#we need an overtake masterclass

[sunny-sainz]

praying for a carlos sainz podium today

[bradshawed]

NEWTON'S LAWS, Chapter 5

main & series masterlist !

introducing... the lion and his lioness prey pairing: f1!raphael cameron & reporter!reader

An apple fell from a tree and well... you know the rest. Much like Newton's apple, you fell right in his path, the lion's path, and he deemed you his prey. Silly boy. That was his first mistake.

A tale as old as time, Newton & his gravity, faceclaim: HoYeon Jung & various pinterest girls

warnings! fem!reader, use of y/n, mentions of w*rd, f1 terminology

chapter 4, chapter 5...

John B. Routledge just clinches the victory from Rafe Cameron at the Chinese Grand Prix as Cameron storms from P17 on the grid to take P2 ahead of unexpected podium finisher Pierre Gasly.

Rafe Cameron delivered on of the all-time great wet weather drives in the Chinese Grand Prix, going from P17 on the grid to a podium finish, stamping his presence in the title race.

Cameron had been left frustrated after Sunday morning's delayed qualifying session, when a crash for Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2 along with team mate Cleo Anderson - with Cameron starting a penalised P17 after a five-place grid drop for fitting a new internal combustion engine.

READ MORE: Verstappen P2 at Chinese Grand Prix after stunning recovery from P17 as Alpine score shock podium

But a determined Cameron then overcame a tumultuous and rain-affected Chinese Grand Prix, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his way all the way up to P2 behind Ferrari's John B. Routledge when the race was red-flagged on Lap 26 of 56 after Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams - Cameron then handed a free first pit stop by the stoppage.

Routledge then nailed the rolling restart when racing resumed, managing to keep Cameron following the subsequent Lap 43 restart following a Safety Car intervention for Topper Thornton's retirement - Routledge going on to open a gap over Cameron in the remaining laps after a wet weather performance for the ages.

DRIVER OF THE DAY: A Cameron masterclass earns your vote in China

1. John B. Routledge (Ferrari), 2. Rafe Cameron (Red Bull), 3. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

TRACK INTERVIEWS (Conducted by y/n)

...

Q: Rafe what an incredible race. Yesterday, did you have any thoughts that you might finish on the podium today, with the weather, or it was tough? It was a tough weekend.

Rafe CAMERON: Yeah, I mean, my emotions today have been... a roller coaster, you know, with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag. You know, starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble. We made the right calls. We stayed calm. And we were flying. So all of these things together, of course, made that result possible. But I mean, we could have done better to win here.

Q: I need to ask you. The first corner, when you went to the inside, you saw there was a lot of grip. And then you started to use that a lot. The overtaking looked fantastic from the outside. Did you know there was a little bit more grip in the inside because you kept on doing fastest laps and using that line?

RC: Yeah, I mean, it's very hard to pass around here with the new tarmac. There’s only one line that you can take. But, yeah, I just knew that I had to go for it. It's, of course, always easy to front lock, just trying to balance that out. And I had confidence on the brakes as well. That helps. And, yeah, Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass.

Q: It was 17 fastest laps, so well done, Rafe. Thank you. You made the crowd stand up all the way.

RC: It wasn't my best performance but I hope they enjoyed it. You don't need to pretend to know a lot about racing, I know what you really want to ask about so go ahead and get it over and done with.

Q: I've got everything I need, thank you. Pierre, it's good to see you. It was nice to see you before the race. Did you look like it could have been on the podium since that moment?

...

If you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know. And, if you want to remain tagged, you must interact with the posts (credits to Zya).

taglist for f=ma, @dearapril @edwardslvrr @zya8tracks @potatodirectioner @poppysrin @a-beaverhausen @judesgfirl @pogueprincesa @chalametfan

note! credits to zya for her layout xx twitter graphic ft. @judesgfirl and @pogueprincesa! thoughts on rafe? is he under pressure or just an ass?

if there are any f1 girlies which race does this remind u of?

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Monaco 2025

-Did anyone make up places lap 1?

-Yuki pitting

-VSC??

-I was probably a little too optimistic about a lead change into Turn 1: Rookie mistake

-Oh god the strategies are making my head spin

-Not Ollie running fastest on track

-The commentators are giving me too much hope on Ollie points ( I’m so delusional right now)

-Pierre?!? What happened to his tireee??

-He went into Yuki??

-How does the brake just fail like that??

-Only Max can give me hope of a Monaco overtake

-FA: “Do you think the car in front respected all the yellows?”

-Isack boxing

-Please VCarb don’t mess up

-CL: “What do you want me to do? You want me to keep pushing? Stay with him? Let him go?”

-Aston Martin!! Don’t mess this up!

-Woah! Good on VCarb for undercutting Fernando

-LH: “What do you need from me?”

-This is such a team race

-Okay wasn’t expecting Lewis to pit right now

-The way I’m invested in Ollie’s race

-Woah Lewis p5!

-Charles leading- end the race now

-“Hadjar pitting again” Well he was on the softs

-F offff, do not box to overtake Leclerc

-Anshjsnsghs, Monaco was not supposed to be so chaotic

-OP: “So now what’s the plan? Because that didn’t work very well.”

-Williams deserves being annoyed by VCarb, after Carbono traumatized Isack in Saudi

-“Is it fair game, James, the team game?” Well duh

-Haha Williams is annoying Mercedes now

-Did Alex overtake Ocon or was this a pit stop situation?

-I hate whatever is happening right now

-CL: “Ah this is a joke”

-Agreed

-Woah what a stop for Liam

-MV: “Ah my shifts feel like Monaco Grand Prix 1972”

-Liam and Carlos doing god’s work

-NOOOOOOOOO

-ffs whyyyyy

-Go Liam Go Liam Go Liam

-Okay, how guaranteed are we on Carlos points?

-Okay I think Williams has lost it

-“Car behind is now Sainz”

LL: “Why are they doing that?”

-I feel you Liam, although it is kind of smart to help out Carlos with his stop

-How are we only a little over a halfway through?

-Again, too much is happening for me to keep track

-No way George has done that

-AA: “I think intentional corner cutting is worse”

-GR: “I’ll take the penalty, he’s driving erratically”

-So…George has given up on everything

-Kimi?? What is Mercedes doinggggggg?

-GR: “To be honest… I prefer not to speak”

-Man George should just retire at this point

-Alex played that team game extremely well

-Yes Max, play that team game for Charles

-Oh who am I kidding, no one’s overtaking anyone now

-CL: “Yeah, Norris is slow”

-And yet we can’t overtake

-“Cheery little wave there from Alex Albon”

-God the drama they both caused

-LN: “Where’s Oscar? I need him to put Charles under pressure”

-What do I have to do for a miracle to happen???

