#tyre choice and all

[leqclerc]

No words for this race from Ferrari 💀

[ashtcnirwin]

🌻

[evilgwrl]

What abt 141xpregnant!reader (or not pregnant, ur choice, I dont mind!!) And someone gets into their house and reader is all alone so she calls the boys while they're out (somewhere idk)

can be angst or fluff <3

Thank you for this idea, I hope I did it justice for you anon <3

CW: Threats of violence (not against reader), break ins, fluff

You stared at yourself in the glossy reflection, soaked rag scented with the unmistakable smell of cleaning spray dabbing at the final fingerprint, a satisfied grin on your face. You hobbled to the kitchen, ankles slightly swollen as a hand rubbed against the plushness of your belly, a gentle kick answering you back.

You felt content. You were six months pregnant and surrounded by four incredibly devoted men (who were currently running all the errands you could no longer do). Gentle feet padded against the wooden floorboards, your back humming with a subtle ache as you groaned, your body flopping down against your comfiest pillow.

Wispy lashes fell over curled lids, the zip of a fan hushing you to sleep. You awoke to rustling, your window cracked open for fresh air.

“Stupid foxes,” you muttered, rolling towards the window to shoo the pesky creatures away from your vegetables. Your heart halted, however, face a pasty shade of terror as you watched a figure, much larger than a fox, break the glass to your back door, the stone floor of your patio humming against the shards of crystal.

Pesky fingers reached for your phone, a monotone strain coming from your throat as you phoned for Price, eyes now a glassy bowl of unshed tears.

“Hey love, you ok?” The normally comforting tone only spurred your anxiety as you choked out a sob, an instant call of your name blasting through the speakers of the phone.

“There’s someone inside the house,” you choked out, your voice a mere whisper as you huddled in the corner, fingers twisting the lock on your bedroom door.

“Call Gaz in the meantime; we’ll be home in 10 minutes.”

You were a whimpering mess, swollen body trembling in your ensuite as Gaz attempted to calm you down, telling you the police were on the way. There was a commotion downstairs, kitchenware clattering as you presumed, he was rummaging around. Timber creaked under a lead foot, stairs straining under the man's weight as he stomped upstairs.

“Kyle, he’s upstairs,” you trembled, your throat constricted with a coil of anxiety as your limbs tremored, a protective hand strung across the swell of your belly. The Sergeant’s voice brought you no comfort as you heard the door to the nursery swing open, the squeak of a baby toy rattling against the wood. Your gut was burning, tender hands clutching against the marble counter in a motion to hold yourself up, your knees locking up as you clattered to the floor.

Price’s hands were stained permanent ivory, his knuckles protruding from broken skin as he pulled down your street, head beams flickering at the cars before calloused tyres screeched down a turning lane, the bulky SUV swerving into the driveway. Simon had rummaged through the glovebox on the first ring of your call, massive frame bouldering out of the unparked car as his keys twitched in the door, the steady frame of Soap in toe.

Rough fingers wrapped around carbon steel, silent footsteps thrumming against wallpaper as you shifted in the bathroom, gentle sobs wracking through your body.

You were unaware of what was going on outside your bedroom, the faint sounds of a man’s voice, unrecognisable through the thickness of the walls only spurring anxiety shrill of terror through you.

You knew they would never let anything happen to you, but what if something happened to them in the process? Sure, they were trained for combat but that doesn’t make you invincible.

You clutched your stomach, humming to yourself in an attempt to calm down.

Simon was livid, they all were. The house you had built for them all years ago was now tainted. A place you should be safe in was no longer available.

Soap’s voice was sharp as he entered the nursery, enjoying the twisted satisfaction of watching the intruder still as the safety of the gun unlocked.

“You make a f’cking movement and I’ll put a bullet in ye head, ye hear me?”

There was a slow nod from the man as Ghost entered, slamming him against the wall with a crash, his hands tied behind his back as he lunged him down the stairs. There was a faint echo of sirens in the distance as you sheltered yourself, still unsure of what was happening.

There was a rattle against the door, a soft voice calling out to you.

“It’s just me, love. Open the door.”

The doorknob felt crumbly under your touch, fingers barely able to twist it. Price’s body was warm as he engulfed your shaking figure, wet cheeks staining his shirt in a soppy mess. Thick hands grabbed at the plush of your thighs, lifting you with ease into burly arms, the tickle of his moustache against your ears as he lolled a soft apology to you.

“Shouldn’t ‘ave left you alone dove, feel like I failed you.”

The captain’s heart was bleak, an ephemeral feeling of guilt worn on his shoulder before you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, soggy lips placing a feathery kiss upon the worn skin.

“It’s not your fault, John. Could’ve happened to anyone on our street.”

The night was slow, Gaz consoling the police as Soap and Price comforted you, tending to your every need as Ghost stood outside, dark eyes glaring into the back of the police van at the man. You assured them you were okay, delicate hands rubbing your belly as you cooed, your heart finally returning to its normal bpm.

Once the blaring of red and blue lights simmered to a halt, and Ghost had run out to get a replacement door (otherwise, he wouldn’t have slept from keeping guard all night), you could fully relax. Your body was flush against the comfort of your L-shaped couch and Simon’s calloused back, fingers running through the roots of your hair.

Your eyes succumbed to temporary slumber at the touch, scalp tingling from the simplicity of gentle tugs. You were carried to bed, arms balled at the soft cotton of Soap’s shirt you had stolen. You nestled quickly into the comfort of your bed, lashes flat against your cheeks.

They all watched you, hands folded as they watched the rise of your chest, a flutter of breath leaving your lips every time it fell.

“Beautiful, ain’t she?” Price mumbled, cerulean eyes lapping in the mere sight of you, a proud glow comforting him knowing you were theirs.

“Damn right,” Ghost grunted.

There was a creak against the floorboards as your eyes opened, your voice delicate with sleep, “Will you guys stay tonight? All of you? Please.”

“Shoot us in the head if we ever say no to anything you say,” Soap uttered, a gentle slap whacking around his head from Simon as Kyle leaned into the bed, heavy hands immediately wrapping around your swell belly.

The night ended with whispers of affirmation and one happy girl.

[valyrfia]

The Sainz Effect on Media: What the Hell is Going On?

Last weekend, Carlos Sainz Jr. won the 2024 Australian GP, and subsequently, almost every single F1 media outlet has seemingly lost their minds. From the aramco power rankings giving him a perfect score (despite Max not getting one for a grand slam last weekend), to motorsport.com acting like a fan account, everyone is tripping over themselves to sing his praises.

F1 is a complex sport, it requires several different aspects to even get a car moving, even more to make it competitive, and even more to enable a championship fight. From driver line-up, to aero, from international politics, to tyre deg. There's no other sport like it. To truly be an expert in Formula 1, you have to have knowledge of how a track works, an understanding of combustion engines and aerodynamics, a grasp of interpersonal and sports psychologies, and a sense of international relations. This is why, even more so than any other sport, good journalism is vital to the sport's ecosystem. No one person can be expected to be an expert in all these areas, you need a team of people who are willing to pool their knowledge and resources before coming up with conclusions to disseminate to their audience.

But media also likes narrative, and media likes an underdog, that is undeniable. And you can create an excellent underdog narrative with Carlos. From losing his seat despite his teammate keeping his, to him having to get his appendix out in Jeddah, the circumstances are there to set up an underdog narrative. But the crux of the issue is this: anyone with any sort of F1 wheel knowledge understands why Charles was kept over Carlos (a better driver even in a car built away from his driving style, who is revered almost as a messiah figure amongst the traditional fans of the team), why Sir Lewis Hamilton is a much more desirable asset to a top team than Carlos (7x world champion, who brings in a massive draw for talent that will far outlast his stint with Ferrari). So what do you do with these characters who don't match the narrative that you want to push?

Simple. You discredit them.

Make no mistake, this is what we're seeing across every major F1 news outlet in the past week. A plain journalistic choice to choose narrative over integrity. There's all sorts of rumours whizzing around as to why that could be: from possible covert payouts from Sainz Sr, to possible misogyny towards Leclerc fans to pundits simply not being bothered to do their research. But the why of it, although important, doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact that however you look at it, these journalists are failing the sport they claim to love. What's even worse, is that it takes a simple glance at numbers to tell us that these media outlets are digging themselves a hole, and are going to have to backtrack or try and excuse their belief in this narrative in the coming months.

Let's take a common line that Sky Sports like to use as an example, "Carlos Sainz is driving for himself. How incredible would it be if Carlos could compete for the championship this year." Max Verstappen will likely win the championship this year, there are no ifs and buts about it. Red Bull are still developmentally leaps ahead of their rivals, and even if Ferrari were to catch them, Max is still at the wheel. And if Ferrari were to catch them, why would Ferrari prioritise Carlos over Charles? The only driver who has been proven to be able to beat Max in his current form at Red Bull on pure pace is Charles Leclerc, which he achieved in Las Vegas last year, and would've gone on to take the win at that same race if not for the safety car. The most likely championship fight this year is Max Verstappen vs. Charles Leclerc, and that's hinging on Ferrari matching Red Bull development. This outcome is blindingly obvious to anyone who knows how this sport works, and yet the current media angle seems to not be to explain how the sport works to the general public, but rather to double down on narratives that are certainly going to be proven incorrect in a manner of months, if not weeks.

Let's look at another common angle the media seem to like to take, "You have to ask, did Ferrari make a mistake swapping out Carlos Sainz for Lewis Hamilton?". Now, if you've been even near a TV showing F1 in the past ten years, it's pretty obvious this answer is of course not. Lewis Hamilton is likely the greatest driver of all time, his name in a lot of cases outshines the sport itself. No other driver on this grid even comes close to his level of acclaim. This reason alone is enough for Ferrari to sign him. Ferrari has not won a championship in close to two decades, the best and brightest engineers want to be working where they know the results are going to come from, and right now, as a stellar engineer, Red Bull or Mercedes or even McLaren would be a choice over Ferrari, which has the added hurdle of moving to Maranello (considering nearly all the other teams are located in the Midlands in the United Kingdom). Acclaim aside, Lewis Hamilton is still a very impressive driver. P3 in the championship last year to a Red Bull 1-2 is not something to be taken lightly, considering his teammate finished in P8 in the same car with only one more retirement. It does make pure racing sense to sign him over Carlos, who finished in P7, especially since Ferrari have an up and coming talent in Ollie Bearman, and what they need is someone with experience to fill that gap until Ollie can make it to Ferrari, and will likely happily step aside when that time comes at some point in the next five years.

However, has there been a single major F1 news outlet calmly and rationally explaining this thought process for those who may enjoy the sport but are not experts? No. Instead, what we get is Sainz sensationalism, and bias so explicit it tips right over into unprofessional. From The Race saying that a Sainz/Leclerc civil war is Leclerc fan hysteria, despite their own outlet running an article just months ago about tensions in Ferrari, to motorsport.com creating a CV for Carlos, and then proceeding to harass fans who ask why they are so keen to ignore facts. Every single F1 outlet seems to have lost their minds.

The sad thing is this will only backfire massively on Carlos himself. Charles will outperform Carlos, every metric from the past year indicates so. Ferrari may be in the running for the WCC by the midpoint of the season, but Carlos's win will fade into distant memory long before we reach Spa, and the average enjoyer will look back on all this crazy media hype and go "hm, well he didn't live up to expectations did he? He was massively overrated." And this too, will be the fault of F1 media.

In conclusion, F1 media sensationalism has failed Charles, Lewis, and Max, it will fail Carlos in the coming months, but most of all, it has failed the fans of the sport, by choosing to focus on far-fetched narratives, rather than deliver proper journalism and build equally compelling narratives out of the data on the table. It highlights a lack of skill and awareness, which threatens the entire ecosystem of the sport that we all know and love.

[amarynthian-chronicles]

Sun, looming ominously over Y/N: my sweet love, did you perchance steal the cookies I had made earlier today? You know the rules, no snacks before your official dinner. Do not make me interrogate you, I am not a merciful man.

Y/N: listen, I am innocent, I did not touch those cookies.

Sun, tilting his head, eyes glowing silver: the cadence of your heart is your downfall, little liar. Offering falsehoods to your poor old Sunny? You are playing a dangeorus game there, beloved.

Y/N: I shall proceed no further without the presence of a qualified and competent attorney.

Sun: oh? And where will you find a competent jurist now, at this very moment?

Moon, appearing from the shadows: I believe I have been summoned to assist my sweetheart. Here are my credentials, I am here to rescue this lovely Starlight from your clutches. None of us has ever seen nor heard of these "cookies" you speak of.

Sun: your whole shirt is covered in cookie crumbs, Moon. Did you steal on Y/N's behalf, perchance? Did they enchant you to take the fall for them?

Moon, leaning over to Y/N after a few moments of silence: run, the getaway car is waiting for you. I will hold him off.

