#q3 for a red bull? yeah that's expected

[nerdyfangirlingbooks]

Q3 for Albono, what a day to be a Williams fan 😍😍

[f1haaland]

Hey babes, can I ask for something fluffy with a little angst perhaps with fernando? I loved your Instagram au with him 😩

𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 / 𝑭𝑨𝟏𝟒

pairing: fernando alonso x verstappen!reader

summary: fighting for the drivers championship has been the most challenging thing to ever happen in your career, especially when your #1 enemy is your own brother. fortunately, fernando is there to lend you a helping hand.

author's note: this got longer than I expected.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: teammate!reader, friends to lovers, mentions of cars crashing, family issues, slight daddy issues (no mention to j*s), max being a dick, google translated dutch, suggestive description but no actual sexual stuff, significant age gap (reader is 28, fernando is 41), probably more warnings but I don't know what else to put here.

reblogs, feedbacks and likes are appreciated. support your content creators!! 🫶🏽

➜ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝟏 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

· ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ༓  ༓ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ·

Media used to say you and your brother got your passion for racing from your parents. The fans used to say you got the beauty from your mother, and Max got the anger issues from your father. That could be true, but you inherited the anger issues as well.

Even though you were older than him, Max always came first. He got into karting before you, he got into Formula before you, and he became world champion before you. Male privilege, perhaps? Yeah, but when you are born female and you were raised to be a racing driver, you need to be better than every male on the grid. Even if that means competing against your own family.

And Max never had a problem with that. He crushed you every chance he had. Every track you both raced on, from karting to Formula 1, you'd see him in your rearview mirror, and then in front of you, finishing first. Until he wasn't there anymore, and would leave the champion title for you to take.

Two years after he made it to Red Bull from Toro Rosso, you finally got to Formula 1. In your rookie year, at Renault, you made your first friend on the grid. You and Daniel had excellent chemistry, and he gave you such help that you never got from Max. That was until he signed to McLaren and left you all alone.

Not long after, you signed with Williams, and beside Alex, you made great results. You scored great points, but you still wanted the podium. You wanted to stand there and raise a trophy. You wanted a taste of the glory.

And two years later, you drove alongside Sebastian Vettel, when you signed to Aston Martin. After Mercedes' fall from grace, it was a really good year for your team. You finally got your first podium. And you tasted it, the glory. You stood there and raised the trophy. That's when you got greedy and wanted more.

Things only seemed to get better when Sebastian announced his retirement, and Fernando Alonso became your new teammate. The team got you a new car even better than last year's. Your trophy collection became bigger after every race. And you were finally, after so many years, racing against your brother for the drivers championship.

Fernando was the best teammate you could have asked for. He was not only a good friend but an emotional support as well. He helped you through your anger crisis and often would take you to ease your head away from the tracks.

Even though he was competing against you too, it never seemed like it. He often said he already had his wins, and he was there to help you have yours. Fernando was racing because he loved to do so, great results were just the consequences of being a fantastic driver.

You were two points behind Max, and knowing that a single little mistake could cost you the championship, it wasn't needed much to trigger your anger issues.

After staying out of Q3 because you crashed into your brother's car, you left your car and tossed your helmet on the floor. You groaned loudly, processing what had happened;

Max crashed into me.

In the middle of a corner, Max crashed into me.

On. Fucking. Purpose.

When you started walking away from your garage and going straight to Red Bull's, Fernando, who had dnfed after engine problems, came towards you.

"Y/n!" He tried to call your attention, as the cameras started to follow you, "Y/n don't do this!"

"Hey, klootzak!" You shouted out loud as you reached the Red Bull garage and your eyes met Max's. (Hey, asshole!)

As the cameras — and Fernando — came right behind you, every eye on the pits was on you. Your teammate held you by the waist, stopping your movements.

"Y/n, don't do this. You're going to get penalized. Please..." He muttered into your ear, making you shiver.

You stared at Fernando as he frowned, silently begging for you to stop. You wanted to listen to him so badly... but then you remembered why you were there.

The championship. The crash. Max.

Your gaze became darker as you turned to your brother, "He should be the one to get penalized!" you yelled.

Switching to dutch, you spat, giving more steps towards him, "Je deed het expres, nietwaar, Max? Verdomde klootzak!" (You did it on purpose, didn't you, Max? Fucking bastard!)

Max tilted his head to the side, smirking. You clenched your fist, ready to do something you would regret.

"Waarom geef je mij de schuld? Leer autorijden, idioot." Max teased, looking down at you being face-to-face with him. (Why are you blaming me? Learn to drive, idiot.)

You pushed him as hard as you could, neverminding the cameras shoved on your face. Max fell onto the ground.

Fernando held tight to your waist this time, as Christian and Daniel got in between you and your brother.

Hours after your meltdown, you received the news of your penalty; Tomorrow, you would be starting off from the pits, while Max would be starting at the back place of the grid.

"Starting off the pits is so much worse than P19. That's unfair." You mumbled, still pissed off with everything that happened.

Fernando snorted. Fortunately, he was there to help you ease your mind. You both were at your place in São Paulo, waiting for your Chinese takeout while pretending to watch a tv show.

You scrolled through your Twitter page, reading the fans reactions to your meltdown. Max had his moments before, but this was your first time getting caught on camera during one of your anger episodes.

And most of the things you read online didn't help with the situation. Weird men were calling you hysterical, some people were excited to see how good this would look on Drive to Survive, and some fans were... shipping you with Fernando?

You frowned, deciding to watch one of many videos where you attacked your brother. From different angles, you saw the way Fernando held onto your waist. Unintentionally, you remembered how he begged, so close to your ear, for you to stop. How it sent shivers down your spine.

And just now, you noticed how close you were to him in your personal life. It has been such a crazy year for you, you never realized you and Fernando were more than a just friendship. He was by your side at every single moment. He often took you out to dinner, you would invite each other to your houses in Monaco. Sometimes he would take you to his place in Spain.

And you listen to him. Most of the time at least, you thought. But the thing is, you usually don't listen to anyone but yourself. No one is right but you. You don't have anyone to trust but you. But that's not true, as he's there proving you wrong. You just never realized, until now.

"Nando, I–" You started, but the sound of your doorbell got in your way.

"It's our food. Let me get it." He patted your thigh, before standing up to answer the door.

After your realization, even his touch felt different. Your whole perspective of him changed. You liked it. It felt different, but also it felt normal, like it was simply meant to be. Like the things you did with each other, the things you shared, things that mostly only couples used to do, it fitted your relationship — if you could call it that way.

You both ate your noodles and watched the tv show, quietly. Your head lay comfortably in his lap as Fernando's fingertips danced around your scalp. You sighed, comfortable in the position you found yourself in. It felt too domestic. You could close your eyes and sleep right there, because you trusted him enough to do so. You trusted him more than anyone.

"What is this?" You asked.

"What is what, cariño?" Fernando murmured, still caressing your head but focused on the tv.

You lifted your upper body from his embrace and sat by his side.

"This." You gestured towards him and yourself, "Us. This is not normal, Fernando. It feels like we're a couple, without the whole things that make a couple... a couple."

"It... does, doesn't it? I came to that realization a while ago." he confessed, "Turns out I like what we have. I never said anything because I didn't want it to end. I thought it would bother you."

"It doesn't. I like what we have. Fuck, I love what we have! I love the way you come to my place, mostly unannounced, and eat all the stroopwafels my mum sends to me. I love the way you invite me to Spain every free week we're not racing. I love the way you listen to me and help me understand my anger, and work through it. I love that I know I wouldn't win half the races I did this season without your help." You blurted out so fast you didn't quite process your own words.

"Fuck, I love this. I love what we have. I love having you around. Fernando, I–"

"I love you." he said, finishing your sentence, "I truly do. I can't describe my feelings the way you did but just know I feel the very same for you."

You smiled, stunned. Your breath echoed to your ear, competing with your heartbeat to see which is the loudest.

You raised your hand to meet his face, where your digits laid gently on his skin. Fernando's eyes closed to your comforting touch. You got closer until his warm breath reached you. His soft lips brushed against yours.

"I love you." You whispered, before losing yourself in his arms and his touch.

