#when looking back on red bull everyone sees alex and pierre when they should be seeing max

[leclerc-s]

i did something bad - part two

THE CHARLOS BREAK UP

masterlist//previous//next

BRAZIL 2023

daniel ricciardo please tell me charles did not get into an argument with carlos.

teagan horner charles did not get into an argument with carlos. carlos got into an argument with him, two very different things.

max verstappen what was the argument even about?

charles leclerc doesn't matter it was bullshit.

mark webber clearly not, if you two came to blows.

pierre gasly carlos said he was shit driver and and that he only had the red bull seat because he was 'fucking horner's slut daughter' or that was the tailend of what i heard.

pierre gasly not to mention he punched teagan in face because she stood in front of charles hoping to stop the situation.

alex albon well i'll be damned.

yuki tsunoda so we all follow that one gossip account? because i know none of you were near when this happened.

liam lawson i do. how else am i supposed to find out that fernando alonso was visited by taylor swift last week in austin? daniel ricciardo it's fun to follow them. one time they said max and i were hooking up, we weren’t, but i liked the tweet to fuel them more. pr was not happy that week.

mark webber christian's been awfully quite this entire time.

max verstappen we're planning on how to torpedo into carlos in brazil. i'm the sacrifice because i've already won the championship. checo perez he supposed to fail at getting pole position in quali next week to end up behind carlos. sebastian vettel pulling a kvyat i see, i respect it max verstappen the only time i'll do something like kvyat. yuki tsunoda HE PUNCHED TEAGAN?! WHAT THE HELL?? WHERE IS THIS MAN?!

liam lawson yuki, think about your actions. charles is getting fined for what you’re thinking about doing (i think)

yuki tsunoda do i look like i give a fuck?

pierre gasly we ride at dawn!

mark webber you two are perfect for each other

sebastian vettel YOU’RE IN A MEETING GET OFF YOUR PHONE GASLY!!!

yuki tsunoda that should be your sign gasly, come back to alpha tauri! daniel can take your seat at alpine

daniel ricciardo hell no. i saw what they did to my fellow aussie, oscar. do you think i wanna get sued by them?

teagan horner we’re back, carlos is still pissed but so is my dad.

mark webber how’s your face after that punch?

teagan horner i have a sick black eye. i look like i got in a bar fight. i got the proper texas experience. christian horner this isn't a laughing matter teagan. you could've been seriously hurt. sebastian vettel he's right teagan, it could've escalated to something worse. max verstappen so is the plan still on to crash into carlos or not?

charles leclerc not, i want to do it. who gives a fuck on where i end up in the drivers championship, i'm already p7. let me do it brocedes style.

daniel ricciardo ah, 2016 spainsh grand prix, those were good days.

sebastian vettel you got p4 and max won daniel ricciardo they were good days because both mercedes dnf'd

max verstappen he won't do it

sergio perez i'll gladly help, we can have a repeat of yesterday.

charles leclerc deal and sorry about that, again.

sergio perez it could've happened to anyone, besides it was my fault

alex albon so...talk about a dramatic brazilian gp

lewis hamilton why is it always thing 1 or thing 2 starting the awkward conversations? lando norris they have nothing better to do alex albon listen here you muppet!

logan sargeant (i'm so sorry lewis) it's giving brocedes 2.0

nico hulkenberg be grateful you weren't around then sargeant. those were dark times.

lewis hamilton i feel like you're being a little dramatic about it.

kevin magnussen we aren't. everyone walked on eggshells because of you two. toto could never seem to catch a break.

fernando alonso it seems you're the old one lewis, if your memory is failing already.

lando norris kinda surprised it took this long for those two to go at it a la brocedes

charles leclerc i was sandwiched, what was i supposed to do? crash into checo for the second time in a row?

carlos sainz not crash into me. you had no problem crashing into sergio last week.

charles leclerc well, checo is the one retiring this year, not you. you'll have plenty more races.

carlos sainz since when do you call him checo?

carlos sainz and i was on pole! i could've won!

max verstappen at charles' expense no less

george russell "horrified looks from everyone in the room"

daniel ricciardo i don't know if i should be impressed that you know taylor swift lyrics lance stroll coming from the guy who sang our song in an interview word for word last month. daniel ricciardo at least i wasn't the one spamming the groupchat with taylonso memes

lewis hamilton how did this become the mess it has?

fernando alonso this is the only time i will ever wish sebastian was still driving. at least he could control these baboons.

nico hulkenberg who are you calling a baboon, nando?

fernando alonso if the shoe fits, nico, if the shoe fits

LAS VEGAS 2023

pierre gasly i will be throwing hands with fred and the rest of ferrari’s f1 team, starting with carlos.

alex albon but we gotta give charles credit, defying team orders the way he did in vegas? respect, it further proves ferrari would keep sacrificing his race even if he was on pole and leading the majority of the race.

liam lawson what did we expect? it's ferrari, and that strategy was a shit one, even i know that. charles had been leading for 35/50 laps and they wanted him to let carlos through? who was down in p6? yuki tsunoda ferrari has shit for brains pierre gasly and it's not like carlos would've been able to make it past checo, oscar, danny, and max to get the win. in the end, lando and alex overtook him, alex who's in a williams! you would've given me a few more laps and i could've overtaken him.

daniel ricciardo also, rumor has it that piero ferrari is like super pissed they let charles go.

mark webber of course he’s pissed, charles was their golden boy, he won monza. the first to do so since 2010 when fernando had won.

liam lawson i think the biggest fuck you to ferrari would be having charles win both monza and imola

sebastian vettel i like this kid, where did christian find you?

pierre gasly outside of yuki’s home. he picked him up by the scruff of his neck and said, “i want you to be our reserve driver at alpha tauri” liam lawson he found me in a dumpster outside of his home. sebastian vettel i hate both of you

teagan horner i thank god everyday that there is only one race left until the season is over

¡leclerc-s speaks! would carlos ever act like this? probably not, doesn't mean i'm going to stop writing it this way. i think people react in different ways when they're hurt and unfortunately in this fic carlos is lashing out. don't worry, i'm going to fix their relationship, just not for now, i like drama. would any of these events happen irl, no way, but what's the fun in fanfic if you can't exaggerate events at least a little?

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

[cheriladycl01]

Could you do fic for Checo Perez with wife reader? He had some insecurity about his abilities to race against the grid and she just hugged and comforted him. Add something else to it if you want to. Tag me later Thanks!! :))

The pressure is insane… - Sergio Perez x Wife! Reader

Plot: Checo replacing Alex was probably the best thing to happen to him in his Formula One career. However, so much pressure comes from being in that second Red Bull seat, not just the team but the fans too, and Checo doesn’t like the pressure on him.

When Checo came into the seat, and performance wasn’t great, people in the team told him it would be fine and to keep his head up because everyone knew he was getting used to how different the Red Bull Car is thanks to Max’s driving style.

But at it came to his second season, and it didn’t seem like things were improving much, Christian kept talking to him, explaining what was expected of him as if he hadn’t already informed him over 100 times.

He was just struggling with a car that was clearly built for their main driver, which is why Pierre crumbled under pressure and it’s why they couldn’t put up with Alex when he didn’t learn the car quick enough for them.

The gave Checo the benefit of the doubt throughout 2022, but when Red Bulls most dominant season came around it was without a doubt that your husband had to step up.

And in your eyes he had, getting two race wins under his belt, but he wasn’t consistent enough for Christian and it seemed that he wanted Checo to be actually challenging Max more.

It got worse when the Ferrari and McLaren started to beat him despite being in the worse car, and it was deemed a ‘driver issue’

Sergio felt awful, for a man who had been racing for as long as he had, he never felt doubtful of his abilities to put on a show and drive to the best of his ability.

But now, in the Red Bull seat, he actually understood the words ‘under pressure’ because he was under it constantly.

“Baby what’s wrong with you, you’ve been jittery all week” you ask your husband who was currently watching over some of his old races with a notepad.

“Hmmm?” He asks not even throwing a glance in your direction.

You knew he wasn’t listening.

“Well I just think that when aliens invade Earth that we should have a bunker ready and prepared so that you and I can help create a new civilisation after the government kill them all …” you say trying to grab a reaction from him.

“Hmmm yeah that’s really nice” he starts but then he looks up and his head cocks to the side as if his brain just processed the words you said. “Wait what?” He asks.

You chuckle and little bit happy to have his attention.

“I just wanted to see if you were listening, I asked what’s been up with you lately” you say softly, taking a seat next to him, reaching over to grab the remote and pause the race he was observing so his full attention was on you.

“Nothing wrong, I’m fine” he lies.

“Hermoso, we’ve been married for 6 years, I know when somethings up” you smile taking his hand into yours and kissing the back of it softly while watching for his reaction.

“I just … nevermind it’s stupid” he sighs looking down.

“None of your feelings are stupid baby, please let me in” you say calmly.

“I just feel like, I’m so singled out on the grid. You’ve got so many amazing drivers and then there’s me. Lewis is a 7x world champion, and and Max my own team mate has won 2, and he’s probably going to win this year by a landslide and then there’s Fernando again he has two championships, and then you’ve got all this new talent in Lando, and Charles and Carlos and now that Oscar is here, it’s getting tough” he admits and you softly smile at him.

“Where have all these doubts come from honey?” You ask, you knew he didn’t think he was the best driver, but he never once compared his abilities to individual drivers.

“Christian said that if I didn’t improve he’d replace me with Yuki, Liam or Daniel and that i might not even get a AlphaTauri seat as a replacement” he says putting his face in his hands with a soft sigh.

You pull him into a hug in which he nuzzles his head into your neck.

You are an incredible driver, there’s just such an insane amount of talent on the grid right now, you being one of them. World champion or not baby, your still one of only 20 drivers in the world that are here! Your a race winner and I’m so proud of everything you’ve done. You are incredible” you smile wrapping your arms around him while you feel him shake a little, presumably where he’s crying.