Sun, cackling: you fools, I already deflated the tyres an hour ago. There is no escape, my dear. Now, I have prepared a list of your punishments, do you want to endure them all at once or are you paying in installments?

Y/N, groaning:...installments, please.

Sun: good choice.

[vivwritesfics]

Spider-Man Kiss

One particularly bad crash lands her in hospital, out for the count. Max, Lando and Charles visit her every single day. While she's out the reader lives several different lives. The one thing they all have in common? Her boys

Max Verstappen x Reader, Lando Norris x reader, Charles Leclerc x reader

Any suggestions for the fandoms used in the next part would be much appreciated!! I'm thinking maybe pjo, maybe harry potter, maybe star wars but im not sure

The Second Part The Third Part

Huge thanks to @cheriladycl01 for their help with this one

The Ferrari hadn’t felt right all afternoon. But her engineers insisted that there was nothing wrong with the car, that she should keep driving. So, she did just that. Qualifying had been good, not the best, but good, and she’d started in fourth.

But then she was overtaken by a Mercedes. She wasn’t sure what Mercedes; she just knew it was a Mercedes. The car fell apart after that. It wasn’t long before she lost control of the car. Her back tyre clipped the corner and sent her flying into the barriers.

The session was red flagged when she didn’t climb out of her car or respond on the radio. “What happened?” Asked Max Verstappen as he led the rest of grid into the pit lane. His engineer didn’t tell him right away. He let Max stop his car before he told him.

Charles and Lando had been behind her. Charles himself had almost been involved in the accident, having followed close behind. “Fuck, Y/N!” He shouted as it happened. With no other choice but to keep driving, Charles looked in his mirrors, trying to watch for her leaving the car. At the red flag he was panicking. This couldn’t have been good news.

“Holy shit,” Lando found himself saying as he drove past the Ferrari in the barriers. “Is she okay?” But nobody had an answer for him.

She was pulled out of the car and placed onto a stretcher. She was out cold as they placed her in the ambulance and drove away. As soon as her car was removed from the barrier the race resumed. But neither of the three drivers could concentrate. All she had been told was that she was alive, but they couldn’t stop worrying about her.

For maybe the first time in all of their careers, they couldn’t wait for the race to end. It was a foreign sensation, and none of them liked it. The podium wasn’t for celebrating, and none of them were filled with enthusiasm as they covered one another in champagne.

As soon as they could they raced to the hospital to be by her side. It wasn’t an easy sight, seeing her lying on the hospital bed, connected to a drip. “Oh my God,” whispered Lando as he slipped in the seat beside her and took her hand. Max sat on a small space on her bed and Charles leaned against the wall beside the bed.

Videos of the crash had been all over social media. The boys couldn’t go into Instagram without seeing it. Sure, the captions and comments were all wishing her well, but it was still hard to see. “I wonder what she’s dreaming about,” Charles said quietly, almost sadly as he petted her hair.

“I hope it’s something nice,” Max said, kissing the side of her head.

***

The party was in full swing. The drinks were flowing, and Y/N had already had plenty. Charles stood behind the bar, serving with a sultry smile, and Lewis entertained his guests. She sat beside Daniel, leaning against him as she sipped her drink. He was speaking to Max, a man who still refused to acknowledge everyone.

Lewis and Max didn’t get along. It was understandable, Max had been an unstoppable killing machine, and he’d killed Lewis’s parents. But they’d saved the world together, and he was giving him a chance.

The Iron Man, in his strapping suit, walked past and offered Y/N his hand. “Dance with me,” Lewis said and she happily obliged, handing Daniel her drink to look after.

Daniel may have been Australian, but he was still Captain America. He certainly loved this country enough to be their Captain America. He protected Y/N’s drink as he continued talking to Max. Misunderstood Max, who had been his best friend all those years ago. Max, who had been ripped away from him in the war. Max, who wasn’t the same man he used to be now that he was returned to him.

“Where’s Lando?” She asked as she danced with him.

Lewis shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, you know kids. He’s probably swinging about somewhere.”

She gave him a look, one that said she was unimpressed. “You didn’t invite him, did you?” She asked, and Lewis looked at the floor, still slightly smiling. “Lewis! He really looks up to you,” she said and stepped away from him.

“Hey!” Lewis called after her. “Where are you going?”

“To get him!” She called back as she grabbed her coat. Lewis, Max and Daniel watched as she walked out of the tower they called home.

Lando wasn’t an easy guy to find. He didn’t answer his phone when he was in his suit, swinging from building to building. The easiest way to find him was to look up (and follow the news articles).

Currently, Lando was sat on top of the building opposite Lewis’s, watching as the party went on without him. He’d just so happened to land on the building opposite during his nightly patrol, and it was just a little heart breaking. He didn’t see as Y/N left the party to go find him, just continued to watch as Pierre sat on the bar as Charles poured drinks.

Using news sites, Y/N found herself on the next roof over. Lando didn’t spot her. But she certainly spotted him. As quickly as she could, she left the roof and ran over to the next building.

Lando knew she was there before she opened the door. Well, he knew that somebody was there. He stood up in an almost protective stance, waiting for her to push open the door to the roof.

"Lan?" She called softly as she walked towards him. "What're you doing up here?"

He pulled his mask off as he strode towards her. "Having fun at the party?" He asked somewhat bitterly.

She gave him a look. "C'mon," she said, reaching for him. "Lewis meant to invite you but he never got around to it. I came to get you."

But Lando didn't believe her. Of course he didn't. She stepped up to him and ran her fingers through his hair. They'd always been close, and, as much as he wanted to kiss her, he couldn't. Not yet.

Lando bit the inside of his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her, waiting for her next move. "I left the party to come get you," she said as she gently swayed from side to side. "How about you swing us across and we can crash the party," she said.

He pulled his mask back over his face and wrapped on arms around her. "Hold on tight," he said and she squeezed her arms around him.

Lando swung them across. He shot a web at Lewis's tower and swung them both across, landing them on the helicopter pad. Even once they had landed Lando still had his arms around her. She giggled and pulled his mask off as she grabbed a hold of him and pulled him through the tower.

The party was dwindling down. Daniel and Max were still there, as was Charles and Pierre. Esteban was pulling on his coat, heading out, and Lewis was surveying everything from the landing above.

"Sorry we're late," said Y/N as she pulled Lando over to the bar. Charles got the both of them a drink and Y/N pulled him over to Max and Daniel.

Daniel liked Lando. He was a good kid and Daniel knew he had a lot to give. It took some time for Max to warm up for Lando, but he felt somewhat protective over him, like Lando was some lost puppy.

"We were wondering when you were gonna turn up," Daniel said as he leaned back in his chair.

Lando pulled at his suit somewhat uncomfortably. "Anybody got anything I can change into?" He asked as he sipped at his drink.

Nodding his head, Max stood up and led Lando out of the room to get changed into something a lot more comfortable.

"I'm not surprised you went to get him," said Daniel as Y/N sat herself opposite. She rolled her eyes and leaned back, looking towards the doorway. "You've liked him since our Formula One days."

"What?" She asked quickly. "What did you say?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "I said you've liked him since he first joined the team."

That was definitely not what he said, but she didn't call into into question. "Have not," she mumbled, quickly finishing her drink.

Daniel rolled his eyes. On the next mission, he was putting them together. They could work it out then."

***

"Here," Lando said as he bought Max something to eat. Just days before Max and Charles had gone into Y/N's apartment and pulled books from her shelf. They took it in turns to read to her as she laid in her hospital bed.

A few of the grid had come by to see her, to wish her well. But, to them, it wasn't looking good. Daniel tried to talk to her, tried to jog her awake that way, but it wasn't working. Nothing seemed to be working.

Eventually their teams came to pull them away. They still had a job to do, and she would want them to do it. But it was damn near impossible to leave her. It broke their goddamn hearts.

"Keep dreaming, chérie," said Charles as he kissed the top of her head. Max squeezed her hand, but he got no squeeze in return. Lando couldn't bear to leave her.

***

The first half of the mission was a success. They stopped H.Y.D.R.A from making more super soldiers or something (nobody was really concentrating on the first half of the mission. It was piece of cake anyway) and were ready to head home.

Except one of their cohort was missing. Spider-Man was nowhere to be seen. "Lan?" Y/N said into her comm. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

There was a moment of a struggle, not like Lando was in trouble, but like he was pushing on something. "Yeah," he said. "I'm... somewhere. I've been locked in a room."

Daniel let out a sigh. "Let's go find him," he said and led the way. Daniel led Y/N back through the H.Y.D.R.A base, almost like he knew exactly where to go.

In a room deep inside of the base, Y/N ran over to the closet. There was chains holding the doors shut with a padlock keeping them secure. The doors shook; clearly Lando was in there.

"Danny? Use those strong arms of your and pull these open," she said as she stood beside the closet door.

Daniel did just that. He pulled open the closet door, but he didn't let Lando out. Instead he pushed Y/N inside and shut the door again, holding them shut. "Daniel, what the hell?!" She shouted as she pounded against the door. "Let us out, you dick!"

"Not until you kiss or something!" He shouted back.

She could barely see in the dark closet as Lando pulled off his mask, his hair messy. "What is he going on about?" He asked as he leaned against the wall.

Y/N let out a sigh. It was now or never. "Our gracious Captain America thinks I have a crush on you," she said as she continued to push on the door. But Daniel was annoyingly strong and the door wouldn't budge.

Lando looked at her. "Do you?" He asked somewhat hesitantly.

She tried the best to look at him in the darkness. "Would it matter if I do?"

He thought about it for a moment. Yeah, it really would matter. Instead of answering, Lando climbed his way up the wall. He went to the middle of the ceiling and let himself hang down. "Have you ever heard of a Spider-Man kiss?"

Her hands held his cheek. She leaned forward and kissed him. Their eyes were shut as Y/N tried to pull him closer. But it was impossible, he was as close as he could possibly be.

It was so intoxicating. She was so intoxicating that Lando nearly slipped off the wall. He still had a hold of it as Daniel opened the door to let them out. He probably wouldn't have believed them unless he saw it with his own eyes, saw the way Lando kissed her.

Her eyes opened when she saw the light flooding into the closet. "Wow," she whispered, but it was only for Lando's ears. But she still pulled away and lunged at Daniel, knocking him to the floor. Her punches weren't hurting him. As she punched him she said a quiet, "thank you."

Daniel couldn't stop himself from grinning.

***

Lando brushed his fingers through her hair. As soon as the race was over he headed back to the hospital to once again be at her side. "I miss you," he whispered, his hands stilling. "We all do. But I think me and Max and Charles miss you the most."

He didn't expect a response. And he didn't get one.

"You missed Monza. I know how much you love Monza." She excelled at Monza. Everybody expected this to be her first Ferrari win. The TIFOSI loved her and couldn't wait to see her win in Italy.

But she didn't get to this year. Lando would have loved to watch her win, to stand on the podium with her.

"Fuck." Tears sprung to his ears. "I miss you so fucking much."

[inchidentally]

this entire week was a LOT for Oscar and Lando clinging to each other through responsibilities but Sunday was like a masterclass in Oscar 'Let Me Take Care Of Lando' Piastri during what was sadly probably going to end up being one of Lando's darkest days

first Oscar fucking bodying the disappointment of his own race by chuckling ruefully about it in the interview next to a brooding (but at one point smiling!) Carlos. then Oscar looking at Lando's forlorn little face during the group photo...

and deciding from there on out to be Gregarious Outgoing Oscar - to pick up the remainders of their home race weekend on his very strong shoulders and see it all through on a high

like goddamn is his competence and maturity and sense of responsibility and desire to perform acts of service specifically for Lando are sexy as hELL !! starting with bearing the brunt of the post race recap so Lando doesn't have to - and watching Lando finally smile by continuing the tradition of saying "thanks Osc" is such a relief and Oscar would probably let Lando use any nickname he liked so long as it made him smile like that.

and then Lando - who'd been fighting a full on breakdown since the wrong choice of tyres right up to the group photo and working very hard to be happy for the team - sees Oscar putting in all of this effort and watching him and hovering and even doing that standing back a few paces so that Lando's home crowd can focus on Lando! and Lando knows he can do just as he likes and Oscar will allow anything! won't even do his completely fake and ultimately futile "scolding" no he's gonna give Lando whatever he wants just to make Lando smile and laugh. he's gonna 'keep him happy' :)

and Lando wants another shoey! he wants it to be Their Thing at Silverstone! and he wants Oscar's shoe and for Oscar to go first! and then Oscar gives in immediately and purrs "well since you put it like that" and Lando doesn't even fight the smile spreading across his face. then when it's his turn he wants to giggle and squirm and put his hands behind his back, ducking his head and going all cute like "but Oscah I'm too petite and fertile for a shoey" and he's loving Oscar going all pushy and pulling his pigtails, his absurd white sock treading in cold beer as he advances on Lando and not giving a damn bc Lando's dimples are out and he's being so cute and it's all for Oscar :)

and then suddenly Lando wants to project all of his frustrations into Oscar's shoe and hurtles it into the crowd and he can't quite believe he did that but!! Oscar is doubled over with laughter so Lando doubles over too and it's so wild and absurd and any other friend would steal one of Lando's shoes in retaliation and hurl it at the crowd - but not Oscar !! Oscar is exuding relief at seeing Lando this happy and Oscar never thinks of taking a second of that joy for himself and he is so happy to be the foil for Lando to act up and be wild and feel all of his feelings because it makes Lando feel !Safe! knowing that Oscar will never throw him a curve ball or do anything unexpected and whatever Lando says or does, Oscar will make it all okay by finding it hilarious or cute or he'll pretend to be exasperated and it's all the same thing really.

because Oscar doesn't care about the media! he appreciates the fans but he's not going to sacrifice any of himself for us and he certainly won't dance or perform! he doesn't care about his "image" so long as he's mostly left alone to focus on what's important to him. he doesn't give a damn about PR and he REALLY didn't care about creating a bromance or a PR package with Lando, not just bc it's not Oscar's thing but also bc Oscar had spent 8 years enjoying Lando as a driver and genuinely liking what he saw of him online. he saw a real future with McLaren - one he'd sacrificed so much to have - and he really saw a future with Lando. however their relationship was going to develop he wanted it to be solid and without any meddling for the sake of publicity. he doesn't hand over his time to just anyone and is perfectly alright being largely alone if need be! so the investments he's made with Lando are entirely a conscious choice - he wants to spend that time with him even when it's not for work or PR or social media.