The following morning, you woke up alone. You were used to that feeling, but that was you before Fernando. Now, there was you after him. You felt brand new.

So you didn't hide your disappointment when you reached for the side of the bed where he was supposed to be, and found it to be empty. Not only it was cold, but he made it before he left your room. To your surprise, when you got out of bed, you noticed his shirt was still on your floor from last night. You didn't hold back a large smile.

That it quickly disappeared the moment you remembered what day it was: Sunday.

You grabbed your phone to look at the time. You still had a few hours before heading to Interlagos.

You left your room, and as you were walking downstairs, you could hear soft humming and music echoing through the house. The scent of fresh coffee didn't go unnoticed by you.

When you reached the kitchen, you found a shirtless Fernando, scrambling eggs in a pan, and singing to a spanish song. A huge smile emerged in his features when he noticed your presence.

"Buenos días, corazón" He pecked your lips when you got closer.

"Goedemorgen, schat..." You grinned, hugging his waist from behind.

"Go sit. I'm making us something to eat before we hit the paddock." Fernando pecked you one more time before you went to sit by the kitchen island.

"Ah, yes, the race..." you rolled your eyes, "Can't wait to start from the pits."

"It's not so bad... I've won a race where I started from the back of the grid..." He shrugged.

"Really? Singapore 2008? If you want to go there, I have a lot of things to say about that race" You cocked a challenging eyebrow.

The spaniard snickered, "Yeah, I know. What I'm trying to say is that it's possible."

"You were the only person to do so, Fernando. It's not possible. And for you, it's easy to say that. You're on pole!" You chuckled.

"We have a great car, you're an awesome driver, and it looks like it's not going to rain today. Maybe the odds are on your side." He tried to cheer you up.

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes in disbelief, "Yeah, with Max having such an advantage, there's not much to believe in the odds." you smiled, and grabbed his hand across the island table, "But I appreciate your confidence in me. I know you're not a very optimistic person. It's really cute..."

"Eat your eggs, Y/n. You'll need extra energy for today." He dismissed the subject when you mentioned his softness.

The paddock wasn't a huge place. So when gossip flew around and the people talked, eventually it would reach to you one way or another. And you couldn't care less about it. It didn't stop you from driving Fernando to the track on your convertible Aston Martin, even if the photographers caught the moment you left the parking lot with him. It didn't stop Fernando from reaching out for your hand and hold it in front of everyone while you walked down the paddock together, even if the Netflix cameras were there. Different journalists from all around the world were talking about you in their language. No one was talking about yesterday's crash or your angry meltdown. Just you and Fernando.

Fortunately, no one had asked. Yet. You were preparing yourself for the race, and no one was allowed to take your focus away from it.

You were watching the pre-race program from the garage. Unsurprisingly, your father was at the race to prestige Max. Well, that's not true. He was there for the prestige of having a world-champion son, but not to prestige him.

He never came to your garage. Not once.

You and Fernando parted ways to prepare for the race. You didn't see him again until it was time for him to go to his car, and you stayed at the pits, where you'd be starting.

When the lights when out and the starting grid became a mess as the cars tried to overtake one another, Max overtook three cars in front of him, taking place at P16. Fernando started amazing on pole, leading the race, with only Checo and one of the Ferrari's close behind him.

As the laps went by, you overtook car by car, climbing your way to the points. At lap 34, you overtook both Mercedes in an incredible move.

Fernando was still leading the race, Max was P4, and you had just reached the sixth position. As if a miracle could've happened, the Ferrari in front of you started to slow down. One of its tires had exploded. You recognized the driver's helmet, and couldn't help to feel kinda bad for Charles.

The cars behind you were 20 seconds away, so you made use of that advantage and pitted for new tires.

Max's position was ahead of you, but he was still far away. He watched as Checo and Carlos, who were currently P2 and P3, fight for position. Unfortunately, in a tight corner, they crashed each other. It was nothing serious, so the physical safety car came in, and everyone went to the boxes to get new tires. Except for you, who had just got new ones.

Unintentionally, you became P1.

When the safety car left the track, Fernando and Max were behind you, respectively.

There were two more laps to go, and you could feel your sweaty hands squeezing tight on the steering wheel as the nervousness started to rise in your chest. You tried not to focus on what was happening behind you, and pay attention to the way ahead. Fernando tried his hardest to keep Max behind him until he couldn't hold it anymore. Max overtook him on the last lap, where he was only 1 second behind you.

You wouldn't let him take the win away from you. Not anymore.

And then it happened.

"Y/n Verstappen, you are the champion of the world!" Your engineer yelled.

And you couldn't believe your ears.

You. World champion.

You became a world champion.

You parked your car on the 1th place marked spot, but you didn't get out. You couldn't. You tried to process everything that happened, the climbing, the moves, the safety car, the checkered flag... it felt surreal.

Someone pulled you out of the car, bringing you back to reality. You didn't have to look at the green suit, same as yours, to realize who it was. Fernando's presence always reached out to you before the sight of him.

He hugged you, as tight as he could, lifting you from the ground and swaying. His voice was muffled by his helmet, but you didn't have to know what he was saying, you just felt it. You felt loved.

He placed you on the ground and you took off your helmet, as he did the same. You glanced at each other and you saw the pride in his brown orbits. You smiled, sobbing with the feeling of happiness. He took you in his arms once again, and kissed you, deeply and lovingly in front of everyone to see.

Your intimate moment was interrupted once the cameras and the journalists reached you.

"Y/n! Congratulations on winning the championship!" The reporter exclaimed, "How does it feel to be world champion?"

You chuckled, still being held on the waist by Fernando.

"It feels fucking fantastic! I couldn't have done this without our amazing team." You smiled, biting your lip to stare at Fernando, "And my boyfriend, who has been looking out for me ever since the start of this season. He has been not only my teammate, but also my therapist, my cook, and my best friend. He is everything I needed. Thank you, Fernando..." You kissed him one more time in front of the cameras.

[loveforlandonorris]

🎤 Lando at the Drivers' Press Conference before the Chinese GP:

(The video is from F1Fever on YouTube)

Transcript:

Interviewer: And Lando, what about your expectations coming into the weekend?

Lando: Probably not as high as Suzuka. I think that's our opinion. But still in a good position. I think we've been happy with how the season started. I think we're in a good qualifying battle with Aston, Mercedes, it’s very close and even last weekend ahead of Ferrari, but I think the order is still clear.

And I think in the racing we've done a good job. Not as good as Red Bull but and Ferrari, but I'm a head of Aston and Mercedes. So I think we're in a good spot. This wasn't a great circuit for us in 2019 but many things have changed since then. So I'm so optimistic we can have a good weekend.

Interviewer: What is it about this layout that gives you less confidence?

Lando: The long corners. Just, like, Turn 1. Yeah, this type of corner is just not good for us. Similar to, say, Zandvoort, that kind of experience for us. So yeah, we've got some things to try. And we're constantly trying to improve these areas. But it's an area we know is one of our biggest weaknesses, and maybe we kind of get away with it in qualifying but especially into the race becomes a bigger problem for us.

Interviewer: There were some race day frustrations for you in Japan, but afterwards, your boss Andrea Stella, said that the team can win this year. How quickly do you think you can do that?

Lando: Not anytime soon, that's for sure. I think we can. Right place, right time, if we improve the car how we need to. Honestly, there weren't too many frustrations with Suzuka. I think everything went pretty much as expected. I don't think we did a perfect job and I think we probably should have finished one place higher up, potentially. But I don't think it was far off. We've been the same place all season. We've been behind Red Bull, we've been behind Ferrari and we've been a bit of a step ahead of the other two teams come the race. And that's exactly how last weekend went.

So I don't think there's too many frustrations. But we know the issues, we know what we have to improve. And if we can improve them. I think Andrea is right. I think we can win races this year. And we can be competitive with these other two teams ahead of us. But that's an if. And you know, we have to work hard to improve the car in some of these certain areas, which have been a big challenge for us over the last many years, not just for years, but last many years. But if we can, then I'm confident we can have some good races.

