new lenses …” you admit looking to see if the F1 presenter would give you a reactionary hint.

“Oh and there’s a small envelope. I hope you enjoy this retreat with your new lenses, maybe gain a new perspective before 2019” you read out before out of the envelope you pull out flight tickets, and a small cabin hotel booking confirmation for Italy.

“No no no stop this is too much” you say tears filling up in your eyes.

“Who do you think it is” the F1 presenter asks.

“It’s Dani Ric” you cry, the words coming out strained as you look around to see if he is watching you.

“How’d you know” she asks.

“Because we had a talk about how I felt shit about this season and that the Torro Rosso wasn’t built well this year. And how him leaving Red Bull wasn’t an easy choice but it was one he had to make” you sob. The presenter comes over and pull you into a comforting hug rubbing your back and you hug into her more.

“Hey Squirt” an Australian accent comes from behind you and you fling yourself off the presenter and turn to look at the reason for your tears.

“You made me cry on camera” you say pointing to the camera and then your gifts.

“Aw I’m glad you like them! I was worried I hadn’t done well enough!” He grins rubbing your head before pulling you into a tight hug.

“I love them! And I’ll do better next year for you! I promise” you smile and he grins back at you!

*Flip*

“Hello Charles, how are you!”

“I am very good thank you. I see that there is a lot of presents here, all varying in size and it worries me. This is my first year and I don’t know many people that well!” He says looking between all the presents.

“Well here’s the card that came with it” she says passing over the red envelope that he opens the second his gets his hands on it.

“Dear Charlie, hmmm there’s not many that call me Charlie. Amazing first year in Alfa Romeo, can’t wait to see what you do in Ferrari” he reads out thinking of who it could be.

“It’s Y/N for sure. Between the amount of presents here and the note saying Charlie it must be her!” He exclaims before tearing into his first present. There were Alfa Romeo socks, with little jelly snake candies.

“Ah to remember my time in Alfa Romeo, these Candies actually look so good! Thank you!” He says observing the candies.

“This box is small, but heavy” he observes before pulling out a watch box.

“Oh my god, it’s a Ferrari watch. Look at this beauty! I will wear this now I think” He offers showing the camera the Ferrari official watch you’d got him. He places it on his wrist, looking at it before grinning and showing the camera.

“Okay this next one looks very very big, and oh it’s super heavy. I don’t even think I can lift that up”

He starts to tear off the paper, showing a cardboard box with a stamp on top, of what Charles assumed to be the place she’d got it from.

“Antiques Auction House? What is that?” He asks not knowing.

“It’s a place you bid to get rare objects” the F1 presenter grins and Charles looks up in shock. He carefully takes the tape off the lid and pulls the heavy hunk of metal out of the box. He pulls down the bubble wrap to reveal a Ferrari paddock sign.

“Is this real?” He gasps looking it over.

“Yes, maybe take a look at the race it’s from and the year” the presenter asks pushing him to look at the front a little closer.

“Monza 1996, that’s the year I was born! This gift, is so thoughtful and I will put it in my apartment where my sim is so everyone is able to see it when they come over! Hopefully this will bring me luck in Ferrari and in Monza next year so thank you Y/N”

He picks up the next gift which is small and flimsy. He immediately thinks it’s clothing.

As he tears open he holds up the t-shirt bursting out laughing looking at both sides.

On the front it was a radio from his that year printed on saying “woHooooo, Oh Yes! That feels good! - France 2018” and on the back there were words that were printed on there saying “Ask me what happened in France 2018” as a funny sexual innuendo from how crude the radio has sounded with no context behind it!

“This is hilarious and Y/N never fails with these joke gifts. That’s something I’ve noticed, I know this has only been done 2 years now but last year she had two jokey gifts for Lewis and 2 really nice thoughtful ones. This year I have similar! She’s a really good gift giver! She goes above and beyond!”

“She really does! I always get excited, just to see what Y/N gets her Secret Santa each year!”

“I think after this, if they didn’t before, everyone wants her as their gift giver!”

“Okay last gift Charles”

He open up to see a plastic CD cover, decorated by Y/N. He opens it up seeing a note inside.

“For when you finally record something on the piano” he looks up at the presenter and he shows her the cute cover the artistic grid member has designed.

“This is beautiful and I will fill it with tracks I will share with you Y/N thank you again and Merry Christmas Cheri!” He grins.

Y/N definitely spend over her own private budget this secret Santa but she couldn’t help having a small crush on the Alfa Romeo, future Ferrari boy.

2019

“Y/N, you know it’s my favourite time of the year just because you are here serving us once again with your amazing and seemingly limitless gift giving skills. I do have to ask how did you get that Monza pit board”

“Well, my dad is good friends with a Motorsport enthusiast, who has an auction house for Motorsports and Cars, and I won it in August, and was going to give it to Charles as an end or year well done/ Christmas present, but when I got him for secret Santa it made sense to put it in his gifts” you explain.

“Amazing okay so here are you presents for the 2019 season!”

“Oh my gosh I know who this is already! It’s K Mag” you exclaims seeing the pottery set! You’d been saying to him how you wanted to start getting into pottery and how you’d just brought one of the proper stoves to bake them in.

“We spoke about this before, and of course this Metallica Funko Pop would have given it away if the pottery didn’t! Omg I can’t wait to make you and your wife a vase! Thank you so much! I will bring it with me at the start of next season!” You exclaim looking in awe at the two presents in front of you!

*Flip*

“Lance Stroll, I think this year might be your lucky year, you’ve got a decent size bag with three presents” the presenter says cheerfully making Lance smile back.

“I’m excited to see what’s been brought for me! Okay first one obviously we have to open the card and see the message.

“Dear Lance, Starting as rookies together was so much fun! Beating you was even better! Oh it’s either Y/N or Gasly, we all had our rookie year together in 2017!” He exclaims before pulling out the first present which was another envelope.

“You know this is gonna be a voucher of some kind or like, a this was supposed to be your present but it’s not here. What could it be!” He asks opening it up.

“Tennis lessons … WITH ANDY MURRAY? It’s gotta be Y/N right? They are both from the UK, and I’m guessing someone she knows him? How the hell does she know him?” He laughs, he was really into tennis, if he ever had to quit motorsport he would got to tennis as his secondary option.

“This is amazing, thank you Y/N” he smiles genuinely.

“I think him and Y/N were invited to meet the Queen. She wanted to meet Y/N for breaking records around women in motorsport. They’ve played tennis together and she’s driven him round Aintree in her Lamborghini”

“Woah that’s crazy, so they are like friends? Well thank you Y/N and Andy watch out coz I’m coming for you!” He says as he reaches for the next present which is very badly wrapped.

“I think this just be the joke present she gets alongside her good ones” he says shaking it nothing giving away what it could be. He rips it open, to find a mug and a bottle of maple syrup!

“Ah yes as a true Canadian, maple is necessary! And oh a mug”

“Turn it round Lance, what does it say?” Laughs the presenter not actually knowing this was one of the presents.

“It says Daddies Little Boy” he laughs, knowing the joke in the paddock that he wouldn’t ever loose his seat in F1 until he no longer wanted to race.

“That’s hilarious, thank you Y/N I’ll be sure to show my dad this one. Okay onto the last”

He opens it up seeing a James Bond Limited Edition, signed Car from the movies in a mini form.

“It’s so funny, me and Y/N have arguments about this all the time. So they basically got her in Casino Royale as a stunt driver for one scene as she looks like Eva Green from the back. So she will always say that Casino Royale is the best Bond film, but I disagree I think it’s Quantum of Solace! Thank you Y/N for all of this! I can’t wait for my Tennis lessons!”

2020

“What a year it’s been with this virus Y/N and what a stressful year it has been for you drivers. However you’ve had some amazing drives, you had your first win this year with the new name for Toro Rosso under AlphaTauri! And we couldn’t be happier for you. But, your moving up the ranks aren’t you!” The presenter grins happily.

“Yes as of 2021 I will stay in the Red Bull family but move alongside Max into the Red Bull Racing Honda team!” You exclaim! You were so happy to have been given the chance and had worked your but of last year in AlphaTauri coming P5 in the drivers championship. Christian Horner came to you and offered you the seat as you’d done better in the Tauri than Alex in the Red Bull.

“This is just amazing news for you Y/N and we are excited to see what you can do alongside Max Verstappen in 2021!”

“Okay here are you presents for this year!” She says, you pull your mask up a little as it had dropped down as you were talking it repositioning it up and in the correct way.

“These feel like drinks?” You question as you shake the box, when you peel it down you burst out laughing at the crate of Red Bulls in front of you. Everyone knew you were moving to Red Bull so this could literally be anyone.

“Oh my gosh, and Lego Star Wars! LOOK ITS THE FALCON” you yell excitedly. During COVID, you’d streamed alongside Alex, Charles, Lando and George as you liked playing games already and it was more fun with your friends. But you also did streams where you’d answer questions while building Lego’s.

“Guys, Christmas Falcon building stream??” You ask wiggling your eyebrows, however you didn’t know if they’d be able to see them with the Santa hat currently on top of your head.

“Who did you think it is?” The presenter asks.

“I feel like this one is so hard this year, everyone knows I’m moving to RedBull and everyone knew I streamed, and my love for Star Wars” you sigh, a hand rising up to your face in a thinking motion.

“It’s gotta be someone kind and funny. Lando? NO? hmmmm …Dani Ric again? No? Pierre Gasly? NO? Oh my lord, erm I’m not sure who is it??” You ask genuinely having no clue!

“It was George Russell!” She exclaims and you grin widely!

“Thank you so much George! I really appreciate this and I hope you drop in the steam where I’m building it!”

*Flip*

“Max, what a year it’s been for you! Between some amazing races and coming P3, what can we expect from you in 2021”

“Becoming a world champion for sure, I think Y/N moving over to redbull at this time in my career is exactly what I need. She was giving me a run for my money in a mid field car this year, pushing it to its limits every race and outperforming the car. I think she’s going to be competitive and push me further as both a teammate and a rival. I’m excited to have her on board” he smiles nodding.

“Okay so here’s your presents, they are numbered in the order you have to open them in!” She says pushing them forward.

“Okay present one, oh what is this OMG tickets to Moto GP. Beside F1 that is my favourite sport! And it’s during the summer break, that’s incredible! Thank you so much! There’s two so that means I can take a friend I presume! Can I take the gifter?” He asks looking at the F1 presenter who nods, knowing you most likely wouldn’t turn that down.

“Next one! Oooo woah, this is nice, look at this. This one here is me in, Malaysia I think. My first ever face win! Austria in 2018 is here, you can see the Bulk from the Red Bull Ring, oh and here is I think this must be my win in Brazil last year I want to say? And then Abu Dhabi from this year? That race was only yesterday, how did they… this has to be Y/N I don’t know any other person who is this good at art” he says pointing the painted canvas.

“Okay, this is the last one, so this has to be her joke one right?” He asks looking towards the people.

“Read the note here first, now that you’ve worked out who it is” she smiles pushing the letter forward.