-CAN YOU REALLY NOT OVERTAKE ANYWHERE HERE???

-CL: “He’s doing many mistakes at the moment”

-Please please please please please

-And I’m done

-I’m ready to move on

-“This is close. This is very close” Ha

-However,

-Charles podium!!

-And what a masterclass from Racing Bulls

(Gotta look at the positives or else I might smother myself with my pillow)

crochet

[livelaughghoul]

2024 Singapore GP tarot predictions

Disclaimer: This is for entertainment purposes only, nothing observed or taken away from this should be considered fact. As a reminder, I know fuck all about Formula 1, I just like fast cars and have a dumb amount of knowledge of astrology and tarot.

This is not my best work by any means, and will probably be the most I’m able to do for the rest of the week. My hand is incredibly swollen and sore (don’t be like me and get massive black and gray tattoos on your hands, it hurts a lot and turns out you kind of need hand functionality for everting).

Here are the cards that I pulled for tomorrow. No matter what it’s going to be an incredibly interesting race, especially given the lead up to it. We’ve got fines, community service, lizards, and vague threats. We love it.

P1 - 7 of Cups for Lando Norris

Well it’s not the best news, its a card of wishful thinking, so I have a feeling he’ll drop position within the first lap and end up on a lower step on the podium. Unless he manages to get lucky with a safety car, I don’t think we’ll be seeing a victory tomorrow.

P2 - Justice, reversed for Max Verstappen

They gave him community service, and he said okay I’ll get the Dutch national anthem to play as community service then. I’m taking this as the cause and effect aspect of the card, and I truly believe that he’s going to end on the podium tomorrow. If he can overtake Lando within the first lap, and they don’t totally dick around with strategy, he could easily win it.

P3 - 10 of Pentacles for Lewis Hamilton

It’s a card of permanence, so in my delusional mind this clearly means he is going to win it. My actual mind tells me that it’s just going to be a masterclass drive tomorrow, but there won’t be much change in position.

P4 - Knight of Swords for George Russell

It’s a challenging card, honestly I have a feeling that George may cause a flag tomorrow. It’s one of those unfeeling and incredibly difficult to read cards, but I’m taking this as he’s going to be challenged tomorrow.

P5 - Two of Swords for Oscar Piastri

Oscar is may be stuck in this position, Brouwer the two or swords is a stalemate and avoidance. I’m thinking that he is going to need something huge to happen with those ahead of him to really make any forward progress. He needs to avoid those risky overtakes he’s a fan of, because I don’t think it’ll go well tomorrow if he tries.

P6 - The empress, reversed for Nico Hulkenberg

I stand with my Haasbands, and I love this for Nico because it’s a card of abundance. This man is getting points tomorrow and that’s all that matters. Much like Kevin, I would also commit crimes if it benefited Nico.

P7 - The high priestess, reversed for Fernando Alonso

Its a card of potential, so it’s possible that we see improvements. I’m not necessarily seeing them for this specific race, but in the next few races we may see him in higher positionings. If he can maintain pace and drive tomorrow, I could see him possibly moving up one position, but that’s it.

P8 - Page of Wands, reversed for Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki is gonna have a wild drive tomorrow. It’s going to be creative. It’s gonna be like if you taught a golden retriever to drive. They got passion, and enthusiasm! I’m hopeful that this means Yuki will not be retiring, and will actually finish a race!

P9 - 10 of Wands for Charles Leclerc

Besties, I’m gonna hold your hand while say this, but he’s gonna struggle. I have a feeling with the mounting frustration, he’s going to take unnecessary risks.

P10 - Three of Swords, reversed for Carlos Sainz

He’s going to learn from this race, but he’s not going to have much improvement, if any tomorrow. I have a feeling this is just an obligation at this point and it’s going to be used to test strategy for future races.

[hungriestheidi]

there's 9 minutes left in gb3 race 3 and the safety car is not leaving the track, come ooooon we need an abbi overtaking masterclass now

[cherrari]

Im crying so hard fuck sf25 it should be a win this masterclass trye whisper overtake defend fuck ferrari

we need to take what we can get imho 😭😭😭😭😭 but yeah we need a p1 i think i'd literally pass out

[f1-stuff]

I kept thinking about the Monza preview video Charlos did on the F1 official channel in 2021 where Charles said he wish Carlos could experienced what it’s like to be on the podium in front of the Tifosi. Carlos finally got to experience it after missing out for three years! (already announced as a Ferrari driver in 2020 but there was barely any fans due to covid; P6 in 2021 and P4 in 2022)

That’s so true! I get bummed thinking about how he would’ve been on the podium last year (after starting 18th and providing a masterclass in overtaking) if he hadn’t pitted behind George under the safety car and had just stayed out 😭 we could’ve had both Ferraris on the podium. But it’ll happen one day, I know it 🥺 Both Charles and Carlos up there, grinning and laughing and spraying each other with wine…it needs to happen and SOON!

[f1-disaster-bi]

I'm definitely not opening any comment sections on instagram thats for sure i don't even want to know what kind of bullshit they are saying about lando 🫣🫣🫣

I'm hoping for an overtaking masterclass tomorrow 🍀🍀🍀

That is a very good idea. I generally avoid the tags, comments and twitter on race weekends because of how toxic it's all gotten over the last few years.

I just want to enjoy the race weekends, and enjoy the fandom, so I try to stay away from it all unless something needs to be called out (whether it's fans or something a driver did/said)

Hopefully we get to enjoy tomorrow and just watch Lando pull some great over takes and have some fun racing tomorrow 🥹

[lestappenforever]

Wait a minute, I just realised I didn’t do anything post Spa related to the race, so (better be late than never) here’s (kinda) my Spa analysis one month later 😂 (also l, it won’t be super detailed, I’m just going off memory)

First up, Mercedes. The team as a whole could be split in two. One for the masterclass they pulled, with George only pitting once and his tyre deg (kudos to the mechanics for the set up which decreased his deg) and Lewis for the perfect strategy they executed perfectly during the race. Being able to pull a 1-2 with the likes of Charles, Oscar, Lando and Max behind is impressive tbh. But Mercedes, as a whole team, needs to be assessed. Simply because no Formula One team, and especially one from the top 5, should have a car disqualified twice in less than a year. They need to work on that, because this cost them a jump in constructors points with the 1-2 and tbh, it could cost the drivers faith in their team, because very tiny errors that are fatal to the rules and laws put for a clear and fair competition between drivers.