Oscar both knows and cares that what is temporarily frustrating to him is utterly devastating to someone who feels things the way Lando feels things. that they're Different in so many ways but that in the same way Lando has watched Oscar closely to figure him out, Oscar has too. and Lando has gotten so incredibly comfortable with Oscar that he's let a very wide range of his emotions out around him! he's even shown his downright annoying and infuriating sides to Oscar and Oscar either smiles and allows it or smiles and pretends to be firm with him. sometimes Lando is especially annoying because it's quite fun seeing Oscar fighting down a smile and pretending to be firm with him :) they've basically turned that Sport Bible interviewer into their comedic marriage counselor.

and Lando didn't insist on the shoey for show - and as he had said after his very first one two years before, had no intention of ever doing another - but because this is their home race and now it can be Tradition! and because it was a bonding moment for them last year! and he doesn't throw Oscar's shoe bc it's a great "bit" or bc he's playing up to the crowd, it's because he's currently experiencing the most dizzying extremes of high and low all at once and we know very well that Lando has to channel a meltdown every now and then! he's genuinely surprised at himself for a moment when he so casually hurtles the poor shoe - almost unconsciously and he didn't even check to see who was watching or if Oscar saw it - and doesn't laugh until he sees Oscar laughing. and it felt SO good and cathartic to do and Oscar never complains !! Oscar wouldn't retaliate make Lando have a cold foot for the remainder of the fan stage! he even took off the other shoe and threw it himself for good measure!

and goddd do I love how you can see toward the end some kind of strategizing going on between Oscar and the members of the McLaren media team where Oscar wants Lando to throw the last hat for the cameras (edit: it was for them to do this adorable moment with a fan with the hats they signed on each other!!). but Lando is euphorically performing the crowd and thrilled at how they respond to him waving his arms - even makes sure Oscar sees him do it to see Oscar beam at him! but the prompter down by the stage monitors has been flashing "WRAP IT UP" for a long time now so Oscar spares a moment to let Lando have his fun and revel in the moment before prompting him to throw the remaining hat.

and the thing is that Oscar has been saying how much Silverstone came to mean to him after last year - when the crowd chanted his name and Lando said how Oscar should've been on the podium with him and Lando almost floated off the stage with joy when Oscar said he watched when Lando was leading! - when they were still figuring each other out and Oscar was still very quiet and mostly wanting to just get through public appearances unscathed - and yet !! in the face of Lando's joy at a home podium, Oscar had plucked up the courage to push an arm around Lando's waist and squeezed him close. a move so unexpected and momentous that Lando literally looked a little dazed by it before slinging his arm around Oscar's shoulders and somehow smiling harder than he already was.

so isn't it a nice little bookend that this year, when Lando is now utterly devastated by third place and not remotely in the mood for crowds and jubilation - he is the very flip opposite of his hopeful, ecstatic colorful self of the previous three days buildup - but!! that Oscar has grown to know him so well that he'll gladly shift gears and be more animated and outgoing, all in the same way that even the general public recognize how Oscar provides Lando words he can't think of or facts he can't remember or helps him sound out words he doesn't know - and in this instance, Oscar can see where Lando's ability to turn himself "on" for the public drops off and needs Oscar to help out.

and Oscar knows probably better than most apart from the closest members of Lando's team how Lando needs time to get over a severe disappointment. he needs to stew and spiral and recover. he'll do his best in the meantime but it's a labor. so every time Lando droops again in the hours following the race, Oscar doesn't once get tired of watching him and boosting him back up. Lando leaves the stage and you can immediately see the dejection and weariness again because it's time to get in the car with Oliver and leave. (poor Max F today posting a very telling video of golfing with Lando in the rain and Max's face saying everything about Lando's continued state of mind)

so Oscar posts Those Moments of fan stage joy - just the two of them - on every social media platform he has and lets the images of himself and Lando in the setting sun take up the top row of his instagram. and Lando replies to one of his own very few posts of the Sunday with a video of the shoey calling him "Osc" - bc it's one of Their Things. it makes them smile and if the public likes it that's fine but it only happened at first by accident and without any audience so it's still just Their Thing. just like how the shoey Lando found so yucky in 2022 is now Their Thing to do at Silverstone. just like it's Their Thing to know when the other needs the support and for the other to step up. and how the public call them "twins" but really, it's that when you watch someone close enough and you Care, you just naturally slip into patterns and you know what they're about to say!

race day at Silverstone 2024 was absolutely nothing of what Lando had hoped, and all coming after the giddiness of both media days and FP and quali with Oscar right there beside him both on the track and off it. he didn't even hold his trophy like usual in the post race because only the big gold one meant anything anymore. but he had "Osc" and Their Shoey and Oscar who takes a shower and rinses away all his frustrations and shows up for Lando in the same kit as Lando's team and smiling for Lando no matter what. it's no wonder those are the only moments Lando wants to remember <3

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this should be all the video sources I used in the compilation but pls let me know if I missed one and I'll add it <3

tumblr.com/eightyonefour/755376682323623936 x.com/folklando/status/1810032883865993489 x.com/safeforlando/status/1810028772634009855?s=46 instagram.com/p/C9IteqeInL2/ instagram.com/p/C9IpL8itplz/?img_index=6 instagram.com/p/C9IpZBaN-NO/ instagram.com/p/C9IxcU2tntu/ instagram.com/p/C9IlzaBoaKX/ instagram.com/p/C9IrQW9tMhc/ instagram.com/p/C9In7rvNgsQ/ instagram.com/p/C9Io-ERNwgM/ instagram.com/p/C9Iheq3NQ1d/ instagram.com/p/C9IkX-vNuUF/ instagram.com/p/C9IvhKMNTJU/

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Maybe one where camp upside down where they were actually really sweet to each other instead of hating each other haha

Steve Harrington x fem!reader

A WHAT IF? - SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY 🌲

Steve knew you’d be arriving soon because he’d passed you on the highway an hour before. With too much smoke coming from your exhaust, he’d raised a hand in greeting as he drove by your old car, forever toying with the idea of motioning for you to pull over, to offer you a ride.

Maybe one year he’d pluck up enough courage to catch you in town before camp started, maybe in the grocery store, carts bumping like some sort of sick meet cute.

Instead, he stood in the makeshift parking lot by the old gymnasium, camp staff shirt already on and his hands shoved in his pockets. He toed the dirt and old pine needles under his sneakers and wondered how long it would be until your car finally caught up with his. He’d been at camp for almost half an hour now, and with each passing minute, he felt more stupid about driving by you. But you’d waved back at him, smiling with the sun on your face and a pair of old Ray Bans perched on the bridge of your nose and Steve thought you were the prettiest damn thing he’d ever seen.

And then, just like every summer, he heard your car rumble and rev down the old dirt road, twigs and branches crunching under your tires and when you finally parked up next to his BMW, Steve couldn’t even bring himself to pretend he hadn’t been standing waiting. He smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners as he tried not to rush to your side too quickly, but he managed to open your door for you before you did. He crushed a smile at the sight of the chaos inside, cassette tapes on the passanger seat and a pillow stuffed on top of your duffle bags in the back, a few empty Taco Bell cups between the console.

If you had been anyone else, Steve would’ve almost certainly made some sort of comment about your music taste, about how Blondie wasn’t anybody’s first choice but it was you - so he didn’t say anything at all. Not at first, not when you beamed up at him and swung your bare legs out from the car.

“Harrington,” you greeted, voice a soft drawl that sounded teasing, playful - sweet.

“Princess,” Steve replied, cheeks warm and pink and he hoped he could play off the heat there by standing in the sun. He felt warm, flushed, too hot with you too close. “You really need a new car, y’know.”

You laughed, nodding in agreement as you popped the trunk and watched Steve peer worryingly at your balding tyres. “You offering to buy me one?”

Steve grinned, shrugging as he tried to work out what to say but your shorts were high on your thighs and when you bent to lift your bags from the car, your shirt lifted from your hips and showed off a sliver of skin he hadn’t seen since last summer.

The boy swallowed, almost cartoonishly loud and he mumbled about winning the lottery or something along those lines. And then he was at your side, softly pushing your hands away so he could lift your heavier bags for you. You didn’t argue, not anymore, not when he did this every year. Instead you smiled and wondered when he’d finally ask you out, when you’d finally garner enough courage and confiscated vodka to kiss him by the campfire.

Maybe this year.

Maybe.

[charles-leclerc-official]

2024 Japan Grand Prix Race Analysis

My analysis of the 2024 Japan Grand Prix. Table of contents below detailing the order of the post. We have a lot to cover as this was an eventful race so I am not going to waste time making introductions.

Table of Contents  Ferrari – Race strategy: qualifying and tyre management – Charles: his qualifying and his race – Carlos: his race – In depth data and pace analysis Mclaren – Race strategy – Tyre management/Charles – Pace VCARB – Yuki: his race – Daniel: his crash with Alex Red Bull Mercedes Williams – Logan: his race – Team car problems Stake Concluding Thoughts

Ferrari

Ferrari had Carlos start in P4 and finish P3. Charles started P8 and finished P4. They both further secured Ferrari's lead for second in the constructors as well as keeping the WDC and WCC still competitive against Red Bull.

This race highlighted some areas that need to be improved on the SF-24 but more importantly it also showed some of the massive improvements that Ferrari has made in development and that is what made this race very exciting for Ferrari fans.

Once again the Ferrari strategy was great. It would have actually been good to mid if it were not for Charles having the skill and confidence to go for the one-stop strategy. But this is another race where I don't think they could have done anything better.

As it was with the starting grid positions Charles was looking at maybe getting P7 or P6 with a 2 stop strategy. And that strategy was most likely given the track and how much deg there usually is at Suzuka.

The reason Charles made it to P4 was because of his superior driving and tyre management, and Ferrari listening to him when he said he wanted to go for the one-stop strategy. They listened and it was 100% the right call on Charles’ part. 

Charles outperformed what should have been possible. If you don’t believe me just look at what Max, Lando, Oscar, Checo, Mclaren, and Red Bull are saying about his tyre management. Charles in the SF-24 was the only one who could have pulled that one-stop off. Seriously, the fact that Max didn’t think he could have done it is really all you need to know. They saw that and were genuinely impressed not only by the car but by Charles, because we saw that with Carlos he was struggling more with tyre deg and that was with a two-stop approach. 

So not only was this the best strategy to maximize points for Charles this race given his starting grid position, it was also just a truly phenomenal drive from Charles himself. 

And once again we are seeing incredible strides being made at the Ferrari pit wall in terms of timing and strategy. The pit stops for both drivers were on point. They listened to Charles and went with the strategy he wanted and it worked! 

Everything I saw this race was so promising for the trajectory of Ferrari and Charles’ season, and beyond into 2025 and 2026.

Charles: Race, Qualifying, and Free Practice

Charles ran a truly insane race. The only reason he gained all of the positions he did was because of his choice to do the one-stop and not only that but making it work! He gained every position it was possible for him to take and then some. His tyre management on this high degredation track was borderline supernatural.

Charles pulled off zero to negative tyre degradation on both sets of his tyres. (Negative deg is when faster laps are set as the tyres age) This was without question the best tyre management performance we have seen from a driver in 2024. It is something that no other driver could pull off (either due to skill, driving style, or machinery) and that is why Charles is Ferrari. 

Have I waxed on long enough about Charles and his tyres? Just wait till you get to the Mclaren section.

I also have a lot more to say about his pace and tyres in the data section.