“Dear Max, I can’t wait to drive alongside you next year. Or maybe in front of you, we’ll just have to wait and see. Y/N

“I am very excited to drive with her next season. It’s going to be a very close season with the changes I’m sure will occur” he says as he starts to pull from the bag.

“A Y/N pillow, this will travel with me as a travel pillow! Oh and a Y/N signed red bull cap. You’ll be signing a lot more of these next year, but I’m honoured to get the first ever one!” He smiles nodding before looking at the camera for them to stop rolling.

2021

“Y/N, what an amazing year you’ve had a RedBull, coming in P3 and winner the constructors championship for Red Bull, how has the year been?”

“Yeah it’s been phenomenal, driving with Max has really made me push myself to the limits. I think I’m still warming up in the Red Bull this seasons and I made some mistakes which I’ve been focusing on improving each race and I think you can see that in my performance in the second half of the season. I’m thankful to max for pushing me to be a better driver and I’m excited for 2022 with Red Bull, and Honda!”

“Obviously it’s our favourite time of the year! And we are going to be opening some presents!” She says pushing forward a small box. You grin looking at the very precise and very neat wrapping.

You open the box to find one of those cute adopt a penguin with the little plushie.

“Awww it’s so cute!” You exclaims holding up the little penguin.

“And I think there’s a note in there about something else” the F1 presenter directs.

“Hello Y/N it’s your fav mentor. Join me to meet this penguin on a Antártica cruise! K.R”

“KIMI, KIMI, KIMI! No this is too much!” You say looking at the presenter in panic.

“Your idol wants to go on holiday with you! How do you feel”

“Blessed! I’m so happy! I can’t wait to go see the penguins with you Kimi!” You smile, hugging the penguin plushie close to your chest.

*Flip*

“Lando, you’ve got some large gifts here”

“Yeah it’s Y/N” Lando immediately says looking at the wide array of gifts.

“You haven’t even opened at them yet” she laughs.

“No I know Y/N and she’s the only one that puts THIS extensive effort into this! I’ve nailed it tho saying it’s Y/N” he smirks.

“Okay what have we got here” he says picking up the first which is a thinly wrapped envelope.

“Spa vouchers …” he says before shaking his head trying not to laugh and look mock angry.

“I crash in spa, and this is what I get… thanks Y/N. Oh there’s three vouchers. You can Max Fewtrell can come with me. Oh and some … Valorant lessons? Are you saying I’m bad at Valorant, just because your a sweat and your like Ascendent or some shit!” He grins out.

He grabs the next box, small yet heavy. He opens it seeing McLaren x Richard Mille.

“A watch! Woah this … I’m so happy to add this to my collection!”

“And it’s the only one ever made!” The presenter adds making him gasp and look underneath the watch at the engraving. A blush comes onto his face thanking the girl for the watch.

“Okay big box next!” He grins tearing into it.

“Oh Y/N! Y/N” he says with a hand slapped to his mouth.

“Wait no stop” he says pulling the personalised helmet she made him with a note explaining it was for a good start to 2022.

“Thank you Y/N and I can’t wait to wear this next year it’s amazing!” He smiles showing it to the camera finding more and more funny things to laugh to himself about that were inside jokes between the pair of you.

2022

“Y/N the fight between you Max and Charles was so close this year, and you only were a few points behind Charles in the end, taking a storm of a constructors win for Red Bull, so do think you and Charles will have a chance in 2023”

“Yea of course! I’ve renewed my contract with Red Bull until 2025, so I’m very excited at what it will bring!”

“As usual it’s time for the best part of the season! Secret Santa, let’s see what you’ve got this year!” She directs pushing forward the presents in front.

“A bottle of Sake! This will be from Mr Yuki Tsunoda, a Japanese delicacy that he introduced me to this year at the Grand Prix! Thank you Yuki! We’ll have to drink this together!” You smile before going to the next present.

“Oh my gosh, a Bonsai and new tools! This is perfect for my garden in London! Look I have to show you!” She smiles showing the F1 presenter pictures of her garden going off on a rant of where she could place the new bonsai.

“Thank you so much Yuki! Can’t wait to race with you in 23” you smile at the camera.

*Flip*

“Alex! Hopefully Williams has been treating you well” the interviewer smiles happily.

“It has, I think I got a lot out of the car this year which they can learn from in the future! It’s been a year of learning for all of us and we’re happy with the improvements we made” he smiles.

“Well it’s Secret Santa time. Here are your gifts”

“This first one feels like a shirt” he admits feeling up the packaging. He opens it and unfolds the top laughing at what was on the front putting it down and laughing into his hands.

“Show us what you got Alex” she asks. He holds up the gifted top that’s a picture of you and Lily holding hands walking through the paddock looking at each other loving. Above the picture in writing says ‘this woman stole my girlfriend’.

“Lily will force me to wear this, I know it and she will agree with it and come running to the menace of a Secret Santa that gifted this to me! Thank you Y/N” he smiles charmingly at the camera.

“Okay, up next oh? Private golf lessons, with Lily at Hotchkin Course. It says here’s the course is ours for the whole day! Woah, not only will I appreciate that but Lily will also enjoy that day out! Thank you so so much Y/N as usual you are the best!”

“Hand painted golf balls, oh look so this one has the Thai flag on it, this one has the Williams logo on it, this one has a Lily flower on it, okay that’s cute! Look at this detail” he says holding the ball up close to the camera!

“This is perfect! Thank you Y/N and have an amazing Christmas”

2023

"Y/N you and Max have had an amazing season this year and have dominated formula one in Red Bull. You came P2 in the championship, not too far behind Max who won his 3rd championship!"

"Yes, its been an amazing year for us and I'm hoping that next year it will be me winning the Championship!" you grin looking at the presenter.

"Okay, so its the 7th year of Secret Santa on the grid! Are you excited! Because i am!" she says shoving the small bag towards you. You grin excited.

"Yes, okay so ooooo, I know who this is straight away and I think the fans are going to be really happy over this" you grin after you'd peeled the bag back seeing the first gift that was unwrapped and open for the eye to see.

You pull the object out showing hair bleach, toner and little tools and foils, and a note saying that you'll both dye it together and be matching blondes.

You show the camera, knowing fans will not only go wild for blonde Alex, but wild for you finally going blonde after saying for months that you would.

"This is a great gift, and we are going to get Lily to do this for us together!" you smile, before dipping into the bag and pulling the next gift out.

"Steal my GF coupons! OMG finally thank you Alex, i can finally get MY girlfriend Lily back. Guy's seriously when you next pan to her when she's in the paddock, please caption her as Lily Professional Golfer and Partner of Red Bull Driver Y/N Y/L/N. Please I'm begging you!" she laughs and the presenter writes something down on her phone.

"Thank you Alex for these amazing gifts and I will be sure to use both the coupons and the hair dye!" you grin, observing the contents of the hair dye.

"This is a good brand no? Lily must do a good job" you nod, hoping that Lily knows how to dye hair considering Alex's looked good the last time he had it done.

"Yes, its what they use for most of the KPOP Idols in Korea, you know how they dye their hair lots? This is what they use in order to keep it really nice and smooth"

*FLIP*

"Okay, here we have our all time favrioute Daniel Ricciardo, so happy to have seen you driving for AlphaTauri this year. Hopefully 2024 will be a good season for you and we can get some podiums back up there!" she smiles at Daniel who has his typical huge smile back.

"Thank you, lets get down to the real reason we are here! I want to see the presents whoever this is"

"Okay, so ooo a bike helmet. Hmmmm I've been saying to a few on the grid that i need a new one, but this is a really good brand. Okay next one" he smiles moving the bike helmet to one side.

"Ohhhh what the hell, someone has got me Talladega Nights, but they've photoshopped me into Ricky Bobby's place. Look at this. Did you guys get Jensen Button to join in this year?" he laughs showing the camera, the photoshopped version of the popular film among the drivers.

"That's really funny so i bet its got to be one of the young one. Maybe Lando? Or Y/N? or even Oscar my Aussie brother?" he says observing the disk before placing it against the bike helmet leaving it on show.

"A honey badger plushie... okay this is Y/N Lando no way would get me a plushie thats this cute" he jokes.

"Okay last one, holy shit. Do you know how the hell she managed to pull some of these gifts off?? I swear she's the actual St Nick sometimes!" he says looking at his final present. It was an envelope explaining something that you would do for him.

"So she's booked a venue, for her and Heidi in Milan to do a fashion show of my new clothes line that I’ve made in-front of anyone who wants to attend… that’s so thoughtful. Thank you Y/N I’m sure you and Heidi will look amazing on the runway! Thank you and see you on the track more next year!” He smiles.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall@sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me

[loganswdc]

every day i learn something new about logan sargeant and his racing career, not just about his performance in f1 but in f2 and previous series, too. and every day i end up so sad because he genuinely has so so much potential and can do so much but he keeps being give a poor hand of cards. this guy out qualified his teammate in f2 TEN TO FOUR. and who was his teammate?? liam lawson. liam joined redbull’s driver academy in february of 2019 while logan only got to join an f1 team’s driver academy in october of 2021. that team was williams. which, as we know, hasn't exactly been the best performing team in recent years. oscar piastri got to join an f1 team’s driver academy in january of 2020 (the renault sport academy, later rebranded as the alpine academy). liam and oscar both got the opportunity to do f1 tests for YEARS prior to their f1 debuts in 2023. liam had 4 and a half years of experience in f1 cars before 2023. oscar had 3 years of experience in f1 cars before 2023. even if it was just testing and practice sessions, it's still something.

what did logan get? one measly fp2 session, post-season testing, and then jumped right in to pre-season testing in 2023. he already had a seat in williams then, so with the experience from before the pre-season testing in 2023 he got to do maybe 800km of testing in an f1 car. the others — in this case i mean oscar, liam, and heck even nyck de vris — had opportunities to drive f1 cars and gain experience for YEARS before logan. if you look at nyck de vris: he got signed to the mclaren young driver programme in 2010. he joined the audi sport racing academy in 2016.  granted, he left the mclaren programme in before the 2019 season and left audi after the 2019 season, too. but he then went to mercedes as a reserve driver and tester for 2020 and afterwards. this means he got just about a DECADE AND A HALF of teams putting their time and energy into training him to join f1.

logan got a year. one. single. fucking year. that is entirely incomparable to the other rookies from 2023, who had so much more experience before hand. and yet logan was jumped into f1 and the expectations were so high for a guy who hasn't had the chance to train and learn and gain experience.

and yet when we look at the 2022 f2 season, logan sargeant, a rookie, was 1 point off from his teammate —the one and only liam lawson — scoring p4 in the championship. he outqualified his teammate 10 to 4. he was the first american to win an f2 race (that is, of course, following the rebrand from gp2 to f2, but regardless, that’s still an important thing to note and an achievement of his that should be celebrated).