Ferrari played it good. Finally getting the set up right, especially during quali in the rain and the masterclass pulled by Charles to get p2 in quali and start on pole. Yet again the car is just not 100% during the race, the fact that Lewis at the beginning of the race and oscar were able to pull away from Charles is just not something that should be occurring a lot and should not be overlooked tbh. Carlos was okay, but for him, the competition was not on the top spots, so his was a bit less harsh than Charles’

McLaren were meh tbh. Very underwhelming in a track that, like every other track, they should excel in. First, Strategy was not the best and so far during the season, their strategy was a pain point for them (not that I’m complaining personally) and Lando’s starts need to be improved drastically because all he’s done since the beginning of the season in presumably one of his best seasons thus far in Formula One, is lose places or stay as by the end of lap 1. Oscar was pretty good tbh, but not that amazing, because again, that McLaren is currently the best car on the grid.

Finally Red Bull. Checo was underwhelming to say the least. He had a magnificent qualifying the day before, snagging p2 before Charles just got it from him, starting on the front row which has not happened in a while, but he was supposed to be helping his team mate who started p11. His start was so bad, being unable to overtake Charles at the start, and then continuing to loose places till the end of the race, he’s lucky the team decided not to have a mid season driver swap, but I have a feeling his contract (despite renewed) could be terminated soon after the season ends and he’s replaced. As for Max, in a car that isn’t the fastest, a track that is known to be easy for overtaking but as Oscar said, clean air is such a huge factor, beging stuck in a drs train in dirty air, finishing 4th and ahead of Lando while starting p11 in a car that’s not great, I wouldn’t just call this damage limitation, I’d call it he’s the best fucking driver on that damn grid. Not everyone would be able to keep the fastest car on the grid with a really talented driver in it in a track with easier overtaking behind for a lot of laps, and finishing 4th from 11th is something beyond amazing, he made up a shit ton of places, and was able to snag important points.

So yeah, that’s me on a month-old race, hopefully Zandvooft is good (especially for Max who this not just his home for this weekend, but also his 200th gp venue) and we finally hear the Dutch National Anthem twice on Sunday, because I genuinely miss it

Just going to leave this in all its glory, even if it is about a race that took place a month ago.

[nijigasakilove]

That time of the season! Finale week, lot of stuff ending this week, 3 big finales today with Overtake! MF Ghost and Berserk of Gluttony. First up, Overtake!

Tears in my eyes man what a finale, this is how you close out an anime original. Bravo Troyca, you nailed it.

Haru’s win was never in doubt, we knew it would happen with the underdog story, but it’s not about the result. It’s about the journey to get there and Troyca managed to create a story and characters that we can root for. A cast that felt so human and vulnerable and personified the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

In this finale alone, we got satisfying conclusions to Kouya, Haru, Satsuki and Tokumaru’s stories as well as the crew chiefs for both Belsorisso and Komaki motors. This show wasn’t just about racing, but about overcoming ourselves and being the best person we can be. The only competition we truly have is the person in the mirror and everyday we need to strive to be better than the last. Tokumaru realising that in the end was one of the highlights of the series for me and you could tell he was so relieved once he did.

Before the race, kouya and haru’s conversation while short was very poignant. Their budding bromance was such a great thing to see, especially after episode 9 which was a masterclass in its own right. As men, we often feel like we can’t be vulnerable with other men so seeing characters just drop the barriers like they have is always nice.

The lack of racing throughout earlier parts of the series was more than made up for in this finale. I think that was one of the best racing scenes I’ve ever seen with as close to a CGI blend as you can have. The camera angles were so damn good. The final lap was just pure chills.

And that smile from Haru on the podium.. just excellent.

I know all the love and hype is gonna go to MF Ghost but this was the best racing show of the season. I’ll miss it a lot.

P.S: I think Alice and Koto the only ones who didn’t get conclusive endings lol, she’s playing bro so badly

Review: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=509506

[heartsoftruth]

I agree with you. I am wishing for Max overtake for P1 and I hope I hope that tractor has the ability to overtake. Lewis needs to show his masterclass. I think for my mental health I have to stop watching practice sessions, it is unnecessary creating hope for me 😫.

Yeah we all have to wear orange tomorrow I guess. And if it isn’t Max it can be for a McLaren driver 💀

P1 is only acceptable for 1 British driver for Merc and we all know who I’m talking about.

Yeah during days like this I feel like I need to stop with F1 in total because I get so pissed and sick/nausous it’s 😵‍💫

Yet I will sit my ass on the couch tomorrow to watch again 😭

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Bahrain 2025

-Lando Norris, what a start?!

-Carlos making up places too!

-Lewis in a Red Bull sandwich

(2021 style, but not in the right places)

-Why has Kimi locked up so much?

-Hate how far back the Saubers fall in the first lap

-I predicted Ollie overtake masterclass and I got it

-Lando false start??

-“For me, he has started beyond where he should’ve” Oh

-LH: “Grip is quite poor on this tire”

Why are the mediums so bad this season?

-Ah yessss Max!

-Haven’t seen Carlos vs Max in so long!!

-[MV: “Lando is over his grid box”

He’s so inspector coded]

-Racing Bulls pitting first

-PG: “Leclerc struggling a lot with the mediums” What is wrong with the mediums fr

-5s penalty

-“He somehow drives everyone else’s cars as well as his” :)

-CL: “These brakes are so inconsistent. They are so annoying”

“Not much we can do now”

-Hello Carlos???

-“This is probably a bit personal for him” Isn’t it just

-Yuki!!

-OP: “Struggling a bit now”

-Oooh nice one Pierre

-Even better one for Kimi

-Come on Max let’s go

-Lando boxing? Thought he was trying to pass George before that

-Max pitting with Pierre

-P17? Shall I cry?

-“Their exit lights are not working” Wonderful. Love that for us.

-Go Mercedes strategy team

-“If you are a Ferrari fan, they’re running 1-2. Wish for a safety car”

-CL: “I think Delta for me”

-CL: “Ah please consider it”

-Nice one Kimi!

-Jack Doohan’s strategy has worked out very well hasn’t it?

-Did Ocon pit yet?

-Need Yuki to somehow get back in the points please and thank you

-God I’m about to stop watching. This is misery inducing

-You know what? Let me just focus on Ollie and forget about the top 10

-“Leclerc then is going to be menacing Norris anytime soon” Some good news?

-Yes Charlesssss

-Ohmygod no

-Whyyyy, come backkkk

-Ohmygod Charles and Lewis simultaneously making movessss!! Yes baby!!!