Journalist Questions:

Q1 (Ian Parkes – New York Times):. I don't know if any of you drivers have had an opportunity to inspect the track as yet. But Charles mentioned it earlier, and a couple of other drivers have mentioned it in their media sessions earlier today, that the track has been painted. What does that means pecifically? Do you know? Does it cause any concerns? What issues are you expecting from such a track?

Lando: I have no idea. So I think we have to wait and see honestly, I think that's something new, something we don't think we've seen before, so hard to predict exactly what's going to happen. So I honestly have no idea. So I'll see you tomorrow.

Q2 (Michael Butterworth – Xinhua News Agency) To all the drivers briefly. It's been a while since we've been to the Shanghai circuit. Just keen to hear your thoughts on it. And any particular features that make it especially challenging or memorable for you?

Lando: I always raced here once, but I didn't finish the race. So not the best memories. But yeah, it was still in my first season. So everything was new back then. But it's always been a cool track to drive. Definitely was not my back then. But excited to give it another crack and see what we can do this weekend.

Q3 (Henry Clark – Daily Mail) I was wondering, obviously a lot of tracks that we come to, it's only been a year or so since you've last been here. But for everyone here there has been no race for at least five years. I was wondering what are the unique challenges that brings? Does that make this weekend particularly exciting? Or are there extra worries that come with that?

Lando: I guess just excited. Always excited for every weekend, but especially when you haven't been to a place for a while. For me, I didn't get a proper experience of it back in 2019. So things have changed. I'm a very different driver to what I was back then.

So I'm excited to see what it brings and how the whole weekend pans out I think anyway being a Sprint race and having two opportunities to try and nail the set-up for the first quali and then the set-up for the second quali. I think also there is plenty of opportunity. So I don't think it’s not going to be exciting for anyone. I think there's a lot of opportunities on the table, there's a lot of things that can go wrong at the same time, so excited for all of it.

Q4 (Henry Clark – Daily Mail) With all due respect to some of the more senior drivers, a question to a couple of the younger guys on the panel. When you see Fernando committing his future to racing well into his 40s, how impressive is that dedication? How much does it take to keep doing that? And also, do you see yourselves wanting to race for as long as that in your own careers?

Lando: I’d better be careful what I say. I think it takes a lot of dedication. I don't think anyone thinks Fernando lacks that in any way. I think he shows that with everything that he does in life. Whether it's at the track or away from the track, you know, in different sports or whatever. So it depends what you want to do. Everyone is different.

It's rare that you see someone commit for so long in any sport, you know, he's probably one of the oldest guys competing at the top of any sport in the world and I think to be able to do that at the level that he has done and continues to do, you're probably never going to potentially see it again, you know within Formula 1 and if you do, it's going be extremely rare.

So yeah, I think a lot of respect for that kind of thing. I have no idea if I want to do it in 20 years’ time, if I'm still going strong, but I love where I am now and I continue to do such a thing. Yeah, we'll see.

[nordschleifes]

chapter four — algo me gusta de ti

➝ after a choice that ends fernando's chances of a better position for the race on sunday, charlie is confronted by the driver. however, the discussion ends in a way she didn't expect.

➝ word count: 5,1k

➝ warnings: fighting (it that a warning at this point?), racing description

➝ author's note: tagging @christianpulisic10, @alonsogirlie and @enaticosencantados as requested.

— Charlie, don't you think we should start our fast laps now?

— No, you can do one more warm-up lap — she replied, her eyes on the clock at the top of the screen. There were just under two minutes left in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, long enough for him to take another slow lap before another flying lap to chase after pole position and finish with just under 20 seconds to go. It was an ideal strategy, carefully developed by the strategy team, all to steal Checo's provisional pole position.

One more lap. A few more seconds.

She watched closely as Fernando followed at a slower speed, giving space for Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari to pass him at turn 9 on his flier. Then, as she took her eyes off of the GPS map to look at the broadcast, she felt her heart skip a beat.

The Ferrari was sliding out of control towards the turn 16 barrier, the crash causing those in the pit wall to let out a collective groan.

— Attention, yellow flag, yellow flag at turn six — she said, before sighing as she saw the color change from yellow to red — Red flag, slow down.

Without a response from Fernando, Charlie had to confirm with what the data coming from the car said as he drastically reduced his speed. She knew it was a gamble to release him so late from the pits to do his last laps of Q3. She sighed, knowing that she should have anticipated something happening with the slippery track and Leclerc’s crash during FP2 the day before.

— Nice and slow, keep the delta positive — she said, while staring at Fernando’s name on the timing screen — The session will not be restarted. So, it's a P8 for us today.

— Yeah, we're going to have to stick with that — he muttered. He sounded less than pleased.

Given his latest results, he had every reason to be dissatisfied.

After the fifth place in Bahrain, they left for Saudi Arabia with some optimism. After the debrief, the team found, in all of the data they’d gathered over the weekend, that the car had fulfilled all expectations, and in the right conditions, there was even more performance to be had.

Jeddah was like a dream. In each free practice, Fernando was in the top three, with his lap times being tantalizingly close to the Red Bulls. In qualifying, problems with Verstappen's gearbox and a penalty for Leclerc ensured that Fernando would start from second place during the Grand Prix.

The race had its own frustrations, with Fernando getting a penalty for the car being out of position within its starting box, and another for incorrectly serving the penalty during a pit stop in the race. The team argued their case before the FIA and managed to get the pit stop infringement penalty overturned, meaning Fernando’s third place was restored. Charlie was leaving the paddock when Fernando started a video call with her to tell her the good news. Seeing him smiling and satisfied with the result made something warm fill her chest.

Another podium came in Australia, after a race with two red flags and a collision involving Fernando's car that made Charlie’s stomach lurch as she watched it, but the car ended up being able to continue.

At the end of April, a good weekend in Baku solidified the third place for Fernando in the drivers’ championship along with Aston Martin moving up to second place in the constructors' championship.

But Miami was shaping up to be different. Qualifying in P8 on a track where overtaking after the start would be difficult was not very encouraging, but a solid pit stop strategy involving two long stints on the medium and hard tires would be key for Fernando to get valuable points that Sunday. There was rain in the forecast overnight, which would make starting on soft tires unfeasible because of the high degradation during Saturday’s sessions. 

Charlie jotted a few things down in her notebook before she left the pit wall to walk back to the paddock. On the way, she tried to think of how to tell Fernando why she wanted to delay his fast laps and hadn’t considered the possibility of a red flag. Maybe if she told him that Verstappen had to abort his fast lap, too, it may help… 

“Like he cares about that”, she thought to herself as she passed her credentials over the badge reader at the paddock’s entrance turnstile. All of the team motorhomes were assembled on the field of Hard Rock Stadium, which made for a unique paddock set up. After passing a group of McLaren mechanics and waving to Lee, an engineer with whom she had worked for a few years, she entered Aston Martin’s hospitality building, heading straight to the second floor, where was the engineering office, the place they  gathered for the debriefs.

Ben and Lance were already in the office. It wasn’t surprising given that Lance had been eliminated in Q1. They were discussing the decision not to put new tires on his car, which jeopardized his attempt to gain a higher position on the grid. Charlie sat down across from them and opened her notebook, checking the notes she'd taken during qualifying and trying to ignore the tension building in her shoulders.

When Fernando came in with Dan, Charlie could see his displeasure plainly on his face. She was bracing herself for another explosion, just as it was during the McLaren-Honda days. It was a creeping, sickening deja-vu, waiting for his commentary on her poor strategy decisions and how her plan had been too risky. However, he wasn’t chatting to Dan about any of that. Instead, they were chatting about the relative effectiveness of the AMR23’s DRS.

“This is it. This is the calm before the storm”, Charlie thought, scribbling something in her notebook about factors to consider before suggesting plan B during the race. She did everything she could to avoid catching Fernando’s gaze.

 The debrief ended with no outbursts or tantrums from Fernando, and Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. As she stood up to leave, her thoughts turned to going back to her hotel room, ordering room service for dinner, and maybe watching last year’s Miami GP and taking more notes.

— Charlie? — she turned around to see that Fernando was on his feet, adjusting his green cap on his head. He was still wearing his overalls, but the collar was open and the zipper was pulled down to the middle of his chest.

— Yeah?

— Can we talk?