For now let's move on to some of the questions people might have about what happened to Charles in qualifying and FP3.

Charles qualifying position was decided in free practice. I want to try to be brief, so here is a quick timeline of why Charles’ didn’t have the optimal setup for qualifying (this also applies to Carlos because both Ferrari’s underperformed in qualifying, there was a difference of 1/10th between them so it really was just a matter of the field being so tight)

Suzuka is colder during the day than any race we’ve had so far this year. With the SF-24 being so good with tyre deg that is actually a problem because it means that getting the tyres to warm up takes longer. 

The loss of all of FP2 due to rain was a big blow to Ferrari and especially Charles.

Charles has been having more issues getting his qualifying settings right to manage the tyre warming issue. This is due to his personal setup choices and driving style. Being gentler on the tyres in a car with less deg is leading to him underperforming in qualifying. 

So we lost valuable time when Ferrari really needed to understand the SF-24 behavior in the colder Suzuka temps. 

FP3: Charles and Carlos both got in some race sim laps, but only got to squeeze in 1 or 2 flying lap tests at the very end. Charles especially was frustrated by this. I believe that this came from not having the time to complete all of the program they had outlined to prep for qualifying and the race. 

Going into qualifying Charles didn’t have enough data to guide his settings for Q1. They went with a certain setup they hadn’t gotten to fully test and it didn’t work. Which led to them having to send Charles out again in Q1 with a different setup on another set of softs to try to set a better lap in Q1.

In Q3 Charles only had 1 set of softs remaining to set his best lap. It was okay but not enough. I do think that over qualifying he did get settings better on the car and if he’d had another set of softs he might have made it up to P6 (possibly P5) the middle of the field was very close so I don’t think this qualifying placement and time was as bad as it looks. It certainly isn’t great, but compared to his teammate and the rest of the top teams it wasn’t so concerning. 

So the lack of enough free practice to figure out the best qualifying setup for Charles in the colder temps is really what cost them here. I think this is why we saw Charles very frustrated at not having the time to do more flying laps during FP3 and Fred also not happy with the program they ran during all free practice sessions.

All of this does apply to Carlos as well. We’ve seen him qualify better in 2024 too so this was just a matter of the SF-24 settings on flying laps given the colder temps and the track. 

This is a current issue for the SF-24, but it is something that can be developed and I think there are certain upgrades that will address this. It is better to have a car base that is too gentle on the tyres than the other way around. The SF-24 tyre treatment is a good base to work with. This weekend just highlighted areas where improvements need to be made. The unfortunate part was the loss of FP2 because that was going to be important for colder temp data gathering.

I want to once again now take the time to shut down some narratives about Ferrari's race specifically relating to Carlos' lap 46 pass on Charles:

The reason Charles and Ferrari let Carlos pass was because Carlos was on newer tyres and thus had overall faster lap times.

It’s insane to expect a team to keep the car that has faster pace behind. I could see it if it was a difference of 1/10th or something or if it was the last lap of the race, then it’s up for debate. That wasn’t the case here, Carlos with the tyres that were 10 laps newer was almost 1 second faster. Keeping him behind would have not only compromised his race but also possibly Charles’. We don’t want a car just hovering behind the other. As we heard on the radio the main concern was keeping Lando behind. As far as gaining significant placement this race goes we always knew Lando was going to be Charles' competition. If the cars were fighting over pace with this big of a discrepancy in the pace we would have seen disastrous results. 

Charles knew this and this is why he let Carlos by. He was never intending to race Carlos(he literally said this in interviews after). With the way they started on the grid it was not going to be in the cards this race. Charles said as much and he isn’t upset about it. 

“Carlos overtook Charles”: No, Charles let him pass because that was strategically optimal for both Ferrari drivers. 

“Carlos’ pace was better”: No, he was on a completely different tyre strategy, the only reason he was faster is because he did two stints on mediums and then finished on newer hards. Charles overall race pace and tyre management was better. This is just a result of 1. Different starting positions and 2. Different tyre strategies. It’s very hard to do a driver-to driver comparison with blanket statements when they are on different strategies.

“Ferrari gave the order to switch with Sainz”: No, they just didn’t do that, I don’t know what race you were watching.

“They should have told Carlos to defend”: That would have been a bad strategy choice for both drivers. There is a lot more than current track position that goes into strategy calls.

"Ferrari strategy screwed Charles over again": No, Charles chose his strategy(and it was the right call). Ferrari did great in supporting him.

I don't understand why people want to run this narrative that we keep getting Silverstone 22' level strategy calls when that is just not happening.

Now Charles radio after the race may have sounded disappointed and in the heat of the moment he probably was. However in interviews after the race he was very happy with the car (I think he realized just what a good performance he put in) but also I think his big takeaway from this race was that Ferrari have given him a strong base to work with(finally) and he has been only saying more positive things since then.

Ferrari did amazing supporting both drivers. Especially Charles because it was his call to do the one-stop and they listened to him and supported him perfectly throughout running that strategy.

Carlos

Carlos ran a clean race. He gained the one position which is about what we'd expect from the car he was in and his starting position. His performance also gave us really good baseline data for the SF-24.

His race was mostly decided in qualifying and also the fact that Mclaren struggled far more than expected on this track. Ferrari initially thought he might have to fight Lando more for that position but Mclaren's struggle was Carlos' gain.

I also think that just this race in general from him and his driving style was really good data for the SF-24 to inform development and that is awesome!

I don't have a ton to add, it was good, got those WCC points for Ferrari and that's exactly what we want to see from him.

In Depth Data Analysis

The name of the game here is tyre wear. The SF-24 (especially in Charles' hands) has had phenomenal race pace and that is due to the fact that this car is so easy on the tyres. However Charles is the driver who has been able to pull this feature out of the car due to his driving style and tyre management skills.

We are going to look at a comparison of Charles' and Carlos' data to highlight exactly what was so interesting about Charles' pace. And then also adding in Max, because as the driver to beat he is a good benchmark(as well as showing the top performance of the RB-20)

Here is a comparison of lap times between Charles and Carlos, corrected for tyre age(because they were on different strategies)

For the medium tyre I used both their first medium stints. Carlos did two stints on mediums, I used his first stint for comparison because it means both tyres were subject to the same time of day and track temps and conditions. 

Now the lap times themselves here aren’t as important. Carlos and Charles were in different spots on the track and Carlos was in much cleaner air even on that first stint. The real thing to look at is the way Charles lap time stays consistent, and even gets faster as the age of the tyres progresses, while Carlos starts off with his best speed and then gradually gets slower. Carlos’ pace here is an example of what we expect to see - as tyres age they get slower so his pace on these tyres is perfectly normal, by the time he got to lap 14 before he pitted he’d lost more than a second of pace on those tyres (which is normal and expected). Then we can then look at Charles who is getting almost the exact same lap time out of his 11 lap old mediums as the first lap. Where Carlos has lost more than a second, Charles has lost nothing. Furthermore you can see multiple instances of an increased speed on his previous laps, which indicates negative tyre degradation. This goes against general tyre wear behavior and can only be attributed to Charles’ skill in extending the pace of his tyres.

I want to add that both driver’s pace was excellent and that both their performances would not have been possible without the massive leap Ferrari has made with the SF-24 and race pace tyre degradation. 

Again looking at the hards the actual lap time is not important here, Charles and Carlos were running very different strategies at this point. Charles was racing to extend the life of the tyres to pull off a one-stop and Carlos was trying to regain position near the front. What we are looking at is once again the way the lap times increase for Carlos steadily, and just don’t for Charles. 

Charles once again was pulling essentially the same lap time on 11 lap old hards, while Carlos had lost a full second. The sheer consistency here is what is scaring the other teams. 

I want to note here that none of this is meant to make Carlos look bad. I think his runs and tyre treatment were pretty good overall, but when your teammate is defying the laws of physics in the same car it can even make a good drive look not as great. But I have no issues with how Carlos managed, he gave a good example of what I would say is the base deg for the SF-24.

Now I want to compare Charles’ pace to Max’s, again correcting for tyre age. 

This is helpful because this is where we can get a look at match-ups for the future, the strengths of the SF-24 compared to the RB20. 

Here is where it gets interesting. Max on the hards was managing degradation amazingly, right on par with Charles. 

The big difference is on the mediums. After 11 laps Max had lost over a full second of pace on the mediums and Charles had not. 

This gap is where we are going to see big results come in from the SF-24 in the future. If I were Red Bull I’d be worried about this. And this is why they are also specifically worried about Charles, because we see that the SF-24 in Carlos hands is behaving as expected as far as tyre deg goes, the real threat based on the data is the combination of Charles Leclerc and the SF-24. 

Deltas Δ

Now let's take a look at what the change in pace lap to lap looks like for Charles, Max and Carlos. Again using those first 11 laps on the mediums.

Lap deltas are the change in lap time lap-to-lap, and this is a metric that shows if a driver is keeping pace, gaining pace or losing pace. Positive numbers mean a loss of pace, negative numbers are a gain. This is calculated by the equation of (Lap time B - Lap time A = change in pace or the delta Δ) So it's just the time difference lap to lap. This is how we can take a look at the actual pace and correct for lap times (which are not important here)

On it's own this doesn't look like much, yes Charles is managing best, but Carlos is also ahead of Max. This is showing where the SF-24 is better than the RB-20. The fact that of these three drivers Max is the worst on this metric is notable.

However the impressive part of Charles' tyre deg is not in these first 11 laps. Because after these laps Max and Carlos had to pit because they were losing time and their tyres were done.

Charles kept going.

Here is what Charles' full stint on the mediums looked like.

Charles continued to achieve faster laps and negative deltas well into the life of the tyres, and that is what is setting him apart from Carlos and Max.

Not only was Charles achieving negative deltas, he was doing it more consistently as the tyres aged.

For comparison here is Carlos' and Max's data overlayed on Charles full medium stint.

While the first graph on the mediums shows that both Ferrari's were outperforming the RB20 in terms of deg(or at the very least Carlos was on a very similar delta to Max), this is where you see the difference in the drivers. Because Max and Carlos had to pit because they were rapidly losing performance on those tyres(see above time sheets) Charles was not, and he only improved. He more than doubled the life of his tyres in comparison to the other two.

This is the graph that really matters because it shows what each driver was able to do with one set of mediums. And as you can see it's not even close.

This is where you can see the impact of the negative deg over time. Compared to the normal deg we see with Max and Carlos it serves to highlight exactly how outside of the norm Charles was operating.

Charles only continued to improve well beyond the other two. That's what was insane about his tyre management.

Neither Carlos or Max were going to be able to continue their pace (hence the pit)

I feel like the data really speaks for itself. Max and Carlos are good comparisons here, Carlos is a good driver in the same car as Charles, and Max is the current top driver on the grid and is known for his tyre management.

I want to finish this section with the sentence that is chilling the blood of every other driver and TP on the grid: Charles set his fastest lap of his race on 25 lap old hards.

Mclaren

So what happened to Mclaren?

A lot of people were expecting Mclaren to be the second strongest team on this track. And qualifying certainly made it look like that might be the case. With Lando being ahead of Carlos in P3 and Oscar being ahead of Charles in P6 on the starting grid.

So why did both Mclarens get easily defeated by the Ferraris?

I think there are 2 main reasons.

The Mclaren car is not even close to the SF-24 when it comes to tyre deg, that car loses pace much faster so it just cannot fight when a Ferrari comes up behind it.

Charles 1 stop strategy really messed up the team's pit strategy with Lando. 

In Mclaren’s defense no one thought anyone would be crazy enough to try a 1 stop around Suzuka, let alone have zero tyre deg on a high deg track. 

They seemed to be managing their pit strategy with Lando under the assumption that Charles was going to pit twice, and I think they were very worried about an undercut in the pits (after they didn’t get away with it in Australia I think they were very keen to make sure they kept their position)

But Charles didn’t do a 2 stop strategy. He stayed out and his pace on the hards was unbelievable. 

There was really no way for them to see that coming. It’s kind of hard when your main competition decides this is the weekend he’s going to challenge the laws of physics.

(And you thought I was done talking about Charles’ tyre strategy)

Here is a graph of Lando vs Carlos. That was the spot he lost, and you can see that the pit strategy is really what cost Lando the spot. Carlos came behind him on much fresher tyres and by then he'd lost the pace. He pitted too early, and that was due to Mclaren not understanding that Charles is on another level.

His pace was okay on newer tyres, but once they age the drop off was pretty bad. So the Mclaren car needs to improve in the tyre deg department if they want to see either of their drivers beat a Ferrari any time this year.

Furthermore Oscar once again struggled more because he is still the weaker of the two Mclarens when it comes to tyre deg, and on this track that really showed. 

But I think the fact that Mclaren kept trying to figure out when Charles was going to pit for his second stint and then he just didn’t really threw them off and had them making some weird pit calls. 