“Im just awful at it all. Driving, being a husband … you’ve been asking for a baby for 3 years and I keep telling you no because I’m so career focused but I can’t even seem to be good at that career” he complains and you almost laugh.

“Oh honey, I think you forget you are without a doubt the best thing that’s ever happened to me, child or no child. And where you aren’t ready because your at a point in your career that is crucial, I’ll always understand that darling. You are all I need, you are all I want. And I married you because I’m happy with you” you say tightening your hold on him.

“You know, I would never not be ready to have a kid. If you want one, we can have one. I’d never say no” he argues wiping his eyes and looking at you, only for you to release a breath of relief.

“Thank god, that night in Saudi Arabia really stuck” you admit and he cocks his head to the side not understanding. You take his hand and place it on your stomach, there wasn’t much of a bump, but a slight and minuscule weight gain was there. Enough that when he run his hand over your tummy he could feel it.

“Are you saying?” He asks and you nod.

“I know, I know it’s not the right time because your so stressed and I’ve been so nervous to tell you because I know you’ve had a lot on your plate since being in Red Bull and it was such a shock to me” you start to ramble thinking you should have waited.

“No this is the best news ever! This has made my day, my week, my year even!” He smiles before lifting you up and twirling you round.

“I love you” he says pulling you in for a kiss, happy with life.

And now he didn’t have anything to worry about, as long as he was able to provide for you and your child or children in the future he knew he could handle the pressure because now there was something else riding on it!

A/N: hey guys I didn’t realise tumblr only lets you do 50 tags per post! So I’m not sure what to do about taglist anymore? Any suggestions?

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @daemyratwst @lauralarsen @the-untamed-soul @thewulf @itsjustkhaos @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @summissss @gulphulp @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhhhh @georgeparisole @youcannotcancelquidditch @tallbrownhairsarcastic @ourteenagetragedy @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @dark-night-sky-99 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @laneyspaulding19 @malynn @viennakarma @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @seomako @urdad-hot @tinydeskwriter @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount @styl1shl1v

[lestappenwdc]

👋 Hii, this turned out to be very long and I hope you read it because I think you will like what I'm saying, especially about Liam.

OK I respect what you're saying about Yuki and I 100% agree. And honestly I want Yuki in the seat as well. And I think Yuki deserves the seat more than anyone else on the grid. But unfortunately, F1 is not all about speed and who is better than someone else. If that was the case we would have a completely different grid. Unfortunately in f1 sponsorships, endorsements, money come into play way more than speed and skill do. And I am not a specialist in sponsor deals and who deals what with who and how big the possibility of Yuki following Honda is, and how important it is for Honda to have their driver in their engine. I don't know. But do I see Red Bull signing the Honda driver the year before Honda leaves their team? Honestly... I don't know. I hope so. The reality is that Yuki should be announced for the seat. And I agree with that. But let's say for a second that for sponsorship reasons Red Bull refuse to do that. I want to talk about the Liam situation and how it differs from Pierre and Albon situation.

Under the cut because I'm not joking when I say this is LONG

When thinking and deciding to sign a driver, teams have to think about a lot of factors, including how does this driver affect our team? What does the team gain from this driver? And ultimately how important is he long term?

People are comparing Liam with Pierre and Albon and painting Red Bull as a big bad villain who preys on young drivers and disposes of them as they please when that is not the case. People are forgetting that Max was a young driver in Red Bull. And they very much did not dispose of Max. They trusted Max and they put all their money on him. THIS is the reason Pierre and Albon had a horrible time in Red Bull. The team was focused on Max.

So why were Pierre and Albon signed alongside Max? What did the team expect from them when signing them? It's simple, they expected them to qualify around Max and help him win races. (Now fans of these 2 will not like that but let me just say I am not here to say what is right and wrong in this world. I am here to say what Red Bull expected from them. Was it right? No. We agree on that. Dont come at me. I am explaining Red Bulls side of the story.) Neither of them delivered on that. They were too young and inexperienced to keep up with an experienced Max in a car that was, in Alex words, undriveable. No one blames them for that. Red Bull did one big misjudgement and they repeated it twice for some reason. They underestimated the consistency it would take to not only keep up but help Max in the races. Consistency that they would never have gotten from an inexperienced driver. What happened in 2020 was Red Bull woke up and realized that getting a driver like Checo is what will save them. And lo and behold it did.

Now why do I think Liams situation and circumstance is different? Well because there's no one else they can put their cards in right now. (Again, assuming Yuki follows Honda, this is an alternate reality in which Yuki follows Honda I will not engage any further replies about this). Yes, they still put their faith on Max and the driver that comes in will be Max's second driver, obviously, but Max is suspicious to Red Bull right now. Not only because he could leave any second and they are scared shitless, but also because even if he stays for these regulations, he could leave when his contract expires. What then? What do Red bull have left without Max? Literally nothing. They need to start preparing a young driver and they need to start preparing him now. In my opinion they are wasting time to preparing Liam for the seat. Right now they have: 2 drivers past their prime that can not win titles, 1 driver that does win titles but is not saying no to Toto for some reason which scares them, and 1 young driver who has fucked off somewhere else (again, alternate reality here). In a perfect world they would have out Liam in RB for this season. But alas RB needed the PR from Daniel so Red Bull was fucked here too. They have driver swapped themselves into a corner. They need a prepared young driver for when Max leaves and they don't have him right now. This is why I think IF Liam does go straight to Red Bull the EXPECTATIONS for him in that seat would not be to keep up with Max. Not even to give the same results as Checo. It would be learn from Max and become a driver that can win championships for them. This would mean they are sacrificing one title (the constructors for 2025) to have a driver starting 2026 and when Max leaves who is experienced enough and ready enough to fight Ferrari at the end of the next regulations. They are not expecting performance from Liam tomorrow like they did pierre and Alex if they put him in the seat. They are expecting him to learn. Same as they were expecting from Max in 2016 17 18 when he was still learning. This means they are putting their faith on Liam. That's why I think throwing Liam at Red Bull would not be throwing him to the Wolfes. You have a wrong perspective of Red Bull and it leads you to think that me putting Liam as a young Red Bull driver is me not being a fan of his when I am giving him the same privilege Max had in Red bull. Which is being the priority after Max leaves. And Max will leave. And Red Bull WILL need and want a new driver to put their faith in since it worked the first time. And I want that driver to be Liam.

So to sum up, Red Bull are not the villains in the way that people portray them to be. They did 2 misjudgements and then corrected themselves. It was all towards one goal - getting Max the title. Now they need to start preparing a young driver to take his place since Max won't be here forever. I think that driver is either Yuki or Liam. In a world in which Yuki goes somewhere else I am putting Liam as Red Bulls next big because I think he deserves it. And Liam fans should want this to happen. The amount that Liam would learn from Max by driving the same car with him will be not comparable to anything else in the world. What you call "being thrown to the bulls" I call being given an opportunity to learn from the literal best of this generation. And that's that.

So what do we think Red Bull wants to tell us? My predictions:

1. Checo renewal. Seems like the most plausible BUT!!! Would they do it so soon into the season when they don't know how it's gonna go yet? Unlikely. Are they scared of losing a Checo enough to do it this early? I don't think so. it would be strange if it's actually that I'll start wondering why. I already am wondering why they seem to be doing it now. If the last 3 races went like the first 5 then fine, sure but NOW? idk idk..

2. New special livery. Most plausible if you ask me. Just like red bull to keep us on our Toys for a livery announcement or ne meech 🙄. Just like all of f1 really. They keep doing this to us and we fall for it every time.

3. Sainz to Red Bull? Honestly still a possibility. Although people were saying he missed his chance I still think things could have changed.

4. Liam to Red Bull 2025. If I was Red Bull I'd do this. He doesn't have a lot of experience but he has enough in my opinion. And if they're scared of losing Max for 2026 (which they should be) I'd be putting Liam in the fastest car I own for 2025 asap. But again this only if Checo continues to not be on form. If Checo is on form they would not put Liam in his place and risk the 2025 constructors like that. If Checo is not on form however I think long term Liam is the way to go. But this leads us back to 1) and why do it now? Too early to tell anything yet. If this was happening if wouldve happened during summer break AT LEAST.

What do we think? Any other ideas? I thought about Yuki to Red Bull but the Honda thing? Idk it's highly unlikely. And there's no way it's Ricciardo. There just isn't. He hasn't been performing AT ALL.

[landoom]

F1 FANFICS REC LIST - Social Media Part I

#814 | Communication? The Kardigans | Long Gone | 4:18 (2840 words) by Anonymous Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri Summary: TIME: 10:14am, Fri 28 April FROM: no-reply@spotify.com TO: osc8rp1astri@gmail.com SUBJECT: You’ve been added to a playlist! (or: communication at it's finest.)

oOoOoOo

in a world of boys, he's a gentleman (1472 words) by adoreddaisies Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly & Charles Leclerc Summary: @lovelylestappen • 3m heyyy @1633rights, do you think they'll follow each other back now? 👀 @1633rights replied to @lovelylestappen • 1m i should hope so 😭 @lovelylestappen replied to @1633rights • 28s fr, never thought charles wouldn't follow back for months. he's stronger than me, i would've crumbled within seconds @pierregasly replied to @lovelylestappen • 13s @charles_leclerc they think you're strong 😂   or, After the 2019 Instagate, Max followed Charles during summer break, Charles didn't. Everyone keeps on asking Charles when he would.

oOoOoOo

lost in euphoria (7150 words) by justmyrthe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Alexander Albon/Lily Muni He/George Russell, Alexander Albon/Lily Muni He, Alexander Albon/George Russell Summary: r/AmItheAsshole · Posted by u/gwrus63-user 1 day ago AITA for not telling my girlfriend my best friend and I used to date? Back when we were 20 and 18, my best friend (26M) and I (24M) used to date. We were young and figuring out our sexuality, and broke up after six months, because we realised we were better off as friends, but it confirmed for us both that we’re bi. Right now, though, we both have girlfriends, and due to our careers and environment, it’s not safe for us to come out, so we never did. He, my family and some friends are the only people that know I am bi, and that’s only because I told them we were dating. *** Almost six years after they broke up, George and Alex start to realise they actually like each other again. Lily sees it all happening, and all three of them can't help but ask advice from or just dump their story on Reddit.

oOoOoOo

there's glitter on the floor after the party (64460 words) by fiveredlights Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen Summary:

[Video: It tilts up from two pairs of race boots to show Max and Daniel. They’re wearing Red Bull race suits, standing next to each other, arms crossed. They look once, expectantly at each other before looking at the camera. 