— Of course — Charlie replied, trying to hide her nervousness — What do you need?

— Come with me — he said, brushing past her and leaving the engineering office. As she followed behind him, Charlie couldn't shake the sickening feeling that she knew what was about to happen, even more so when Fernando opened the door to his drivers’ room and gestured for her to step inside. 

She had entered several drivers’ rooms over the years, but this is the first time she had been in Fernando’s since he came over to Aston Martin. The room was one of the simpler, more basic ones she’d seen. There was a small desk with his laptop, a chair, a sofa and a kind of small wardrobe open in the corner, with his backpack and his regular clothes inside. The only thing on the wall was a poster of the AMR23. She was surprised. His drivers’ room when he was in McLaren was a bit more decorated, with the flags of Spain and his home province of Asturias adorning the walls. 

When Charlie heard the door close behind her, she felt her shoulders tense. Fernando stepped back around her, pulling his arms out of the sleeves of his overalls so he could take it off.

— Well, what did you want to talk about? — she asked, thinking about how naive she sounded.

— You know what I want to talk about, Charlie — Fernando replied, picking up a bottle of water that was on the table. He leaned back against it as he opened it and took a long drink, all without taking his eyes off of her.

— Is it about your fast lap?

— If you can call that a fast lap — he said, drying his mouth with the back of his hand.

— It was a warm-up lap.

— The third in a row, when I could have done a fast lap and improved my time — he said dryly.

Charlie sighed.

— It was a strategy...

— A strategy that didn't work.

— Because of Charles — she answered immediately.

— You should have known he was going to do something wrong, Charlie. He was having problems with the rear of the car, I saw it when he passed me.

— You could have told me that.

— Why didn’t you see it on my onboard? Weren’t you watching it?

Charlie laughed in disbelief.

— Yes, I was looking at the onboard, but I was also looking at the brake telemetry, temperatures, everyone else’s times, engine readings, the status of your car, and talking to you at the same time.

— Well, you should have paid attention to my onboards so you can see what I see. 

— I could say the same about many things, Fernando, but I know you're doing several things at the same time...

— But you ask for things anyway — he said.

— Because if I don't ask, your car breaks down and I'm the one who has to listen to you whining.

He snorted, running a hand over his face.

— Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, because the weekend is over, Charlie. Your so-called strategy has made it so this entire weekend is just going to be a waste of everyone’s time.

— Do you want me to apologize? — she asked, trying to stay calm — Is that it? You're making this whole speech because you want me to apologize to you?

— No, Charlie. Your apologies are of no use to me now. Your apologies are not going to get me on the podium tomorrow, or even make me score points. Your apologies won't make me a champion again.

— Who ever said you’re going to be a champion again, Fernando? — Charlie muttered. It was reflexive, almost automatic. 

Fernando’s eyes shot to hers, his expression going rigid.

— I did. I said it. I'm going to be champion again — he replied — But only if you stop making strategy calls that hinder me instead of helping me.

— The only thing that hinders you, Fernando, is your ego. If you don’t keep it in check, you'll never lift that trophy again at the end of the year in Paris.

His nostrils flared. Charlie had found his Achilles heel. She felt a sense of immense satisfaction. She knew she shouldn’t continue digging deeper, but a voice in the back of her mind pleaded with her to not pass up the opportunity to hit him where it hurt, as justice for the years of misery he’d caused her.

— It's not a matter of ego, Charlie, and you know it. I am the hardest working driver on the entire grid…

— That's what you think, right? I’ve heard every driver say that — she interrupted him, crossing her arms — But you’re not any better than anyone else.

— I'm better than everyone. I’m the most complete driver out of all twenty of us, I…

— Are you? If you're so good, then why did you lose to a rookie in 2007? — she asked. Now that she’d gotten her claws in, it seemed like it would be difficult to stop. 

— Everyone knows that asshole Dennis favored Hamilton…

— And then what? When you returned to Renault, why couldn't you beat him then? Why did it take Flavio bribing your teammate into crashing out in Singapore to get you on the podium?

The memory of the 2008 scandal made him visibly clench his teeth. Now, Charlie was just playing dirty, but it was intoxicating. The voice in the back of her head urged her on, to give him a dose of his own poison, to make him feel like she did on that fateful afternoon in Montreal.

— You have to have a lot of audacity to say that you are the best while sharing the grid with Lewis — she continued, taking a step forward to face him — He’s the greatest driver of all time, but not only that, he’s a better teammate than you are. He’s better than you at everything.

— Charlie...

— He's better than you in and out of the car, better in the simulator, better than you personally and professionally. He’s even better than you in bed! — she exclaimed, without thinking. She cursed at herself. She’d gone too far. Her desire to damage Fernando’s ego had gotten ahead of her mouth, and she knew it when she watched Fernando’s expression change from anger to surprise.

— How do you know that? — Fernando asked, the shadow of a smile creeping over his face.

She blinked, transfixed. It wasn't like she actually knew what Lewis was like in bed, after all, she had never had anything more than a professional relationship with him. She’d never had any relationships with any drivers, and it was for a good reason, especially working as a woman in a male-dominated environment.

At the same time, though, she wasn't deaf to the rumors running through the paddock. It wasn’t like Charlie enjoyed gossip, but it was nearly impossible to ignore the whispered conversations the caterers and cleaning staff had during off-peak hours in the motorhome, but admitting that to Fernando would be the end of whatever remained of her credibility.

— You shouldn't talk about things you don’t know anything about, Charlie — he said quietly, in the face of her silence.

— But I do… Know — she replied, trying to hide her nervousness when she realized how close he was to her.

— You mean you fucked him? — Fernando asked. The way he’d asked was clearly a challenge.

— Yes — Charlie lied, trying to keep her voice steady. However, she couldn't help noticing how fast her heart was beating inside her chest, or how her eyes insisted on drifting down to his lips — And he's very good.

— Oh, he is? Tell me more.

She felt her mind freeze for a few seconds.

— I'm not going to talk about this with you.

— Why not? — he asked, smiling.

— Because I don't owe you any explanations about my sex life.

— Considering you're making assumptions about my sex life, I think I have a right to know what you consider good sex.

Charlie felt her cheeks heat up.

— He's good — she just replied.

— Did he make you come? — Fernando asked bluntly. A wave of heat raced over Charlie's skin as soon as the word left his lips.

— Like I said, he's really good, unlike you.

— You never fucked me, so you wouldn’t know whether I'm good or not.

— Well, I don't need to.

— Oh, I think you do, Charlotte.

In that split second, it was as if a video tape had been rewound in her mind. Staring into his eyes, Charlie remembered the first time she'd spoken with him, on a cold January morning eight years ago. The image of him, with a well-tailored gray suit and his dark, combed-back hair, was seared into her mind. She remembered perfectly what she had thought when she saw him enter her sector, a wide smile on his face as he shook her hand as Ron Dennis introduced them. 

“Handsome”, she thought. And there, standing inches away from her, with the sleeves of his overalls tied around his hips and his dark green baseball cap over his brown hair, he looked the same way.

Handsome.

Another voice came to the back of her mind, making a not-so-subtle suggestion of what she should do. 

So, Charlie did.

Putting her hands on Fernando's face, she pulled his body against hers, their lips colliding in a rough, passionate kiss, completely devoid of any delicacy. The touch ran through her body like an electric shock, sharpening her senses immediately. The faint scent of the cologne he'd put on before heading out on the circuit seemed to have mingled with something Charlie could only classify as his own, delicious and uniquely his.

Her hands slid from his face to the back of his neck, while her lips parted to allow her to taste Fernando. He was sweet and salty and sour all at the same time, as if all facets of him had combined into the lips of the man she was kissing. Her thoughts were an irrational jumble, Charlie realized, but there was nothing rational about the situation.

With her pulse roaring in her ears, she barely noticed when her back hit the wall, much less when Fernando's hands went down her waist towards the skirt she was wearing. Pulling the green fabric up haphazardly, he pressed his fingers into the skin of her ass, pulling Charlie’s hips flush to his. Feeling her nails dig into his skin, she continued that hungry, almost desperate exploration. It was as if one were the air the other needed to breathe, the surface in that sea of unresolved arguments and feelings.