-“Double Ferrari overtakes” My day suddenly turned around

-I love that Ocon has made it so far up after that qualifying session

-“We’ve got Verstappen in the mid one minute thirty nines and Piastri in the mid one minute thirty six” Just twist in the knife more now why don’t you

-Oh what was that pit stop? You’ve just killed me

-Mercedes three stopping???

-No! I don’t want to look at Max’ stop again! Stop showing it to me!

-Bearman p9 let’s go!

-Also Yuki p6

-If Red Bull messes up Yuki’s stop too, I will lose it (I’m already hanging by a thread)

-Carlos, Yuki, what was that??!

-Safety car! Please let this work out for my guys

-This better work out best for Ferrari

-Ah please Red Bull work for Yuki…Thank youuu

-LH: “Great job with the stops guys. Great job”

-How does Max have fastest lap rn

-Was that incident between Carlos and Yuki just a racing incident?

-Why didn’t Max just pit under SC? With the way his pit stops have been going, how is it smart to pit later? (Maybe he’s just going to the end actually)

-Yessss Lewis Hamiltonnnnnnnn

-Oh bloody hell Lando why

-Yes Yuki in points!

-To LN: “Give back the position”

-Oh Max, finally

-How cool that both Alpine’s are in the points and both Haas too

(Sorry forgot the timing sheets were broken, the other Haas is not in the points)

-LH: “This tire sucks” I feel you babe

-Kimi vs Ollie let’s go

-Whereee did the timing sheets go!? Bring them back rn?

-The hell is wrong with these screens, fix it!

-LH: “The car won’t turn” Excuse me?

-When did Liam cause a collision?

-Oh okay that’s when

-10s??

-Why are we having so many technical issues this race? This is crazy

-Woah? That Williams is not looking good

-Yuki overtake~

-CS: “They should investigate Yuki. Because what he did to me was quite stupid at the exit of Turn 1”

“They did, no further investigation”

-Yeah, don’t think we could’ve kept going with that hole on the side pod

-Love the Red Bull, Haas, Red Bull, Haas lineup

-“Remember to use the drink”

OP: “I would if it was working”

-Me for the last few laps: “Come on Charles, just say no, just say no, just say no (to being overtaken)”

-Me now: “Come on Max, just say yes, just say yes, just say yes (to overtake)”

-My day is clearly going well

-WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE A DRS PROBLEM

-Did Liam just get another 10s penalty?

-“General DRS gremlin”

Just cancel this whole race at this point

-Just now realizing Oscar is 14s away

-Yess Max, last lap overtake!!

-Ollie points!!

-Aaaah this race must’ve sucked for me but at least we have double Red Bull points and double Haas points!!!

-Laughing over how reactive they’re being in the cooldown room

Crochet

[vro0m]

Alright, honest thoughts :

Hopefully the Mercedes really are back (not n°1 (yet) but you know, actually better anyway) and it's not a one track thing (I keep in mind that Monaco might be rough just because it's Monaco but I hope we still see this level of performance in Azerbaïdjan). I'm excited !

Pure Lewis masterclass, very good, glad he's happy, glad I get to see him performing at his best again even though the car isn't totally there yet and for some reason (Magnussen) he's still carrying bad luck with him atm. He might need some ritual to get rid of the evil eye or something at this point istg.

However : him going straight into giving up at the beginning has me remembering his mindset 15 years back so baby please snap out of it

Thankfully Bono knows his job and brought him back from it but then you have to keep doing it and not put him in a position where he has to remind you to communicate with him in the middle of overtaking 90% of the rest of the grid cause that's not it

George really didn't come to Mercedes to fuck around and that's good on him. Good boys. All of them.

[brittledame]

Characters: Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori, Yamagata Hayato, Reon Oohira, Semi Eita, Shirabu Kenjirou, Kawanishi Taichi, Goshiki Tsutomu

Word Count: 5.7K

Tags: SFW, gender neutral reader, first date nerves, fluff, ages not specified

Notes: I did this instead of working on the other projects bc I wanted some fluff and here it is!

Ushijima:

On a visit with his grandmother is when he’s told about a local pottery masterclass happening the following weekend, piquing his interest

After some research, he comes to learnt that pottery is the perfect relaxing hobby with the added benefit of fine tuning his dexterity

It didn’t take much else to convince him to go

It was only after talking to a friend that he realises he should probably invite someone to tag along

After his grandmother politely declines, he follows her coy suggestion of inviting someone he likes

He invites you seemingly out of the blue

You’ve known him for a great deal of time and done some activities with him that could be construed as “romantic” and only started dating when Ushijima stated your relationship status to his team nearly a month ago

The look on your face when you found out at the exact moment as his team was priceless

After that, Ushijima left your relationship status on no uncertain terms and practically broadcasted it in his own unique way

This pottery class serves as another way to spend more time with you

After a few minutes of the pottery teacher painstakingly going through the motions to make a basic pot, a whirring noise followed by wet splattering steals your attention away from the clump of clay that is slowly taking form.

You glance over to find Ushijima looking at you, nonplussed at the mess of what was his pot now decorating his mock and forearms, his face is not left unmarked with the few splotches painting his cheek

You gape at him as he blinks as if coming out of a daze and looks down at the poor clump of clay and murmurs a small, “Oh.”

You didn’t mean to laugh, not really, but the utter surprise in his tone topped you over

After a mild scolding from the teacher and a new clump of clay, the two of you were good to go once again

The both of you took longer than most of the class, you with fussing about the tiny bumps you just couldn’t seem to smooth out and Ushijima with his second try

The class seemed to have unlocked his innate mastery of the ancient craft, as the pot looked near store-quality, you note with an ounce of envy

The group takes a break over some snacks and drinks as the pots are loaded into the kiln

Ushijima meticulously picks through the various glazes they had to offer, seeking your assistance after you picked your own out

You suggest the purple as homage to Shiratorizawa, where you two met, and the dark-rich brown, claiming it reminded you of his eyes

He considers you for a moment, a long enough pause for you to think over your words and begin to regret them before he nods decidedly and proudly presents the glazes he picked to the lady

With the class wrapping up, the lady running the class pops up as you two inspect your creations.

“Do you mind if I take a picture to post on our social media?”

Ushijima shakes his head as you answer, “We don’t mind.”

She flashes a wide smile and aims her phone in your direction. “Great! Say ‘pottery’.”

On cue you plaster on smile and brandish the clay creation as the camera clicks.

The lady, who is somehow even more dirtied than Ushijima, inspects the picture.

“You two are so cute together!” She fawns over the two of you. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your date together.”

She disappears before either of you can correct her.

You blurt out, "Is this a date?"

A pause. Then a hum, "I suppose it is."

A shared smile, you leave the studio with linked hands.

