#i think the fact that people thought mclaren was evil for doing what they did was so stupid

[mcl38]

still in utter bafflement that people thought as piasco was unfolding that oscar’s decision to go mclaren, a team that was on the upward trajectory ever since 2018, over renault works team, a known disaster class since pre-historic times, was a dumb move. wym?? people at that time did not have all the info about how alpine absolutely fumbled 2 contracts, on top of otmar controlling the narrative, throwing around words like “loyalty”, it would have still been a better decision, because it gave oscar the opportunity to prove himself against a highly rated driver like lando, instead of pierre whose record is not perfect. hell, had everything that alpine lied about around oscar was correct, meaning that say he was ghosting them after promising to drive, it still was the correct decision 😭

hmm. im not actually sure if i agree w you, because i don't think the difference between renault and mclaren was actually that cut and dry. when daniel moved from renault to mclaren in 2020 ppl called it a sideways move, and for good reason. since id say 2019 at least, mclaren and renault had been in the upper midfield and in direct competition with each other. 2022, the year of the piasco, alpine beat mclaren in the wcc (mostly bc of daniel shitting the absolute bed, but still). the length of time since theyve been successful was kind of equivalent (renault's last wdc is 2006, mclaren's is 2008), and arguably renault hadnt recently had a period of such despairing backmarker incompetence as mclaren had circa 2017 (they're having it now tho, lol. oops). so to anyone looking alpine seemed like a reliable midfielder which had been floating around 5th place in the wcc since like 2017, while mclaren had had the epic highs and lows (of high school football) and was now looking as if it had clearly gotten the new regs all wrong.

THAT SAID. alpine is run by french people. so, you know, that's an important factor to consider

at the time, before learning abt the absolute legal / bureocratic incompetence that drove oscar away, i still objectively thought oscar had made a good choice – but thats bc im a big ol mclarenhead and also biased against alpine. i didn't trust the management of otmar szafnauer or the rest of alpine's higher-ups (rightfully so lol), and i knew enough about the things mclaren were saying to believe that we'd have a change in fortune long-term after the wind tunnel was finished. still like, when 2023 came along and mclaren were clearly backmarkers if not the slowest car on the grid, in retrospect i understand the ppl who made fun of oscar for turning down alpine's offer (and in such a dramatic fashion too, lol). im obviously laughing in all of their faces currently, but yk, i get it ig

also re: proving himself against lando, i think ur accidentally forgetting which frenchie was actually in the other alpine seat LMAO he wouldve gone against ocon, not gasly (i shudder to think of the gasly-to-mclaren alternate universe dear god). i rate ocon i think he's an alright driver but ig my question is more like, why would it be in the interest of a rookie to go against what couldve been a teammate-killer*? like look at alex - his reputation was hugely damaged when he went against max, then his stock HUGELY boosted when he was paired up with latifi and sargeant. north american loserboy pay drivers are necessary to the economy of the f1 paddock bc they make everyone going against them look sooooo good lmao. if anything oscar's reputation wouldve probably benefited more from going up against a race winner like ocon (or gasly if ur suggesting mclaren wouldve tried to get ocon instead, which wouldve been difficult but marginally more rewarding for them) (and less of a nightmare for me) who he couldve possibly actually convincingly beat.

all that considered like. fundamentally oscar DID make the right choice. and not just bc mclaren is a frontrunner big 3 now and alpine has barely gotten any points this year, bc f1 is a game of chance and u never know where any team will actually end up in next year's order. so even ignoring that, oscar made the right choice bc of what he himself has said time and time again - he enjoys and appreciates being wanted. alpine kept him in the attic like that dusty broken air mattress u only bring out when u've got one too many guests for the sleepover. meanwhile, mclaren broke daniel's contract and paid like 20mil partly just so they could secure oscar's seat before anyone else snatched him up. oscar had literally already signed the mcl contract before fernando announced his shock departure. he did not believe his alpine seat was secured or even available at all - there were talks of loaning him to williams or whatever and like out of everyone THATS a team that cant escape its reputation for perpetual floppage lmao. so fundamentally mclaren was in the right to try to secure his contract and oscar was in the right for trying to get out of being the understudy of an old man who doesnt ever seem to want to stop driving.