Charlie only realized she was out of breath when she felt Fernando's lips leave hers, trailing down her jaw, nibbling on her skin. He wasn’t touching her like someone with a point to prove, but like someone who had achieved a goal. Someone who had finally gotten what he wanted.

— Did he do this to you, Charlie? — Fernando asked, in a low voice, his hot breath making her skin crawl — Did Lewis kiss you like this?

— No — she replied, sighing as she felt him bite her earlobe.

— Did he touch you like this?

— No — Charlie said, hands sliding through his hair, his Aston Martin cap long since fallen to the floor.

— So he didn't fuck you — he said, as his lips trailed down her neck — He didn’t give you anything close to what you deserve.

— What I deserve — she murmured, reflexively. There was no room for any coherent thought in the rising fever in her mind. There was only one thing that Charlie could see in his dilated pupils, when he lifted his face from the crook of her neck.

Desire.

— A real fuck — Fernando murmured, his lips brushing hers — With someone who knows exactly how to touch you, how to kiss you, how to make you moan, how to make you come. Someone like me, nena.

Charlie stopped suddenly, eyes fixed on his face. Her mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts, guilt mixing with the adrenaline that was coursing through her body. “What have I done?”, she thought, as he brushed his nose lightly against hers, mumbling something she didn't understand.

— Puedo hacerlo todo. Puedo hacer lo que quieras. Sólo dime que sí, nena.

Fernando, the man who had said in more ways than one that he couldn’t stand her, was telling her that he knew how to touch her, how to kiss her, how to make her moan, how to make her come. Of all people, it was him. The man she hated, the man who had almost made her give up on her dream of succeeding in motorsport. The man she had just kissed, because she couldn't resist her own desire to have him for herself, to try those lips and feel his tender touch.

Him. Why him?

Taking her hands to Fernando's shoulders, she pushed him lightly, in a gesture for him to move away. "I couldn't have done that", Charlie repeated mentally, while trying to adjust her green skirt, which was now horribly wrinkled from being hiked up to her hips.

— Charlie? Are you okay? — he asked.

— Leave me alone — she snarled, before quickly storming out of the room, ignoring his protests and slamming the door behind her. A few steps later, Charlie stopped in the middle of the hallway and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her own heart that was beating fast in her chest.

Charlie couldn't understand what had just happened. She couldn't understand how that discussion about winning or not winning the championship turned into sensual whispers about how he would make her come like she deserved, into him biting and kissing her neck.

The idea of having sex with Fernando, even a few weeks ago, sounded like an absurdity. However, at that moment, it no longer seemed like something impossible or ridiculous, but something Charlie actively desired. She wanted to touch him, wanted to feel him inside her, wanted to hear the whisper that would make her moan and see the expression on his face when she achieved his goal.

Putting a hand to her face, Charlie grunted in frustration. “Stop it, Charlotte, stop it, stop it!”, she condemned herself. She couldn't and shouldn't think about that. They hated each other. She hated him. She hated him deeply. Or should.

— Joder! — she heard Fernando yell, followed by a loud, heavy sound, like a fist hitting a table. It was the signal Charlie needed to head back into the engineering office to get her things before heading back to the hotel. She didn’t say anything to anyone, and ignored someone she knew waving to her. She walked through the paddock like a woman on a mission, but her head was elsewhere. All she could think about was what had happened minutes before, how she was filled with Fernando's scent and taste. “I need a shower, urgently”, Charlie thought, as she ordered an Uber on her phone.

If she expected to sleep that night, she was wrong. Anxiety kept her eyes open, glued to the hotel room ceiling. Charlie had thousands of questions in her head. Why had she pulled Fernando against her? Why had she kissed him? Why had she allowed him to touch her? Why didn't she back off? Why had she liked it?

As she was ruminating over the kiss, Charlie saw the sun rise over Miami Beach.

Sunday passed in a blur. She was making such an effort to stay awake and focused on that afternoon's race that she had practically mentally isolated herself from everything around her. Charlie didn't see anything related to the start of the day, not even the much-talked-about entry of the driver at the start of the opening ceremony.

Facing Fernando was the strangest part. They met by chance at the door of the engineering office. Meeting his eyes, Charlie felt her heart jump in her chest, a shiver crawling over her skin.

— Good morning — he murmured, standing in front of her.

— Good morning — she managed to reply, before dodging the driver and heading for the garage.

After a good start by Fernando allowed him to gain some positions, the race no longer had any emotion. In fact, it was so boring that Charlie heard the driver commenting on Lance's overtake that he saw on one of the trackside screens. Lance was fighting for a points place, but Fernando managed to finish third after an otherwise uneventful race. As he crossed the finish line, she felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders.

— Yeah, P3 today. Very good — she said, her voice flat.

— Very good, guys. It was a lonely race, but we can deal with that.

She didn't watch the podium ceremony or even join the group for team photos with the trophy. The debrief was quick and more focused on Lance than Fernando. As soon as the meeting ended, Charlie got up and left the room, not looking back, even as she thought she heard someone call her name. 

Back in her hotel room, she laid down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh. It felt like she’d been holding her breath since she’d left the track. Charlie felt suffocated, as if she were drowning in her own doubt and fears.

Whenever she felt like this, she knew there was one person she could turn to.

Charlie picked up her phone and tapped on the name in her contacts list. As she listened to the insistent rings, she made a mental calculation of the time zone and mentally condemned herself. It was well after midnight in the UK, not a good time for a phone call. However, someone must be awake, as, seconds later, she heard a sweet voice on the other end of the line.

— Good evening, my dear — Amanda, her grandmother, said. Charlie could tell from her voice that she was smiling, even if she did sound tired — How are you?

— Hi, grandma, good evening. I'm fine, and you?

— I'm fine too, just a little sleepy.

Guilt surged through Charlie's chest.

— Sorry I called so late, I forgot about the time difference…

— It's okay, my love, I've been waiting for you to call. You know I don't sleep without talking to you first.

She smiled. Her grandmother had been the woman she had always considered as her mother. It was Amanda who smiled along with her in happy moments and dried her tears at the difficult ones. It was Amanda who had taught Charlie to love math, and who encouraged her to apply for the work experience at McLaren while she was in university, even though Charlie thought the chances of her getting the placement seemed slim.

— Your grandfather watched the race today — the grandmother continued — He said that driver of yours did well, despite starting down the grid.

Something in Amanda's words made her lips purse.

— Yeah, he did well today — Charlie just said.

She couldn’t think of anything to fill the silence for a few seconds.

— Honey, did something happen? — her grandmother asked.

— No, grandma, nothing happened — she hastened to say.

— Are you sure?

— Yeah, I'm just tired — she said, trying to sound convincing.

— Charlotte Elaine, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying, and right now, I'm sure you're lying to me. Is something going on?

Charlie let out a long, frustrated sigh. She didn't like discussing personal matters over the phone in the best of cases, and this was not the best of cases. However, her grandmother would never let her hang up the phone without saying what was bothering her.

— Darling, please — Amanda insisted, again.

— It's just — she hesitated for a few seconds — I kissed a guy.

— Oh, really? — the grandmother said. She sounded interested — And was it good?

Charlie felt her heart jump in her chest. She didn't know which word to choose to describe what had happened in that room. It hadn't been a simple make-out session that could happen in any corner of the paddock or in any Miami nightclub, but something different. There was emotion there. There was feeling. And she didn't know how to deal with it.

— It was normal, I guess.

Amanda laughed on the other end of the line.

— Clearly it wasn't normal, considering you’re acting very strangely

— I'm not acting strangely, grandma...

— Speaking hesitantly, carefully — her grandmother continued — Is the boy there with you now? Tell him to take good care of you, huh?

— Grandma — Charlie exclaimed, feeling her cheeks heat up — He's not here with me, in fact, I don't even know where he is right now...

— How do you not know where he is? You didn't go to a party on a work weekend, did you? You know these trips are for work, right, Charlie?

She pressed her hand into her face. 

— No, grandma, I didn't go to a party. He only left after the race in his jet, no big deal.

— Jet? He’s rich, then?

Charlie sighed. There was no way out of it.