When you get home, you prowl through the studio’s page and find the picture and break out into gut-clutching laughter at the almost-pained looking smile Ushijima makes, tiny pot perched in his large hands adding a comedic effect.

After you recover, you end up saving it and making it your screen saver.

Tendou:

For all his casual confidence, you’re the one to ask him out and he’s the one to officially declare it the “big” first date

The plan was to go manga/book shopping and eat at the in-store cafe

It sounded like a pretty cut-and-dry standard date but with Tendou anything can turn into an adventure

Ecstatic is an understatement on how excited Tendou was for the weekend

He was nearly berated a dozen times for not paying enough attention to what he was doing and almost caused a small fire at one stage

You didn’t fare much better, either

The pair of you got a great deal of laughter from relaying it to one another in the late night hours before meeting up

Although underneath it all lurked the residual anxiety he tried to fight away, so he reminds you during the call, just to check that you didn’t regret inviting him out

As much as he despised the thought, the dark voice whispering at him that you would stand him up were quickly silenced when you show up with a bright smile and his name on your lips

Tendou reckons it’s the sweetest noise he’s ever heard, right after your laughter that he coaxes out with the little melodies he sings to himself as the two of you make way to the popular bookstore

After arriving, you wonder apart to check out separate sections and end up meeting at again the in-store café with books in hand

Over the chocolate cake slice Tendou brought to share, you take turns to gush over the selected choices spread across the tabletop

“I mean it isn’t that over done.” You argue, popping another forkful of the overly-sweet cake into your mouth.

Tendou throws his hands into the air. “Are you serious? Hero meets bad guy, then they fight a whole bunch, bad guy kills a bunch of people and the hero never kills the guy because he ‘doesn’t want to stoop to their level’,” You don’t mask your laughter at the overexaggerated deep voice Tendou imitates. “It’s not fair to the people that the bad guy goes to hurt later on.”

“Oh, I entirely agree with you there.” You take a moment to wonder how Tendou has eaten nearly half the thing to himself already, you’ve barely been seated for longer than a few minutes. “When done wrong, the whole ‘taking the high ground’ troupe is really tacky.”

Tendou blinks at you like he didn’t expect you to respond. You raise a brow at him as a toothy grin spreads over his face, a slight pink painted across his pale cheeks.

“What?”

“Nothing. I like talking to someone that knows their stuff, is all. Don’t get me wrong, miracle boy is great company, but I can only try to convince him to read more than the ads they run for so long before I go insane.” He chuckles under his breath, words heartfelt enough that a matching heat spreads across your cheeks.

“I enjoy this too.”

A wide grin overtakes his face at your admittance.

“Well then, let’s not stop!” He offers, stretching his hand towards yours. You clasp it, feeling delicate against his larger one. “I still have to tell you about the whole ‘boy is given power he doesn’t know how to control and needs to find a grumpy mentor’ troupe next!”

You squeeze his hand. “I’d love to hear your thoughts on that one.”

Tendou clicks his tongue and wags his finger at you. “It’s not necessarily about my thoughts, it’s the conspiracy I think the troupe ties into.”

The seriousness in his tone made you pause, looks like you were in for a long one.

Amongst him linking the heroes journey and the innate desire for power over others, you marvel at the way his whole body comes alive when talking about something he loves.

It’s much later on, when he’s introducing you to his friends at a reunion, that you notice the bubbly and animated way he presents you to his friends, love evident in each and every word.

Semi:

Now you would think he’d be the calm and collected one after knowing each other for half a decade and dating for a month

Nope.

He's the type to plan to ask you at the perfect time, and will be in a pissy mood if he misses the "perfect" opportunity to ask

When he does finally pose the question, you’ll say yes and he’s ecstatic

Though, he will play it cool and be like, "Ok I'll text you the details later." And flash you the biggest smile that has you melting inside just a little

When he's trying to sleep that night it finally hits him

Oh shit he has to plan a date with the girl he’s been hopelessly pining for

After one text from you confirming you don’t mind where he picks, he’s both relieved and more stressed because now he has to analyse every little thing he knows about you and eventually starts doubting himself

In the end, he decides to play it safe and go with the popular, family owned cafe that plays live music Saturday afternoons

It was perfect, the music act would be quiet enough to still talk if you two wanted or serve as a mediator to break any awkward silence should it pop up

It is honestly the perfect date, in his mind

Comes the day and he swings around your place after agreeing to walk to the café together

The walk is characterised with the brisk autumn wind and catching each other up on what’s been going on during the week

The conversation doesn’t stop from there – something Semi could cry happily over

After ordering and grabbing a seat close to a stage set-up to the side, you note how bright and talkative Semi is and vow to yourself to see this more often

As he takes a sip in the middle of explaining the difference pick positions affects plucking sounds, you comment on his excitement

Even with the flush on his cheeks, he holds a suave facade and merely says that it’s hard to unwind when his friends can be so chaotic when they get together

From there he starts opening up and imparting little facts about himself that you commit to memory

You come to learn that his favourite colour was corn-silk yellow before he went to Shiratorizawa, now it’s royal purple. He loves tekka maki and boasts his mum’s hand-made ones to be the best in the world and offers to share it with you next time she makes them

All of these things slot into what you know about Semi, filed alongside the nuance’s you’ve noticed yourself.

When he’s unsure or embarrassed, he tousles his hair. And when he talks about something he’s passionate with, his hands start gesturing all about the place

You could’ve spent the whole afternoon like that, in the intimately-lit café, hidden amongst the dull chatter of the surrounding patrons, just listening to Semi’s soothing timbre

But life had other plans

The lights on the stage brighten as someone wearing comfortable clothes strolls on and perches up on the stool set-up in front of a lone microphone. She didn’t give off any signs of discomfort at being stared at as she sets up her guitar, giving a few testing strums before introducing herself and launching into her music.

It was only then that conversation broke and ushered in a lilting voice floating on gentle notes.

“They’re amazing.” You breath, eyes not leaving the stage until the musician dismounts from the stage.

“That’s what I want to do one day.”

You turn to him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” The corner of Semi’s lips quirk up a bit, a secret shared unto himself.

“Why?”

Genuine curiosity spurs you to ask, to know. While you could picture Semi perched on the same stool with a guitar all too easy, you never really thought Semi would pursue a career in the industry.

Semi finally turns to you, a fire in his eyes that was normally caused by volleyball and a good challenge. “I want to make people happy and sad - all the emotions really. I want someone to look at me like you did to that girl.”

Tilting your head you say, “Looking at her like what?”

Semi audible swallows. “Like someone that loves the music I make.”