VCARB

Yuki

Yuki ran what was in my opinion the second most impressive drive of the race. He qualified P10 and finished P10. However to keep that position he pulled of some truly perfect overtakes. He was fighting to finally get that home race point. I was so excited seeing him put on that good of a show for his home fans.

In this race he became the first Japanese driver to score home race points since 2012, and that is just so exciting for Yuki and his fans. It really made that single point mean a lot. I don't think I have ever been more excited for a P10!

Yuki has really been showing what the VCARB car is capable of and it looks really promising. He seems comfortable and I think we will be seeing a lot more points from him this season.

Daniel: Crash with Albon and DNF

Going to be covering Alex and Daniel's crash this section.

On lap 1, Daniel and Alex made contact going into turn 3, resulting in both cars going off the track and ending up in the barriers. Both drivers had to retire from the race.

To me this looked like a result of crowding into that turn in the mid field with neither driver at significant fault. I don't think Daniel was trying to push Alex wide, and I also don't think that Alex mistook that corner. The FIA and stewards agree and Alex and Daniel's story of what happened make sense.

Going into the turn Daniel had the outside line, and he was trying to give room to the Aston Martin(Lance) on his inside. He didn't see Alex on his outside and his wheel made contact with Alex's front wing, causing his car to spin and pushing Alex of the line and into the gravel.

Alex thought he had the outside line to overtake and was in the process of attempting that when Daniel went to give space on the inside, this resulted in the contact and Daniel forcing him wide.

This crash really just was a result of crowding in that corner, Daniel was trying to give space to one driver and inadvertently crowded out another. There wasn't space so he was kind of in a lose-lose situation there.

I agree with the stewards that no penalty for either driver was warranted and that this was the result of midfield crowding, and some bad luck for both drivers. It wasn't a result of bad driving on either Daniel or Alex's part. Even if Daniel had seen Alex I am not sure what he could have done if he also needed to give room to Lance.

Ultimately I am glad both drivers are uninjured. Hopefully they have some better luck in future races.

Red Bull

I don't have a ton to say about Red Bull. My comparison in the Ferrari data section is what was most interesting about this race from the data standpoint.

They didn't do much, the Red Bulls started ahead and finished ahead as expected. Max and Checo both ran a really clean race. Again showing the power of the RB-20.

I will add that this was a really good race for Checo(probably his best this year), and it was nice to see him have redemption after Suzuka 2023.

Nothing terribly exciting to add. Max won again, well done Max!

Mercedes

Mercedes didn't have a great race, but considering that both their drivers DNFed in Australia it was good for the team to get some points. Lewis started in P7 and finished P9, while George started P9 and finished P7. So they swapped positions.

It seems that the Mercedes car might be better on those qualifying laps than the race pace (and even then it's qualifying has been inconsistent)

The most notable thing about Mercedes' race was when Lewis asked if he should let George pass when George came up behind him, and George did in fact make the pass. This was done simply because George's pace was better. Lewis knew this so it was best for the team.

I think that so far we have seen that the W15 is struggling in a lot of areas, and as far as drivers go George has been more comfortable in the car(could be driving style, setup, a combo of the two) than Lewis.

Both are solid drivers, and hopefully they can guide Mercedes into making improvements to the car to get them closer to top points. At this point the car Mercedes has made seems to have fallen short of expectations. Make no mistake though, Lewis and George are both drivers who are much better than the car they are in at the moment.

Williams

I covered Alex's crash with Daniel already so we are going to talk about Logan.

Logan honestly did about the best he could do in the car he had. After damaging both his front and rear wing in free practice and still using the repaired chassis from Australia his car was not in the best shape already going into the race. Additionally the Williams really struggled with grip in the rears and has been all over the place. Suzuka especially seems to have not been suited to it.

Yes on lap 41 Logan went off track into a gravel trap, but that was on a corner that had given more skilled and experienced drivers trouble this weekend so I am not going to fault him too much for that in the car he had. Better cars were having problems there too.

He did have a really strong first stint and was pulling some overtakes. Most of his positions were lost when he did get undercut by some pit stops, and then of course losing time to the gravel trap.

The win is that he finished the race and the car is intact. That may not seem like much, but given the state of things at Williams it's important.

There were some highlights for his race and I will say in terms of raw performance he has not been far off Alex this year. That car of Williams is really hindering both drivers.

Stake

Stake actually had pretty good pace overall. The car is not as bad as it has looked on paper. The main issues has been their slow pit stops (caused by incompatibility between the bolters and the tyre covers apparently) Zhou and Valtteri both showed some pretty good pace and were in positions for overtakes.

Zhou unfortunately had to retire his car due to gearbox issues.

Stake has really been a mess and we have not seen what that car can actually do in terms of performance overall, or what what their drivers are capable of in that car.

They are making attempts to address the pit stop issue and I think if they do that, then we will see both drivers picking up some P10 points at the very least.

Final Thoughts

I think we can all agree that Suzuka was the best race of the year so far from a pure racing standpoint!

Whew, that’s all I got on this race, so I will leave you with this final thought. 

This race was a warning shot from Ferrari.

[wheelie-sick]

Things to research before getting your first custom manual wheelchair

one of the biggest things I can recommend to anyone getting a new custom chair (but especially a first custom chair) is to understand all of the parts of a wheelchair and what they do. I decided to make a guide with wheelchair parts to research and places to look for information to make this process a little bit easier. additional link suggestions are welcome.

General resources:

Permobil - The Wheelchair Handbook

Motion Composites - Preparing for Your Wheelchair Evaluation: Before the Evaluation (Part 1)

Motion Composites - Preparing for Your Wheelchair Evaluation (Part 2)

1. Frame

Motion Composites - Folding vs Rigid Wheelchair Frames: How to Choose

Permobil - Manual wheelchairs: rigid and folding frames. How do you choose?

GTK - Oh what’s in a frame? Comparing Multiple Materials

Motion Composites - Wheelchairs: Carbon Fiber Versus Aluminum

2. Front frame angle

Motion Composites - Understanding the Impact of Rigid Wheelchair Front Frame Angle

Sunrise Medical - Rigid Frame Wheelchairs – Frame Angle and Inset

4. Seat dump

Permobil - Ergonomic Seating and Manual Wheelchairs

Spinlife - Wheelchair Back & Seat Angle

5. Caster size, style, and position

Motion Composites - Front Casters for Manual Wheelchairs Practical Guide

Sunrise Medical - Front Caster Position in Manual Wheelchairs

6. Caster forks

New Mobility - Caster Wheels and Forks

Sunrise Medical - Maneuverability in Manual Wheelchairs - What Fork to use?

New Mobility - Innovations: Emerging Trends in the Wheelchair Market (information about single sided forks)

7. Footplate

Motion Composites - Footrest Options to Support Function and Mobility

When Tania Talks - Active User Wheelchair Footplate Options

8. Calf strap

Spex Seating - Lower Leg Support Considerations in Wheelchair Seating

9. Seat pan

Permobil - Solid Seat Insert for Wheelchair: Taking a Closer Look at Cushion Components

10. Seat cushion

Permobil - What to Look for in Seating & Positioning Products

Permobil - How to Choose a Cushion in Long Term Care

Permobil - Cushion Geometry: Linear and Contoured

Freedom Mobility Center - Wheelchair Seat Cushions: 5 Tips for Choosing the Right One for You

Mobility Basics - Seat Cushion Rigidizer

Motion Composites - Selecting the Right Cushion for Your Wheelchair a Clinicians Guide

Motion Composites - Covering the Basics of Wheelchair and Back Support Covers

11. Seat belts

12. Clothing guards

Sherman Oaks Medical Equipment - Wheelchair Clothes Guards / Side Guards Guide

13. Arm rests

United Spinal Association - Wheelchair Armrests What Do They Really Do?

Spinlife - Wheelchair Arm Rest Choices

Motion Composites - Armrests: Getting the Support you Need

14. Back supports

Motion Composites - Solid vs Upholstery Backs

Mobility Management - How to Choose the Right Back Height for your Client

Freedom Mobility Center - Why a Solid Back is Preferred Over a Sling Back

Mobility Basics - Back Supports

Sunrise Medical - Tips for Selecting Prefabricated Wheelchair Backs

Motion Composites - Covering the Basics of Wheelchair and Back Support Covers

15. Head supports

16. Push handles

Motion Composites - Push Handles: Pushing Around

17. Wheels

Motion Composites - Rolling Along: The Importance of Rear Wheel Selection

Sunrise Medical - Comparing Wheelchair Wheel Spoke Options

Mobility Basics - Manual Wheelchair Wheels

18. Tires

New Mobility - Everything You Need to Know About Selecting the Right Wheelchair Tires

GTK - Solid versus Pneumatic Tyres

Mobility Basics - Manual Wheelchair Wheels

Motion Composites - Tire Selection: Balancing Performance and Maintenance

19. Brakes

Motion Composites - Wheel Locks: Unlocking Safety and Function

20. Push rims/Hand rims

Motion Composites - Getting a Grasp: Understanding the Impact of Hand Rims

DME Hub - Wheelchair Hand Rom Options and Factors to Consider

21. Anti-tip wheels

22. Camber

Motion Composites - Camber - Degrees of Performance

23. Center of Gravity

Motion Composites - Rear Wheel Position 101

[tiredwishes]

how has no one written the fic where oscar finds out lando not only held checo up cooled his tyres which helped oscar's race out BUT ALSO climbed eleven whole places AND oscar's deliciously adrenaline high off his win, so when he finally gets back to the hotel and sees his beautiful, gorgeous, perfect boyfriend waiting for him, all he wants to show lando is how proud and grateful he is.......

"Oh hello," Lando's voice washes over Oscar the second the hotel door shuts behind him. "Welcome back, two-time race winner."

He's sitting on the edge of the bed, their bed, bundled up in one of Oscar's hoodies that hangs off his frame just slightly. Phone tossed to the side, Lando beams across the room at him through damp curls, and Oscar feels his heart stutter.

God, he's beautiful. Oscar watches as his boyfriend moves to his feet, to him. Lando stops infront of Oscar, eyes impossibly bright through his lashes.

Oscar inhales sharply, and all he breathes is the familiar notes of Lando.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Lando frowns, "Tell you what?"

"That you-" Oscar splutters, because how is he supposed to be normal about this? "That you covered Checo off with the undercut. That you protected your own race even when doing so. That you drove so well."

"Oh."

Lando blinks, clearly not expecting all of that. He stares up at Oscar, two figures in the hallway, the lingering scent of champagne slowly intertwining with bergamot shampoo.

"It's not that big of a deal." Lando shrugs, before whispering with the smile he's only ever had for Oscar. "Osc, you won."

At his words, Oscar stares at his boyfriend like he's grown a second head. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could." Lando's face scrunches in protest. "I saw your overtake on Charles, and your defence after was spectacular. He never would've gotten through. You would've won even without me."

It makes Oscar want to scream. Because his incredibly talented boyfriend, who out-performed what everyone thought was possible, would use every breath in his body to defend Oscar's skill, only to not save anything for himself. The thought of it pains Oscar so terribly.

Oscar pushes back. "I might not have. Charles fought strongly, and Checo would have been a lot closer if you hadn't held him off."

"Still," Lando says stubbornly, refuses to budge. "You would've won anyway."

"Not without you."

"Even without me."

"Nope."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes- Why are you fighting me on this?" Lando snaps, crossing one hoodie-clad arm over the other. It shouldn't be as endearing as it is. Oscar shouldn't be finding it this hot.

The glare he's giving Oscar makes him want to kiss him senseless, amongst other things. Oscar looks into Lando's sea glass eyes, and all he does is want.

"Because," Oscar says plainly, stepping into his boyfriend's space. Lando's sharp intake of air goes straight to his core. "I need you to know how I could not have done this without you. I need you to know how your race was absolutely bloody brilliant, it was fucking hot. I need you to know how much I care about this, about you."

Oscar's hands fall to the sides of Lando's waist, and all it takes is a singular, fluid motion for their bodies to be pressed together. Lando lets out a squeak of surprise, the tips of his ears turning pink.

"And it really fucking kills me that you don't think the same about yourself, you know that?" Oscar continues, despite their lips being inches apart. "Eleven fucking places, Lando. And nevermind that, you won't even let me tell you how proud I am or otherwise."

Lando's flushed brilliantly, and Oscar smiles slowly at the sight. Then he leans in, and Lando lets his eyes flutter shut, waits for his boyfriend's next move.

Only, Oscar's not quite done.

"So I guess I have no choice but to show you." Oscar murmurs next to his ear, it takes him by surprise. Lando jumps, eyes flying open. Oscar's breath is hot, starved, it sends shivers down his spine. "I don't think I've thanked you properly yet."

His thigh presses between Lando's legs. The sudden unexpected pressure has Lando reeling. At his boyfriend's whine, Oscar pulls back. Lando's eyes are blown wide, and they meet Oscar's, dark and wanting.

"Please," Lando nods desperately. He whispers, begging. "Please."

With a smirk, Oscar sinks to his knees.