DANIEL RICCIARDO: We’re back.

The Oracle Red Bull logo & song plays.]

Liked by danielricciardo and others

redbullracing 1 + 3 = (202)4. They’re back. 

View all 4,291 comments

riccc333 WE ARE SO ASTRONOMICALLY BACK

f1 We’re calling in sick this is too much to bear with 😱

or a soft launch of sorts through the eyes of their social media and the internet’s reactions—set between 2023-2027.

oOoOoOo

love you, bye (1741 words) by ipleadbritney Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri Summary: 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 | 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 ‘𝟮𝟰 @quadrantnondriverau the video won't load for me i’m getting fomo please someone describe it for me what is happening > 𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮 @childofdivorce644 lando was streaming and someone called him. we don't know who's on the other line but lando ended the call with “i love you, bye” 

oOoOoOo

fool me once (1082 words) by fiveredlights Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen Summary: Daniel Ricciardo @danielricciardo • 1 Apr Does this mean I get half of your wins? Daniel and Max have some news to share. It just happens to be April 1st.

oOoOoOo

#you problem (4681 words) by epylonia, amarynas Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri Summary: Oscar Piastri @OscarPiastri I understand that, without my agreement, Carlos Sainz has put out an Instagram post late this afternoon that I am being courted by him. This is wrong and I am not being courted, nor have I ever been courted, by Carlos. I am not Carlos’ omega. 1:00 PM 25th March, 2024 or, omega Oscar doesn't want to be courted by Carlos, but the alpha doesn't get the message.

MASTERPOST

[russilton]

If all f1 contracts were to end tomorrow and you could build a new grid where money wasn’t an object and there are no constraints on which drivers could go to each team (alpha tauri isn’t junior Red Bull, teams with Ferrari engines don’t need a Ferrari driver etc), what would your grid look like?

I’m assuming we’re putting everyone in like, new regulation cars or smthn for the purpose of this bc the idea of putting George and Lew in the current redbull system depresses me but if it’s the only car that can win I’d do it. I’m also assuming that any F2 or “retired” drivers are magically prepared and Ready mentally to join F1.

Mercedes:

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Yes they’re the perfect line up, kiss my ass.

Redbull:

Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly. It’s their team now and it’s got more vibes than ever. Horner and Marko are not involved.

Ferrari:

Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc. Dragging Seb bodily out of retirement to see him cut his hair and wear red again.

Alpine:

Esteban Ocon and Jack Doohan. What are these vibes? Nobody knows but they’re in love with Mick Schumacher.

Mclaren:

Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck Devries. Stoffs a good egg he can come back, and I accidentally forgot nyck when I first wrote this and he’s more interesting than oscar.

Aston Martin:

Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi. Nepo babies who are actually nice team.

Williams:

Susie Wolff and Frederik Vesti. Fred deserves to go to Williams like most future Merc drivers (Nico, Val, George) and needs a good older mentor to guide him. Susie should have gotten a seat when she was a driver.

Alpha Tauri Williams 2:

Alex Albon and Jenson Button. I was originally gonna put these guys in Williams but I need it for others. This is now Williams 2

Alfa Romeo:

Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou. It’s perfect already no notes. No wait one note, Fred Vasseur as TP again

Haas Audi:

Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen. Choosing to assume Haas management is just dissolved and sold to Audi or something so AR stays. This Duo was cute no notes.

———

I really wish I knew more drivers to make this more fun lol, I was mostly just removing the ones I didn’t care for and shuffling shit around to make good pairings for the drivers I did

(Drivers removed - Verstappen, Pérez, Alonso, Norris, Sargent, Hulkenberg,, Piastri (sorry Oscar), Sainz)

[alexalblondo]

When it comes to Red Bull I’m always amazed at how they manage the whole team. They’re for sure a top team but when I put them next to Mercedes they lack strategy. What’s going on with the car? What’s up with the strategy? How come a top team like them make a same mistake as two years ago in Hungary??? I was scrolling on Twitter and no one really was critical about the way Red Bull is doing their job. It’s always the second driver bullshit or the car is just too slow. Well what about Christian and Marko?? What are they doing to get this win? At this point I feel like they want to show us how good they are at fucking up their race and throw away a good chance to win. Because even when Perez wasn’t their to help I’m sure Max could’ve won from both Mercs.

But Max also need a little more media training and stop blaming his teammates when things aren’t going his way. Last year he was shading Alex and today he made a sneak diss to Perez talking about: “I’m always alone in the front”. Can he please save these things for the team and not the whole world. 😭 I’m not a Perez fan but that was not necessary!

Damn I typed a whole book here. Well enjoy and I’m looking forward to read your answer. Ciao!

Okay, damn, this is a really well thought out book right there and deserving of better answer than "I agree!" which I can offer cause it's Sunday and my braincell allowance for the week is up ... but I can offer you some medium cooked and bullshit takes if you want them?

Cause tbh, I think the problem lies in the fact that in their glory years (2009 and Brawn GP aka fetus!Mercedes that secsi bitch aside) RedBull's main competitors where McLaren - which was too busy claiming reliability as its nemesis - and Ferrari - which make RB strategists look smart - so now RB is convinved they got this cause they used to got this, right? Except they only got this cause no one else got this ... and cause Seb back then had the same uncanny ability Lewis has now to just 💕make it work💕 ... whatever it is in any context

Like, yeah, okay, thanks to my weird sexuality made up of finding confidence so hot and having a teacher kink combined with Christian's ability to sound smart even when he is sprouting more bullshit than a pig farm I regularly blank when he speaks but I'm still sooo very much fascinated by the way this man looks at the 8 titles RB won with Seb and go: Ah, yes, I did that!

No, buddy, SEB DID THAT! like, lmao, Abu Dhabi 2010? Fam, Seb was never meant to win there like AT ALL ... it's just that as I said earlier FERRARI has even worse strategist and Seb just ... made it work then because he is Seb and he's brilliant when he wants to be ... not always when he needs to be ... but definitely when he wants to be

Anyways, these are my lukewarm takes to agree with you:

- RB bases their confidence on beating lesser opponents and now faced with Mercedes they are at a loss but they don't see it and they blame their drivers when it's really a them thing because while the car IS there this year the team clearly isn't and that's one of the main parts of why Seb could make it all work because the team and him worked together and it kinda feels like currently they aren't

- Christian Horner sadly kind of hot tbh

- Max should take some lessons from Yuki

- I miss Brawn GP

- drivers should stop airing their dirty laundry for everyone to see unless it's Pierre and Esteban in which case Idc but also tell me more

- we need to save Rocky

[weraceasone]

Hi Elle, yess please let’s talk about Red Bull. I have so many questions but I don’t want to make this ask long. There’s something that has been on my mind for a couple weeks and I think you’re the one who can explain things clearly for everyone to understand. So here we go;

I’ve been thinking about the future of Red Bull without Max. I think we all know that Red Bull is for the morst part focused on improving Max. But I think it’s also important to focus on the second/reserve drivers. When Max leaves Red Bull (I think he might not sign a new contract) they have to find a new driver who will help the team like Max did. This is why I hope Yuki will get a proper training (since I’m confinced that he will be Max’ next teammate). I hope Red Bull knows what they’re doing though!

But please feel free to also talk about your thoughts on the Red Bull culture. I think it’s so unfair to the previous Red Bull drivers that no one really talks about how the team was treating them. It’s like the media is only focused on Max and how amazing he is (I also think Red Bull is being toxic towards Max by letting him say and do whatever he wants but almost know one wants to talk about this) while we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. This is why I’m actually happy Checo got signed for this year. I know that he will not let Red Bull mess with his race and the media respects him more since he’s longer in F1 than Alex and Pierre.