logan sargeant has so much potential and if only williams would show him a little more faith unlike what they’ve been doing, if only they’d give him the same upgrades as alex, if only they wouldn’t force him to drive a car 15kg overweight from that of his teammate’s car, if only they wouldn’t force him to use outdated rear and front wings from the season prior. then perhaps he would have a chance to show what he can do. perhaps if he wasn’t stuck in a team with a crap car who have shown zero faith (which has been vehemently obvious since the circus in australia) in him and made him absolutely miserable, a shell of himself — which you can clearly see in recent interviews and photos of him — then maybe he’d be able to show how good he really is. and maybe if williams hadn’t been so adamant about taking him out of f2 so quickly and let him develop for one more year, we’d be seeing headlines that say “logan sargeant, first american f1 driver on the podium since michael andretti in 1993.” and perhaps we could even see him winning races.

no matter what someone says about his current f1 performances — though most base that solely off of where he ends up on the grid rather than looking at his actual driving and seeing how good he is as a driver considering the crap circumstances he’s in — logan sargeant is a better driver than what everyone says. he is trying so insanely hard to get a car that is miles off from the rest of the field to place as high as humanly possible. no one can say that if you put another driver in that car that logan is driving they'd be doing better than he is now. the fact is, they wouldn't be. he's been given an absolute tractor and is expected to score points when that car isn't built for getting in the points. and yet logan managed to get p10 in the miami sprint race — which should be recognized and commended. because he was in an awful car and he absolutely shined that day. that was just the start of showing what he could do. but he hasn't been given the same resources as alex, those being the upgrades, so what more can he do compared to what he's doing now?

and i am actually sitting here crying as i type this because this is a driver who is giving it his all even when the entire world is against him, even when his entire TEAM is against him, and he is persevering to the best of his abilities. and i know exactly what it’s like to sit here, wanting to reach for your dreams and show everyone how good you are, but to have only your closest friends and family on your side, rooting for you. what it’s like to look everywhere around you and see everyone calling you crap and saying you should quit and that you aren’t and never will be good enough. to look around and see your closest friends and family cheering for you, yet feeling like crap because you aren't doing as well as you would want, feeling inferior to everyone around you.

news flash: logan sargeant is and will always be good enough. he just needs the opportunity to show it, and williams is ruining that for him.

and yes, i will defend him with my life. people who try to say otherwise can try to do the same hours — the WEEKS — worth of research that i’ve done about logan and his career because he IS a good driver and HE DESERVES BETTER.

any hate comments towards logan will be deleted, because i have neither the time nor the energy to deal with that and argue with logan haters. i've said all of what i know and can remember about him and his career above, and will add what i can as time goes on and i remember something else or learn something new. if you have the time to hate on logan, you have the time to do your research and examine the fact that he has the potential to do well, but is not in a position for that because of the abhorrent circumstances he is currently in.

thank you for coming to my ted talk. edit: i'd also really recommend reading this twitter thread!! it goes into some more depth on logan and his f2 / f1 career, and even a little bit about his f3 career. it's very informative and articulates much of logan's career and why he is a better driver than many believe very well. https://x.com/herrocult/status/1795747913588761027

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Victory Tastes Damn Good - Carlos Sainz

<word count - 3384>

warnings - smut, under 18s dni

"Come on Carlos, come on," you muttered, feeling sick with nerves that you thought you might throw up. It was the final lap of the Singapore Grand Prix, and Lando was doing a great job as he backed up the final of the two Mercedes.

You couldn't help but close your eyes as they hurtled down the homestraight, unable to watch just in case it went wrong. But, the angels were looking down on you and granted your wishes, as you heard through your headphones, "Carlos Sainz has won the Singapore Grand Prix!" 

The team were screaming and jumping for joy, and you couldn't help it as tears escaped your eyes and down onto your cheeks. Even more tears flowed as you sang along with Carlos and his engineer, in celebration of the smoothest of operations. 

You rushed out to parc ferme, but couldn't get anywhere near the front due to the masses of Ferrari personel that were out there. You didn't even care though, as you got to watch Carlos get out of the car, finally victorious. He had been close in Monza, but that didn't matter. 

You may not have been able to see his face, but the pure joy that radiated from him could be felt from the distance you were at. While everyone was occupied at parc ferme, you headed straight to the podium.

Seeing him stood up there was magic. There was no easy way to describe how you felt, but it was like drowning in a sea of golden delight, and you didn't know whether to open your eyes or let it take you away.

It was like you were in a dream, and a part of you was terrified that you were going to wake up. You just couldn't tear your eyes away from him. You thought he was going to fizzle away, and the Spanish anthem would turn Dutch, and Carlos would turn blonde. 

But, it didn't happen. The anthem finished, and the Scuderia finally got to hear the grace of the Italian anthem. Carlos simply couldn't wipe the grin off his face, and you didn't want him to. It was the embodiment of everything he had worked so hard to achieve, and his brilliantly clever and down right genius racing had brought him to where he deserved to be.

At the top.

Watching him hoist his trophy high wa bliss, and it was like a King in front of his people as the whole of the Tifosi beneath him cheered and screamed. As the champagne flowed, Carlos and Lando showed everyone just how precious Carlando was, and you adored the friendship they had. 

Just as you had managed to stop crying, you finally got to see Carlos properly, and he had finally found you. He was looking for you, but was too caught up in the moment to properly search. You didn't know what to say as you looked at him.

He was stood right in front of you, and you couldn't muster a single world. "I just-" you fumbled, putting both of your hands on his face and squishing his cheeks lightly, trying to check if he was actually real. 

"You just fucking won, Carlos!" you squealed, violently shaking him by his shoulders, before yanking him into your arms. "Did I? Huh, I was wondering where the trophy and champagne came from," he deeply chuckled in your ear. 

"I think someone slipped something in my drink this isn't normal," you laughed, ruffling his hair slightly. "It's called being extremely fucking happy, baby, I feel it too," he said, kissing you as he picked you up and twirled you around. 

"We are getting so fucked up tonight," you beamed, itching to get celebrating as wildly and extravagantly as you wanted. "Well, you might be," he cheekily smirked, winking at you. 

"Wasn't what I was talking about, but since you've done so spectacularly, I'll consider it," you smirked, spotting the mischievous glint in his eyes. "I doubt you'll be having to do much considering," he whispered in your ear, backing you up and pinning you against the wall of the motorhome with his body. 

"I think I deserve it, don't you?" he lowly asked, his breath tickling your ear. 

"Oh you do, but you'll have to wait," you mused, knowing that you had absolutely no control in this moment, but you knew he liked it when you thought you had the upper hand. "Winners don't wait, baby," he coyly grinned, leaning impossibly closer to you and peppering a few light kisses down your neck.

"This one is going to have to, this isn't the right place," you said, gently pushing him away with a tap on the shoulder. "And why is that?" He asked, gazing down at you as he still pressed you against the wall. "You know why,"

"Maybe I do, but I want to hear you say it," he leered, knowing the exact reason why you didn't want to do anything with him right here, right now. "Because I'd have to be quiet," you muttered. "And why would that be such a challenge, my love?" he teased, tucking a lock of loose hair behind your ear.

"I don't think I'll be able to refrain from telling you just how brilliant you are. At racing, and other things," you giggled, snaking your arms around his neck. Judging by his reaction, you knew you had told him exactly what he wanted to hear. 

"Well, I guess that would be an added bonus to finding somewhere away from here," he winked, stepping away from you when footfalls approached you. "Carlos, race debrief in five," Charles said, practically stomping past.

"Alright, thanks," he nodded, waiting for Charles to round the corner at the end of the corridor. As soon as he was out of sight, Carlos lunged forward and captured your lips with his. His hands found their place on your waist, one of them slowly trailing down your body.

"Hey, patience," you said, tugging his hand away by his wrist. 

"Sorry, I just can't keep my hands off you," he said, forcing himself to walk away, because if he got his hands on you again, he wouldn't be able to get them off. As he backed away, he shot a wink towards you with a smug grin, "I'll see you later, baby,"

"I'll see you later, Carlos," you smiled, leaning back against the wall and giving yourself a minute to catch your breath. Carlos made you feel like a rowdy teenager all over again, and he never failed to surprise you with his antics. 

You were in for one hell of a night. You thought back to when he won in Silverstone last year and what happened after that, and there was no doubt in your mind that tonight was not going to be any different. 

You didn't really know where to go to wait for Carlos, so you just sat on the couch of the motor home, posted pictures of him on every social media platform known to man and tried to wipe the huge, goofy smile off your face.

There was pride still bubbling in your chest, and it was a tingle that you never wanted to shake off. You checked the time, seeing that they had been in the team debrief for about fifty minutes. It had been a while, and you wanted to stretch your legs.

The general public had gone, leaving the track staff and team workers in at the track. It left you to wander around the paddock freely, without reporters fishing for a quick headline, or people constantly surrounding you as you shuffled through, shoulder to shoulder.

You could walk past the motorhomes, as the lights lit up the path, the air feeling warm on your skin. You smiled at the few people that walked by, none of them stopping you on your travels around the paddock. 

Most of the teams and people were in their motorhomes, still going through their debriefs. After some time, you saw a stream of papaya walking out of the doors, and you figured there would soon be a river of scarlet to follow. 

"Hey Lando, great job out there, you smashed it," you smiled as the curly haired boy passed by, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Thanks, it was a great race," he nodded, "Hey, you free tonight? You look great," he smirked. 

"Don't let Carlos hear you ask that," you laughed, used to Lando constantly flirting with you. He had done it ever since you had met him, and Carlos knew it. "He's fine with it, he knows a pretty lady like you gets plenty of attention," he charmed.

"Are we talking about the same Carlos?" you raised an eyebrow at him, knowing how possessive Carlos could be at times. He liked to have you all to himself, and you wouldn't have it any other way.  "Why only have first place when you can have second too?" he continued, leaning against the wall behind him. "It's happened before, it can happen again," he said.

"OK Lando, I'm going to go and see if Carlos is ready now," you side-eyed him, brushing off his comment as a joke and hoping it was nothing more. 

Lando just chuckled at you, waving you away as you walked. More teams were filtering out of their motorhomes for the night as you strolled down the path, no sign of anything red. Just as you reached the outside of the Ferrari motorhome, a hand was held over your mouth as another hand positioned itself on your stomach, tugging you back.

You went to scream, but the hand muffled the sounds. You tried to kick away, hoping to catch the attention of a passerby. "Baby, don't struggle, it's just me," a voice whispered in your ear, and your struggling muscles instantly relaxed.

"The hell are you playing at?" you whisper shouted, spinning around to face him. He still had his race suit on, and his skin was still sticky from the champagne.

"I just needed to see you, needed to touch you," he murmured, pulling you as close as he could. "Wait until we get back, we've been over this," you sighed, trying to ignore the feeling of his hands roaming your figure.

"But I need you now, baby," he spat, pinning you against the wall in one swift movement. "Everyone will hear and anyone who walks past will see," you told him.

"As soon as the last few guys from ours leave, we're the only ones left," he explained to you.

"There are security cameras everywhere, Carlos," you told him, your eyes darting around the space surrounding you, checking for any sign of surveillance. "Nothing can see here, I checked," he smirked.