*i dont actually think lando is a teammate killer, even if he's obviously performing substantially better than oscar up until this point. i think hes unfortunately just a ricciardo-killer lol

[jedivszombie]

15, 16, 27, 32

JC! Thank you so much for these questions, I really enjoyed answering them and sort of wrote mini essays so it’s all going below the cut!

it’s hump day: let’s talk about F1 baybee

15. Is there a driver that you disliked in the beginning but now like?

Yes there is! I really disliked Sebastian Vettel back in the day but now I love him (as a quick look through my blog will tell you). Part of why I disliked Seb is being brought up watching F1 with British comms (who heard him being referred to as Baby Schumi and it triggered Martin’s inferiority complex). British commentary would have had you believe that at the age of 20 Seb was regularly eating Martin’s children or something.

I always thought he was talented as a driver but between Martin and DC being so far up M*rk’s arse and the inferiority complex, plus the way they would have you believe Red Bull were totally and completely in control of the 4 seasons they won made me really not like him. Interestingly, it wasn’t until about 2017/2018 and he started to make a few more mistakes at crucial points in the championship that I was like ‘wait I like you’ so I dunno what that says about me.  

16. Is there a driver who made you drastically change your opinion of him?

Yes! There are like three drivers: Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. I used to like Kimi (I thought he was funny and a decent driver) - still think he was a good driver but no longer like his whole Thing™️, and I say was a good driver because I don’t quite think he’s got the pace he used to.

I didn’t used to like Lewis (as a personality) even though I thought he was a very good driver but he has done a lot of growing and learning over the past 5 years or so and seems to be more comfy in himself so you love to see it - will also be blaming the British media and commentators for making me dislike him when I was growing up.

Fernando, Fernando, Fernando. We have a very complicated relationship. I loved him when he started in F1, cried when he won his championships, I have a Fernando t-shirt from back in the day when I was a kid. I wanted to loathe him when Spygate and Crashgate happened but still loved him (less so for Crashgate though). Ferrari Fernando happened and we were still on good terms and then I just did not love the McHonda of it all and didn’t love his attitude or comments (and I still don’t from that era). BUT now he’s like a mellow vibed out Fernando (like he still has his personality but there’s obvious growth there) and he’s gone away and learned about teamwork in WEC and he was always a great driver but I feel like he has shown he has grown up a little bit, or has become more realistic about how things happen (without losing his fight or competitiveness which we all love about him).

27. Do you have a favourite team? Which one and why?

Like most other things I have a hard time just picking one so I have three fave teams! Here is where I out myself as a tifosi because Ferrari is my favourite team. My earliest F1 memories are of Ferrari Schumi winning and Ferrari have forever been hardwired into my brain as the Sexy Evil Ones and I love them so dearly. Oh how they make me suffer so for loving them so dearly. I hate them, I love them and I hate them again. I am the President of the Ferrari Suffering Squad and I wear the biggest clown crown. I just love these messy bitches.

Second up is Renault (yes they are now Alpine, no I do not care to name them as such). As you can see from my answer above I am clearly insane and I love a messy team. My Renault love comes from Fernando and I just never lost my love for them, especially when Robert went to drive for them and then they were Lotus and Rogro kicked ass for them and then they became Renault again and Cyril happened. Also they have Alain and they were yellow and black and very sexy and I just really love them. This is really incoherent but I just really love pain I think.

My third fave team is Sauber! They are a very funky little team, my Swiss Grandpa Peter Sauber is truly a very groovy dude and the fact that his team still exists in F1 is incredible. They have helped launch the career of like so many talented people and so many faves. They are also the first team to have a female CEO and then TP in F1, which is pretty damn groovy to me. I am in the middle of doing a project about my fave little midfield team who could, so watch this space.