— Grandma, I kissed Fernando.

— Fernando, which Fernando?

— Alonso.

— The driver?

— Yes.

— Wait, your driver?

— Yes.

Silence reigned on the line for a few seconds.

— And how did that happen? — Amanda asked.

"If only I knew", she thought, sitting up in bed.

— We were in his room in the motorhome, we started talking, and it happened kind of unexpectedly.

Charlie heard her grandmother giggle.

— Well, is he handsome, at least?

— You've seen him on television.

— You know these drivers all look the same to me, the only one that stands out is Lewis, for obvious reasons.

— Okay, grandma — Charlie replied — He's good-looking.

— How good-looking?

— Like, a little taller than me, has a beard and dark hair — she described, trying to ignore the shiver that crept across her skin — His eyes are light brown, with a smudge of green near the pupil. They are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen...

— Got it — Amanda said — And is he a good kisser?

— Grandma! — she exclaimed.

— I just want to know, Charlie! But something tells me he is...

— Please, grandma...

— Come on, tell me. Was it good?

She pressed her lips together, resting her head on her free hand.

— Yes, grandma, he's good. Very good.

— Wow, so it’s serious!

— It wasn't, grandma. It was just a casual thing, nothing major...

— Considering you’re calling me this late, I don’t think it was that casual — Amanda replied, the smile coming to her voice again. She was definitely more excited about it than Charlie.

— Even if I thought it wasn't casual, he probably thinks it was, so it's no use getting your hopes up.

— Are you telling this to me, or to yourself?

— I’m telling you, grandma — she replied, trying to hide her annoyance — By the way, shouldn't you be sleeping?

— Perhaps, but it's much more interesting to hear you recount your adventures around the world. By the way, are you coming home this week? Ron misses you already.

Charlie smiled at the mention of the cat. He always stayed with her grandparents when she was traveling, especially during double and triple headers, when it became impossible to get back to England between races. Fortunately, Ron liked Jamie and Amanda enough to feel comfortable in their home.

— I will, grandma. I leave tomorrow in the middle of the day, but I won’t get back until Tuesday afternoon, if I don't have any delays.

— Is it that long of a flight? 

— No, it’s not too long, but I have to get two connections. One in Montreal and another in Frankfurt. Then an hour's drive from Birmingham and I'll finally be home.

— Do you want to have dinner with us, since you're going to have to stop by the house to pick up Ron?

Charlie smiled.

— Ah, that would be excellent, grandma. I miss your food.

— I thought you liked American food — Amanda said, laughing.

— It is, but nothing compares to yours — she replied, making her grandmother laugh. That was one of the best sounds in the world for Charlie.

— I can make that pot pie you like, the one with the beef, with extra potatoes. 

The memory of the smell of pies baking in Amanda’s kitchen made Charlie smile fondly. 

— I'd love to, grandma — she replied.

— And in return, you can tell me more about this Fernando Alonso, what do you think?

— Are you blackmailing me?

— Just trying to stay informed regarding the state of your relationships, my dear.

She laughed in disbelief. 

— It’s not a relationship, grandma, and it never will be. 

[umlewis]

undefined

lewis hamilton is interviewed after qualifying, azerbaijan - april 28, 2023 (transcription under the cut)

Interviewer: "...in Q2, and then you kind of pulled out a lap that pushed you much further up, kind of... What was going on?" Lewis: "Yeah. We're trying as hard as we can, giving it absolutely everything out there, and it just... Timing, and getting into the rhythm, and really pulling out everything is not easy on this track. I think in Q2... Yeah, struggled. I had more pace; I just didn't get that last lap. My Q3 run one was a really sweet lap. Unfortunately just wasn't able to match... I just matched it, basically, at the end, but needed just a little bit more time just to nip a Ferrari." Interviewer: "And it must give you a lot of confidence heading into the second go at qualifying tomorrow, that if you get it right again and hit another sweet lap, you can kind of be in the mix again." Lewis: "Yeah, well, I mean, we can't do any changes to the car, so this is the pace that we have, and so I might be able to eek a little bit more out tomorrow, once we do some studying tonight, but this is definitely a good position to start for on Sunday. Naturally, you know, this is not the position we want as a team. We exist to win, but everyone has that winning mindset and everyone is working as hard as they can, so... We haven't had an upgrade this weekend, but we're hoping we're working towards one that will hopefully put us a little bit closer to the battle ahead." Interviewer: "What have you made of the pace, generally, today, based on the fact that Australia was quite strong? Were you kind of hoping there would be a bit of a bounce here, or did you think that was gonna be an outlier?" Lewis: "No. I didn't really know what to expect this week. I knew that the Red Bulls would be particularly quick. I didn't realize we would have such a huge deficit on the straights, but it's a good indicator. We're slower on the straights and then slower in the middle sector, so we've got a lot of work to do to rectify that. With the car, it's not the easiest one to drive, but yeah, I'm happy to be on the third row and I think hopefully tomorrow we can have a bit of a better battle."

[loveyougoodbi]

Imola unserious race overview

Hello all and welcome to another episode of my f1 derangement. I finally got my thoughts in order about this race (kinda) so let's get to work.

1. McLaren

Overall the most successful driver pairing this race. How did we get here? The only time I might be happy for a good weekend for McLaren is if Lando flops and Oscar does not which means... I can not be happy this weekend. It's the reality. You will not get unbiased race analysis here you will get a fan that is frustrated and has been frustrated for 2 races now. Save me from this hell.

All jokes aside, another good race for Lando, but like I said about Checo a few races ago, his flop time WILL come because if there is one thing Lando Norris is consistent in it is making mistakes. And mistakes he will make.

God I miss Lando from 3 races ago, give him back to me.

I now believe Oscar is the Charles of McLaren when it comes to luck in the team. He outqualified his teammate and then gets dropped 3 places (granted the penalty was deserved but come on... timing???)

Still frustrated and will never not be frustrated about this. The McLaren was faster than the Ferrari and the Red Bull in quali. That's a sentence I never want to write again as a Charles and Max fan. Now I'd rather move on than continue writing about this team.

2. Red Bull

Max Verstappen is a fucking beast and deserved all the praise, all the trophies, all the championships, all the glory he is getting and more. He is my baby, he is so incredible its a privilege to watch him and live in the same time as him. There I said it. I am privileged. And I'm sorry for all you pricks who don't realize that you are living In a special time in history watching thus man race. That is all. Everything else was said by him this weekend. On track and off.

Perez... the day has come. Go read my other overviews. Last year it was Monaco this year he did it a race earlier. Not to mention the one time the red bull was misbehaving Perez is nowhere to be seen. But yeah iTs ThE cAr...

Ferrari and the rest of the grid below the cut (because if I put Ferrari here it would get too long)

3. Ferrari (I'm 2 glasses of wine in writing this so forgive me in advance)

I've gone through so many different stages of Ferrari feels this weekend that I don't know which ones to go with.

First I thought the updates were working. Then we had the same issues in Q3 as before Miami so I was extremely dissapointed. Seriously you did not want to be with me on Saturday. I was devastated.

But thinking about it later, it does not seem so bad. P4 is not the end of the world and the big picture is, red bull and mclaren are within reach (we even may be faster when it comes to Charles) and the upgrades WERE working and they will be working more as time go by. Also something about the different tracks that my brain can't articulate right now. At the end of the day Charles is p2, he got a BIG podium at Imola and all in all thus weekend was a success. We are going to Monaco on a good note. To a track where driver skill is very important. A track Red Bull is not very confident in.

On another note, you may wonder why I haven't mentioned my favorite person to slander - he was so bad and irrelevant this weekend he did not even get a chance to be a problem for us. Hope this helps.

4. Mercedes

Not to repeat something my friend Fred said about Mercedes this race - they improved, good for them, they are still far from the top. And they should stay there. Feel bad for both George and Lewis but oh well.

5. RB

They are sooo good. I mean.. Yuki is so good. That was a couple of amazing laps he did there. And he stunted on Daniel and im always for it. And again points. Which is something to be expected from them at this point, not a surprise. They are leading the midfield comfortably and I love to see it. If Red Bull are not considering Yuki at this point they are stupid. That's it.