[hookedonhuge]

A Hot Pipe Dream

Ding Dong!

You opened the door and staring back at you was a handsome beast of a man. Thick beard, big arms, and a large chest that pushed against his tight shirt. It must be the plumber!

“Umm… hi, I’m – I mean you must be umm… come in.” You completely stumbled over your words, intimidated by the aura of the large man in front of you.

“What do you want me to come in?” The plumber said with a confident smirk. His lewd joke made you even more flustered.

“The kitchen… umm the pipes – I’ll show you.” You avoided eye contact and quickly turned around to head for the kitchen. You rushed off to the kitchen, not even paying attention to whether he was following behind you or not. You opened the cupboard beneath the sink and pointed to the pipes, still too flustered to look back and meet his powerful gaze. “Yeah we’ve just got a blocked pipe, umm… in the pipes, yeah…”

There was no response. Had you just been talking to the air? You turned around to try and find the plumber thinking that he might have gotten lost behind you. What you found was two hairy, meaty pecs staring directly at you.

“My eyes are up here.” He laughed.

“I’m so sorry!” You said quickly shifting your gaze from his chest to his intense eyes. Your face turned beet red; he seemed to be enjoying making you embarrassed.

“Don’t be shy!” He said as he cockily bounced his pecs. “Nothing strange about two men working on a long, hard pipe together.”

“Together?” What an odd choice of words, you certainly weren’t planning on helping.

“You’re right, I think you’ve got this pretty well covered yourself.”

Without even realising it, you had bent over to investigate the pipes yourself. Your body felt heavy and your brain was foggy. Suddenly there was a weighty tool belt around your waist, and you were only wearing shoes, socks and a pair of tight white underwear!

You looked back to the big man in confusion. “What is going on?”

“You’re fixing the blockage, of course.”

“But I don’t know how.”

“Well if you want to be a plumber then you need to look like one.”

What did a plumber look like? Well this plumber had big strong muscles. And don’t plumbers usually have their big, hairy ass crack hanging out of their pants?

As you thought this you felt thick, dark hair burst out of your smooth lower half. Then, your underwear got even tighter as your cute little ass started inflating. It was like someone had stuck a needle between your cheeks and was pumping you up like a bike tyre. Your underwear started to look more like a thong with every passing second until your fat cheeks tore through the fabric completely. 

It wasn’t just your butt, your whole body was growing. Your arms, chest, back; they all now bursted with strength. Even your feet outgrew your socks and shoes.

“You look much more like a plumber now!”

You felt like a plumber too. Your head started to clear and it seemed like bending over with your ass out to look at pipes was your natural position. It was like you had been there so many times and you knew exactly what to do to fix those pipes.

“Boss, I haven’t seen a pipe this clogged in a while.” The big plumber got down behind you to investigate what was happening. He rested his chest on your back with his powerful hand on your big, hairy, wobbly butt for support.

“You know I’ve got a special tool that’s perfect for getting into tight pipes like these.” You felt his warm breath against your neck as he said this. “It might look too big to fit in, but trust me, it always gets in there and gives these dirty pipes a good clean.” 

“Can you give me this tool, boss? Please boss, I need it. It will be perfect to fit in this tight hole.”

“It’s not easy your first time, so let me help you.” He leant further over you in order to reach his hand under the sink. You both grabbed hold of the tool and stuck it into the entrance of the clogged pipe.

It took a couple of thrusts but you two eventually slipped the tool into the pipe. “Ah, it’s in!” You exclaimed, letting out a laboured breath. “But it won’t go any deeper.”

The plumber started to lend you more of his strength and took control of the thrusting. With each thrust his body pushed forward into yours. “So close! I can feel it’s so close!” He sped up his pace. “Just a little deeper!”

It felt like a volcano erupting when the two of you finally hit the right spot. A jet of liquid bursted out of the pipe but the plumber’s quick hands were able to reseal it before it got everywhere.

You panted in exhaustion. “Thank you so much, I really needed that!”

“No need to thank me, you did most of the hard work today.” He gave you a strong, friendly slap on the ass. “You will make a great plumber.”

You blushed. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, boss.”

[flowerandblood]

Pride | Promise | Price

[ modern! • Aemond x stepsister! • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, sexual tension, angst, smut, kind of incest but not really, brat taming, violence, swearing ]

[ description: After their joint decision to be together, Aemond and his stepsister try to arrange everything to create as normal relationship as possible. The problem arises when Criston begins to suspect that his sweet little daughter has a boyfriend. The power of angst, ironic, protective, bitchy Aemond. Anon request. ]

Part 1 − Rage | Revenge | Relief Part 2 − Guilt | Greed | Grace Part 4 − Blame | Betray | Bliss

Series & Characters Moodboard

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

My other works: Masterlist

_____

He had no idea what had crossed his mind to ask her if she would become his girlfriend − it seemed to him to be the most embarrassing and desperate question one could ask the opposite sex, but yet in that moment, as she lay in his embrace, his nose pressed against her hair, their hands and legs entwined together, he thought that he didn't give a shit.

That he really wanted her to be his.

His little girl.

Her answer and her complete lack of hesitation surprised him as much as the question he asked her; he couldn't get out of his awe at how lightly she approached it, that even if she was afraid of the consequences she enjoyed being in a relationship with him, and what's more, just like him she wasn't going to stop.

He was unable to understand why certain things came naturally to them − he figured that the fact that she wasn't forcing anything on him, that she wasn't putting perpetual expectations on him made him finally open up to what he himself wanted, and by some miracle their needs began to coincide.

Above all, neither of them talked about their choice, simply recognising that they had already decided and there was no reason to explain anything further.

He watched with satisfaction as he drove her to her classes how she greeted her friends knowing that none of them would touch her again because she was fucking his.

His little sister.

At that thought a dangerous grimace appeared on his lips that terrified him as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror; he drove off with a squeal of tyres, certain that she had turned over her shoulder to look at him.

What surprised him most was that he was focused on his lectures like never before − neither of them disturbed each other during their classes with messages with only a few exceptions when they were figuring out what they were going to do in the evening.

Her gentle, cheerful, warm character suited him.

She didn't run after him seeking his attention all the time.

She accepted when he needed to study in silence or just sleep off a day full of activities.

When they passed each other in the corridor, came across in the kitchen or the living room and there was no one around but them, he would draw her to him, hugging her waist and clinging to her lips, uniting with her in a warm, moist kiss − she would then throw her arms around his neck while the tips of their tongues teased and licked each other with a quiet click.

Usually that was enough to make him completely hard, and it was usually just then that they heard someone's footsteps, so they pulled away from each other, looking at one another with this type of gaze he had never shared with anyone before, filled with desire, heat and longing.

They fucked whenever they could, in his car, in his living room, in his kitchen, once in his bed and once in hers, waiting patiently for his mother and Criston to fall asleep; they would visit and throw themselves into each other's arms, exhausted from waiting all day to touch each other, experiencing hot, sticky, intense pleasure together.

Afterwards, they stroked their naked, sweaty bodies, kissed each other and involuntarily fell asleep, forced to part before dawn, before anyone realised either of them was not in their room.

On the one hand it was exhausting and drove him mad, on the other it made him want her more and more every day.

It made him miss her, even though she was in the next room.

They wrote to each other when they were at home almost all the time even when they were sitting at the dinner table together; they commented on what was going on, told each other stories, sent each other memes or decided what they were going to do in the evening.

Sometimes they would play games together or watch movies on his laptop and lock the door from his room so no one would accidentally see them lying down and embracing.

However, in his eyes, the turning point for him was the day he told her about Alys.

The subject was completely different at first − his stepsister was telling him about how she dealt with Criston's arguments with her mother, that she would leave the house for hours and have nothing to do with herself, hanging around the nearby park and reading books, not wanting to return home to a house filled with their perpetual resentments feeling that there was nowhere for her to go.

He never confided in anyone about what he had done.

"At first it was supposed to be a one-night stand. Just to do something against the will of my mother, with whom as a child I went to mass every Sunday and prayed nicely before going to bed like a little good boy." He snorted, shrugging his shoulders.

"But, I don't know, when I came back here I always felt that she was looking at me with those eyes begging for forgiveness, that she would fall to her knees in front of me if she could, but I don't want her apology. I just wish she wasn't a fucking hypocrite.

So I ran away, to Alys, and fucked her in every possible way you can imagine, the kind that I'm ashamed of now. I think I took it out on her in some ways." He muttered thoughtfully, running a trembling hand over his chin.

He was afraid to look at her.

He was afraid of what he would see in her gaze.

He shuddered when he felt her lay her head on his chest so that he could nestle his cheek against her hair, her hands embraced him instantly − he wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back with trembling fingers.

He knew she could feel how fast his heart was pounding.

"My dad believes I'm an angel too. He's convinced that I've probably never kissed a boy before. I know I'll be a disappointment to him, another one in his life, when he finds out." She mumbled, and he felt a squeeze in his throat at her words, his hand slipping into her hair, his lips kissing the top of her head.

"We don't live to fulfil our parents' expectations." He whispered and she lifted her sad, warm gaze to him, her fingers brushing his cheek before their lips joined in a slow, loud, sticky kiss.

He took her that night lying with her on her side, her thigh set high on his hip, her soft breasts pressed against his chest. He was rooting into her in a quiet, steady pace, teasing the spot inside her from which a sigh of bliss escaped her lips, their hands trailing over their naked bodies, stroking each other's shoulders, hair, necks, cheeks.

They kissed with their eyes closed, sucking and licking each other's lips, running their noses over the hot skin of each other's faces before their mouths connected anew with a wet click, his length stretching her throbbing, moist entrance with each of his deep thrusts.

He was horrified by what was happening to him then, how helpless and vulnerable he was, how much he needed her tenderness, acceptance and understanding, what relief he felt when she gave him more than he could ever hope for.

At last someone saw and wanted him as he really was.

That's why instead of being bored with her, their relationship went from being hilarious and ironic to something serious and surprisingly real.

He licked his lower lip feeling his cock throbbing hard as he read her last message.

While she never sent him naked pictures of herself like Alys did, she drove him crazy with pics of herself when she was dressed so that he could almost see her panties, buttocks or bare breasts.

It was only his pride that made him not beg her to send them to him more often, and apart from that he didn't want to sit with a swollen erection all the time.

He let out a loud breath, tightening his lips, feeling his cock get completely hard at the sight of her in the long, light-coloured sweatshirt and high woollen socks he loved to fuck her in, certain that she was now wearing no bra or panties.

Fuck.

He looked at his screen, but no more answer appeared on it. He licked his lower lip and, with a dangerous grin, left his room quietly, walking down the corridor past their parents' bedroom.

He walked inside her room without warning, locking the door behind him, staring at her for a moment − his stepsister was lying on her bed with a book in her hand, one of her knees raised, looking up at him with those big, warm eyes of hers.

He reached for the belt buckle of his trousers, looking at her like an animal watching its prey; he could see in her gaze that she knew what was about to happen.

"Take off everything except those slutty socks." He ordered coolly; he saw her swallow loudly as she put the book aside and with trembling hands pulled her sweatshirt over her head, with neither bra nor panties underneath, placing her hands on either side of her head. He chuckled at the sight, undoing the button and zipper of his trousers.

"Fucking knew it."

He walked over to her and knelt in front of her on her bed, taking her thighs in his hands, spreading them wide to the sides. She made no resistance to him, looking up at him with misty gaze, her pink lips parted slightly in quickened breath, puffy and glistening in the light of her bedside lamp.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? For your brother to come and teach you a lesson?" He asked dryly running his thumb over her hot, throbbing womanhood, sticky with her moisture, her whole body trembling − she nodded shyly at his words, as if she was ashamed.

"You're leaking, kid. Tsk-tsk." He shook his head disapprovingly, his hand with a sure, rough, short movement slapping her between her thighs − she flinched and squealed, but pressed her lips together immediately when she saw him furrow his brow.

"Quiet. Understood?" He asked coolly, and she nodded quickly.

"− I'm sorry −" She mumbled quietly. He sighed feeling that he wouldn't be able to hold out for too long, his fingers trailing around her puffy clit, not giving her what she needed.

"− good you're sorry − fucking brat − you've been looking at me all day with those big eyes of yours begging me to fuck you − yes or no? −" He growled and slapped her again, harder and louder, she stifled her moan and nodded her head quickly.

"− y-yes − please −" She babbled with difficulty, her breasts rising and falling in accelerated, raspy breaths, her hands clenched on her pillow on either side of her head, in her gaze the heat and pleading he loved, his heart pounding like mad, his fingers teasing her slit.

"− please, what? −" He hissed warningly and she swallowed loudly, already having obvious problems putting full sentences together, her thighs twitching before him.

"− please, big brother − I want you inside me −" She mewled writhing in front of him in impatience − he licked his lips looking at her in satisfaction and hummed under his breath, spreading her moisture over her folds.