32. Which one is your favourite team principle and why?

I really rate both Andreas Seidl and Toto Wolff as Team Principals. Andreas is very focused and determined and has a really good relationship and way with the drivers - it’s very clear that the whole team feels very comfortable and confident in a way we haven’t seen for a very long time (not comfortable in a complacent way but it seems less like there is a constant internal war at McLaren than we have previously seen and the new management structure has played a big part in that in my opinion).

Toto is the most successful Team Principal on the grid and it has been really interesting to watch Mercedes grow into the team it is today and watch Toto and his crew take the good foundations that Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug, Schumi and Nico laid and develop it into the dominating Mercedes we have today. Toto and Niki Lauda as a duo truly killed the game in terms of playing the F1 game in all aspects and it’s really interesting to see the way Toto’s relationship with his drivers have developed. It’s also really interesting to hear how Toto himself has developed over the years (I highly recommend listening to this episode of Nico’s podcast).

[damndaehyung]

the big moments

himym au part 1 included: daniel,tara,mark, tyler, m, jane, minah, sungjae mentioned : oliver, ella, milo, astrid, minjae

2033

To the surprise of many Daniel Choi was a punctual guy, if he was given at least 3 hours notice he would arrive with time to spare. Right now all he could think as he walked into McLaren’s pub, a place that housed some of his fondest memories, was he wished he came late or better yet didn’t come at all because the only two people currently sat at the gang’s booth was Tara Lee and her husband Mark. He briefly contemplated turning around and sprinting down the busy New York street but stopped when Mark called out his name waving him over.

Damn it, Yang.

Swallowing his fear and admittedly his pride he walked over to the booth. It was one thing to deal with Tara and Mark, the disgustingly in love couple with their evil adorable daughter. The poster children for long-distance couples who managed to make it work, Tara a New York-based novelist, her popular young adult series was still in the New York’s Best Seller list despite been released 5 years ago and Mark, a kpop superstar turned music juggernaut, somehow despite their various engagements and time spent apart they couple never wavered. Unlike Daniel’s own marriage which fell apart at the first sign of distance - something, he isn’t bitter about at all, thank you very much.

The worst thing about being stuck with Tara and Mark was that he was stuck with his ex-sister-in-law and her husband who put in any awkward situations turned into a blubbering mess who spilled more words than a dictionary. At this point, Daniel would rather be stuck with his ex-husband then deal with Tara’s knowing eyes and Mark’s idle chit chat.

“A rare Choi spotting in New York? Quick Tara go buy a lotto ticket miracles are happening,” Mark joked as he slid into the seat across from them.

“Rare? His faces on buses Mark,” Tara said with a playful eye roll.

“But a live Daniel Choi in the wilderness? How much did Sungjae pay you to show up?” Mark continued the joke as Daniel waved at the bartender signalling for his usual, Lou who apparently was ageless and still worked here nodded.

“Don’t worry about it Mark you’d never be able to afford me,” Daniel laughed. “But on a serious note where is everyone? Is my watch way too fast or something?” He said looking at his watch with a frown. He was pretty sure it was set correctly and the text said McLaren’s at quarter to two, it was currently twenty to two.

“Interesting choice of wrist attire,” Tara commented. Daniel flushed, the watch was a birthday gift from Tyler of course. If anyone asked he’d feign naivety claiming he just put it on but the truth was he almost always wore it. “And I can’t speak on everyone but Ty’s dropping Oli off at our mothers,” Tara said.

Normally the mere mention of his former mother in law would make Daniel grimace but Tara had said the magic word. Oli. Despite being his ex-husband’s love child with some random woman he did not remember the name of Oliver Lee was a perfect baby who somehow managed to carve out his own space in Daniel’s heart.

  “It’s a shame we are meeting here,” Daniel said just as Lou decided to bring his drink over, slamming the glass down with a glare. “BECAUSE CHILDREN AREN'T ALLOWED IN HERE GEEZ!” he yelled out trying to make sure at least his favourite bartender didn’t hate him.

“Do my eyes deceive me or is the same guy who said Milo looked like a shrivelled up prune when he was born now upset about a four-year-old not being here?” Mark said, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were strictly anti-children,” he teased.