One of Carlos' hands braced on your waist, the other trailing over your hip bones. "Fuck it," you mumbled, pulling him in by his neck and passionately kissing him. "That's my girl," he breathed against your lips.

You realised that people had stopped wandering out of the track, and you poked your head around the corner to see if there was anyone there. Much to your delight, the path past all of the motorhomes and across the paddock was like a ghost town. 

Most of the lights around the circuit flicked off as the final staff left for the night, leaving you alone at the track. There was a rush of excitement surging through you, curious to do whatever it was that Carlos was so hell bent on doing out in the open, where anyone could potentially see.

No more words were exchanged as you nodded at him to give him the all clear, to give him permission for whatever he was wanting to do. He hungrily took your lips with his, not even giving you the chance to breathe.

It felt like you were in a stormy sea, only able to capture a small gasp of air every now and then, but the burn that lingered in your lungs was like cold air on a winters' day.

Carlos' hands slithered up the sides of your thighs, sneaking under the material of your dress. His touch left tingles in their wake as his fingers brushed the skin on your hips.

"Can I?" he asked, hooking his fingers into the thin side of your underwear. "Of course," you nodded, pulling at his neck to bring him back into a kiss. Once you had stepped out of the lace, it was kicked to the side and discarded.

His lips moved across your jaw and delicately down your neck, across your shoulder. "Unfortunately for the both of us, we need to keep this on, just in case anyone decides to ruin our fun," he smirked against your skin, tugging at the material at the waist of your dress, "I don't want anyone else seeing you the way I get to,"

Normally you'd be alarmed at the prospect of someone seeing, or catching you in the act, but you were too caught up in it to care. Too fuelled with desire to be bothered. Too needy for him to think.

His lips still roamed slowly down, his hand sneaking back under the skirt of your dress and dangerously close to you. His fingers teased the skin of your upper thighs, and the temptation to push yourself closer to him was nearly unbearable.

But then, a thought struck you. "Hey, tonight is about you, allow me, I think you deserve a reward, no?" you breathed, pulling his face within a centimetre of yours by grabbing his chin. Your other hand snaked down his chest, all the way down to where his race suit was rolled down.

Carlos grabbed your wrist, pinning it against the wall. "If it's about me, then it's about you too. Getting to see you squirm for me, getting to hear how much you need me is the best reward you could give me," he smugly grinned, sinking to his knees in front of you.

His lips placed feather light kisses up the insides of your thighs, flitting from one to the other. "Fucking hell," he groaned, seeing the effect he had on you. "It's that easy, huh?" he teased, still kissing the insides of your thighs. "You're just too good," you lightly chucked, a hint of desperation in your voice.

"Say it again, it sounded good," he told you as he pushed your knees further apart. 

"You are so fucking brilliant, I don't even- Fuck," you breathed out as he teased you with his tongue. He slowly circled your clit as you pushed your hips into him.

"Tell me baby, tell me how much you want me," he told you, lightly running his tongue over you. "I need you, Carlos, I don't think I can wait," you pleaded, and it was music to his ears. It was the fuel that kept him going.

Without further hesitation, he started lapping and sucking at all the right places. Those special spots that he had mapped out in his mind. You both held the dangerous assumption that there was not a single soul around that could hear or see what you were doing.

"Am I doing a good job?" he asked, not ceasing with his movements. With his every action, the fizz in your lower abdomen became closer and closer to bubbling over. "Fuck yes you are, please don't stop," you mewled, tangling your hand in his hair, pulling at his dark locks. 

You couldn't help but buck your hips towards him, desperate for more. Carlos let out a low chuckle, "So I'm that good, huh?" he teased, adoring the way you tugged gently at the strands of his hair. "You're a winner for a reason," you said, your back arching off of the wall. 

Tingles were slowly spreading across your body, and the ever more desperate moans you were letting out told Carlos everything he needed to know. "You close, baby?" he asked, half mocking, half serious. 

He could tell the answer of the question quite easily, your legs were starting to shake and your hands were slowing their movements in his hair. "Fuck yes, I-" you managed to get out, the pleasure hitting you in a wave that spread across your body.  

It was like electricity pulsing through your veins, and your legs were buckling underneath you. Carlos rose from his knees and captured your lips in a heated kiss, the taste of you lingering on his tongue. "You know what that is? That's the taste of victory, and I think it's pretty damn good," he told you, caressing your sides.

"You OK to keep going?" he asked, despite is desperation. Even if he needed you more than anything else right now, your comfort was still his top priority. "Mhm, I don't wanna stop," you told him, and that was enough for him. 

You pushed his race suit down his legs quickly, knowing just how much both of you needed it. "Jump," he instructed between kisses, hoisting you up as your legs locked around his waist. He held you against the wall as he guided himself into your entrance. 

"Shit you feel good," he groaned, burying his head into your neck as he rocked his hips into yours. His lips left purply-red splotches on your skin, and you could feel them forming. Every time he thrust into you, you both let out groans of pleasure as you came closer to release. 

"Oh my god you're good, so fucking amazing," you rambled, and your praises fuelled him on more. He started to thrust into you deeper and harder, and he touched that spot that made you see stars. 

"You're the best reward I have ever gotten," he spat through gritted teeth, trying to hold himself together. "You deserve it," you breathed, your thighs burning from being clasped around his waist for the length of time you had. 

"Carlos, I-," you fumbled, unable to form legible words as you felt the pressure in your stomach build up to an unbearable level. You didn't need words to tell him, he could feel the way your walls wrapped tightly around him. 

"Carlos, I'm going to-," you started, but you were silenced by Carlos smashing his lips against yours, "Me too," he groaned as his pace picked up, hungry for release. Both of your moans were muffled as the release of pressure made your vision black out. 

It was like ropes of energy shooting through your abdomen, as you cried out and threw your head back against the wall. Your nails scratched over the skin of his neck, leaving red streaks in their path as the skin turned raw. His hips slowed to a halt as you were both left, breathless and exhausted. 

"Are you OK to stand, or do you want me to hold you for a bit longer?" he asked, his eyes turning from hungry to soft. "I should be fine, you can put me down," you said, Carlos gently lowering you back down to the ground. 

Your legs were kind of numb, as you leant against the wall to catch your breath. "We're still going to get pissed, right?" you asked, not ready for your night to be over. Carlos pulled his race suit back over his hips and stood in front of you, staring at the hickeys he had left on your neck. 

"You're probably going to have to cover these up, but then again, I'd love for everyone to see what I get when I win," he smirked, his hands gripping your waist. 

"Then you're probably going to have to cover these up," you laughed, running your fingers over the red scratches on his neck. "Let people see, I don't mind," he laughed, ignoring the sting they left on his skin. 

"I don't know if I want people knowing what we get up to," you chuckled, leaning against him as you started to walk out from in between the motorhomes. "True, I don't want anyone imagining you like that, that's all for me," he said, gripping you tighter. 

"Tell that to Lando," you quipped, since you knew Carlos knew how flirtatious he was with you. "He's an exception," he winked, checking to see if there were any people around. A blush tinted your cheeks as you realised that Lando's comment from earlier might not have been a joke. 

A/N - It's been a week, I know, I'm sorry. I've been really busy, so think of this as a one week anniversary gift. But in all seriousness, it still doesn't feel real, and it makes Forza Ferrari-ing through the pain that little bit easier. That was the smoothest of operations, and could not be prouder of our chili 🌶💖

|masterlist|

[neptunescore]

Still seeing so much shit everywhere abt both charles and carlos, like it's reaching a peak.

I just don't understand why both fanbases are destroying the other, when the only one to blame is the TEAM. ITS FERRARI. THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!!!

I'm not even gonna talk abt the pitting calls, bc that was just one major fuck up after another. However, I will talk abt the absolute shite communication that ferrari had with both drivers that led to whatever war between fans is happening right now.

On one hand, we have ferrari telling Charles that carlos wouldn't overtake him, and on the other, we have ferrari telling carlos not to pressure Charles. Most of you might think it's the exact same thing, but it really isn't guys. In no way did Carlos pressure Charles. Carlos' tyres were 2 laps old. They were heated up. Charles was PARALLEL to Carlos upon pit exit (NOT ahead). Charles had new, cold, dead tyres, all carlos literally had to do was drive arnd him, there was no pressuring.

A lot of ppl are also talking about how the results for ferrari would've been much better if Carlos had let Charles past... yeah no. They wouldn't have. Mercedes was absolutely on fire this week. There was genuinely no way Ferrari could've gotten any better result than a P3 and P4, and telling one driver to give up a podium position just to try and cement your other drivers standing as SECOND place in the drivers standings?? Um... yh that's just in bad taste.

Also, ppl are arguing over the stat they showed that if the team would've just listened to Carlos' requests about pitting earlier, he would've ended ahead of Lewis. Personally, I don't think that would've happened, BUT I do believe there would've been a much larger chance of Carlos and Charles being closer to the Merc if Ferrari had just LISTENED to their drivers.

And abt this radio msg:

I honestly don't think Charles was even talking abt Carlos here, this is just him talking abt the team. I feel Charles has ALWAYS blindly trusted the team, done whatever they told him to do. Then we have Carlos, he argues back. Tells the team what he thinks would be better. Ignores orders sometimes to do what he thinks would be better, and it ALWAYS is better. This is Charles being over it, and I'm glad. I'm glad he's over it. Ferrari need to get their heads out of their asses and listen to their drivers because it is reaching a point.

Sidenote:

This radio msg mad me laugh so hard (literally as a carlos fan), idk why y'all are talking abt how it's XENOPHOBIC??? LMFAOOO that's a MAD reach. Carlos is literally a slightly tanned European man BWAHAHAHAH, as a POC I feel slightly mad abt all of u losing ur ahit over this yet when it comes to injustices done to ACTUAL POC drivers, everyone stays silent?? Yh shut up.

I feel u guys forget that this is a competitive sport where drivers are filled to the brim with adrenaline, ofc Charles is gonna make some comments when things don't go the way he thinks they will.

Anywayyy, that's my rant done. Just had to get all this shit out. Even if none of this is true or what acc happend I still stand with my drivers rights and wrongs, so Carlos my pookie dw I love you ur so real.

[bunnytalksf1]

canadian grand prix (derogatory)

I joke, mostly. As a tifoso I hated every second of that. as a fan of the sport? That race was fucking BRILLIANT.

So, let's start with Ferrari. I think that was the price we had to pay for Monaco. Charles was so fast there that the curse took two weeks to catch up with him! Seriously, though, this man's luck needs to be studied. At least it wasn't a new power unit... small mercies. He was losing half a second on the straights, adding to around 1.2-1.5 seconds over the course of a lap. Then the strategy gamble... bro what the hell was that. Being lapped by the front runners... I had my head in my hands. Sainz also sustained damage in the opening stages from contact (I don't know with who) and was losing downforce. Carlos didn't even say it himself, but Fred did, so that's how you know it's real! So yeah. Ferrari had a shocker of a weekend. Sainz should have bought home points, too. The damage was not an excuse for that off.