"− good girl − come here − yeah, there you go −" He murmured, turning her onto her stomach and lifting her buttocks higher so that she hugged her cheek to the pillow, bucking her hips towards him, her entrance pink and throbbing, glistening from her juices.

He leaned over her and ran his tongue over her clit slipping his trousers lower, a quiet groan of delight came from his throat at how good she tasted − he knew she must have taken a bath before he came, her whole body smelling of feminine shower gel.

He saw her press her face against her pillow and stifled her loud moan with it, her hands clenched tightly on its material. He chuckled under his breath as he saw her state, squeezing himself several times with his hand in a quick motion, enjoying the view.

"− desperate? −" He sneered with amusement and she nodded, her whole body tensing as he guided the head of his cock against her slit − he pushed into her meeting resistance, her tight walls clamped down on him greedily, he could feel she was close to orgasm.

"− no − take it − all of it − that's right, there you go −" He exhaled with a sigh of relief, with a determined thrust of his hips forcing himself into her as deeply as he could, filling her whole, his hands clenched on her trembling hips.

He couldn't stop himself, he began to slam into her with quick, sure, sharp movements, his thighs slapping loudly against her buttocks − he could hear her quiet cries and sobs muffled by the fabric of the pillow she pressed her lips to.

"− be fucking quiet −" He growled low after a moment fucking her with all his strength, fast, brutal, loud − they were both panting involuntarily, they didn't stop even when they heard the door in the next room open, that someone had turned on the bathroom light.

He felt like they both sped up their pace even more at the thought that they might be caught, her hips responded greedily to his every thrust, her hot muscles clenched painfully hard against his cock wanting to keep him inside.

He clenched his eyes cursing in his mind, knowing he wouldn't last long, her muffled moans with each of his thrusts brought him closer to his orgasm.

"− baby − oh God −" He mumbled softly feeling the sudden fulfilment shake her body, she writhed and quivered beneath him like an animal, breathing loudly, her fleshy, hot wall sucking him inside.

He tilted his head back closing his eyes and just cum inside her, falling on top of her, pressing his lips to her sweaty neck trying to stifle his low groan, their bodies quivering and writhing beneath each other, unable to calm down.

"− shhh, little one − it's okay − shhh −" He hushed her in a soothing voice stroking her soft hair, kissing her tenderly on her temple, her cheek, her jaw − she turned her face towards him and their lips joined in a sticky, helpless, dirty kiss.

"− fuck −" He exhaled pressing his forehead against hers; they both closed their eyes intertwining their fingers together and lay in silence, their bodies rising and falling in heavy breathing.

They heard someone's footsteps and the sound of a light being turned off followed by a door opening and closing. They breathed quietly, his little sister hissing in discomfort as he slid out of her with a soft movement of his hips.

"I know, little one. Do you have tissues here to wipe yourself off? Bring you something to drink?" He asked in a whisper and she nodded, lying with her eyes closed completely without strength.

He covered her with a blanket, buttoned his trousers and ran downstairs to the kitchen to pour her some water; he took a glass from the cupboard above him and put it under the turned-off tap. He jumped back and doused himself, almost having a heart attack when he saw Criston right next to him.

He turned off the tap quickly − Criston scratched his head and grunted, as if he didn't know himself what he wanted to say.

"…listen. I know you and my daughter have been close lately. After what happened…you know…she doesn't trust me or confide in me. It seems to me that she has someone, that someone comes to her, I hear sounds from her room sometimes and I just − I just worry about her." He finished embarrassedly, rubbing his chin, lowering his gaze.

He stared at him with his eyes wide open and swallowed loudly, feeling his heart pounding hard.

She and he had talked many times about what they would do if someone caught them or asked them about it, but now that it had happened he was terrified of what he was about to do.

They had promised each other not to be like them.

That they wouldn't be cowards and liars.

He licked his lower lip, feeling the cold sweat on his back.

"Yes, she has someone." He replied coolly, taking a loud sip of cold water from his glass, looking at him with his heart beating fast.

Criston twisted uneasily in his place, looking at him uncertainly, putting his hands on his hips − he nodded, probably not knowing himself what he thought about it.

"Do you know who it is? Is it some boy from her studies, someone decent?" He muttered, running his hand involuntarily over his face in a nervous gesture.

He pressed his lips together before forcing out what he had wanted to say to his face for a long time.

"We've been together for almost two months."

Criston blinked, as if something in his sentence puzzled him, as if he had accidentally used a word incorrectly − his eyebrows arched in amusement, recognising it as an obvious mistake on his part.

"We?"

"Me and her."

The amusement disappeared instantly from his face; he saw that his lower lip twitched. He turned pale all over, his hand dropped as if without strength, he had the feeling that he was about to faint.

"This is not funny, Aemond." He said dryly, and he involuntarily chuckled under his breath, taking a deep sip of water, feeling suddenly confident again, knowing that he had him in his grip.

What the fuck could he do to him?

"That's my opinion as well. I take this relationship seriously." He hummed and Criston was suddenly right beside him − his fists was clenched on his sweatshirt, pressing his back against the fridge with a hard thud, his nostrils twitching in rage.

"Aemond, for fuck's sake, what are you talking about? Is this your revenge on me? Are you mocking me to show me how disgusted you are with me? You're entitled to it, but I swear if you touched her…"

"I love her."

Criston stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, then snorted with nervous laughter, shaking his head, his hands clenched warningly on the material of his clothes.

"What the fuck are you talking about? You fooled her and seduced her, took advantage of her naivety to get back at me? Hm?" He growled in rage while shaking him, an involuntary wide grin of superiority appearing on his face.

"I feel sorry for you if you think this is all about you. You and my mother can fuck as much as you want and beg for forgiveness like the true Christians you certainly are, I don't care. I don't give a fuck about you, pal. I want her."

Criston let go of him abruptly, running quickly up the stairs − he cursed under his breath moving immediately after him, remembering that she was lying under the blanket almost naked and that he had no way to warn her what was coming.

He heard her squeal and scream in terror as her father burst into her room turning on the light − she covered herself helplessly with the same blanket he had covered her with earlier looking at them terrified, breathing loudly through her mouth.

"What have you done?" Cole asked in disbelief, shaking his head. He moved suddenly from his place opening her wardrobe, pulling out her backpack, haphazardly packing her belongings into it − his mother appeared in the entrance to her room, rubbing her eyes, apparently snapped out of a deep sleep.

"Criston? What's wrong?"

"Get dressed. I'll take you to your mother." He said to her huskily; his daughter sat still, shaking all over and glanced at him with tears in her eyes. He swallowed loudly and looked indifferently at her father.

"She will stay with me."

Her father turned to him and looked at him with fury.

"Don't speak, brat, or I'll really fucking kill you!"

"Criston!" Cried Alicent, horrified and bewildered.

"What's going on here, how can you say something like that?" She asked spreading her arms and he pointed a finger at her son with a look full of accusation and pain.

"This little bastard is fucking my daughter to get revenge on me. He used her and he's fucking proud of it." He said clasping her backpack, his mother grabbed his arm, looking at him in disbelief.

"Aemond, what is he talking about?"

"He used me? I wanted it, Dad." She sobbed out in a breaking voice, and he felt a squeeze in his heart at the thought that she had not turned away from him, that she had defended him.

Her father shook his head, not listening to her at all, recognising that she was not thinking soberly, that he had manipulated her so much that she was saying what he wanted to hear.

"Get dressed." He growled and tugged on her arm so hard that the blanket slipped out of her hand exposing her breasts − she squealed and wept loudly, helplessly trying to cover herself again.

Seeing this he moved on him in involuntary reflex and pushed him away from her so hard that Cole hit the back of his head on her wardrobe.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!"

He fell to the floor, losing his hearing and sight for a moment when Criston hit him in the face with his fist − he heard her muffled crying and screaming, heard her quickly put her sweatshirt on and run to him, trying to help him up, her father pulled her to move behind him despite her crying.

Alicent looked at them with horror and tears in her eyes, pale, covering her mouth with her hand, Daeron stood beside her in his childish pyjamas not understanding completely what he was looking at.

"Mummy, what's going on?"

"− dad, stop, it hurts −" She cried all red with tears, breathing loudly, trying to get away from him.

"− you should have thought of that earlier −" He growled pulling her towards the door, but she resisted, finally biting his hand and he groaned, letting her go at once.

She escaped and ran to him, falling to her knees, hiding in his arms, with which he immediately embraced her tightly, panting loudly along with her − he looked at her father with rage, seeing the bruises on her arms, her body trembling in convulsions as she sobbed loudly, terrified.

Criston looked at them in disbelief and shook his head − he looked at Alicent as if he had suddenly realised something.

"Did you know about this?"

His mother looked at him as if he was mad.

"What, of course not, God, Criston!" She mumbled helplessly and burst out into a loud sob herself − Criston ran his hand over his face, walking with a quick, anxious step around her room.

He stood over them impatiently, and he felt his stepsister snuggle tighter into him, clasping her fingers painfully tight on his back, begging him silently not to let her go.

"Get up. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. That's enough fooling around, we're going to your mother's. Come on." He said a little more calmly, but met with no reaction from her − his large hands were stroking her soft hair and back, his lips placing a gentle kiss on her head.

Criston hid his face in his hands, holding back the urge to kill him in front of his mother.

"You won. Okay? You won. We'll move out, you'll get your house back, we won't bother you. You'll never see me again, I promise. Just let her go already." He said powerlessly as if he understood exactly what he meant and what he wanted.

Normally he would have been amused by this, but now all he felt was tiredness.

He was tired of them.

He snuggled into her tighter, pressing his forehead against her shoulder, burying himself in her soft, sweet-smelling flesh, feeling her hold him tighter, her nose and lips nestled into his neck.

He heard Criston move from his place after a long moment and laughed, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, walking out of the room, Alicent moving behind him.

"These kids are completely out of their fucking minds. I'm calling her mother."

He felt her flinch in his arms as she looked up at him in horror, his mouth forming a voiceless "We're leaving."

After five minutes they were both downstairs in front of his car − Criston hearing the front door open ran quickly down the stairs, looking at them in horror.

"…calm down, I know it's my fault, but you just have to…I know, I understand, like…fuck, stop, what are you doing? Get out!" He shouted loudly, furious to see her immediately get into the car, closing the door behind her, panicked. He got in from the driver's side and immediately started the engine, backing out of the driveway, moving forward with a squeal of tyres, leaving Criston and his crying mother behind.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye letting out a loud breath, shaking all over, her figure seemed even smaller to him than normally.

She sat curled up covering her mouth, her eyes clenched in pain, a sea of tears running down her cheeks, she was struggling to catch her breath.

He quickly grabbed her hand that was lying on her thighs in his, and she squeezed it in a panicked gesture.

"I know, little one. It was very scary. I know, breathe." He whispered in a trembling voice, trying to calm her and himself at the same time, looking in the mirror to see if by any chance someone was following them.

They did it.

They ran away.

They showed them the middle finger and fucking left.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[thearchercore]

sky sports dick ridding norris again is so tiring

feeling for all the leclerinas that have to suffer through sky sports bc of their location and having no other choice where to watch, as i said to @ladysomething, f1tv occassionally disses lando (today his tyre management) so at least it's balanced out over there

british bias is the worst fr

[sunlightmurdock]

Blowing mechanic Bradley under his desk when a customer comes in to pay their bill. He tried to stop you but you continue and he blows in your mouth as soon as they walk out. He thought it was hot AF but he’s not going to let you know that, so he then takes you over his knee and spanks you with those big, dirty, calloused hands.

Excuse me while I go touch grass now.

nonononono especially because I can see him being the one who coaxed you into it?

like if you came to see him on your lunch break or something and the shop is about as busy as it gets but he’s drawing the blinds in the office and sitting back in the office chair, parting his knees obnoxiously wide.

No one’ll know. They’re all working, baby. You scared of someone seeing how dirty that pretty little mouth can get?

And you’re not one to back down from a challenge. Especially when that challenge has such pretty brown eyes. So, you settle down onto your knees and get right to work. You’re already halfway under his desk, so the guy with the black Mercedes in Bay Five doesn’t even spot you as he pushes open the office door without knocking.

Bradley’s fast, grabbing the back of your head with one hand and tucking himself quickly under the desk — forgetting that he’s already got himself grazing the back of your throat. You gasp quickly and pull off of him right as he coughs to mask the sound.

“Guy out front said I owe you eight hundred. How’s that? — I just came in for a new tire.” The guy challenges, walking right up to the desk and slamming his keys down. Bradley feels you graze his knee.

He inhales and then swallows, voice dropping in attitude as he shrugs at the customer. “You want an itemised bill?”

“I want you to explain it to me, genius.” You hear his hand come down on top of the desk and already know that Bradley’s ready to put him in his place. Bradley could probably do with something to calm him down. His legs go tense as he feels you kissing at the base of his cock.