“I am not anti-children, I am not a monster -” Daniel huffed. “I just not particularly child-orientated and don’t bring that up again, Jane, wouldn’t talk to me for a month and when she did talk to me, the things she said,” Daniel paused to shudder. “I couldn’t sleep for months Yang, months!”

“Yeah, most people don’t like it when you insult their children, weird huh?” Tara laughed. “But no Oli won’t be joining us,” Tara said tilting her head. “You know it’s odd how the only time we see you is when it’s related to Oliver, you never came to any of Ella’s birthday parties? Are we all not friends?” Tara asked, taking a sip out of her wine.

Daniel bit his tongue, Daniel wouldn’t know if he would classify them all as friends, not anymore, after the divorce Daniel pretty much removed himself from the group and in Tara’s case after Tyler and himself announced that they were getting divorced Tara, the protective sister, didn’t hold back on what she thought of Daniel. “Ella’s birthday just happens to fall in a busy month,” he said shrugging. “Plus she has so many aunts and uncles my presence is hardly necessary.”

“I’d believe you if you actually showed up for Milo’s or Charlie’s or Astrid’s or Minjae’s -” Mark listed as Tara nodded victoriously beside him. God, he hated loved couples who were always on the same side. “I am beginning to think you might be playing favourites.”

“I have favourites? Never,” Daniel said with an eye roll. “Anyway, what have you two been up to? You know apart from picking on me,” he said.

“But it’s our favourite habit next to picking on Tyler,” Mark said with a laugh. “But Nah I’ve just been working on some new music, this one and her mini-me,” he bumping Tara lightly, “are trying to get me to write a children’s book but i am pretty sure there is only one novelist in this family,” he grinned.

“And I keep telling him that he is being silly,” Tara said with her own eye roll. “I am working on a new novel, i am trying my hand at a crime novel… my google searches have never looked more questionable,” she laughed.

“Don’t worry i am sure it still looks more normal than Tyler’s,” Daniel joked before realizing what he had just said. “I mean -” he trailed, it had just come so natural to him that he forgot he wasn’t supposed to say things like that anymore.

“Maybe in the old days but i am pretty sure his searches are related to how to raise Oli, that suits and Gucci, he has got boring in his old age,” Tara said with an eye roll. “Speaking of the old man,” she said nodding to the entry where Tyler and Jane and M were walking in.

“You were talking about me, I can tell,” Tyler said as they came over to the booth squeezing into the booth next to her. Tara grinned at him, zipping her lips. Tyler glared at her before he turned his attention to Mark. “Yang,” he said nodding before turning to Daniel. “Oh hey Daniel,” he said awkwardly, “I didn’t know you were coming,” he said smoothing out his suit. “How have you been?” he asked.

Daniel opened his mouth to open but was stopped by Jane. “No no we are not just glossing over the fact Daniel showed up,” she said as she slid into the booth beside him, “Squeeze over,” she said poking his side, Daniel sighed moving so he was effectively right up against the wall so M could get into the booth.

“Tara and Mark have gone over that in great detail,” Daniel said. “So maybe we could -”

“Oh hell no,” Jane scoffed. “Mark and Tara might have had their fun but we still have at least five shots to take at you before we can move on,” she said. “What do you think Supreme Fudge?” she asked, nudging M who stroked his chin.

“Hmm well considering he missed our anniversary dinner five seems fair,” he said. Daniel took another long sip of his drink. Showing up to group hangouts were not really for Daniel anymore, all of them were happy and living their best lives, they had their dream jobs, 6 out of the 7 were happily married and all of them had children, single childless Daniel didn’t really fit in anymore

“You might as well wait for Sungjae and Minah to show up so you can all get it over with together,” Daniel spoke. “Speaking of which does anyone know what this is about? Minah’s not pregnant again surely? They just had Minjae -”

“He is two,” M pointed out.

“And no i don’t think so, Minah would have told me by now,” Jane said.

“Maybe they are moving?” Tara suggested.