Alex Albon. Oh my god. That double overtake on Tsunoda and Leclerc was poetry in motion. He was driving so well today, a shame that he got taken out through no fault of his own, especially when he was on for points.

Max Verstappen made the difference for that win. The Red Bull was NOT the fastest car this weekend - both Mercedes and McLaren were faster. He drove incredibly and there's a reason he's a triple world champion, and there's a reason why he was so dominant last season.

Norris and Russell... Norris underdelivered in quali and paid the price, then made mistakes in the race to lose his shot at the lead. McLaren strategy department and luck also played a factor, I'll admit. Russell messed up big time, multiple times, allowing Max and Lando to get past him. Then subtly (sort of) blaming Lewis for fighting him as for costing him P2... GEORGE YOU STARTED ON POLE AND HE STARTED P7 WHY WERE U THERE.

As a side note, Lewis paid the price for a poor qualifying session, and I really want to see him improve this rapidly since next year he will be against a much better qualifier than GR63 in the form of Charles Leclerc, whose one-lap pace is arguably one of the best on the grid right now, even if the sf-24 isn't allowing him to show it so far. And even though I'm a Charles fan, I want a good fight!

That being said. I'm not a huge fan of conspiracy theories i.e. sabotaging drivers, but. This weekend was very, very strange on Mercedes' part. From FP3, where Lewis dunked about half a second on George, to quali, where Lewis was behind considerably and couldn't seem to make it up. He then said post-race his tyre temps were repeatedly low coming out of the garage (tyre blanket issue), and that's WEIRD. That last double stack putting Lewis onto Hards and GR onto mediums --- also weird! Lewis said after he would rather have not pitted if he knew they'd put mediums onto GR directly behind as his current set were feeling fine. I don't think he had a spare set of new mediums, hence the hards, but- yeah. That tyre offset handed GR the podium at the end, even though it was a pretty cool looking overtake.

KMAG AND HULK AT THE BEGINNING ON THE FULL WETS?? I thought for a hot sec the haas would podium. Then they fucked Kmag's pitstop. Just Haas things!

Sargeant, Tsunoda and Sainz all had avoidable mistakes that cost them points. Sainz in particular, Tsunoda had some braking issues, potentially (?). Daniel points! Yippee!

Daniel woke up and remembered he was a racing driver after being slandered on sky sports by JV. Perez forgot he was a racing driver after he signed his contract extension. Red Bull things!

Perez also had a 3 place grid penalty and RBR was fined 25k for driving back to the pits unsafely with that fucked up rear wing. As they should! It was dangerous! Barcelona's another track where overtaking could potentially be difficult so that might be costly, even more so if Perez can't sort his quali pace out.

Will be interesting to see how things shake up in the European triple header, and whether Mercedes is legitimately fast or if this was just a weird race. I think they benefitted from ferrari and RBR being off their game.

Anyways. Canada was a race that did not exist. It did not happen. Thanks !!

[lestappenforever]

Miami, you were something, I can’t deny it. The race was not the best in terms of racing, but it brought a lot.

Firstly Logan and Williams. Logan was en route to a good race, and he’s been having a pretty decent weekend, with making up 9 places in the sprint, from p19 to p10, and I have a feeling he was en route to something similar during the race. But Kevin just had to go and ruin the most home race of his home races. He is getting comfortable (sort of after Australia). However, that Williams just is not it. They are not doing well, currently bottom of the pack, Alex not even being remotely close to points, actually Logan was closer. But they need to get their shit together, or they’re fucked.

VCARB are a force to be reckoned with in the midfield. Almost constant point finishes, and solid performances with massive overtakes that are just (chef’s kiss). Yuki is extracting everything and more from that car, and Daniel is trying.

ALPINE POINT, I REPEAT ALPINE POINTS. As I said in the previous weeks, its a slow but sure improvement in pace, and Esteban is doing WONDERS in that tractor. He’s outperforming and extracting the most if the car, more than Pierre is doing, and that will help him in the 2025 seat hunt. Also notting, Pierre was better in AT, actually wayy better in a supposedly worse car.

Haas didn’t have the answer yesterday. Nico was close, but not enough, and Kevin just causing terror and the not the type like the sprint. He has to take care as he’s 2 penalties away from a race ban.

Ferrari were STRONG (I’m of course talking about Charles). He extracted everything out of that car, and did the best he could in yesterday’s second fastest car. Carlos is going crazy about the seat, and it’s showing, with the way he raced, and the eay he ruined Oscar’s race. He needs to get his head in the game, focus and not get cocky, because what he’s doing will cost him a seat.

Mercedes and Aston are just away from the top 3, they’re getting better, sure, but still not there. And that is a problem, because there could be climbers and surprises.

Red Bull did not have the answer, and that’s okay. Max was saying that he wasn’t a million percent confident in the car since Friday afternoon, and it showed in his comments post quali. Definitely the team will work so much on that, and Max won’t allow anything to happen in the next double header. He won’t accept ir allow anything other than first. Also that floor damage with the cone removal he decided on and the safety car timing, yeah it was kind if an off weekend. As for Checo, he did the best he could, but God that launch into turn one that could have taken him, Max and Charles out, he needs to stop being irrational in that sense, simply because a Mexico 2023 crash could be detrimental in his position for a seat in 2025. But nonetheless, Red Bull not finishing below 5th this season is impressive and they’ll work tripple as hard for next week.

Finally, the team if the hour who had it right on the day it mattered the most. The upgrades should worry the competition because the car is FAST. Lando extracted everything and fir the first time ever, luck was on his side fir that top step. And I can’t tell you how proud I am of him. Also Oscar was en route to a good race, of course Carlos ruined it.

But yeah, Miami was good, not the best in terms of racing, but rather emotions. Everyone going to congratulate Lando, especially since everyone kn that grid knows its been a long time coming, Max saying that if he had to be beat, he’s glas it was Lando who beat him, that podium with Max first then Charles focusing on Lando. All top teams congratulated him, with Red Bull posting the iconic baby Max and Lando pic. You could tell that he is loved in that paddock and that he has been so hard on himself that when the time came, no one could be upset, even us Max fans, because he deserves it.

Now time to regroup and start the European Leg. (also that black on black outfit Max had with black backwards cap while partying with Lando is just 😮‍💨)

Just going to leave this here in all its glory.

[httpsserene]

saudi arabian grand prix 2024 recap

* poor pierre. if i was him i would just stop showing up to races lol as i said before he’d have the same result: 0 points :)

* lando jump start? i need to know if he’s going to be penalized NEOW!!!

* also poor lance! the aston’s had great pace this weekend and i thought we could have both of them get some good points today!

* on the brighter side, safety car may have made this race interesting again!

* dumb on mercedes’ part to not pit ham in my opinion. they know that car can’t handle dirty air, regardless of how much of a tire whisperer lewis is.

* beautiful move by ollie even with the lock up!

* I CALLED THAT UNSAFE RELEASE BY PEREZ!!! I KNEW IT

* hulkenberg albon incident, what can i say…it was a tight spot to be in lol

* good job lando u tried :)))) the mclaren car is just not strong in that 2&3 sectors! perez around ham we knew that was gonna happen anyways

* OLLIE POINTS!!!! ferrari is going to tell carlos to not come back at this point

* LANDO CLEARED OF HIS JUMPSTART CHARGES!!! TAKE THAT SNITCH GEORGE RUSSELL (i’m jk i would’ve ran my mouth too but whtv)

* PEREZ PENALTY WHY DID MY DAD AND I START CLAPPING ON THIS MANS DOWNFALL LMAOOO

* “car slow” - lewis “yes the gps told me that” - bono LMAOOOO

* CMON OSCAR GET AROUND EM U GOT THIS MAKE UP FOR LAST WEEK!!!

* confirmed: my dog is a mercedes fan. she loves lewis hamilton and his voice on the radio! she perks up whenever he talks lol

* ollie is driving like an absolute g! BEAUTIFUL OVERTAKE WHAT THE HELL

* twenty seconds for magnussen. ay dios mio 💀

* hamilton 🤨 what’s this breaking thing bro

* lando sounded calm as hell on that radio wtf that was like multiple sentences

* sorry got locked into that battle in the back and completely forgot about writing my thoughts down

* i’m nervous to see how lando’s gonna end this race,,, it makes me ill

* lowkey alex’s move on yuki was overtake of the day imo!!!

* FUCK I THOUGHT THAT WAS IT FOR OSCAR! and lewis didn’t even let my boy get the overtake before he pit :(

* fast lap perez…..oh no this can’t be

* 4 second stop for lando :/ cmon man

* watching lando zip away around those corners…omfg i wanna do terrible things to him that would set back feminism 😚

* EVEN LEWIS SAID IT SO IMNNOT CRAZY LANDO IS WILD IF ONLY THEY COULD GET THE CAR TO BE FAST IN THE STRAIGHTS

* wym lando was given a warning for that…he’s just a boy :(

* i also,,,voted ollie driver of the day

* a ver, per, lec podium! i want lando up there soon!!!! i feel like we went a lil backwards mclaren…fool me once, fool me twice, I WILL NOT BE FOOLED DURING THE NEXT RACE…I THOUGHT IT WAS WHATEVER IT TAKE MCLAREN!!!!

* BRILLIANT BEAUTIFUL BEARMAN!!! he’s so cute doing a lil debrief an all sounds like a true f1 driver already!

* leclerc fastest lap 😛

* don’t think it was the right strategy to not pit during the safety car for lando and lewis, but still a fun show to watch them fight :)

[russilton]

I think there is also a problem in the Mercedes media (I don’t know what to call it correctly, PR department??) I don’t understand what they want to achieve, I understand they are shifting attention to their future racer and that’s understandable, but you don’t have to put on this whole show? This is unprofessional and literally a shot in their head, like we literally have a Ferrari with Sainz and everything is fine with them

I don’t think they’re putting a show on purpose, I think it’s half being given a shitty hand and half fumbling the hand they were given

The key difference between Carlos and Lewis is that Lewis chose to walk, Carlos was fired. The energy is different. Carlos doesn’t have a team to go to and acting anything less than like a good team player reduces his hireability, though his PR team is thoroughly shooting themselves in the leg by continuing to leak his offers. I would put money down it was his team that leaked the Lewis news in the first place, they have more holes in them than a sieve someone took a shotgun too. But I digress.

The team are stuck in a rock and a hard place and at the head of it making them remain there is Toto. Every third word from him is more and more confusion and water muddying about who’s going to place in the seat. It makes both George and Lewis look shit, and fires up their bases to continue the belief that their drivers are being ignored or demeaned. The car being shit means everyone is pointing fingers at who’s at fault, the drivers are frustrated, the media is hounding them — the fact I have five different quotes about George saying Lewis is the teammate he wants shows you how much he’s been asked. The fans are frustrated their drivers are frustrated and the small minority who think they can shout their way to a better car are going to yell like their lives depend on it.