6. Aston Martin

Oh Fernando. That crash ruined his entire weekend. Things would've been different up around Mercedes if Fernando could race properly. The car seemed extremely competitive in Strolls hands who, btw, had a great race. As competitive as a car can be in Strolls hands. Could've done more this weekend so I feel a little bad.

7. Haas

Haas did not manage to get to the points this weekend unfortunately, mostly because Kevin was well behaved. The race was also boring. I think its not difficult to connect the dots. *sigh* I miss THE REAL kmag.

8. Alpine

I don't even know. Again, I'm not sober enough to remember what they did all race. I believe absolutely nothing. Didn't they have updates recently?

9. Sauber

Again, I have no idea what they did. Everyone keeps talking about domination at the top but the bottom teams are in bigger trouble. RB and to some extent Haas can barely be reached by the other 3. It's usually interesting at this part of the field but these last 3 races have been a snooze fest.

10. Williams

Oh Alex. Oh baby. 5 pitstops. 2 laps behind and DNF. Logan lost like 5 places. Only one car with upgrades and even that one wasn't working properly. I have no words. They are in the trenches. I mean I kinda believe in James vision but what im seeing is not promising. Ever since Australia it's not been going well.

The lower teams are so boring I didn't even have much to say. But the top teams gave me a lot to yap about. Also some people talk a lot when drunk but apparently my brain stops working so I literally had nothing to say.

[blorbocedes]

Lando Norris, in a McLaren, has officially had more Q3 appearances than Checo Perez when he joined Red Bull in 2021, a car that has won a driver's championship (by his teammate) every year that he has been on the team

this is the kind of message your stockbroker sends you when the IPO fails to reach the expected price so they start explaining just how solid and good the company is, and the growth metrics look fantastic and it's only uphill from here

like yeah until that first win comes we have to talk about how the fundamentals of lando norris are super solid, future blue chip no doubt, just look at the trajectory compared to Checo LLC 😭

[singaporesainz]

People like to call RBR toxic and whatnot but I genuinely believe that if Checo was in any other team and had a stinker of a season like he had in 2023 he would get the boot faster than you can say Lawson/Ricciardo. Bfr everyone, he came 2nd out of a miracle and because of how OP RB19 was and because at the beginning of the season Max had issues while Lewis had them at the end. You simply can't tell me Ferrari would keep a driver that struggled to make it to Q3 when their other driver (albeit it's Max and not any chump driver) is CONVINCINGLY dominating the field. I'd like to see RBR Versainz now that they don't have The Dads as involved; I think Carlos wouldn't flop but it would be hard because Max has similar car preferences to Charles (but like on crack) and it's just good business for RBR to keep him as their development goalpost rather than making an easier to driver car that doesn't shit on their 2nd driver...

i don't know if any other team would boot him after one poor season, i think it all depends on the season the team in question is having. like if he were to be in sauber (for example) and performed "poorly" but the team as a whole also had a pretty mid to avg season i dont think they'd fire him right away. but if he were in ferrari while they were top of their game, in the fight for a wcc and he performed like 2023 then i can sorta see them booting him from the team. i mean look at latifi: williams kept him for 3 season and all he brought to the table was 9 points over that time. there were other options, other pay drivers, and better drivers in general but williams stuck with him for 3 whole seasons.

honestly, i feel like more people were surprised that red bull didn't demote him or fire him, esp with the way they did nyck last year. and i know it has a lot to do with the contributions and genuine skill he brings to the team in seasons prior. like i get why they didn't. but you would think, with the way they dropped nyck in his rookie season, they would have higher and more intense expectations for checo. and i don't think i would go as far as call red bull toxic because when they love their drivers, they love their drivers. i think they are more cut-throat than most.

now with that out of the way, versainz i think would get along sooo well this time around. not that they didn't before or don't now, but as you said it's different now that dads aren't as involved. and as someone who is partially biased to carlos, i think he would recover and match up fine to max in a red bull. i don't think things would ever be evenly matched between them as a whole, but i think carlos could've and would've done more in a red bull if he was given the chance. i mean he wasn't that far off max in a toro rosso in 2015. and even when max was in a red bull and he wasn't, carlos was still managing to lug that car up into the top 10. so yeah i think versainz in a strong rb season would be unstoppable. but maybe im just biased.

[f1]

Piastri says McLarens challenging Spanish GP race day brought the team back to reality

McLaren enjoyed a high-flying qualifying run at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but their hopes of converting that performance into a strong points finish were dashed with a tricky Spanish Grand Prix race day. Both McLarens made it into Q3 amid lower-than-usual temperatures in qualifying, with Lando Norris taking an impressive third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, while Piastri took 10th, which became ninth after penalties for Pierre Gasly. READ MORE: Norris rues ‘unlucky’ first lap collision with Hamilton but says Spanish GP went ‘as expected’ after lowly P17 finish However, the team’s fortunes on race day were flipped when Norris got caught up in an incident with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during the first lap, forcing him back into the pits for a new front wing, as Piastri endured a poor start of his own to drop three places in as many laps. At the end of it all, the two McLarens came home outside the points, with Piastri taking 13th and Norris back in 17th – both drivers being lapped by winner Verstappen. Asked if he experienced an ‘average’ day behind the wheel after finishing four positions lower than he started, Piastri said: “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it. It was a disappointing afternoon. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Oscar Piastri: Race day was ‘back to reality’ for McLaren after impressive qualifying “I didn’t have a very good first lap, then we just had not a lot of pace after that. We need to understand why, because it cooled down a bit, which we liked, but we still didn’t have enough pace.” Piastri added that there will be plenty of work between now and the next race of the season in Canada to understand why McLaren’s pace has been fluctuating so much across different conditions. READ MORE: Stella explains what ‘instrumental’ Rob Marshall will bring to McLaren in 2024 “I think [qualifying] was a very good performance from the team,” he commented. “I think [the race] was probably more back to reality, I would say. “We just need to understand why we struggle on Sundays and when the track’s a bit hotter and stuff like that. We’ll go and have a look.” Despite their race-day struggles in Spain, McLaren remain sixth in the constructors’ standings, sitting ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Williams – while the team recently secured a coup in signing Red Bull’s Rob Marshall as their new technical chief. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[slow-button-off]

Yeah, Fernando has had a good start to the season, but some of that is because charles has had such a bad start to the season. The "story" of the season so far had been about Ver, Per, Alo, where charles should be included in there since he's the only one getting close enough to bother the red bulls.

In Bahrain he was the one closest in qualy and in the race he kept Perez behind for 26 laps or something and they considered him their biggest threat and only adjusted their strategy and stopped pushing when he DNFd. In Saudi, with max out of Q3, Charles was the only challenge to checo for pole - and he came so much closer than anyone expected (then of course he had the penalty). In Baku he beat them both to pole, twice and even managed to keep one of them behind in the sprint (yes, damage for max, but if charles didn't have a great qualy, max would've had the p2) and in the race delay them slightly from running off into the distance. Obviously, the red bulls are in a league of their own and their only real competition is themselves, but charles is the only one on the grid that's getting close enough to annoy them a little.

(I know max started towards the back in Saudi and Checo started at the back in Australia and they both had to battle cars on the way back to the front, but both of those instances are due to something going wrong on RBRs side and not because any of those drivers they had to overtake did something exceptional to put themselves in the fight with a red bull)

I just wish the results reflected how great charles is driving cause I don't think everyone has realised.

yes Charles has been the only one to beat a RB this season by actual merit. Yes it was only quali but it still counts!

I'm sure we'll get to a point where it'll reflect his great driving!

[yesterdayiwrote]

If they are able finish in the same position I'll take it as a win all things considered this weekend. We still have 3 sprint weekends coming up, so that will be extra opportunities to get points and hopefully George will be able to advantage of that. Also hoping ferrari will have a stinker soon so 😎 all will be good

they got into q3, on the basis that red bull, mclaren and ferrari are faster here then 7-8 on the grid is not a huge disaster. Tyre deg will be interesting in the race and george wondered if the extra hard set might help them there but yeah I think finishing anywhere higher than 7-8 will be a fair day for them all things considered. We just gotta manage expectations really!