“Away from New York? After they just enrolled Astrid and Minjae into Constance’s and St Jude’s respectively - i don’t think so,” Tyler said. “Do you know how hard it is, luckily i am a legacy so Oli just gets in like that,” he said with a click.

“You don’t think they are…. You know getting the D word?” M all but whispered.

“Death?” Daniel said, frowning. “I am somehow don’t think they would be planning -”

“He meant divorce,” Mark said. ‘And i doubt it -”

“We could always just ask Minah who is here by herself,” Jane started her voice dropping when she spotted her best friend on her own. The other’s all shared a look as well. Daniel knew Sungjae and Minah were a happily married couple but surely here showing up on her own wasn’t a big deal, maybe she had gone shopping or he was with their children?

“You are all here,” Minah said surprised. “Good, that’s great, really great, great,” she said, nodding sound like she was trying to convince herself.

“Say it one more time and we might believe you,” Tara joked. It was an inside the group shared but Minah just smiled weakly as she dragged a chair over. “Okay,” Tara said uncomfortably. “ is everything -” she started to say as Minah shook her head.

“Please just let me speak,” Minah said, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply before exhaling. “Okay in about 5 minutes Sungjae will be here so when he gets here I would appreciate it if you could all pretend we haven’t already had this conversation -” she said. No one said anything but M did make a noise of protest. “RIght where to start?” she asked herself. “Well recently I’ve been feeling unwell -”

“Oh my god, you are pregnant?” Tyler said. “How did Daniel of all pick it? No offence just -”

“No, i am not pregnant,” Minah cut him off, “I really wish i was or i could be again but no I am just sick,” she said her voice cracking as she spoke. It was like that one statement had just sucked the life out of the room. Everyone stared at Minah waiting for her to continue, beside him Jane was shaking her head muttering no.

“It’s just a flu right Minah,” Jane asked, Daniel had to applaud her dedication to ignoring reality. Minah silence was a loud enough answer for Jane to start sobbing, M pulled her close as Daniel patted her back lightly.

“How bad - “ Mark started to ask but stopped when Minah shook her head.

“And you can’t fight it?” Tyler asked. “Between us all, we can find the best doctors in New York”

“In the world,” Tara added.

“Guys -” She started to speak.

“It’s too late,” Daniel finished for her. Minah looked at him perhaps surprised he guessed it.

“No, it’s not,” Jane snapped. “You and Tyler might be fine with giving up on things when it gets rough but Minah is going to -” she started before looking at Minah who was looking at her sadly. “I can’t be here right now - I need to,” she said standing up pushing past M and running into the women’s bathroom.

“I should -” Tara said, getting up to follow her.

“No let her be,” M said looking at the bathroom door frowning. “I think she just needs to -” he stopped because he didn’t really know what to say. What could you say when someone just found out her best friend was dying.

“Why are we here Minah?” Tara asked as she sat back down. “And why isn’t Sungjae here? Please tell me he knows you can’t keep this from him,” Tara said.

“He knows, “ Minah said. “I know we have our moments when it comes to communication but i would never keep something like this from him,” she said. “I called you here because I want you to promise me to look after them, Astrid, Minjae and especially Sungjae - he is going to need you more than ever,” she said.

“You don’t need us to promise that,” M said. “We would have done it regardless,” he said to Minah reaching out and grabbing her hand. “We will be here for both of you, whatever you need,” he said. A chorus of yeahs,i agrees and of course followed. Daniel nodded but said nothing, he wasn’t sure what help he could offer here, M and Jane were the best friends, Tara and Mark were the reliable ones, hell even Tyler could contribute more but Daniel was an ex-boyfriend of her husband and a person who never really spent time with her.

“So I take it you told them,” Sungjae said as he walked over. Nobody had realized he had even shown up. Minah nodded standing up and getting pulled into a hug. Soon everyone else was up pulling each other into hugs and giving words of assurance to the couple, even Jane had returned face blotchy and eyes red. Daniel stood awkwardly to the side of the group wishing he could go back in time and stop himself from coming. He promised he’d be here for the big things but he wasn’t ready for that.