Have a lovely evening Elle!

hey Anon!

how do I see the future of Red Bull once Max leaves? to keep it short: honestly, I have no idea. I think they need to pay more attention to developing the drivers in their program and then we’ll have the answer to that. I do think there are some good drivers in their program, but those drivers need structural support and that is something that Red Bull has been failing to do in the past few years, so I would like to see that improve. I don’t think I’ve ever touched on it before in a very detailed way, but let’s talk about Red Bull’s culture. first of all, I felt very bad for Alex. however, it would be a lie if I said that I only felt bad for Alex because I thought his results were so great; I actually mostly just felt bad because I like Alex as a person. let’s be real, his results weren’t all that. is that completely Alex’ fault, though? definitely not. however, in a result-based sport like F1, drivers sometimes get let down based on things that weren’t their fault. it’s unfair and it’s shitty and I don’t want to sound like I’m justifying it, but at the end of the day: it happens. where Alex deserves sympathy is in understanding how his struggles fit into the bigger picture at Red Bull: if Alex is a victim of anything, it’s Red Bull’s messy attitude towards their frantic and unsatisfying struggle to find a driver that can be paired with Max. Alex has been chewed up and spat out again by the same underlying problem that other drivers have faced and that is where the problem lies.

ever since Daniel left the team, whether that was because of Max or not, Red Bull has not come close to having a similarly competitive replacement. this led to them picking a driver they probably didn’t even want, Pierre, who then got dropped after half a season only to be replaced by a driver, Alex, whom Red Bull had also dropped back in 2012. then when Alex wasn’t able to compare to the original person he was replacing, Daniel, Red Bull found themselves with no one else to turn to as the other driver in their sister team, Daniil, was also a reject. the only choice left was to hire a driver outside the team, not because Alex is a lost cause (after all, he did get the reserve driver job), but because it’s important for Red Bull to work out if Alex is really the problem. after all, he had the exact same struggles as Pierre did. that may be because neither driver had the right combination of experience, opportunity and mentality, but it also may not and RB really needs to find the core of the issue, especially after Pierre went on to win a race in a significantly worse car last year. so the elephant in the room: do I think Red Bull is toxic? yes, I definitely think they have been. I believe they have handled things in a very poor and frantic way and they should have learned more from looking at how other teams were helping and developing drivers. Alex is not a bad driver. he’s not. I even believe that in certain moments, he could have been exactly what Red Bull needed next to Max. Alex’ problem however, is that he cannot seem to achieve on his own. his performance peaks have all been in moments where circumstances shifted in his favor. Alex is just a driver who needed more time to develop. this is why this season is going to be so interesting; if Sergio doesn’t get close to Max, then many questions arise. is Max unmatchable to a degree that even being two or three tenths off him is impossible? if so, how flawed does that make Red Bull’s car? if that’s not the case, then how flawed is Red Bull’s package that only a driver as good as Max – or with his particular driving style – can get that kind of speed out of it? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, really. and I know it sounds crazy, but I honestly want to give Red Bull the benefit of the doubt here and say that they are trying to break a cycle.

something that I also want to add is that personally, I think where a lot of F1 fans, and especially fans of Alex, are going wrong is that they fail to recognize the subjectivity of their opinions, which had led to the belief that their opinion is the truth when in reality, it’s just not. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with failing to be objective about a person you really like, that’s a very human-like thing to do. however, there is a bigger picture that needs to stay the reality. to say we want Alex to have a seat and do well simply because we all think he’s an incredible driver, it’s just a lie.

this got super, super long. I think this may be the longest answer I have ever written. I do hope it explains my thoughts well. I hope you’re having a good day, Anon! 🧡

[formula365]

We will always have Portimão

For a moment, during the Portuguese Grand Prix first lap, Kimi Raikkonen must have thought he had jumped into the wrong car. After all, he was supposed to be driving an Alfa Romeo, one of the slowest cars on the grid; he had started P16, a regular occurrence this season, and had only finished in the top ten once in the whole season. So how was it possible that he was breezing past Ferraris, Racing Points and Renaults? He had gained 10 places in the first lap and was glued to the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc down the main straight. If indeed he was wondering about what car was he really driving, he wouldn’t have been the only one. A bit further up the field, as Kimi tussled with Verstappen and Leclerc, Carlos Sainz had just taken the lead of the race. The Spaniard must have been as surprised as everyone watching, as he left Bottas and Hamilton behind him; that was a sight he had surely not expected to see in his rearview mirrors when he woke up on Sunday morning. You would have been forgiven if you thought you had time travelled to 2012: a McLaren leading, another in P4 and Kimi in P6. Alas, it wasn’t to last - of course. There had been some light spats of rain just before the start, and the difficulty of warming up the mediums had thrown the field into pandemonium. Once those tyres were up to temperature, the natural order returned, with the Mercedes on top and Kimi moving backwards (although not as much as expected, the Finn finishing an impressive P11). Nevertheless, the first handful of laps of the race were as exciting as anything we have seen in a merry long time. The history books will tell you this was another typical 2020 podium with Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen, the seventh time it happened in 12 races. Hamilton annihilated the opposition with a blitzing pace. There were some good races from midfield drivers: Leclerc had another strong weekend to finish P4, Gasly bossed his way to P5, Sainz faded from his early lead but still managed sixth, Checo stormed through the filed to get P7, Ocon stretched the medium tyres to last more than two thirds of the race. Plenty of praise can be spread through the field, but the highlight of the race can’t be an individual performance. The chaos of the early rounds, with drivers out of position and unexpected drivers at the front, felt like what F1 should aspire to be. The reduced grip of the early stages transformed the race, levelling the playing field and allowing race craft to come to the fore. Sainz and Kimi, perhaps with some rallying mindset to help, managed to master the conditions better than most, and it was fascinating to witness the trouble an expected lack of grip in a relatively unknown track brought to the grid. Of course, F1 can’t recreate these conditions, nor should that be the aim. But what these conditions provided was an ideal: a vision of what we, as fans, would love to see this sport become. After all, this is why we love wet races: the unpredictability, seeing frontrunners struggle and back markers shine. This is not something that can happen in a constant manner, and at the end of the day some teams and drivers will be better than others. We should, however, expect to have a more balanced field, and more opportunities for teams to evolve and grow and challenge those at the front. Fans went nuts for the opening laps of the race not just because it was crazy and it was fun, but also because deep down we know we just had a peak of the F1 we want to see. Just like Vettel, I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t know if the new regulations can deliver something like this, but in the meantime we can go back and re-watch the early laps of the 2020 Portuguese GP, to have a taste of the F1 we dream of. We will always have Portimão.

Talking points * I dedicated the main text of the Nurburgring review to Hamilton equalling Schumacher’s record, so I decided not to repeat myself in this race, but my oh my did he mark the occasion with a brilliant performance. Hamilton didn’t set out just to win the race, he was out there to show how much better he is than anyone else. Having lost the lead early on, he let Bottas open a small gap for a few laps, but once he turned it on, there was no stopping him. He made light work of Bottas’ defence and, once in front, disappeared into the distance. There were brief complaints about his tyres, and a cramp hampered him close to the end. No matter: he set fastest lap after fastest lap, showing his true pace in a way that, due to tyre and car management, we don’t get to see every weekend. This was pure, unadulterated Hamilton, and it was devastating. At the chequered flag, he was a massive 25 (twenty-five) seconds ahead of this teammate. This wasn’t just a win, or even a record-breaking win; this was a statement. * Watching the post-qualifying and post-race interviews with Valtteri Bottas can be heartbreaking at times. The Finn is a fantastic driver, specially on Saturdays, when he is able to push Hamilton hard for pole. Yet, no matter how hard he tries, he still has no answer to Hamilton’s true pace. When he needs to, the champion-elect switches to a gear above, one that Bottas simply cannot match. Having to face that reality right after he jumps from the cockpit has to be tough: you can almost see the light in his eyes fade weekend after weekend. * After retiring with mechanical issues in the first race in Spielberg, Lance Stroll embarked on the best run of his career, with seven consecutive races in the top 10, including a podium and two P4s. But since the heights of Monza, he has failed to score. After retiring twice in a row, and then missing the Eifel Grand Prix due to catching COVID, he must have been raring to show his pace once again, but never really seemed to show up. He crashed with Verstappen in FP2, was nowhere near the pace in qualifying, had been warned about track limits by lap 12, crashed into Lando Norris in a - let’s use a euphemism - ambitious overtaking attempt, and ended up bringing up the rear of the field until his retirement. His seat is obviously not in danger, but he is now behind his team mate in the standings, who has one less race start. After Monza he was fourth in the championship; after this weekend, he is eleventh. * Renault’s rollercoaster season continued in Portugal. After a mighty impressive run of results between Spa and Nurburgring, they seemed to go backwards again, with Ocon failing to make it to Q3 and then with both drivers failing to challenge the Racing Points and McLarens, or even the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly. Without the crash that took Stroll and Norris out of points contention, they would have left Portugal with just one point and their hopes of clinching P3 in the championship a bit dented. * There are several drivers on the grid racing for their futures, whether that is to retain their seat, claim a better one or just grab one of the last remaining ones. Of these, Gasly and Checo enhanced their claims enormously with tremendous drives. Checo would have probably been P5 had it not been for the team’s strategic mistake of putting him on the softs for his last stint; impressive in and of itself, but even more so given that he was spun by Verstappen on the first lap and ended up at the back of the field. This result continued his streak of finishing every race in the points; Spa and Monza aside, he has known nothing but the top 7. Gasly, on the other hand, continues to make Red Bull management look ridiculous for not wanting to take him back. Another brilliant drive saw him clinch P5 and climb to P9 in the championship, only one point behind Alex Albon. He must have stepped on some mighty toes for Red Bull to refuse to give him a chance… * Albon, on the other hand, might have just lost his seat this weekend. To start P6 and finish P12 on a Red Bull, without crashes or mechanical issues, is not up to the level required, and something has to give. He looked to have turned a corner after Mugello, the relief of finally making it to the podium obvious on his body language, but he has collected only one point in the three races since. I feel for him, as it is obvious that that seat is never going to have the full support of the team, but when you are being lapped by your teammate when he finishes regularly on the podium, something is not working. Albon is a great driver and I hope his landing will be soft, whether in F1 or elsewhere; he deserves another break.

[lynseyscripps]

F1 drivers 2021

The drivers market seems to be almost over for what has been another crazy season.

Let’s start with Racing Point, who come 2021 will be racing as Aston Martin Racing. Lance Stroll keeps his seat. Being honest is he only there at this point because his dad owns the team. Who in this situation wouldn’t though? Sergio Perez is a better driver and over the last few races has made far less mistakes and had better results than what Stroll has. Lando Norris making comments about Stroll not learning, perhaps he doesn’t. I have seen him make the same mistakes and misjudgements time and time again over the last few years. Did he deserve to stay over Perez? No. Perez has been a consistent mid-pack driver for many years and that opportunity for himself to prove anything more has not come calling. I do hope this is not the end in F1 for him. Perez be released for Sebastian Vettel I don’t believe is the right decision. Vettel all 2020 season has been a long way behind his team mate both in qualifying and the race. Yes, not all season they have been running identical cars however from the outset he has been down and Leclerc’s times. He just isn’t the racer everyone thought he once was. In his Red Bull days, was it the car that made him look better than he is? He has continued to lock up regularly and made silly mistakes this season with him barely scrapping into the top ten and him missing out on Q3 and a regular basis. The results are not just down to the car.