Reaching over the table, you run your thumb over the backs of his knuckles, a comforting gesture. “Semi, I already love talking to you and hanging out, so why wouldn’t I like the music you write?”

The resultant blush on Semi’s face was answer enough to that, even though he tries to hide it behind his cup.

After that, meeting up at the café ends up becoming a weekly occurrence, an oasis that you both look forward to in the midst of life’s chaos.

Yamagata:

Yamagata actually is the smoothest out of them all

After a two weeks of dating, he bounces up to you after a particularly hard day and offers to take you somewhere fun the next day

Your definition of ‘fun’ varies from his, as you soon find out

Where Yamagata believes the best way to get to know someone and have fun simultaneously is putting them through challenges, whereas you believe sitting down and chatting to be the most optimal method

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for you, the paint ball range is closed

Amusement park it is

He leaves it as a surprise and doesn’t tell you until you question the sign of the park he visited frequently as a kid

Overall, you have an absolute ball with him, never a dull moment

Especially after the ferris wheel when Hayato goes to reach for his phone to check the time and finds it missing

The only reason he had it out in the plastic swinging booth was to take a sneaky picture of you looking carefree and relaxed as you gazed down at the park – not that he admitted to that when you asked just how it escaped his pocket

Obviously, it was a very slippery phone since this was the third time this week alone he lost it

After tracking it down with the help of the kind but tired ride operator, the two of you were on your merry way to the next ride, but not without a few light-hearted digs at Yamagata’s forgetfulness

You get to learn a lot about each other personally while waiting in line and over lunch after recovering

At the end of the day, your cheeks ache from much smiled

“I don’t remember it being that crazy as a kid.” Yamagata says, looking pale and breathing shallowly, as if to keep himself from being sick.

You couldn’t blame him, the rollercoaster he convinced you to go on under the guise of “This was my favourite one as a kid! You wouldn’t deny a man from reliving his childhood, would you?”

And like a fool you caved under the pout like a badly cooked soufflé. Now you wished you put up a bit of a fight against going on it. The screams of the riders before you were not exaggerated in the slightest.

“I don’t know how they allow kids on that.” Is all you supply, feeling a little green as well.

Yamagata directs you to the nearest bench and you follow his lead and slump into the seat.

“I don’t know how I forgot how much that thing threw me around. I must’ve just about fell off as a tiny kid. Remind me to thank my dad for coming on with me.”

You try not to laugh at the image of a tiny Yamagata ecstatically cheering as the ride swings around corners at full speed as his dad frantically tries to keep his clueless son from getting tossed out of the cart.

“Your dad is a brave man to go on that thing wilfully.”

Yamagata grimaces. “Brave is a nice way of putting it. I’d call it being insane to put up with me wanting to ride it eight times over.”

This time you do laugh.

“It must be hard saying no to your own kid, though, so cut him some slack.” You joke, knocking your elbow against his side.

He playfully pushes you away, widely grinning once again. The heat from the sun blaring ahead suddenly floods into your cheeks. The sensation of your heart feeling too large for your ribcage seizes you.

And the feeling doesn’t leave, it sticks with you as he laughs, as he drops his ice cream and pouts like a child. It intensifies as a dreamy look enters his eyes as he recalls a fond memory associated with a ride.

You hope that one day that he makes the same expression when he recalls this day spent with you.

Reon:

For some reason, Reon seems like the kind of guy to be inherently talented with gardening

He’s the resident green thumb alongside Ushijima, people pass their dying plants into Reon’s hands for magical resurrection

So it was a no-brainer for him to take you to the local botanical gardens

Rife with both native and exotic flora, there were many scenic walks available, thus was the perfect place for a first date to Reon

Reon meets you at the gates with a soft greeting and an outstretched hand – you two walk through the park with your hand intertwined like that for the rest of the day

Throughout the walk, he points out flowers and gives you their common name and their meanings, along with the meanings he gave them as a kid

It was entirely too cute for your poor heart

“And those are yellow carnation.” He points to a patch of bright yellow flowers with soft-looking ruffled petals. “They represent dislike and disappointment towards the person you give them to, but as a kid I thought they meant that she was my sunshine because of the colour. My mum got quite the kick out of it when I gave them to her for her birthday.”

You burst into laughter, unable to smother it even with Reon’s apparent embarrassment at the event

If your allergies start to play up too badly, Reon will take you to his favourite part, a densely packed section of the gardens filled with trees, concealing a secluded tiny red bridge stretched across a large koi pond with the largest and most colourful koi you’ve seen

Everything within you wanted to stretch this moment out, you could easily live in this moment forever. The buzzing of cicadas in the distance, the grass blades tickling the palms of your hands from where you sat, the soothing rumble of Reon’s voice – this is your personal slice Elysian peace

You did not want to give this up

It’s there that he finally unlinks your hands and brings out the packed lunch he made.

“You made all this?” You gape, taking in the diverse range of food he brought out of his bag.

From seared fish placed neatly atop seasoned rice, to perfectly rounded onigiri. In the next box he opens sat seasoned chicken and beef slices that made your mouth water. Not to mention the salad of rich greens, reds, and yellows that called your name.

Reon chuckles at your awe. “Yeah, I did. I thought it would be nice to eat something home-made while out here, but if you wan to grab something else-“

You cut him off immediately. “Definitely not! This looks and smells amazing. It would be a crime not to eat it.”

The corners of Reon’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I did try not to burn it, so I hope it tastes nice.”

“If it tastes even half as good as it smells, you’ll have to fight me to stop eating.” You reply, accepting the plate he holds out and give thanks as he starts loading your plate.

“I’d never stop you from eating,” he clicks his tongue in false sternness, to which you grin at. “If you’re hungry, I’ll feed you until your happy.”

“I’m happy right now, but I definitely still want the food.” You cheekily fire back.

Reon shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Well then, eat to your heart’s content.”

Taking a bite, you startle Reon with your enthusiastic reaction.

“This tastes better than I imagined.” You gush after swallowing, immediately scooping up another forkful and eating it.

Reon brushes off your compliment in favour for leaning forward and brushing some crumbs off your face. The proximity as your breath stalling in your throat as he lingers for a heartbeat longer, then withdraws.

“I hope we can do this more often. This is the most fun I’ve had in a while.” He quietly admits, the mood taking an intimate turn even with the shouts of kids playing in the distance.

“Me too. I don’t want this date to end.”