This is the shit hand. I wouldn’t know how to manage that on a good day, let alone week in week out confusion about where you will place each race, the monetary commitments to sponsors, protecting your drivers privacy while getting content- there’s a reason mick and fred are the ones rolling around on the floor doing tiktoks not george and Lewis— it’s their job to manage this but it doesn’t make it easy.

And they are fumbling the shit out of it. There’s so many stupid mistakes like the idiotic podium tweets, the bad blocking choices, the focus on mechanics rather than posting about drivers and behind the scenes people want to see. Just today we got Lewis bullying the garage for their song choices, and the groundhog video, they clearly have sweet content to post they just refuse to do it for some reason.

But at the end of all of this it’s fucking twitter, people are spending far, far too much time obsessing over it. The drivers don’t care about what the fucking merc socials are posting, we have to accept that. People cling to it because it’s the closest link we have to them and it ends up representing the voice people put to Mercedes, but Dan paddock or whoever the fucks running the twitter these days has 0 say in the management choices of merc as a whole, it’s just some admin who’s at work. You can’t use the socials as a direct informant on how merc is managing its drivers because that’s just not how it works.

And please (not you specifically but in general) stop counting social media posts. I haven’t met a person who does who is happy but I’ve sure met plenty who let it drive them fucking insane. And I’m talking the George fans who used to cry that they didn’t post enough about him every week- the irony is astounding.

That’s all I have to say about merc socials anymore honestly, I just don’t think it matters. You’re talking to the guy they posted art without credit from once, I know they fumble shit on the reg. Unless they start posting unrelenting pride tweets or shit like Hamrussy again, they’re not gonna be doing what I want anyway

[cobraonthecob]

F1 2024 Predictions!

Red Bull: Obviously they’re going to continue to dominate. They have to get in their domination years before the 2026 regulations come by, so as far as 2024 and 2025 are concerned for me, Red Bull is going to aim to dominate and they will. The only thing I’d be interested in Red Bull in is whether or not Checo will have stable mental health to hold a smaller gap in points between him and Max, because what the hell happened after Monaco alsdkjfaklsdfj.

Ferrari: I am not a superstitious person usually, but if you have Scuderia in your name, your strategists are shit. AlphaTauri has this problem, and Ferrari is the same. At least Ferrari has a car that can get points (not great ones, but still points) whereas AT will be far away from the points. So hopefully 2024, the strategists gain more brain cells, otherwise, it’s just going to be a repeat of 2023.

Mercedes: The strategy is questionable at times, but what really needs to improve is the pit stop times. They’re doing better, but they NEED to get their heads out of their asses for that because that’s the real killer in my opinion. 

Mclaren: My surprise prediction of 2024, is that Mclaren is going to be the team that will come close to lighting a fire under Red Bull. Or rather; Oscar, Lando, and Checo are going to be fighting for podium spots after Max fucks off ten seconds ahead of them (a gracious guess, it would’ve been 20 seconds but I decided to be nice). We all saw Mclaren’s miraculous technological growth this year, so assuming Mclaren doesn’t bring a tractor at the start of the season, I can very much see a Red Bull vs Mclaren fight.

Also we need a lando win. Please, he’s been suffering for too long

Aston Martin: I don’t follow AM, so if anyone wants to bring additional info, I’ll be grateful, but I feel like they’ll bring the fight to P3 in the constructor’s championship against Ferrari and Mercedes. They seem to have decent strategy and pit stops, it’s just that the car is average with two good drivers. Maybe they should hope for more rainy races and Lance works his driving-in-the-rain magic.

THE MIDFIELD:

I predict that it’s going to be an Alpine-Williams-AlphaTauri/Racing Balls fight.

Alpine: if the Frenchpine civil war doesn’t fuck them up more, because Pierre really showed what he was made of. I can’t really estimate how good they are against each other because Esteban has had 6 DNFs total, 4 being mechanical failures, 2 retirements because of collision from other people running into him, and I’m not counting all the times Esteban has run into other people but no DNF because I’m not combing through every race lol. I think they’re equal, it’s just that Esteban’s car was plagued with mechanical problems and Esteban regularly finds himself in weird situations where he’s getting bonked into or he’s bonking into someone else. Alpine is going to be fighting themselves and the rest of the midfield lol.

Williams: Alex is definitely going to head that king of the midfield fight for Williams while Logan will quietly improve and hopefully get points. 

AlphaTauri: Daniel and Yūki are probably the best driver pairing AlphaTauri could ask for. Daniel’s experience and Yūki approaching his fourth year on the team means they have to be fighting for consistent points now from both of them, and that’s only if AT doesn’t give them a tractor to drive. Also, before anyone who didn’t pay attention to Yūki’s growth this year, you missed out. The two major times I can say that Yūki costed himself points was Singapore - I definitely think he turned too early in that first lap and doing it next to Checo of all drivers - and Mexico, where he turned on the outside and bumped into Oscar and spinning himself off the track. But most importantly, even though Yūki couldn’t crawl back into the points in time, he LEARNED, and in Brazil, he applied that when he didn’t do the same error when he and Lewis were fighting. 

Sauber: Hopefully with the shedding of AlfaRomeo, they’ll bounce back. But they’re my flop prediction.

Haas: This team flopping is a given. I will be pleasantly surprised if they pull a Mclaren and miraculously be consistently pulling themselves into P9/P10 every race.

[myimaginarywonderland]

I liked Checo for a long while. I have nothing against him, in fact I would say my feelings are nowadays neutral/positive towards him.

But as a team RedBull has just fully decided to hammer that final nail in the coffin.

This is the team that has had so many talented young drivers they couldn't even offer all of them a seat. This is the team that ruthlessly forced a driver out of his main seat after getting a podium. This is the team that has ruthlessly let go both Pierre and Alex at a time where they were arguably performing bigger and there was much less at stake.

Perez is a liability. Perez is going to lose them the constructors. Hell 80% of the grid would not be able to hold back the combination of the McLaren driver and that is speaking for pairing not a singular driver that is already struggling with the car.

Do I think Checo is a bad driver? Absolutely not.

Do I think the car isn't good enough to be the top team anymore? Absolutely.

Do I think realistically Max is outperforming it and the car is probably around Ferraris performance? Yes.

But all of those are precisely why they need someone else. Checo can barely even get the points. Ferrari is their own worst enemy but their car is clearly able to compete with both Mercedes and McLaren on a good day.

With how close not only McLaren is but also Mercedes and Ferrari, RedBull can not afford the accept that best of the rest is enough.

They need to fight for every single point. Checo can't do that right now so you get literally anyone else that your team is connected to.

If ever there was a justified time for a mid season switch it was now.

This clearly shows how bad the situation at the team is. It is clearly divided into two sections and with how they are going they will lost the biggest one which contains Max.

Furthermore there is no justification for keeping Ricciardo in a team that they claim to be independent of them if not to get him into RedBull. There is no doubt in my mind Yuki is strong and experienced enough to be a team leader and with all the amazing young drivers in the lower categories + Liams still lingering performance from last year, every independent team would now be looking at replacing one of their drivers with a younger one that they can build there future around.

This is a cluster fuck of a situation that brings me ever closer to two conclusions:

1.) Max will leave RedBull as soon as Newey is gone and it will be entirely there fault.

2.) Ricciardo has no actual justication for staying on the grid anymore since Yuki is still the superior driver and the younger one that has a more promising future.

[silentreigns]

Actually while we're on this topic, can we mention Daniel and his fans' reactions about him punting Yuki off track — oop I meant "overtaking Yuki" — in Mexico last year? Because that was some hardcore microaggressions against Yuki and nobody ever recognizes it.

Daniel had similar incidents with Magnussen (twice last year) and Sainz. Both got apologies from him immediately after the race, he took accountability for all of those incidents in the media after the race.

He punts Yuki's car off the track trying to overtake him. He doesn't apologize. Claims he does nothing wrong, despite the FIA giving him a penalty for this exact incident. Essentially argues that Yuki was to blame because he was on faster tires so Yuki should have just let him through (embarrassing argument from a literal race car driver to begin with, he's on a better tire strategy and still can't overtake a slower car?). So, Yuki, the only person of an underrepresented race and ethnicity that Daniel has an incident with in 2022, is also the only driver he refuses to apologize to or take accountability for ruining their race. The ONLY one.

Then we get to his fans' reactions. He's voted Driver of the Day for essentially doing nothing but being put on an optimal strategy (new softs while quite literally everyone in front of him was on used hards), and nearly fucks that up almost as soon as his team initiates it by crashing into Yuki. Immediately, there's tons of memes and jokes about how "it was worth sacrificing Yuki for Daniel to get his confidence back." Much like what's happening now, NOBODY recognizes Yuki or what a race he was having up until Daniel fucked it up; instead, Daniel is hailed a hero for essentially doing nothing but being unable to safely overtake a car on an inferior tire strategy.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Daniel getting some karma and Yuki getting the last laugh here. That race and Daniel and his fans' behavior left a sour taste in my mouth, and I know there's quite a few other Yuki fans who took notice of their behavior then too. (There were also quite a few racist attacks from Dan fans after Daniel blamed Yuki and played victim as per usual in the media too, so buckle up, we're in for a LONG rest of the season).

The Mexican gp 2022 was one of the few races last year that I remember clearly. But I remember it for all of the wrong reasons, because the actual race was boring as hell. RedBull and Mercedes were so far ahead of Ferrari, but Ferrari was so ahead of the midfield that there weren't that many overtakes. ~50 laps had gone by and nobody had DNF'ed yet. That was until Daniel collided with Yuki and got a 10 second penalty. And then Daniel overtook Esteban and everyone was cheering for him like he was on the podium or something like that. Just look at the interactions of the tweet I linked 🤥

Looking back at it, it was very fucked up that people were essentially cheering this nonsense on. I am like 90% sure I was happy for Daniel at the time too, and I wish I could have told my past self that taking a driver out and proceeding to do a "cool" overtake aren't things to celebrate. Barely anyone acknowledged Yuki not being able to finish the race, and he was like close to the points (he was like p11 and had a better weekend than Pierre but all that goes away when someone takes you out through no fault of your own).

Doesn't help that in the next race at Brazil he took out Kevin for a careless mistake in the first lap, after Kevin just had one of the best race weekends of his career by taking pole for the first time. The Brazil incident was very anticlimactic and shows that he wasn't in good form, racing wise. I don't remember how people reacted to his Brazil DNF, but I can assure you they were more sympathetic towards Daniel than to Yuki.

[lewisvinga]

I wasn’t the one who originally talked to this, but guess which Formula one team is now up to twenty-three photos and videos for Carlos and four for Charles?!

Ferrari!

I get they’re happy they won, but they’re milking the win and it makes it less special to me. It’s Tuesday. The win is over and done with. They need to give it a fucking rest. Listen, I hate to be that person because I’m not toxic, but if this is how Ferrari acts, every time they get a win, I hope they don’t win again until Lewis joins.

I’m only saying until he joins because then people won’t say things like cancel his contract or you’re gonna regret giving him up and stuff like that.

