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So, uh. Looks like i'm going to Spielberg???????

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reminder that whilst yet another premiere of the F1 movie hits the world with its misogynistic representation, today June 23rd we celebrate the International Women in Engineering Day🤍

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Real talk: what the hell was the dress code for the f1 movie premiere??

Like, Estie's in an evening suit with bow tie, Charles in beige looks like he's bound for a corporate event in 2003, Ollie's in a freaking polo shirt, Carlos has a t-shirt under his blazer like it's a wine tasting, and i am. Completely lost

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10: Reflections on the Canadian GP

For a pretty nothing burger of a race, i certainly have a lot of feelings about this one. I mean, i usually have a lot of feelings, but everything was heightened in a way that feels out of the ordinary. Lots of thoughts ahead, so let's get into this ❤️💙

pre-race

As i anticipated, there was a lot of tedious rhetoric online around Max, but god ficking grief, i was not prepared for a ferrari disaster class on how not to handle turmoil. Someone please free my boys, what are we even doing here?? I promise i don't go looking for bad faith takes or deliberately hateful comments against anyone on the grid, i just occasionally watch an F1 youtube vid here and there! I don't even click on the inflammatory ones, and yet, weirdos online can't keep Max's name out of their mouths under vids about, i don't know, Lance Stroll's weird pre-race behavior. Okay, yeah, i was asking for it a little bit when i watched a vid about how Lewis isn't washed yet, but really, it does feel a little bit telling that some folks can't prop up LH without undermining and shitting on Charles. He's one of the goats of this sport, so color me baffled that these fans can't seem to find a way to defend him without shitting all over other drivers. Just seems wrong, you know?

So, yeah, i was going into this race with a real desire to see both Max and Charles show their talent and skill, show their aptitude for genuinely incredible driving. That didn't not happen, but well. I'm assuming you watched the thing.

the good stuff

Max kept everything really clean (despite, but we'll get there), and that did my heart a lot of good. He's genuinely great at shutting down questions from journalists that he doesn't want to have and has the good sense to simply stay quiet and let a story die a natural death. If he won't feed the story, it's like taking all of the oxygen away from a fire. Brilliant, but honestly hard to do as a public figure. I was so hopeful that he'd pull ahead of George at some point, and he got so stinking close at times, but yeah, P2 after last week was a much better place to be. I know that locals with Max hate-boners are going to be shouting about Spain for the rest of the season, but i think Max publicly kind of killed that as a major story this weekend, thank freaking goodness.

Usually, this is where Charles would go, but my sweet boy is unfortunately relegated to 'the bad stuff.' God fucking damnit.

But! There are a few other good things; notably, Kimi!! At a certain point near the end of the race, as everything was fixing to look terribly boring again, i mentioned to R that i just hoped that Kimi could hold onto P3. And oh, lord, he did, by the blessing of Lando Stinking Norris! Thanks for your service, LN. Speaking of!

Crash time!! Okay, yes, i was fucking hollering when it happened, i kinda didn't think either of them had it in them to be interesting. No offense to Oscar or anything, but while his defense technique of just driving on without much thought about anyone else works and all, it's certainly not the most interesting thing to watch. Lando, though... Oh boy, i wonder how the British-pilled folks are planning on explaining his...everything. Like, his offensive moves were so weird and ineffective. When the replay was shown, it still boggles me that he thought he had room and pushed forward rather than pulling back and recovering for the next turn. But he made it a little interesting at the end, so thanks, bud.

the bad stuff

Ferrari strategy team, when i fucking find you. When i fucking find you. God, what the fuck was that? To just straight up pretend to go with Charles's strategy, then blindside him?? At this point, i think there's some directive from the top desperate to chase Charles off, because what else is this???? Even with the constant lico calls from Bryan, Charles was holding himself up well, pushing forward slow and steady, just for...nothing. He can pull incredible recovery drives, and this one was good, but i hate that his own team was why it wasn't a great recovery, a miracle recovery. Fuckkkkkkkkkkkk

After all of the ferrari drama before the race and the fucking insanely shitty way the team ignored Charles's strategy call, i honestly feel flabbergasted to the point of speechlessness. What is there to even say? I guess, the one thing for me is that i believe fully in Charles, but my faith in ferrari has withered away at this moment.

Now that i've covered ferrari's latest mess, it's time for the other enemies of mine, but with some very different feelings! Let's start with Lando.