Shirabu:

This man prides himself on being observant and not oblivious like how his friends are

And yet, contrary to this, it takes him several trips to realise that he’s been on what would count as a date with you

You'll talk about needing a new jumper for winter and Shirabu will ask to tag along. You wanted to watch a movie? Shirabu is coming too. Like having someone besides you while studying? Shirabu was your go-to study buddy, whether in silence or as a conversation partner when your brain was overloaded

Out of the blue, he asks with no certain amount of panic, "Were those trips I went on with you dates?"

"I never really gave it much thought…” You match Shirabu’s expression as you consider his question. "I didn’t want to be presumptuous and assume that they were, and you never brought it up, so I left it be."

"Let me have a re-do." Determination flares in his usually guarded eyes and you couldn't refute.

“Gladly.”

Shirabu glances away from your face, unable to bear looking at the fond expression you wore for too long without his heart suffering. “I want to take you somewhere nice.”

“Everywhere I go with you is nice, Shirabu. It’s less about the place and more about the person.” You rebuke.

Shirabu looks away before you catch the full extent of his blush at your words. “No, I mean I want to take you somewhere that can become special for the both of us.”

You catch his hand in yours, tugging it for him to turn back towards you. Gone was the characteristic impassive façade, now replaced with a tenderness that makes you near melt.

Your first official date with him is a picnic in a park on top a hill to watch the sunset

Something he thinks is extremely cheesy and overdone but the look of excitement on your face immediately silenced his rebuttals

There was no way in hell that he was going to be the reason for your disappointment if he can help it

As such, he went all out

Hiring the gazebo and ordering food to be delivered from a restaurant he knows that you’ve wanted to try out for the longest time

Not that he actually tells you, but it wasn’t hard to deduce his excitement when he waits for you at the gazebo with a small smile, dressed nicely in pressed slacks and a dress shirt with a bundle of flowers

Upon the wide-eyed stare he receives from you, he spends the first minutes of the date describing what the florist thought best for him

A bunch of camellias ranging from a deep and vivid red to the first blush of love pink to the innocence of white gathered in a golden ribbon. He doesn’t exactly tell you their meanings other than a short, “Flowers are flowers, all I want them to show is that I love you.”

What he didn’t know was that the florist had the foresight to hide a card detailing the meaning of each flower amongst the paper holding them

White camellias meaning “You’re adorable” to red camellias meaning “You’re a flame in my heart” (something you blush at in the security of your own home) and the pink one representing longing

As the meal arrives and the two of you eat, the conversation drifts from current events to bits and pieces of everything and anything

The highlight of conversation was Kenjirou’s answer to the question “What do you think you’ll see first: a ghost or an alien?”

Apparently Kenjirou was secretly a space-lover

From the lecture he launched into about the statistics of it all and you come away from that conversation with more knowledge of possibility of E.T's versus spectres than you would’ve thought

The afternoon starts fading into dusk quicker than you realised, too wrapped up trading short anecdotes of your respective families

Shirabu only realises the fading light once the fairy lights decorating the space become brighter, and it is only then that Shirabu like a gentleman, brings out a blanket and escorts you to the grassy knoll besides the gazebo

Laying out the blanket, you notice it’s the perfect position to watch the sun set and you can’t help but give him a quick hug in gratitude before you sit down and make yourself comfortable

It floored you how much effort and consideration he put into this one afternoon amongst all his classes and assignments – it made you feel incredibly warm against the cool night air creeping in

As you shift to get comfortable, your hand lands on top of his. You’re just about to whisk it away, but he shoots you a soft smile and twists his hand in your grasp and gives it a squeeze

Your hands stayed intertwined as the blues faded into pinks and oranges, then into purples and the deep satiny blue of the night sky

The sunny photos with matching smiles from that afternoon soon decorate your wall

Kawanishi:

Unlike the others, Taichi really doesn’t care about being seen as “basic” for taking you out to watch a movie and grab dinner afterwards

He asked you out so casually, you agreed without it even hitting you that it was a date until he grinned at you and cheekily replied, “Great, it’s a date then.”

The movie in question was one you’ve been waiting forward for its release and Taichi was interested in it as well, so really it was an excuse for the both of you to watch the movie together instead of alone.

It went great, asides from the old couple staring the two of you in line, not so quietly reminiscing their first date

Embarrassment aside, Taichi was sweet throughout the entirety of it

Arguing to pay until reluctantly splitting the bill when you argued that it wasn’t fair

Waiting outside for it to start, Taichi and yourself bide the time by guessing what the other movies were about by their posters and making each other laugh

Once the movie starts, the chatter between you two dies down, yet the casual intimacy doesn’t fade in the slightest

Sharing an arm rest, the both of you exchange glances at one another throughout the movie, and bump elbows when something interesting or funny happens

It was a far-cry from the intimacy of the other’s dates, but it was perfect for the two of you

By now, the two of you have been friends much longer than you have been dating

Neither of you wanted to rush things, happy to take it as it comes and retain that familiarity from years of friendship stay untainted from the innate awkwardness of new love

Coming out of the theatre, Taichi is the most talkative you’ve seen him yet as he offers his opinion on the film

You avidly listen without a word of complaint

It was nice to hear what went through Taichi’s mind when he always kept his emotions close to his heart, you felt damn-near jubilant over him coming out of his shell – even after all the years of friendship

He offers to grab dinner and after a mild debate over which place is better, you end up flipping a coin and grabbing some fast food and eating it at a near-by park

Eating the meal in relative silence, it was only broken to point out the ducks and giving them names. It was laid-back and you were enjoying yourself, yet Taichi remained stiff by your side.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry if this isn’t exactly the most romantic date.” Taichi rubs at the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes.

You quirk a brow at him. “How isn’t this a romantic date?”

Taichi finally looks at you, although in confusion. “Because I should’ve taken you to a nice, fancy restaurant for our first date.”

“I work on the belief that anywhere is romantic if you make it so. It depends on the company.” You shrug.

Taichi’s mouth curves into a smirk. “Oh? So you wouldn’t mind having our next one at a cemetery?”

You dig an elbow into his side and roll your eyes at the performance he puts on.

“That’s not what I meant, smartass.”

Taichi stops the pouting and slumps into the seat. Hating the sombre mood he’s in, you curl your arm through his and tuck into his side.

“Besides, you can always make it up to me in the future. I want the place to be so expensive that the proportions are baby-sized.”

Taichi’s rich laugh rumbles through you. It was a losing battle against the rapid thrum of your heart and the thoughts of warmth that consume you with his proximity.

You also didn’t try to fight the urge to cuddle further into his side, something he gladly accepted as he wraps his arm even tighter around you.

“I promise.” He sighs, a happy noise as he rests his head against yours, two bodies becoming one whole on that one spring afternoon.