We all know it’s not gonna happen again anyway because once Max loses, he makes sure never to lose again. If it wasn’t for the crappy, Mercedes car, Max’s only opponent would be Lewis, but right now, Max’s only opponent is his car.

I don’t know if you remember what happened last year when Checo beat Max. He said it would never happen again and then he went on to win the rest of the year. Other than that one time Carlos won. That’s how I feel like it’s going to be this year. If someone else does win, I hope it’s from any other team, except for Ferrari.

I hate feeling like this, but Ferrari and Red Bull fans think they are on top of the world, and that they are the best teams on the grid and they are unbeatable. Well, Red Bull is, but Ferrari is not.

I sincerely hope that Lando, Oscar, Yuki, and Logan gets their first wins, or even podium in Yuki and Logan’s case!

I’m sorry if I seem toxic, but Ferrari admin just shared yet another compilation of videos and photos of the same exact goddamn thing as they had the other 22 times, but from different angles.

I now know what that other anon meant but it’s getting annoying.

Sorry for ranting. You’re probably sick and tired of people coming to complain about other teams

But a quick question. How the fuck did the Mercedes car get worse than last year’s?

still posting on tuesday is a bit much, like the hype already passed 😭

i just rlly hope lewis wins w ferrariiiii, merc has been doing him dirty asf and he deserves that 104th😫

yeah for sure if lewis had an equal car to red bull then there’d be more competition esp between him and max, it’s a shame merc keeps getting worse n worse 😭😭

i don’t mind carlos winning tbh it’s just the fans who make me annoyed asf with their ‘ferrari made a big mistake’ ‘ferrari is gonna regret it’ comments 💀 like PLEASE lewis is a 7x wdc of course he’s gonna be picked over a 3x race winner

i just rlly want logan points 😞😞 and yuki podium would be so💗💗

i thought last year was the end of mercedes shit show IDEK HOW KTS WORSE NOW

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Austrian GP 2024!

Mads' Race Recap!

I don't even know where to start I can't lie. That was an absolute shit show I swear to God. It was big action in the beginning, then a mid 40 or so laps, then a mental finish. We shall be doing this in constructor standings order, as per usual.

Red Bull - I'll start off with Maxie, then we'll move onto my favourite driver ever. Pulled away, beautiful, as per usual. Even if he doesn't have the fastest car, he is still putting it up there, getting really big gaps from the McLarens, Mercs and single (we'll get onto that) Ferrari. The fights with Lando definitely prove Max's ability, he did a lovely job to keep it in front. Now. Checo. The fuck is this man doing? The minute he signs an extension, the minute he turns astronomically shit! Matt from FP1 said a very good point. Even when Max had 3 TYRES FOR A WHOLE LAP, he still beat Checo. Like... What? In FP3, Charles had a quicker single lap than every single one of his laps apart from the last one. What is he doing? I don't understand. It's just baffling. Also, Max's bad pit definitely hindered it, and if that hadn't have happened, maybe him and Lando wouldn't have started fighting so early.

Ferrari - Carlos had a good drive, nice little old P3 for us which is always nice. I do like seeing a Ferrari on the podium, always. But you know me, I always do. Unproblematic drive, I was shitting it when him and Oscar were fighting since we all know how that always ends, but the McLaren was faster, it wasn't worth fighting him too hard, in my opinion. But the P2 would've been a lot better, but beggars can't be choosers, I am simply glad we got a podium in the first place and better points too. And Charles. My sweet darling Charles. This weekend has been nothing short of COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY SHIT FOR THE MAN AND I AM NOT HERE FOR IT IN THE SLIGHTEST!! Sprint Qualis were a nightmare, the sprint was good, that triple overtake at the start was fucking lovely. Qualis were awful. The race was awful. It was fine, and then he dropped and then he was in the pits and I was waiting for another DNF like Canada, but they just had to put me through seeing him in p20 through the whole pissing race it felt like. The frustration was real. He did insanely well to get to P11, and he deserved DOTD more than Lando. So did Oscar. And Max. It was just bad. A lovely 1.9 pit stop, but I do not want to hear what he has to say after the race. Not at all.

McLaren - Right can Lando just stop whining? Is anyone else getting annoyed with him? That's what happens when you fight Max Verstappen, that's just how it is. Since Miami, he has gotten very cocky and I am not here for it. I'm glad he didn't get points, since he can't get further away from Charles so everything is all good. Racing is racing, that's just how it is. Oscar did lovely, if he hadn't had the lap deleted in qualis, he could've won it. Really nice drive from him overall, wasn't happy with the Charles contact of course, but from what I saw, neither of them really had much fault, and Charles got the brunt of it worse unfortunately.

Mercedes - Can I just say I loved how Lewis took accountability for his actions (someone should make notes of that). He said he was sorry, the pen was the pen, he messed up and he took it in his stride instead of whining like- OK I'll stop. I didn't see much from Lewis this weekend overall, he's performing better than at the start of the season. He didn't cause any trouble, he got on with it. GEORGIEEEEEE BOYYYYYYYY! YOU LATTE DRINKING KATE MIDDLETON LOVING YABADABADOODAH LOOKING BEUATIFUL BASTARD! I will not complain at all for this one, not at all. He was waiting for it all to fall apart, as it did, and he didn't pull a classic George Russell and fuck it up when he's ahead. Loved it, loved hearing the British anthem. I'm not very patriotic, but it was bloody lovely. Thank you George, you're a legend.

Aston Martin - What on Earth is going on? Double Q1 exit, Fernando finished pretty much last, Lance finished BEHIND the man who was nearly 2 laps down after contact (Charles) and their driving was fine. Lance had some decent overtakes, Fernando did get a penalty which was deserved to some degree I suppose. But even the commentators said that Fernando doesn't have the fight anymore. I love Nando, and I want to keep him around. Mercedes, get on it. They were the 8th fastest car on track after qualis, which is ridiculous. As well as the fact that the wheelie bins, the French tractors and the Haasterclasses finished above them. They're supposed to be top 10 runners, but they can barely get in the top 15. Obviously, Lance and Fernando make mistakes like everyone does, but this is clearly something a lot more than Lance and Fernando messing up.

VCARB/RB/REDBULLSHITTYEDITION - I didn't really see either of them that much, to be honest. Q2 exits I'm pretty sure, I don't remember much of them from the- Oh shit I've literally remembered as I was typing. Yuki used some... choice word to describe the way people were queuing in the pits. You can read more on that here. He has been fined, and he apologized profusely, I do believe he wouldn't have said it if he knew what it meant, but it doesn't excuse it. Not happy with it, but he did seem remorseful. Anyway, Daniel had some good overtakes, some good points as well after is little P9 finish.

Haas - It's official, I am a Haas fan. I fucking love these two. 'Save the tyres, Kevin' 'Fuck that'. I LOVE KEVIN MAGNUSSEN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. And he didn't get any penalties this weekend so that's always nice. Nico literally beat Checo, so that's brilliant. They both did a fantastic job, I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two this week. I love these two together. They went from 'suck my balls' to 'my favourite Dane'. Not crying, you are.

Alpine - It's getting better, I suppose? The car is less tractor like, I guess. I do love a good Alpine battle, but I will always be on the side of Estie. I don't know why. Not a bad performance, glad Charles caught them or else that would have been embarrassing. I don't have much to say, to be honest.

Williams - Williams was doing Williams things, I guess. Yeah I don't know what to say. Sorry.

Kick Sauber - Poor Guanyu Zhou can this man ever catch a break? Only one with no Q2 appearance. Again, I didn't see much from them, to be honest.

[lestappenforever]

After an epic race (yes it was epic, and not just because Red Bull dominated, but because of the racing you RBR haters), here’s my analysis of it (I can’t believe I woke up at 7 and focused but it’s what you do for the thing you love/want to achieve)

Let’s start with the homeboy who the word impressive doesn’t even begin to describe or explain how amazing he raced today, starting p10, loosing position at the standing start, regaining and overtaking in the S’s of Suzuka, which by the way everyone was beyond impressed by, and just his overall race today showed how much he grew, especially after Pierre left AT. He’s taking on that leader role, despite being the younger driver, but what he’s doing so far this season is something that he should be proud of, and should not be turned a blind eye to (I’m looking at you Helmut Marko).

Continuing with RB, Daniel actually had a decent weekend, till that crash of course, but what was he to do, narrowest part of track, and he was looking at his mirrors, Alex is the one who came out of nowhere in Daniel’s blind spot, and they both couldn’t do anything.

There is something wrong about Logan’s car/chassis. Simple and easy, and Williams are, as we say in Egyptian Arabic, just being/acting stupid. He did well, considering his confidence that is, most probably, shaken. But that car DOES NOT TURN. Its not just a touch of understeer, its Logan turning the steering wheel almost all the way, and the car not moving as he wants. Justice for my boy if we’re being honest (Since Australia, I’m a Logan defender till the day I die, especially because this is not the Williams or James that was “we’ll take care of you and trust you” its the “Valtteri it’s James” and I’m here for it)

There is something wrong with that Mercedes power-unit, after 4 races, I can kind of actually see it very clearly. These cars don’t have the straight line speed or sometimes the speed in general to be competitive, and the only reason one of the cars with the pu was on a podium was because Max DNFed

McLaren were going good, until they royally fucked up Lando’s strategy. Like he was going good, tyres were good and he was managing them well in order to pit with the front of the pact, but then they pit him with Charles, to “undercut George” which failed and made him loose positions, yeah they pulled a Ferrari to be honest, and what sucks is that this is a McLaren-friendly track. Oscar did all he could, but in all honesty, at the end of this race, it was experience over all else, which allowed the race to end in Fernando, George, Oscar. And no, I’m not saying Oscar had a bad race, quiet the opposite, but Fernando defended him well, and George just used his more experience to make a move on Oscar when the time was right, and it worked.

Ferrari. Ferrari oh Ferrari, what the Fuck have you done? Granted, Carlos had a good race, but not a podium finish, he wasn’t that impressive, it was just Ferrari pulling a Ferrari, fucking up Charles’ strategy and race by telling him “we’re not racing Carlos” but then telling Carlos to race?! This is the real reason why I didn’t want Charles to renew with Ferrari, because they never fucking learn. And honestly as I said it earlier, Jules would be incredibly proud of Charles’ drive today, because in all honesty, everyone is, even Max and Checo who are now the biggest Charles defenders in the cooldown room and I’m gere for it.

The rest of the grid honestly didn’t have that much , Mercedes not doing well on strategy, it was just driver talent especially at the end of the race, Aston were good, with Fernando defending and Lance’s overtakes, despite the car not being that good (again discussed in the merc pu), Alpine are on a slow and steady climb, though still the slowest, at least they’re able to reach Q2s with Esteban, who is surprisingly performing better than Pierre, Haas didn’t do great, overtakes and overall performance good, but no points and Valtteri is showing that despite leaving Mercedes even after 3 years, he’s got it, despite the car being bad.