As for Mercedes, who this past weekend earned their 7th consecutive constructor’s world title has signed Valtteri Bottas for next year. Many might say is this the right decision? Yes, it is, he has been plagued with bad luck this season. If his team mate wasn’t Lewis Hamilton would he be a world champion? Probably. I have always been a fan of his and when he was driving for Williams showed great promise for the future. Hamilton now has come out and passed doubt on his future in F1 beyond this season. For me this is an obvious choice of whom the seat should be given to. George Russell, he has got more out of the Williams than he probably should have done. His test for Mercedes at the end of last year was impressive and with him already being a Mercedes driver surely his future looks bright. His only opposition is Esteban Ocon, himself doing okay but really isn’t showing anything special. Would Hamilton go anywhere else but Mercedes or is this the end for Hamilton.

This would leave Williams needing a second driver. After a season that has seen the sad news of the team being sold and no longer a family business. They have seen improvements in the car, however still not where they need to be to be truly competitive. There is always the chance that one day soon they will return to fight in the top of the mid-pack like they did with Bottas and Felippe Massa. So Nicholas Latifi and? Surely the only option would be Perez. The team still lacking funds, one would presume and someone like Perez coming with backing would surely help the team move forward along with his experience and feedback.

Red Bull have been in a tough place all season. Max Verstappen doing it solo. The team with the second strongest car on the grid, with one future world champion and Alex Albon. Surely another falling foul of Red Bull bringing in drivers that are just to young and inexperienced to drive at the level they are requiring. Admittedly it worked with Verstappen but is a team really going to get that lucky twice? Albon hasn’t always had the easiest of races, being taken out by Hamilton or other drivers since being brought up from Alpha Tauri. He himself though has crashed into others and made mistakes, leaving him without scoring a point or well down the order. Red Bull need a driver up there with Verstappen to challenge the mighty Mercedes. My option would be to bring in Nico Hulkenberg. This season stepping in for both Racing Point drivers at different points and reportedly giving feedback to the team which has aided development. Is Hulkenberg a driver that just hasn’t been able to prove himself in a top team or is he just a great mid team driver? I hope he is given the opportunity to drive in 2021 with Red Bull.

Bringing us onto Alpha Tauri. They have already announced Pierre Gasly for the season, the right decision to make. He has had some good results and taken advantage of the opportunities given winning the race at the Italian Grand Prix. His future could be bright if he is given another opportunity at a top team in the future. Daniil Kvyat for me is done. He went form Toro Rosso up to Red Bull, didn’t live up to the requirements of a Red Bull driver back to Toro Rosso then lost his seat and didn’t race in 2018 and then back to Toro Rosso. I personally don’t see a future for him anywhere else than where he is. I would put Albon back into Alpha Tauri. He was asked to step up with little experience and just like Gasly didn’t live up to expectations and the demands of the team. They are both young drivers and still learning their craft and Alpha Tauri could give them the experience and build confidence for the future.

In early 2020, Ferrari made the decision of there drivers for 2021. Charles Leclerc remaining and the omitting of Vettel. Ferrari bring in Carlos Sainz from McLaren. Not a bad decision to bring him to the team however is Sainz regretting the decision. All season long the McLaren has looked stronger and faster than the Ferrari and anyone would bet on Ferrari getting back to race winning ways but how long will this take?

With Sainz going to Ferrari this left a seat alongside Norris at McLaren, another driver with so much talent and one of the most likeable drivers to watch pre- and post-race. McLaren are bringing in Daniel Ricciardo. This is going to be a strong team especially given that the McLaren will have a Mercedes engine.

Renault well, they went for the big surprise of 2020. The return of Fernando Alonso. The team in which he won back to back world titles in 2005 and 2006. In the second half of this season Renault have looked stronger earning two podium finishes. With conformation that Ocon will remain at the team for 2021 as well, both seats are taken. Will Ocon’s second run in F1 be fruitful or should he just of stayed gone?

This past week Alfa Romeo have announced no driver change for 2021. Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi remaining at the team. Honestly Raikkonen has nothing left to prove and racing just because he wants to. Giovinazzi hasn’t done much wrong this season making up places at the start consistently.

As for Haas. A fresh start in 2021, wanting to take the 2021 drivers into the 2022 season with all the changes coming. Drivers likely to be at the team are Mick Schumacher, who in my opinion could do with more time driving elsewhere before steeping up. I admit he has come a way in the last two seasons in F2 however you can still see flaws in his driving. In a previous FP1 he was supposed to drive for Alfa Romeo but due to whether wasn’t able to. Other drivers linked with Haas is Nikita Mazepin and Callum Illot, he himself during the same weekend as Schumacher was supposed to drive, he was to have the same opportunity in the Haas car.

Only time will tell who will really get the remaining seats.

[charanteleclerc]

love is found in crowded streets and coffee shops

For Quagswagging as part of the Summer Break Fic Exchange 2019. As usual, crossposted to my AO3 (Charante_Leclerc). Prompts are always open. Enjoy! ❤️

The residents of Stirling Street were, for the most part, good friends. They were a tight knit community of five shops, and possibly a little co-dependent for their own good. Seb owned Horse & Bull Repairs Shop, fixing anything from watches to car engines. Kimi and Kevin were next door at Iceman Tattoos, which sometimes also did alcohol (it was never advised). On the other side of him was Restaurant de Monte-Carlo, run by Romain and his trusty crew, and kept very traditionally French. Across the road was Jenson and Fernando’s Champions Coffee Shop & Bakery, once started as two separate shops, but they had ended up sharing so many customers they’d eventually given in and taken down the inbetween wall. Next to them was Jev and Andre’s shop, which was… well, they seemed to change it every week, the rest of them had given up trying to predict what shop it was going to be.

Stirling Street was great. Except for the fact that Seb and Kimi hated each other.

No-one knew how the rivalry had started, not even the two of them. It was just a fact of life by now. They opened their shops, argued about where their poster boards were situated at 9.15 exactly, sniped their way through their lunch break at Champions, and yelled at each other through their shared wall about their choice in music.

“We need to do something.” Jenson groaned, after Seb and Kimi had left following another tense lunch-break. “They’re always at each other's throats, and frankly, it’s driving me insane.”

“I can’t hear myself think.” Kevin muttered. “I need to stay out of there as long as possible.”

“Romain said he has heard them yelling three time this week. Three times. It is insane.” Fernando said glumly. “And they argued over what was the best flavour muffin. And they were both wrong.”

“They didn’t choose my Key Lime Pie muffin?” Jenson sounded wounded. “What did they choose?”

“Seb said chocolate chip.” Fernando flinched at Jenson’s sharp intake of breath. “You do not want to know what Kimi said.”

“Tell me what he said.”

Fernando sighed. “Vanilla. He said vanilla.”

“He said what?” Jenson yelped. “Is he open? I need to have words with him.”

Fernando watched Jenson leave, shaking his head. He’d said that he wouldn’t want to know. People really should listen to him.

“How can we stop them fighting?” Lando asked, clearing plates. “They’re pretty much always at each other’s throats.”

“You’re missing the point.” Lewis said from a nearby table, who had before looked completely asleep. He still did, except for the part his mouth was moving.

“What’s the point then?” Kevin asked curiously.

“It’s not that they hate each other. It’s that they don’t.”

“What do you mean, they don’t?” Lando frowned. “Of course they do. They fight all the time!”

“It’s because they’re scared.” Lewis shrugged. “They don’t actually hate each other, but they’re terrified of not-hating each other. It’s comfortable, it’s a relationship they know.”

“That makes sense.” Fernando shrugged. “I can work with it.”

Jenson stormed back in, eyes suspiciously red. “He won’t apologise. Said his opinions are his own and that vanilla is a valid choice.” His voice sounded wobbly. “It’s fine.”

“Did you cry during or after this discussion?” Fernando raised an eyebrow. Jenson shuffled.

“During.”

“You do know that he’s going to remember that forever.”

“Yep.”

“Just checking.”

“So,” Lando leaned on the counter. “So we need to convince them that they don’t hate each other? How hard can it be?”

~*~

It was pretty hard.

Romain kept on complaining that he could hear Kimi shouting at Seb, and had even sent his waiters over to try and calm the situation.

It hadn’t.

Pierre, Charles and Esteban had stumbled back to the restaurant terrified, Kevin alongside, and needed two shots each until they stopped trembling. They looked shell-shocked for another week.

Jenson tried talking to Seb one afternoon, bringing muffins as a go-between (chocolate chip included). Seb had taken the muffin’s, had listened as long as it had taken to eat them, before turfing Jenson out. (He’d agreed to mend the bakery clock free of charge though. It might have something to do with Jenson lying in the doorway, holding his muffin tub, determined not to move. Bribery was sometimes needed).

Even Jev had tried. Which was something that no-one had ever imagined happened, as Jev and Andre acted like the cool kids that thought everything was beneath them. Jev had wandered into the bakery at lunchtime, looking unconcerned, and had attempted to mediate one of their arguments. When he’d left, his usually perfect hair had been sticking up on end, and something was popping in his jaw.

Everyone had tried, except for Lewis, who refused to get involved. Something about them figuring it out for themselves.

“What are we going to do?” Jenson moaned. “It’s like everything we do makes things worse!”

“No more meddling here.” Fernando threatened. “Look at George.”