Goshiki:

Not everything in life is a competition, yet Goshiki couldn’t thrive without it

Besides, if he thought too long and hard about it (which he did) an arcade date was the best option

It presented the perfect chance to show off his skills and impress you

When he finally works up the courage to ask you, it had been a while since you’ve been, so you were more than happy to accept

Goshiki deflated with relief because a back-up option didn’t exist

Even after dating for over a month by this point, this would be the first official date he’s taken you out on

After worrying that it was too childish or not at all romantic for a first date, you spent the better half of the afternoon before it convincing him otherwise

At the arcade, Goshiki takes your hand and guides you around the place, pointing out games he bested as a teenager before finally settling on war-cross-zombie two player shooting game

With the growing win streak, the two of you continue playing the game until Goshiki accidentally gets his player killed

Pouting, he suggests a different game to soothe his bruised ego

The pout disappears as he finds a different game he’s decent at, tickets flying out as the points rack up

He glows as you praise his skill

It was too easy to bait him into playing hoop games, which he surprisingly sucked at

You discovered him to be especially gifted at reflex games, where the both of you won the most tickets

With each claw game he stubbornly refuses to “eat his hard-earned money”, he proudly passes off each plushie to you

Goshiki wins whatever prize your eyes linger over, no matter how frustrated it makes him

With each one, you promise to keep and inwardly muse that you’ll have to install a new shelf for them

A few hours deep, you had managed to win him an eagle. It’s the only prize you had won big enough to portray the amount of affection you held towards the bowl-cut male.

It was a bit mishappen and looked more fit to be the mascot for a horror game than a children’s show, however you still offered it to him.

His eyes grow wide. “Really?”

“I mean, I can get you something better if you give me a few minutes…” You frown at the plushie as Goshiki holds it up. It’s even uglier in the light. Why the hell would they have this as a prize?

You reach out to grab it from him and Goshiki snatches it away from your grasp, pressing it into his chest and curling around it protectively. “No!”

You stand there, stunned, as Goshiki flushes at the looks he got from the shout and starts stumbling over his words.

“I mean, it’s fine and not creepy at all – No, I mean it’s cute,” he unconvincingly amends at your wince. “It’s something that you worked hard to get. I’ll treasure it forever, I swear.”

The conviction in his voice was enough to ease your concern.

“I could get you a better one, though. One that’s less creepy.” You offer, gesturing towards the wide array of claw machines boasting figurines and cuter plushies.

“No thank you. I like this one.” Goshiki is stubborn and you should’ve expected that.

You sigh, lips unsurely pulling upwards. “If you’re sure?”

Goshiki gives a sharp nod, and you know that that’s the end of that. He would not budge.

Yet you couldn’t find it within yourself to be exasperated at the awe-filled look he gives the plushie as you two leave the arcade, holding it like it was made of expensive finery instead of cheap thread and fabric.

Months later you got to see the monstrosity again, tucked up on the shelf above his bed, proudly sitting between medals he’s won through the years.

[ryo-hirakawa]

thoughts on mexico eprix 2022:

i did manage to watch quali before i slept actually, which was fun

how was t1 clean omg

what is this

THE WHOLE CAMERA SHOOK

why is simsy p22

oh.

"speeding la vida loca" 😭

this attack mode zone doesn't lose as much time actually

why pascal's engineer got an asmr voice

EDO!!!

porsche 2-3, techeetah 4-5, envision 6-7, merc 8-9...

seb's nissan not mudded for once 🙏

what do you mean robin missed attack mode

why is nyck getting eaten for lunch

did envision remember nick needs to take attack mode 😶

jev radio problem???

antonio got damage im. when it rains at techeetah it pours

seb's nissan isn't mudded but max's nissan is. i never win

"death by a thousand cuts" dario the philosopher

P1-6 HAS LAPPED GIO???

robin overtaking just as his attack mode ends is like me submitting an assignment at 23.58pm

LUCAS WHAT WAS THAT. WHY

so it wasn't even a problem for nick it was just wacky ass strats from envision

porsche won with energy management here i think

wait. dare i say nick wacky strats masterclass (a la dtm)

biting nails re: envision energy levels

"don't worry about the car behind" you say...are we toyota gazoo racing this?

how tf did ollie r get here

stoffel getting ahead of edo would be my 13th reason

i take it back envision flopped. bad day

TWO MORE LAPS IM GOING TO D-WORD

merc making up places again. im never forgiving porsche for this.

wait nissan points. porsche is forgiven.

PASCAL REDEMPTION

not him trying to get his car going again

his radio 🥺🥺🥺

he's so loved he deserves this sm

jeandre podium too W for the gays!

aww andre's interview. he's honest about team orders but still very sweet

jev had food poisoning??

not him talking about his 1-2 with andre 😭

oh lucas got a penalty for that chaos

till today i haven't figured out the significance of the heineken award

edo still leads wdc godbless 🙏

[mickstart]

Heyy Laura, first of all how are you? ❤️ Kind of a random question for you. Considering the car difference right now between redbull and merc, do you think mercedes has any chance of winning the two (or just one) of the two races at the redbull ring?

Hi!! I'm not gonna lie bestie I'm kind of going through it this week but it's not like, Terrible I'm just a little rough around the edges. Think I need to clean up my room a bit 💜

Sorry it took me so long to get to this I wanted to wait until Al's track rundown came out and I'd started filling in my notebook for the weekend bc I'm very much an amateur learning as I go this year so I didn't have an answer to give!

Honestly I don't have a ton of confidence. There's ALWAYS a chance in F1 because as in any sport you never know exactly what's going to happen! But if we have two totally normal races no safety car, no rain, no incidents, then the advantage would lie with Red Bull who have the superior straight line speed and fast corner speed. Spain and Portugal were similar in terms of downforce and corner style and Merc only won Spain because of a strategy masterclass. Maybe Merc will come to Austria angry and determined to make up for last week and get their shit together in terms of strategy, but maybe they're going to continue to go through it. I think Mercs chances of winning this weekend will ultimately come down to that, as has been the case for most races this season.

But I don't think the car difference is necessarily so much that Merc have ZERO chance of winning in Austria. The ring is a pretty unique track. Overtaking is very possible. The gravel traps are more punishing than paul ricard's trademark runoff areas and those runoffs are the reason france was an incident free race! (Insert tangent rant about how france was an exciting race which proves you don't need incidents to make a race exciting here.) So this adds another unpredictability to it. If there had been a gravel trap at turn 1 on sunday max going off at the start might have changed the entire race.

TL;DR - I'm not going into this weekend confident but despite any complaints about it being boring anything can happen in F1 because there's too many variables in every second, and that's what we all keep coming back for.