You can hear him explaining the charges to the best of his ability as your mouth bobs around him, his fingers knotted tight into your roots. Finally, he gets the asshole in front of him to understand that with how worn down the traction was on each of the tyres, they had no choice but to trade out three instead of one. He’s still getting a pretty grade deal. Bradley’s twitching in your mouth and he’s never going to be able to say the word traction again.

As the door slams, Bradley’s thick hand comes down so that both of them are guiding the back of your head, holding you in place as he cums hard, trying to hold back a groan.

“Fuck — you think you’re funny?” He breathes, pushing back from the desk and fixing his pants. You grin at him as he catches your elbow and pulls you out from under the desk. “C’mere. Bend over.”

[coimbrabertone]

Martinsville Cooked...Until It Was Cooked

Now, I will go ahead and admit this: I think I'm the polar opposite of a NASCAR boomer when it comes to tracks. I like most of the 1.5s, while I generally find the little bullrings like Bristol and Martinsville to be more demo derby than good racing. That being said...I think the Martinsville cutoff race yesterday delivered.

At least until the playoff shenanigans soured the end of the race.

One step back though, because let me set the stage for all this first.

I missed stage one of the race, ironically enough - I needed a bit of a break from racing after the Brazilian Grand Prix went from a chaotic wet race to the worst guy in the sport running away with it - but when I tuned in early on in stage two, it was already looking surprisingly good.

Chase Elliott was leading off strategy, Byron was gaining on him, but then behind them it was a pair of Fords battling with Brad Keselowski ahead of Ryan Blaney. Now, the way things were going, Byron could point his way into the championship four, as could Christopher Bell in the #20 Toyota, but...

Chase Elliott in the #9 Hendrick Chevrolet, Kyle Larson in the #5 Hendrick Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney in the #12 Penske Ford were all heading towards a must-win scenario.

Thus, we had two Hendrick teammates battling and potentially knocking each other out of the playoffs, while behind, a pair of Fords were reeling them in.

Brad Keselowski was out of the playoffs, but he was racing for pride. He wanted to win at Martinsville.

Ryan Blaney, however, won at Martinsville the previous year to advance to Phoenix and won the championship that way.

Then Byron gets ahead of Elliott.

But...a caution comes out for Burton spinning, and it immediately breeds another when Truex also goes around. For a moment, I thought "ah crap we're getting into the short track nonsense part of the race" but no, not quite...instead, it led to a crucial strategic choice.

Byron and Elliott both pit off the Truex caution, Blaney and Keselowski stay out, along with Hamlin and Bell who are also sniffing the chance to advance.

And to add insult to injury, Elliott has a slow stop and drops to the back of the fresh tyre cars.

Keselowski gets out ahead and manages to win the second stage ahead of Blaney, Hamlin, Larson, Byron, and Bell.

This stage makes it official that Blaney and Elliott are must-wins, and Hamlin is more or less in the same boat. With non-playoff car Keselowski in the lead, as they run:

Logano is locked in from his win at Vegas.

Reddick is locked in from his win at Homestead.

Byron is 15 points above the cutoff line.

Larson is 6 points above.

Bell is 6 points below but can win tiebreakers off of previous results.

Hamlin is 17 below.

Ryan Blaney must win to advance.

Chase Elliott must win to advance.

Bell, however, can clinch a spot no matter what so long as he finishes 13th or above, therefore, Byron and Larson are in a points battle for the fourth and final spot. A points battle that becomes a moot point if any one of Hamlin, Blaney, or Elliott win.

Stage three is quite literally 200 laps long, so it turns into a bit of a lull for awhile as cars need to knock off laps, but then...Ryan Blaney begins his charge.

He overtakes Larson, goes hunting down Byron.

Catches Byron as William is lapping Shane Van Gisbergen, so Ryan Blaney bumps SVG up and into Byron, slipping underneath the both of them to take position. This is the kind of move that they say Martinsville is all about, bumping, banging, ruthless, but smart. All three cars continue.

Blaney again catches up to Keselowski but the #6 is a wily old fox and makes it hard to pass.

Fast forward to 117 to go, and it looks an awful lot like stage two; Elliott is leading after an earlier pitstop gave him the undercut, Byron is faster and is hunting him down, while Keselowski and Blaney in the Fords are also entering the picture.

A spin by Carson Hocevar gives all of them the chance to pit.

Meanwhile, Byron, Larson, Ryan Preece, and Austin Cindric stay out, making a play for track position.

The green flag comes out, Larson overtakes Byron, Cindric overtakes Preece, and the yellow comes out again as Kyle Busch lost a wheel on the restart. Byron is angry because he feels they shouldn't have restarted at all given a car lost a wheel, but NASCAR declares that Larson is the leader.

And in the following stint, things start to fall apart for Byron.

Elliott gets him off the restart, Blaney follows not long after, and even the likes of Cindric and Hamlin start pressuring him.

So at this point, it's Larson, Elliott, and Blaney the top three and each of them are in must-win scenarios given how Byron is running and how Bell has a points advantage.

Elliott forces his way inside of Larson to take the lead with 24 to go and completes the pass in turn one, keeping Larson out wide as Blaney grabs the draft and tries to follow him through.

Larson gets down in front of Blaney before turn three, but Larson is maybe a foot higher up in the lane than Blaney is, and that's all Ryan needs as he bumps Larson up in just the right way and then barges through to go side-by-side onto the start-finish straight, completing the pass in turn one.

Larson tries to bump Blaney up and retake the position, but Blaney keeps enough traction in the upper groove to come out ahead onto the backstretch. Now, he starts reeling in Elliott.

Ten laps later, Blaney sends it up the inside in turn three, gets a nose ahead through four, and comes onto the start-finish straight ahead of Elliott to take the lead with fourteen laps to go. Blaney restarted behind Cindric and Hamlin, overtook them both, overtook Byron, and charged through Larson and Elliott as well.

He literally moved through 3/4ths of Hendrick Motorsports to move into the lead. A hell of a drive.

Unfortunately...this is where the shitshow began.

Hamlin and Cindric moved ahead of the struggling Byron as well by this point, so Byron is sixth, the worst position he can be in and still advance. Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, and Brad Keselowski are all behind Byron and are all faster.

Now, William Byron drives for Chevy, as do Chastain and Dillon.

Joey Logano, locked into the playoffs already, is a Ford driver.

Tyler Reddick, also locked in, drives for Toyota.

Ryan Blaney, about to win his way in, is in a Ford.

Larson and Elliott are out of it with Blaney winning and pulling ahead, while Christopher Bell with the points advantage is in 19th in a Toyota. Byron needs to finish 13 places ahead of Bell to advance, and 6 is exactly 13 ahead of 19.

If Chastain or Dillon pass their fellow Chevrolet, they'd be knocking their manufacturer out of the final four.

So instead, Dillon plants himself on the bottom, Chastain on the top, and they effectively block for Byron, keeping him in sixth place regardless of how slow he is.

So, Chevy is making sure that Byron doesn't lose points.

Now, what does Toyota do?

Well, Bubba Wallace starts reporting with three to go that he feels like a tyre is going down. He is off the pace, and Bell starts gaining on him, passing him in the final corner of the final lap.

Pause now, because what happens next flips the script.

At this moment, with Bell going around him, does Bubba Wallace really have a tyre going down? Technically speaking, it doesn't even matter, because he doesn't say he for sure has one, just that it feels like he has one. There's no penalty for thinking your car has a problem and driving accordingly.

And from his onboard, he does definitely seem to be struggling, and you can see cars going past him and establishing a gap.

That being said, as far back as ten to go, Bubba's onboard does show his spotter keeping him informed of the points situation between Byron and Bell.

And here's an interesting thing as well: at the start of the final lap, Wallace is forced high as Byron, Dillon, Chastain, Keselowski, and Logano, that whole group of cars, goes underneath him to put a lap on him. So he clearly sees the two Chevys behind Byron protecting him from the pair of Fords behind.

The #20 of Bell, also a lap down, tries to take the opportunity to slip under Wallace as well, however, he has a wobble in the middle of it, loses control, and hits the wall. Bell panics, throttles it, and rides the wall to the finish, crossing the line in 18th place.

This ties things with Byron, thus, Bell advances off the back of a tiebreaker.

The problem here is...you smell that smell? Yeah, that's the stench of bullshit.

You quite literally have two cases of race manipulation to gets drivers into the final four. Byron had two other Chevrolets blocking for him in a move which the fanbase has already memed as either Byron's Armada or the Chevy Motorcade - let me know which one you think is funnier in the comments - while with Toyota...

The generous interpretation is that Wallace had a genuine problem, was slow, and his spotter was keeping him informed on Bell just to keep one Toyota from taking out another.

The less generous interpretation is that 23XI informed Wallace that Bell was behind and needed one more point to advance, so they had Wallace fake a problem and deliberately slow down to make sure that Bell got through.

Bell did get through, however, he slipped on the marbles as it happened and wound up in the wall and decided to ride the wall to the finish. This is problematic, as the Martinsville wall ride was explicitly banned after 2022 when Ross Chastain used it to propel himself into the final four.

There is a bit of a distinction, in that Bell was initially attempting the corner instead of full throttling it into the wall, however, the end result is the same as Bell was full throttle against the wall at the end.

And that wall ride, I think, gave NASCAR an easy out as we unpause, because it makes what Christopher Bell did go from dubiously legal to definitely illegal.

You see, without it, you had Chevy definitely doing some race manipulation to keep Byron in the playoffs, while Toyota very likely had race manipulation as well to get Bell into the final four, so this was going to be a very sticky situation as NASCAR would have to figure out how to put an end to these manufacturer games.

Manufacturer games which have already flared up twice this season. First at Daytona, when RCR got pissed off at Parker Retzlaff for pushing Harrison Burton in an attempt to win the race, rather than helping Kyle Busch in another Chevrolet take the win.

Secondly, at Talladega, where Kyle Larson didn't push the Ford of Brad Keselowski to the win, instead allowing the fellow Chevy of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to take the victory.

These races have decided who goes to the playoffs and who advances in the Round of 12, and now, we've seen two manufacturers manipulating the cutoff race for the final four.

And at least in the case of Chevrolet, we know for sure that there was a coordinated effort to help Byron.

Why? Well, remember Austin Dillon's spotter from Richmond? The guy who yelled "wreck him!" over a monitored radio channel as Dillon took a swipe at Hamlin to win the race? A bit of radio that caused NASCAR to strip Austin Dillon of a playoff berth?

Well, Dillon's spotter, henceforth known as Loose Lips, said the following things over the radio:

LL: "The #24 is two points to the good, if we pass him, he'll be out."

AD: "Does the #1 know the deal?"

LL: "Trying to find him to tell him...Justin, can you tell the crew chief also, clear off."

AD: "Does the #1 crew chief know the deal?"

LL: "Yeah, he should"

Like...Jesus Christ you amateur, watch what you say when you're doing something borderline illegal. You'd think he'd learn his lesson after the whole Richmond thing but evidently not.

So yeah, Chevrolet was definitely helping Byron, and as for Bubba Wallace, his car is currently being torn down by NASCAR. According to Bob Pockrass, the expectation is that there will be some sort of penalty if NASCAR finds nothing wrong with the car.

Oh and, because of how toxic the NASCAR fanbase is, I have to say this part: Bubba Wallace did what his team and his manufacturer expected him to do. The fact that he is black does not make him any more guilty than Austin Dillon or Ross Chastain.

Unfortunately, if Bubba Wallace is found to have helped Bell, I expect he'll receive the blunt of the criticism from a certain subsection of the fanbase. Don't be like them. Wallace is not the problem, Chastain is not the problem, Dillon, as dumb as he and his spotter are, is not the problem either.

Chevrolet wants a Chevy to win the championship, Toyota wants a Toyota to win the championship.

This is an inevitable result of the increasing amount of manufacturer alliances and tiered support.

So yeah, Chevy was stinking up the show, Toyota was probably stinking up the show as well, and that little wall ride by Bell gave NASCAR a way of ruling on the issue without addressing the core issue.

Both Byron and Bell benefitted from cars of the same manufacturer, so you can't punish one without punishing the other, however, Bell is the only one to benefit from a wall ride, therefore, NASCAR sends him to the back of the field based off that, and Byron advances to the final four with none of the manufacturer stuff addressed.

We'll see this week if NASCAR rules on either incident, but I'm not holding out hope.

NASCAR is not going to do anything that might piss off a manufacturer, not when nobody new has entered the sport since 2007.

Anyway, I feel bad for Blaney in all this, because he had this heroic drive to overtake all these other playoff cars and advance to the final four, getting the chance to defend his title. And instead of talking about that, everyone's just talking about this Chevy and Toyota drama.

So of the championship four: Tyler Reddick's team is suing NASCAR, Joey Logano is fifteenth in regular points and only got this far because Bowman was disqualified at the Charlotte roval, and William Byron advanced off the back of all this bullshit.

I really hope Ryan Blaney wins the championship, because anyone else would lead to an unbearable amount of offseason discourse.