Last, but certainly and definitely not least, and in all honesty, the best team on that damn grid. Pole an P2 converted to a picture perfect 1-2 in the race, pulling 4 fastest pitstops (3 2.1 and a 2.0 with Max’s second pitstop), fastest lap, working well on strategy in order to maintain positions despite the tyre deg not being the best, Max’s performance of that car, reputation era for sure, but a silent killer type, Checo’s confidence and consistency in that car is something that has to be studied. Oh my god that whole team is just everything all others wish to be and more. They should be proud, like we are, and especially after Australia, this 1-2 has got to feel extra good, with everyone doubting and saying they are over, because they aren’t, and a team that is able to come back after years of not being the best, to utter dominance can definitely come back from a bad weekend

It's always such a treat to read your post-race analysis! Please keep them coming this season. ❤️

As always I don't have much to add.

I actually get the team order from Ferrari (for once). Carlos was on newer tyres and Charles could have been under serious threat from Lando had he spent time trying to fight Carlos. Besides, we all know there will never be a team order frol Ferrari where Carlos is asked to defend Charles, and even if there was, Carlos wouldn’t have listened. So I don't actually have an issue with the team order today, which is a weird feeling.

Red Bull are impressive as hell, and they absolutely should be proud of themselves.

I'm excited for China in two weeks now!

[lestappenwdc]

Monaco unserious race overview

A very late race overview that beats the purpose of this being my first impression thoughts after a race. But this was a special one so you'll forgive me if I needed some time to be able to write words about it. So let's get right to it:

1. Ferrari

IT HAPPENED. I know it's been a week since it happened but I just couldn't find the words to do this earlier. I think that everything that needed to be said has been said by people way more articulate than me. All I have to say is I'm so fucking proud of him. We yap and yap and yap on here about him and we waste our words on how good he is and we cry and we scream and we get angry on race days and we cry some more but I just want to say it is all worth it. Last Sunday showed it was all worth it for him!!! I have never felt such joy in my entire life. And I'm proud of him. A CASA TUA CHARLES has been ringing in my head for a week and every time j hear it I Tear up all over again. It's... all just too much.

He was perfect. The weekend was perfect. He was faultless and he made it seem easy. It is not easy. He's just that good!!!! And I'm so proud of him.

Moving on, Carlos actually knows how to act like a teammate. It only took him 3 years but he got there. Good for him but he will not get praised for doing what he was supposed to anyway on this blog. He will however get me rooting for him on one (1) gp of my choice. Maybe his home race. Maybe when Charles is set to get an engine penalty. We'll see. I will choose.

2. McLaren

Oscaaaaaarrrrrrrrraaaaaaa Monaco podium for Oscar in his second race there I am so so so so so proud of him as well. He got better at tyre management, he did an amazing lap, he beat Lando on pure speed and he was so calm and collected through the entire thing. Knew when to push and when to give up. Just a super amazing race from him.

Lando was OK as well. But Oscar bear him fair and square. He was faster all weekend actually. The only time Lando will get praise on this blog is if I can't help it. Otherwise no words will be said. He was OK I guess.

So McLarens updates are strong on 3 circuits now. I'm really curious to see where this goes. Still think Ferrari have a better package overall but at least we can be sure to have some amazing battles up there with Ferrari and McLaren (and Max)

3. Mercedes

Ok so Mercedes were actually not that bad this weekend. I mean they were better than usual. And this is the second race in a row that I've said this. However I think its not gonna last. George did great, Lewis drove the car without complaining (mostly) all is good in the world of Mercedes. Except Toto Wolff, that guy still needs therapy.

Red Bull and the rest of the grid under the cut

5. Red Bull

Oh Maxie. Poor Maxie stuck behind George for 78 laps. And he needed to pee. And he didn't get to grab the chaist on the podium. I can just imagine how annoyed he was at this whole situation. And the car was bad? On top of everything? Poor poor Maxie. He will be back next race tho I'm sure of it. Can't wait to see his pretty eyes and pretty smile on the podium again in Canada.

I'm so happy Checo is OK after that horrible crash I was so scared when I saw the car like that. Thank god for the safety measures. And also thank god the photographers are OK. When I said last time that I had a feeling Checo would be mags next victim I didn't mean like this. This was too much. They deffinitely should have given him a penalty and not only because I want to see Ollie again. Checo also handled the whole situation with a lot of dignity. Good for him.

6. RB

Yuki crushed it once again. The guy is on a roll. I don't want to jinx anyone but WOW. YUKI. This entire weekend was Charles and Yukis on different sides of the field. I wish he had a chance for that red bull seat because he would be amazing in it. I don't want him to go to Aston at this point I'd rather he stay in RB than go to Aston. But for now I'm just enjoying his races and enjoying watching him because he is really amazing.

Daniel was there too..... I think

7. Williams

Oh what an amazing result for Williams. Alex got his first points, Logan had lots of firsts:

1. Outqualified a red bull (🥳🥳🥳)

2. Finished where he started (🥳🥳🥳)

3. Had one of the only 4 overtakes in the entire race (🥳🥳🥳)

4. Did all of it with the 2023 rear wing (🥳🥳🥳)

I mean for him this is equal to a win. Good job. Williams and James can go to hell for not being able to assemble a full car for him half of the races. An embarrassment to the sport. Williams can't afford 2 functioning cars and Andretti are the team that would bring nothing to the sport? Please. I'm ashamed yet alone them.

8. Alpine

PIERRE GASLY HAS A POINT AFTER ALMOST BEING TAKEN OUT IN A CIVIL WAR THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🥳🥳🥳🎊🎊🎊

Idk why but I am so happy when Alpine do anything this season. Maybe it's the underdog thing bc of the start of their season. I just like the drivers so much more now that they've been through it with the car lol. Plus their little French war of the baguettes is extremely entertaining. And the fact that the team has stopped pretending that they get along is even more entertaining. I love them they are comedy gold 😂😂 they were gonna punish Esteban by not letting him race lol. You can't tell me that's not a little funny.

9. Sauber

The only reason they are 9 and not 10 is because they finished the race. But they are sooooo slow. Like how can a team be so slow in a race where driving slow is better and one of your drivers holds the fastest lap for 90% of the race? I don't know. I just know that they managed it somehow. I'm sure Valtteri and Zhou were happy for the red flag tho, any race with no pitstops is a good race in their book. Imagine how dead last they would have been if there were pitstops. I cant it's too funny.

10. Haas

The horrors came and they didn't leave the Haas drivers. Although some of the horrors were their own doing. I knew kmags antics would end up badly one race no matter how much we laughed. The stewards deciding to not punish him goes against the very thing the point system was designed for. For drivers to not decide to randomly take out cars every other race in order to gain positions thus putting everyone around them in danger.

I know I always used to say I loved kmag this year but I was simply too scared when I saw Checos car like that and he was to blame for all of it and I'm still to recover for it. It stops being funny when people start getting hurt. That's that. (I know Checo was fine but a photographer got hurt and that's equally as bad)

Sorry for Hulk.

[roscoehamiltons]

ate brunch ✔, did a workout ✔ , showered✔ , got my snacks ready ✔ , time to catch up and watch the british GP! 

(all the details i know from what i’ve seen online is who’s on the podium and that there was a safety car involved)

- interesting that george is starting on the softs

- i wish the mclaren chrome cars had less papaya on them; they basically look the same as before when viewing them from the front

- thank god there’s no br*d p*tt in the formation lap like ppl were saying earlier 🙄

- omg lando is leading!!!!

- no lewis losing multiple places!!! 

- oscar did such a good job to keep up

- yesss lewis gaining back a place already, alonso is next!!!

- oh drs is gonna be enabled soon, i’m sure max will pass lando soon then. he already has a less than a second between them

- inch arresting that mclaren is still able to keep up with max 👀 what r they cooking

- easy pass by max, what did i say

- lol at the commentator saying he was surprised that george didn’t complain about charles only for the radio broadcast to show george complaining

- yessss lewis got past alonso, carlos next!

- nyck once again crashing into ppl 😬 luckily nothing major. i don’t particularly care for him but i do have sympathy for his situation and desperate people drive desperately

- charles let’s keep george behind u as long as possible pls

- oh nooooo este retiring!!!! what happened? engine failure?

- r the drops on the visor sweat or rain george?

- oh finally something happening... charles pitting?? ferrari fucking up or no? (probably, because it’s ferrari)

- ah, the commentators are saying charles can’t find much pace in the hards and mercs can do an overcut on charles now so ferrari did indeed fuck up then

- ouch the commentators saying the alfas are not performing well 😔 what i would give for valtteri and guanyu to have a better car

- carlos pitting... let’s see how it goes. hard tires? interesting choice but ig they can’t go on the softs 

- george pitting now. oof a slower pit stop, mercs need to work on that

- i like charles a lot better than george but george did a good job to pass him. gonna give him credit where it’s due, he’s a very good driver. 

- oh kmag’s car is on fire. and there’s the safety car i heard about!

- hm ferrari pitting charles again...and nearly hitting alex in the pitlane smh 🤦‍♀️

- not a terrible pitstop for lewis but slow compared to mclaren

- random but i just remembered that the protestors were threatening to come onto the track for silverstone, i’m glad that they haven’t so far (and probably won’t since i haven’t heard anything about it)

- oop george getting mad about lewis getting ahead. tbh i thought his reaction would’ve been more extreme given the reaction he’s gotten online about it lol but i think one little swear word is fine. also like the commentator said, it’s just how the luck went 🤷‍♀️

- alas i already know the podium order so i know lewis doesn’t get ahead of lando in the end 😔 at least i’m not going to get my hopes up. i say that yet part of me is still holding my breath that he somehow does it as i’m watching the restart and first few corners

- god lewis was so close to passing lando!!! such good racing with both of them. if only the mercedes had better straight line speed, if only they had a better car

- i missed it, did lance not give pierre the place back when he went off track?

- alex passing carlos!!!!!!!! way to go!!!!! alex has been having such a good weekend, i’m so happy and proud of him. and now somehow charles is ahead of carlos now too 🤭

- oof carlos driving desperate now. he’s lucky he didn’t crash into the back of pierre before he passed him. 

- as i say that pierre ends up retiring 🤦‍♀️  contact with lance? i wish they had showed what happened. nvm, as i say that, they show the replay lol. 

- love the commentators hyping up alex and saying he deserves the points this weekend 😌😌 and lewis as well! i used to just watch the international feed but i’m really liking the f1 tv feed so far

- miss flo is the flag waver!!!! 

overall thoughts: mclaren did a very good job to hold on, both lando and oscar had really impressive drives today! lando deserves driver of the day. but also i think people have underestimated oscar and if he continues this form and improves, people should be worried. always happy and proud to see lewis on the podium, especially when it was unexpected. not to mention it’s his home race! hearing the crowd cheering for him in the post-interview and on the podium is so heartwarming and deserved. i just wish that mercs had a better car lol but don’t we all. very happy and proud of alex as well, what a good weekend on his home race as well. i feel like it was one of the more entertaining races of the year even though there were a couple of lulls, so i’m gonna rate it 8/10.