Jenson looked over to where George was lying with his head on a table, cheesecake in his hair. Lando was patting him on the back, while Carlos was trying to brush as many crumbs as possible out of his hair. Alex was playing gentle music from his phone, making comforting noises.

“Look at him Jenson.” Fernando repeated. “He has cheesecake in his hair. I don’t even know how they got cheesecake, we don’t sell cheesecake.”

“It was fantastic aim though.” Andre shrugged. “Can’t deny that. Two double espressos to go please.”

“Those are going to keep you up all night you know?” Fernando said. “Or give you superpowers, you’ve been getting those everyday for a year.”

“Betting on it.” Andre winked. “Plus, gotta keep looking hot somehow.”

“Amen.” Lewis chimed in from the back of the bakery. Jenson jumped a little, staring at him.

“I thought he was asleep, didn’t you think he was asleep?”

“Maybe you should convince them of the things that they like about each other.” Andre suggested. “Vodka, racing, ice-cream. Start slow.” He picked up both espressos, downed one after the other, before grinning. “See you later.”

“He’s going to die.” Carlos said in admiration. “He is insane.”

“Do you think that would work?” Jenson asked. “Slowly warming them up to each other?”

“Cannot do much worse, can it?” Fernando replied. “It will either stay the same or they will want to bang each other in a week.”

“Challenge accepted.” Jenson looked determined. “Better than the arguing.”

~*~

“So, Seb.” Jenson leaned up on Seb’s counter, grinning. “Ice-cream?”

Seb gave him a weird look. “Sure.” He said slowly, taking one of the offered ice-creams. “What do you want?”

“I can come and hang out with you, can’t I? We’re friends.” Jenson laughed. “So, vodka? What’s that about?”

“Are you trying to make me like Kimi?” Seb raised an eyebrow, tapping a finger against the counter. “Because it’s not going to work.”

“What, no! No, no no…” Jenson trailed off. “Well, good chat.” He backed away towards the door. “Lovely, lovely chat.”

“Tell them it’ll take more than that to sort out your problem.” Seb called after him. “And I want a free coffee for that attempt!”

~*~

Jenson spent twenty seconds in Kimi’s shop before something was thrown at him. He didn’t stop to find out what it was.

Valtteri, who was in the shop of the time, only shook his head when asked.  

~*~

“We’re doomed.” Romain said gloomily. “I’m going to need to buy earplugs.”

The majority of the Stirling Street residents (minus the significant two) were sat around a few tables pushed together, nursing various coffees and teas. Charles, Pierre and Esteban still looked jittery. George was still finding crumbs in his hair. Jev still tensed up when he heard their names mentioned. Kevin was just starting to pretend that he didn’t exist.

Lewis was still asleep in the corner. Or maybe he wasn’t, they weren’t sure.

“Wait, here they come.” Jenson shushed the group. They all turned to watch out the window as they came out of their shops, scowling as they saw each other.

“Your board is in front of my store.” Seb snapped, locking his shop. “Again.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m stealing your customers. How many people did you see today?” Kimi countered, crossing his arms.

“Don’t change the subject. Also, why do you have to play your music so loud? It’d be nice not to have it drill into my head.”

“Well, I’m sorry... “ They continued bickering down the street. The group turned back to look at each other, dismally.

“Doomed.” Romain repeated sadly. “Doomed.”

~*~

Jenson picked up his tub of muffins, steeling himself. “Half for Seb, half for Kimi. As an apology of sorts.”

“They need to learn for themselves.” Fernando agreed. “We cannot have anymore scared kids. They do not need to see that ever.”

Jenson sighed, picking up the tubs. “I hope Romain buys those earplugs.” He said, walking towards the door. “Really hope.”

He crossed the street, opening the door to Seb’s shop. It was before opening time, but Seb never locked his shop (which was probably a really bad idea considering his shop was filled with valuables).

“Hey Seb, just brought some more muffins, five chocolate chips and one of my new inventions, Blackberry Crumble muffins. Thought you might one to try it, and - er, what?” He stopped as he finally took in the scene in front of him. “What is happening?”

Seb looked up, blinking. “Huh?”

Jenson gaped. “But… you’re here! And… and him!” He stuttered, pointing at the other guy in the room. “It’s Kimi!”

Seb turned to Kimi sat next to him. “Huh, it is. Funny that.”

“But… you hate each other!” Jenson clutched his muffin box to his chest. “You hate each other!”

“Well, we did.” Seb said, tapping away at his laptop. “For ages.”

“Arguing is the way to a man’s heart.” Kimi muttered from behind his coffee. Seb nodded absentmindedly.

“Exactly.”

“So, we’ve been trying to make you two not hate each other when you don’t actually hate each other?” Jenson asked. “I think I need to sit down.”

“The floor is just there.” Seb said helpfully. Kimi snickered.

“How long has this been going on?” Jenson looked between them wildly. “How long?”

“Since those poor French boys walked in.” Seb replied. “I really am sorry for traumatising them.”

“I’m not.” Kimi shrugged.

“Oh my… oh my god.” Jenson put his tub on the counter, resting his forehead on the counter. “Does anyone else know?”

“Lewis.” Kimi yawned.

“Lewis?!” Jenson screeched. “He knew?!” He took a deep breath, looking at the two men in front of him. “Give me a minute.”

~*~

Jenson would later admit that running back across the street, screaming words with no coherence at Lewis, and then promptly fainting was not his finest moment.

However, he’d also say that his emotions were running high. It was justified.

~*~

“So, they don’t actually hate each other?” Lando asked. “Wow.”

“All this time?” Andre said. “Wow.”

“I think it is sweet.” Fernando said. “That Seb and Kimi - do not flinch -” as Jev, Charles, Pierre, Kevin and Esteban all involuntarily shuddered, “that even they can get over their differences.”

“I can’t believe they let me find out like that!” Jenson still looked haunted.

The door opened, and the usual bickering being heard again. “If you move that sign one more time …”

“Love at it’s finest.” Lewis said smugly. “I said to leave it to themselves.”

“I swear you were asleep a second ago!” Jenson yelped. “You were asleep!”

[jimhalpertfromdandermifflin-blog]

Why the current season of Formula 1 might become the most interesting for last years

Hi, everyone and I congratulate you with the start of a new season of F1!

Formula 1 has had an incredible start with Australian Gran-Prix that gives us a lot of topics for discussions.

On the one hand, the race in Melburn has shown us that you should never ever follow the results of pre-season tests in Barcelona because Mercedes always has an ace in the hole. This paradox happened 4 years in a row! Nevertheless, I always believed that the Red Cars may come back in the championship fight. And I still hope that it’s going to happen in this season. And, honestly, do we have any choices, except keeping faith in that?

However, I decided to have a discussion about a much more positive issue. After a couple of days of the reflection about the results in the tests in Barcelona and the results of the Gran-Prix in Australia, I entirely consider that we are going to see one of the most interesting season of the Formula 1 for long years.

I have a 3 significant reason why it is true:

The fight of the silver arrows

Since the end of last season, when it became obvious that Esteban Ocon will lose the status of a Formula 1 pilot for this season, a huge pressure began on Valtteri Bottas, from the media as well as directly from Mercedes boss Toto Wolf. It's unsurprisingly for everyone that most people didn't believe in Finn from the beginning. To be honest, I'm too.

Notwithstanding anything, Valtteri Bottas astonished each fan who doubters on Bottas’s skills. Finn has won the race and performed the fastest lap of the race.

But it's not that he was fast and ahead of Lewis in the first turn(the reigning champion had problems with the bottom, which radically affected his pace).

I consider that the most important thing is what mood and mentality Valtteri has for fighting in this season.

Bottas is motivated and sporty angry as never he was. I am convinced that he will fight for the title until the end.

The fight for the 4th place of the constructor's championship

The battle for the position “The best in the Formula 1.5” promises to be extremely exciting. Haas, Renault, Alfa Romeo, Toro Rosso and McLaren          (6 teams!) have approximately the same racing pace.

Australian Grand Prix proved it all over.

Qualification. From the 15th place of Kvyat to the 5th place of Grosjean in the 2nd segment of qualification the interval is only 0.9 seconds. For comparison, there were more than 1.5 seconds between these positions last year.

Race. The fight of Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Stroll, and Kvyat, and the containment of Dany by Pierre Gusley’s car made the race really exciting.

I will say that for me, Haas and Renault look like favorites, but I would not hurry to write off the rest of the teams.

Alfa Romeo has a wonderful pace and very suitable atmosphere for the debutant inside the team. Antonio Giovinazzi will not be pressured from the partner and he should not prove his worth in comparison with him. After all, his partner Kimi Raikkonen. Therefore, I think the Italian is able to quickly roll in and also bring points for the team.

Toro Rosso also has no problems with the tempo, as Dany Kvyat proved by holding back the more powerful Red Bull. You say that it is almost impossible to overtake in Albert Park and you will be quite right, but the fact that Toro Rosso is competitive will not cancel.

Maclaren. Norris's terrific qualifications, but a rather dull race and really disappointing weekend for Carlos Sainz. I think McLaren has a pace, but there are also problems with stability, which, in my opinion, is quite fixable. I believe that McLaren will be in the fight.

The fight of debutants

The fight of debutants Alex Albon, Antonio Giovinazzi, Lando Norris and George Russell promises to add even more intrigue to the season.

Who will be higher at the end of the season? Cars Toro Rosso, Alfa Romeo, and McLaren are comparably fast and we will wait for which of the riders will surprise us more. Albon and Norris have already managed to retrain his teammates in Melbourne but quieted down during the race. As for George Russell, I personally feel sorry for him. The current champion of Formula 2, extremely talented guy is in a completely uncompetitive team, and the only opponent for him will be his partner Robert Kubica.