I say this guy is my enemy, but i don't really mean it in the same way as i mean it with George. With Lando, i mostly just find his attitude off-putting and his driving deeply uninspiring. This is my impression and bear in mind that i'm new enough to not have much more than rudimentary understanding of the stats, but it really feels like he doesn't know how to win. Like, i think he really thinks it's all luck. His team tells him what to do, he's in a fast car, and that's the formula in his mind. But as that image has shattered a bit, his mentality has imploded on itself in such a way that's pitiful, really. That sounds condescending, but there's no other way to describe the profoundly unfun energy around him (and i mean the real energy, not the corporate garbo on their socials) and the way he seems almost too willing to be the chosen kicked dog of this grid. My joy at seeing McL fight, at seeing them being interesting, lasted only until it all sank in. I don't know if he's going to walk away from this season emotionally alright.

I think before this race, George was more a background enemy for me. Someone i never liked for petty reasons, but one i rarely thought about. Now, though? Yeah, i think this motherfucker might be promoted over wet-dog Lando. Genuinely, this man blows. His comments about Max have been more than shady enough, but the way he drove under the safety car? Yeah, no, what a loser. And an uncharismatic loser at that! My petty reasons for disliking him are only making this worse, honestly, because he sells himself as this prim little stand-up guy, yet turns around and acts like this. The fact that so many people buy his 'golly gee, aren't i just a dandy chap, pip pip cheerio!' act makes me roll my eyes so hard. It's all so transparently fake. And not even in a fun way! I get being a little bit fake as an athlete, you kinda have to be, but there's a difference between cultivating a public persona and being two-faced, you know?

...Well, that was longer than i intended. I did say i would explain why Lando and George were my enemies back in 01:reflection, so let's just say this was for continuity's sake!

the rest of it

...What rest of it? I kid, i joke, but i really can barely even remember much about what the midfield and backmarkers are up to. Well, Alex was having such shit luck, which isn't fun to watch. I was genuinely surprised that we didn't have any other crashes for how hectic some of those midfield fights were. And yet, sitting here now, i can't really remember who was fighting who. Whoops? I have to admit, i mostly just remember the ferrari horrors when i think back on this one.

fic updates

I finally found the motivation to write a little again! Fic C got most of my attention, but i feel like i had a bit of a breakthrough on planning out fic D. It's more complicated formatting-wise, so any progress is welcome for that one. Fics B and P are running on the backburner for now, but hey, i've never claimed to be good at multitasking.

fic B (16,376)

fic C (36,997)

fic D (0)

fic P (3,922)

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this team is a joke

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George they never make me like you! What a dickhead.

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My brilliant, intellectual sister in law, everyone 🥰🥰🥰

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AND THE SAFETY CAR WINS THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX!

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Working my superstitious lestappen ritual into my pride month mani worked out surprisingly well. Happy pride, my friends 💖🏳️‍🌈

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What gets me about Lestappen the most is this – in the end, they always choose each other. Sure, they're bound by whatever invisible string of fate, but they still choose each other when they don't have to. You don't have to be around someone just because of your history together. You don't have to be close to that person, or like them.

But they continue to seek each other out, and in a way, have actually grown to do so after keeping their distance and being mostly neutral about each other. They choose each other, and they look out for each other, and I feel like this season they've been more mature than ever about each other.

They always have each other's backs publicly, and it's the little things that show how far they've come; just how much they've matured even compared to a few years back. They know each other so well at this point that they pick up on the smallest things, and there's so much unspoken between them that only makes sense to them.

No one has ever forced them to be anything but rivals, friendly co-workers even, someone you know from your childhood. But in the end, no one gets racing like they do. They've shared memories, they are each other's shared memory. But they don't rely on that, because they've made the decision to grow up together, and be around whatever version they've become. They choose each other because of their flaws, not because it's the easiest relationship to have. And that, I think, is what makes it easy for them.

That truly is what gets me the most about them.

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the ability of charles leclerc to support all of max's war crimes and not catching strays should be studied

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smb should go back in time and tell 13yo max that the boy whose guts he hates is actually his true ride or die now. yk just for fun

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Lestappen wheel to wheel action, but it’s 2011 and they’re in go-karts.

Featuring: a Max & Charles front row, a double-overtake on Esteban Ocon, and Charles being a track terror. Max is 214 with the white helmet and Charles is 267 with the orange one.

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my fav genre of pics

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a plethora of thinkpieces about emotion being the biggest weakness in this sport. personally, i want them to want it so much it makes them look stupid. what's the point if it's not screaming on the radio when crossing the finish line, crying under the helmet during the in-lap, bowing down by the side of the car after winning it all, helmet on wheel, doubling over on top of the car cause your stomach is in knots, jumping into your team's arms over the barrier and crying into your father's shoulder cause you did it?