Instead of conclusion

I clearly understand that Albert Park is a very specific track for setting up the bolid, so the current situation is not final and I very much believe that the Red Empire will strike back. Well, we'll see it in Bahrain. In the meantime, you can subscribe(if you want), I will continue to talk here about Formula 1 and what surrounds it.

See you later!

[meaningofmotorsport]

Verstappen & Zarco get unexpected poles - Saturday Racing Round Up

F1

We were wondering going into this weekend, how close Max could get to Mercedes, but on a Saturday at least, he can better them! Red Bull were able to use the tyres best over one lap, especially in the last few corners, which when tied with their straight line speed, was an unbeatable package! They will not have it easy though tomorrow, although they do have a rear gunner in Checo, who can easily mess up Mercedes’ day!

Even one of Hamilton’s superb qualifying laps, was not enough to get the pole today, however, he is in prime position to take the fight to Max tomorrow. Their car in the past has been better on tyres, which could bode well for them around here. This really was a weekend where Valtteri should have been the one taking the fight to Max, after performing so well yesterday. Once again though, he has been bettered when it counts most, and will have to watch out for Perez in the race!

Ferrari and Gasly have been the stars of qualifying in the midfield this year, and that continued here, but this time it was Sainz who came out on top. In the race you would expect things to tighten up with other teams, yet this is still a great chance for them to strengthen their placing in the constructors. This is pretty much all Pierre could have asked for at home, as he got the most out of his car once again. I suspect the race could be harder for him tomorrow, although it is rather unpredictable for that gaggle of cars!

McLaren’s one weakness in 2021 is still qualifying, which often limits how well they can do on Sunday. With them both barely in the top 10, on the same tyres as everyone else, it would take a great race to be best of the rest and fight back against Ferrari, which they need to do soon! 9th and 11th for Alpine is not terrible, although they may have hoped for more, having seen where they were in practice. Their race pace has been up and down this year, from track to track, can this be a good one for them?

Stroll was unlucky to not reach Q2, but it just shows the importance of each lap that you do in qualifying. Russell once again made the most of his opportunities, and if we do get rain in the race, it could give him a chance of points! Mick Schumacher was showing promise from his first lap in Q1, yet again though, he has ended up in the barriers, which is really harming his momentum in the car, as well as the teams bank account! Finally, this was the complete opposite of what Yuki needed in France. You could just see he is still being too aggressive and forcing the car to fit, instead of learning from the car!

All I hope tomorrow, is that we get at least some action to make the race somewhat bearable. If we get rain though, it could cause absolute chaos, which I am sure we are all praying for!

MotoGP

On a track not suited to Ducati, Zarco has produced another amazing piece of riding, to bag pole for tomorrow’s race! It was slightly ruined by the fact that he then crashed going for another lap, but nevertheless he had the pace to be right up the front! With the power of that bike, it could be hard for anyone to get past and pull away from him!

Quartararo has been the pole master recently, but is still in a great place to mount a challenge for the win. With where some of the other favourites have qualified, he may still have the best shot at winning! Aprilia really are a dark horse this weekend, and no one expected them to reach the front row today! What is possible for them tomorrow? A podium is definitely possible, and if the cards fall right, it could possibly be even better!

Miller heading up the 2nd row, with his launch device, will also be in with a shout at the win, he just needs to get there before someone like Fabio disappears! Olivera and Marquez were two real favourites for the win, however, having qualified a bit further down on the grid than expected, they may not find it as easy. I wouldn’t be surprised if one gets a podium, but any more than that would need some luck on their side!

For Rins to reach Q2, given his injuries, is rather commendable. Can he survive 30 laps? That will be a much tougher ask, so even points could be difficult for him! For Mir, Binder, and Vinales, it has been a disappointing day, as they fell way behind what their teammates could do for whatever reason! For Vinales especially, it has not gone well by any means, and starting that far back, I don’t see him getting many points, if any tomorrow! Mir on the other hand, may be able to make his way up through the pack, yet from his lowly grid slot, I doubt it will be that great a result!

Shout outs should also go to Martin and Alex Marquez, who made it straight into Q2, and have shown pace all weekend. For Alex more so, this was very much needed, when you look at his previous performances!

It will be a tough race tomorrow, and we could see a big pack form at the front, so watch out for small mistakes being punished, and our fair share of aggression!

-M

Thank you very much for reading this article! To keep up to date with when they go out, and to see my reactions to races and other news, follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MeaningofMotor1

Also, if you want to support me, I have a Patreon Page at: https://www.patreon.com/meaningofmotorsport

[thisdaynews]

Monaco GP: Lewis Hamilton beats Valtteri Bottas to pole

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/monaco-gp-lewis-hamilton-beats-valtteri-bottas-to-pole/

Monaco GP: Lewis Hamilton beats Valtteri Bottas to pole

Lewis Hamilton snatched Monaco Grand Prix pole position from Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas with his last lap of the session.

Hamilton, often on the back foot in qualifying, took pole by 0.086 seconds.

But the story of the day was in many ways Ferrari’s strategic error that saw Charles Leclerc knocked out in the first session.

Ferrari elected not to send Leclerc out for a second run, and the Monegasque will start 16th for his home race.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third, ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who was the man who knocked out Leclerc.

Monaco Grand Prix qualifying results

What were Ferrari doing?

“Very difficult one to take,” said Leclerc, who added he will need to take risks in Sunday’s race

Vettel was struggling after a poor first run in first qualifying and needed to go out again to get past the first session.

But Ferrari did not see the danger facing Leclerc, despite the fact that his time at that stage was 0.3 seconds slower than Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

Leclerc was delayed when he missed the weigh bridge and had to be pushed back by his mechanics for the car to be checked, but he said that had not been the cause of the problem.

A distraught Leclerc, who grew up in a flat just next to the main straight of the Monaco track, said: “I asked whether they were sure. They said we think we are. I said, ‘Shouldn’t we go again?’ I didn’t have any explanations yet in detail.

“Very difficult one to take – we had plenty of time to go out again. The weigh bridge was not the problem. We had the fuel to go again, we just needed to put some tyres on. I need some explanations.”

Ferrari are yet to say what happened.

Vettel, struggling all day after crashing in final practice, was 0.781secs off the pace, after hitting the wall at Tabac on his final run.

The Mercedes battle

Hamilton is running with a red halo head-protection device on his car in tribute to Niki Lauda

The Mercedes, sporting a red halo head-protection device in tribute to the late three-time champion Niki Lauda, their non-executive chairman, who died on Monday, were in a private battle for pole.

Bottas had looked quick all weekend and the Finn was more than 0.2secs up on his team-mate after the first runs in the final session but when it mattered Hamilton managed to pull a lap out of the bag, while Bottas failed to improve on his final run.

Hamilton said: “I love it here. It’s my home. this is the race every driver dreams of. We’ve arrived with a great car, a great battle with Valtteri. He has been quick all weekend. The desire and the will to get this pole, it means so much to me.

“I’m really grateful to my team. The lap was just beautiful.”

“The lap was hard. All of us drivers take our car, fast or slow, to the limit. And when you’re at the limit, it’s like wrestling a bull. I had an oversteer moment in the Rascasse, and I just held on. I don’t know what the gap is, but I’ll take it – it’s perfect.”

It was Hamilton’s 85th pole position of his career and the reigning world champion added: “This is definitely one of the best poles I can remember.

“We have had lots of success over the years but I can’t remember one that means as much as this one. It has been such a difficult week for the team. We have had a cloud over us all weekend and we have been trying to lift each other up.”

Bottas said he had been affected by traffic preparing for his final run.

“I’m disappointed. The first lap, there was still plenty of places I could improve, on the out lap I had a lot of traffic and I couldn’t get the tyres hot enough for the fast lap. I thought I had it today but it wasn’t to be.”

A tribute to Lauda

In addition to the red Halo, there is also a red star in honour of Lauda on Hamilton’s Mercedes

Hamilton was given an exemption from media duties on Wednesday in the wake of Lauda’s death, a decision that has received some criticism, and after qualifying he explained his feelings on the matter.

“The other day I didn’t feel I was ready,” he said. “It wasn’t the time to dig into our feelings.

“I was really in touch with Niki a lot through this past eight months. We’d be sending videos back and forth to each other. It was always difficult because sometimes he looked good and was perky and said he would see us at this or that race, and others days when he didn’t.

“Ive always talked about how Ross [Brawn, former team boss] was the convincing element of me coming to the team but Niki was the one who phoned me up and said: ‘Mercedes is where you should be.’ I had never really spoken to him before that. He brought it to me and really got it across the line.

“All these years he has been my partner in crime. He was such a racer. He was part of the process of changing my life.

“If I hadn’t had that call, I’d be a one-time champion now. I sit here as a five-time champion and I owe him a lot. It was really difficult earlier in the week and I don’t feel I have to confirm to what everyone else thinks. Wednesday was not the time. But he will live on in all our memories.”

The rest

Behind Vettel, Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly took fifth but faces an investigation for impeding Haas driver Romain Grosjean.

Magnussen was sixth, ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and the second Toro Rosso of Anglo-Thai rookie Alexander Albon.

British novice Lando Norris was 12th in the second McLaren, while George Russell kept up his clean sweep of Williams team-mate Robert Kubica in 19th place.

Paris-Saint Germain and France striker Kylian Mbappe was doing the rounds in the pit lane before qualifying

It was a good day for Toro Rosso as both Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon qualified in the top 10

Charles Leclerc had a happier time on Friday night alongside Williams’ George Russell as the pair took part in the famous Amber Lounge Fashion Show

Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly meet Mexico’s three-weight world champion Canelo Alvarez

Read More

[charanteleclerc]

could i request an alex/george one shot? maybe something to do w alex getting the red bull seat ❤️ love your work!!

Enjoy! ❤️ Sorry it took so long!

away from the world, just for a day

“Okay, thank you.” Alex said breathlessly, trying to stop his hands from shaking. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

“We’re counting on you Alex.” Christian’s voice came through the phone, making it shudder a little where it lay on the desk. “Don’t let us down.”

“I won’t. Thank you.” Alex said again, unable to stop the wide grin on his face. Christian had hung up, his phone screen turning blank, but he just couldn’t help but stare at it. He hadn’t expected to have a phone call with Christian, let alone the conversation being a job offer. He’d only had a seat in F1 for half a year, he’d been begging for a drive only a few years ago. He just couldn’t believe it. He’d known realistically that there was a possibility that this could’ve happened, but he was the rookie. Red Bull had said that they were keeping Pierre, and if they’d never planned to keep him, Dany was right there. Admittedly he’d already been in that seat once, but Dany had a podium to his name now. He didn’t, but Red Bull still wanted him.

It was just unreal.

He’d be all over the news soon, and part of him wanted to message Pierre, but he had no idea if Pierre even knew yet, he hadn’t asked. And it might be too soon, rubbing salt into a fresh wound, and getting a ‘how are you holding up’ message from the guy who replaced you might not be appreciated. He knew that he wouldn’t, if he was in that situation.

He could hear his family outside, enjoying the sunshine. He shook himself, picking his phone up again, before standing, heading out to join them. He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to do at Red Bull, and for the minute, he didn’t want to sit and over analyse it. He was going to live in the here and now, and that meant spending time with his family, and to relax, really relax. The rest of his life could wait a few weeks.

~*~

He’d had so many messages from people, mostly saying something like ‘congratulations’, ‘well done’, ‘go and get that championship’. He tried to ignore those last ones, for the most part, the only pressure he needed on himself right now was proving himself capable of the seat next year. Baby steps, secure the seat first, then aim for the championship.

He’d had a message from Pierre, simple saying ‘take car of the car for me’. He still wasn’t sure what to say in response to that, there probably was no right response. He knew Pierre though, and he probably wasn’t expecting an answer. Small mercies.

He was walking down towards the town, happy for the excuse to stretch his legs. His family had been ecstatic about the news, and were wasting no opportunity at celebrating. He was almost ninety percent sure that his parents were more thrilled from him than he was for himself. And he was happy, so happy. He just didn’t really need it being talked about all the time.

He followed the trail, watching the sea glisten in the sunlight. It seemed that everyone had flocked to Greece this year, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. The place was just pure beauty, it was like living in a movie, or a fairytale. The locals said hello to him when he passed them in the street, he could laze all day at the beach and not be disturbed. It was pure heaven.

He turned down the street, heading to the bakery when he saw someone familiar, walking the other way. “George? Is that you?”

“Alex, oh man!” George exclaimed, dragging him into a tight hug. “Congratulations mate, can’t believe you got the seat!”

“Neither can I, believe me.” Alex laughed, scratching his head. “It’s like I’m in a dream and haven’t woken up yet.”

“I can pinch you, if you want.” George supplied helpfully, snickering when Alex sent him a look. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in England this summer.”

“Plans changed. We went to Thailand for a couple of days, then here for some rest.” Alex shrugged. “Much happier to be here than home right now.”

“It’s definitely good to get away.” George agreed. “And you get to celebrate here, that’s a good bonus.”

“You should listen to my parents, they haven’t stopped talking about it for the last few days.” Alex sighed a little. “It’s nice to have some time to myself.”

“I can get that.” George agreed. “Would you mind if I was company though?”

“Well…” Alex drew out the word, teasing. “I don’t see why not.”

“Such a charmer.” George rolled his eyes. “I was just planning on going to the beach for a bit, unless -”

“That sounds like heaven.” Alex gave a happy groan. “We can grab some food from the bakery, have a little picnic.”

“Definitely heaven.” George grinned, walking away. “Come on slowpoke, what are you waiting for?”

“Would you hit me if I said the view?” Alex laughed, as George sent him a look. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

They wandered through the streets of the town, watching as people went about their lives around them. It was soothing, the flow of normality. They were just two men, two tourists, not even a hint of recognition. It was freeing. They were still relative nobodies, and the anonymity was desperately appreciated - especially to him, and especially now. After so much talk in the last few days, of how this move would change his life forever, escaping it was something that he needed, at least for a little while.

“What do you want?” George broke him out of his trance. “For the picnic?”

“Grab some pastries, and I’ll get some gyros?” Alex offered. “Ooh, and we need something to drink, water or juice of something.”

“Not letting your hair down on holiday?”

“Don’t you know, I’m in the big leagues now.” Alex joked. “Just need something refreshing right now.”

“Coming right up.” George gave a cheeky salute, disappearing into the shop. Alex headed over to the vendor, and by the time George returned, his hands were full of food.

“Beach time!” Alex exclaimed, grinning. “This is going to be the best picnic ever.”

“You probably haven’t been on many picnics then.” George smirked. “So, how do you plan on celebrating?”

“Celebrating?”

“No offence to your folks, I love your parents, I do, but a sit down meal probably isn’t the way you want to celebrate your news.”

“Still haven’t really wrapped my head around it, let alone think about partying because of it.” Alex admitted. “And it’s not like I knew anyone was around. It’s a bit sad to go partying by myself.”

“Very true.” George nodded, taking a bite out of his food. “This gyros is good. Really good. What is it about holiday food that it just tastes better.”

“Holiday magic.” Alex shrugged. “Are you staying here all summer?”

“Heading to the Algarve after this.” George said through mouthfuls. “You should come, if you’re not busy.”

“Extra holiday, bit difficult to say no to.” Alex grinned. “Count me in.”

“Awesome!” George nudged him with his shoulder. “It’s going to be great, we haven’t hung out properly all this year.”

“Life keeps us busy.” Alex said wistfully. “I’m already tired from just half a season.”

“Tell me about it.” George sighed as they headed out onto the beach, kicking off their flip flops and digging their toes into the warm sand. “This is so nice.”

“If the beaches in England were like this I’d be there everyday.” Alex said, contented. “So, how are you going to help me celebrate?”

“I thought you didn’t want to.”

“Well, now I’ve got someone to celebrate with.” Alex shrugged, finishing his food. “And it’d be nice to unwind.”

“Well, we could always start by going for a swim?” George offered, laughing when he saw Alex’s look. “You really want to go clubbing?”

“No, but…” Alex trailed off, making patterns in the sand with his fingers. “You do.”

“It’s not about what I want.” George said fondly. “When I get a promotion like your, then we’ll talk. C’mon.” He stood, holding out his hand to Alex, wiggling his fingers a little. “Do you want to go swimming?”

“Why, Mr Russell, you sure know how to treat a man.” Alex teased, taking George’s hand. “Last one to the sea buys dinner!” He shouted, taking off, pulling his shirt over his head.

“You cheat!” George cried, running after him. Alex splashed into the sea, laughing as George followed after him, deliberately splashing Alex with water. “That was underhanded!”

“You owe me dinner though.” Alex waggled his eyebrows. “I’m a man of expensive taste.”

“No you’re not.” George shook his head. “I grew up with you, remember? You’d be happy if we went to McDonald’s.”

“Only if I can get the little toy.” He swam around lazily, both of them flicking water at each other intermittently. “I could do this all day.”

“Swim?”

“Just laze.” Alex said, floating on his back. “I haven’t been so rested in ages.”

“Would you trade it though?” George asked, almost to himself.

“No. No, I never would.” Alex swam back until his feet could touch the floor. “Even if just for these few moments.”

George hummed, and they swam in silence for a minute. George swam a little too close, and Alex took it as a good opportunity to dunk him, like they’d done so many times as stupid kids at whatever swimming pool was around. He pushed down on George’s back a little, giggling as he went under for just a moment, spluttering as he came back up to the surface.

“Such a cheat!” George shook his head, water spraying in every direction. “I think I just swallowed the sea.”

“We’re still swimming in something.” Alex teased, moving out of reach. “Anyway, you look all James Bondy now.”

“James Bondy?”

“Yeah, when he’s coming out of the sea, and all the girls went crazy for it.”

“You think I look like James Bond?” George looked surprised, vulnerable almost. Alex nodded, swimming closer again.

“You’ve got the dark hair, the nice accent -”

“It’s the same accent as yours!”

“ - the nice accent, not to mention the body…” Alex trailed off, shrugging helplessly. “What else can I say?”

“Nothing.” George murmured, and then he was leaning in, there was a hand on the back of his neck, his brain short circuiting. It’s not that he’d never imagined - daydreamed, dreamt -  what this would be like, George kissing him. It was just his brain couldn’t understand what was happening, it was too much information to take in, so much to process in just a few seconds. George liked him? George was kissing him?

Woah.

George was pulling back - no, too soon - looking mortified. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Just… pretend this never happened.”

“No!” Alex yelped, holding on as tightly as he dared, in case George swam away and he’d never see him again. Not that that would happen, of course, they would see each other again. But the swimming away was still an option. “Don’t go.”

“Alex, you don’t have to be nice for my benefit.” George gave a weak smile, avoiding his gaze. “You obviously didn’t want it. Me. The kiss.”

“I did! I was just overwhelmed.” Alex took a deep breath, trying not to blush. “Can we try that again, maybe?”

“Really?” George looked sceptical. “Cause if you’re just trying to be nice -”

“I’m really, really not.” Alex assured him. “Please?”

George looked at him for a few seconds, before leaning in again. Alex melted a little bit, letting George hold him close, feeling him make a low, hungry noise in his chest. They parted, breathing hard, and Alex rested his forehead against George’s.

“I think I might like a private celebration more?”

George’s answering smile was enough of an answer, and just a little bit of him hoped that this smile was just all for him.

As always, crossposted to my AO3 (Charante_Leclerc), and prompts are always open(though I currently have a fairly hefty list - I promise I'm getting through them!) Enjoy! ❤️