[loveforlandonorris]

🎤 Lando at the post-qualifying press conference in Austin:

Interviewer: Lando, let's come to you next. Now, you've been talking down your chances coming into this weekend. So is this result, P2 in qualifying, unexpected?

Lando: No, I think when you realise where Max probably should've been in terms of overall pace, I still think the Red Bull's probably close to being the quickest. And I didn't expect to beat Ferrari, so I think we're in probably the position we expected to be. Probably closer to pole than I was expecting. You know, I think there was still that little chance to potentially get it today. So probably similar to Charles, you know (smiles), pleasantly surprised to be sitting here in the top three, first of all, but then especially in P2.

So a good day for us. A little bit surprising, you know, because we know mainly the slow speed is a normally a big weakness for us, and there's less high speed here comparing to Qatar and things like that. So I'm happy with today (smiles).

Interviewer: Only that one set of new tyres in Q3. Had you had two sets of new, do you think pole position was possible?

Lando: It's a... silly question (smiles). (Smiling) You don't know that, so if I just did a good lap, maybe then that could have been pole. So I just made a few mistakes, I'm sure a lot of people made mistakes today. It's not an easy track to put it all together, just bad tarmac in areas and slippery and wind in certain corners, bumps. Yeah, so I think just a lot of things going on, so still to be sitting here, I'm happy with that.

Interviewer: Well, looking on the bright side, the car starting second has led the opening lap here in 4 of the last 5 runnings of this Grand Prix.

Lando: Cool (smiles).

Interviewer: A little bit more confident going into the race?

Lando: (Smiling) No, it doesn't change anything. I don't like these stats, they don't mean anything.

Interviewer: Alright, well, have a good 100th race.

Journalist Questions:

Question 1: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Lando, you said earlier you had the chance to take pole today. I just wondered, was there any particular moment that you felt cost you and what happened?

Lando: Yeah, Turn 11, Turn 11's where it all went wrong (smiles). I think the rest… maybe a little bit the last corner. But Turn 11, I've just... I don't know, we've been struggling a little bit with just consistency of car and braking performance. And the car just turned a bit better than I was expecting. And I mean, I braked later, but then the car also rotated better, so I was expecting to almost miss the apex a bit more. And I've ended up just clipping the kerb, and when you clip the kerb in 11, it's the run the whole way down the straight that you lose.

So it's just a, you know, a half a tenth mistake initially, 'cause you get on power a bit later. But then because you get on power later, you lose easily another half a tenth or sometimes more all the way down to Turn 12. So, yeah, the rest of the lap, apart from maybe the last corner was, I think, very strong. I was very happy with Turn 1 and Sector 1. Just two places I feel like I probably lost it today.

Question 2: (Sahil Kapur – NBC News) I just wanted to ask all of you, if you can reflect on coming to race in the US over the last four or five years, how this fan base has grown so much. How your experience has changed?

Lando: Not much more to add [than Charles' answer]. I mean, I guess, yeah, I've been here since 2018, since I made coffee for Fernando (smiles) – maybe 2017, 2018. So it's changed a lot, just the atmosphere. I mean, the people are great, the fans and, you know, the energy that everyone brings is always very good. I enjoy coming here. I enjoy the weeks here, there's plenty of things to do, plenty of nice golf courses and things (smiles), you know?

So it's, yeah, it's good fun, good food. But it's grown massively, and a lot of it's down to, of course, Netflix and things like that. So for that to be happening and even like the Netflix event we got in Vegas is gonna be cool.

So plenty of things have come from just F1 getting closer, I know it maybe doesn't look it always when Max has dominated like he has, but I think for the rest of it, for, you know, you take the Red Bulls out of it, the battle you would have between Mercedes, Ferrari, now us, Aston in the beginning of the year. I think it's, you know, it would be a very, very exciting season. And I think that's exactly what the fans want. So I'm sure it's only gonna continue to be like that the more us three teams improve.

[race-week]

I don't really expect lower midfield teams to make a huge jump with the new regulations. I know many teams and fans are hoping but I can only see them jumping a "category". Like I can see Williams be a midfield car, and alfa too, but not a championship contender car.

I think ferrari, McLaren have a chance for a title fight nexf year if all goes well.

Mercedes and redbull, it depends cause this championship fight is close and it might take up a lot of their planning time. I'm sure they are planning but realistically, their heart isn't 100% in 2022.

Alpha tauri is a redbull sister team, so I don't see them doing better than redbull. Alpine is very weird to me, but with Fernando I think they will do okay.

Aston Martin... I'm not a fan of the team, I don't like the fact that the boss's son is a driver so has a guaranteed seat. I think had they not had seb this year, the team would be a big of a mess. So for next year, I think they might be a little bit more solid in their results, but I don't think stroll is the driver you would want to have in your team if you want to fight for championship.

As for haas, I think they might be better, maybe closer to the midfield. Like when Kevin could get the car into q3. But mostly towards the fight for 5th,kinda like Williams

Yeah I fully agree with you anon

I kind of joke about it as being like F1, F1 .25, F1.5, F 1.95 (I.e the front runners, the upper midfield, true midfield and back markers)

And I think teams could make the next step up in terms of like little mini group, but you’re not gonna have a Williams a Haas or an Alfa Romero fighting at the top of the constructors.

The regulations can mix things up but not to that degree, I would also say that the first year of the new regulations isn’t always as chaotic as everyone hopes it will be, it’ll be chaotic in terms of like failures and stuff, but in terms of a mixed up grid it will be the second year of the new regulations most likely.

Mercedes have been putting a lot of money and personnel towards 2022, red bull it seems not so much, I do agree that McLaren and Ferrari may get involved in the title fight but, I don’t think they’ll be full contenders for 2022.

[ferrarigays-moved-to-ferrarism]

okay now that the 2020 season is over and we know kinda nothing about the 2021 season, it is a perfect time for me to make a Predictions List.

Disclaimer: I am basing this entirely on the opinions I have formed while watching f1 for a solid month and a half and listening to some fans who may or may now know what they are talking about. This is also based on a purely racing point of a view, not necessarily what I want to happen but what I feel like will.

also done under the assumption that lewis continues with merc. the list to be updated when we hear more news on f1 in general. after winter testing probably.

anyways let’s go hard or go home

general thoughts

lewis hamilton 8th time world champion

max verstappen will outscore bottas

one very wild race w/ an odd podium

charles leclerc will do some of his quali heroics

he will also do at least one (1) stupid first lap deep dive

fernando and esteban will lead the way with dramatic rivalries

max verstappen to have one (1) very immature moment

someone will punch he-who-shall-not-be-named

people will expect miracles from mick and that will be a constant talking point

somebody will protest saudi arabia. dunno who but someone will.

team names will be forgotten and talked about interchangeably

team specifics

Mercedes

Lewis is on his best form. Will outqualify Bottas, will win WDC.

Bottas will have a sort of comeback at the beginning of the season like it was with Valtteri 2.0. Not confident that he will have the consistency though and he won’t.

Lewis will perform heroics with his tyres after we heard him say that they were gone 28736363 laps ago.

Mercedes will continue to be black.

Red Bull

Won’t be close to Mercedes in the beginning

Max will be 2nd in the WDC

Checo will adapt to the car and fight with Max

I feel like qualis will go to Max tho but in races it will be a fight

RB will have a chance at constructors

At least one team order that suits Max so that RB’s driver policy will be glaringly obvious

This or all of it will go to hell, the second seat is cursed, RB is unreliable and it’s struggle ™️

McLaren

A close quali battle with Daniel and Lando, Daniel will have the edge over Lando

Daniel will have a good season but bc it’s his first in the McLaren, will struggle a bit at first. But not a lot and will have a faster comeback than with Renault.

Lando to be outscored by Daniel but not by a lot

Lando to go on with his trajectory of better and better, more consistent performances

They are gonna take some odd podiums here and there

Lowkey I feel like they are gonna be fast and maaaaybe challenge RB in some races?

Fight for the third with the following...

Aston Martin

Seb will perform better and get his mojo back

Seb to outqualify and outscore Lance but not the most outrageously

Lance will have a better, more consistent season and grow even more into a solid midfield driver

The car will look good

Gonna take some odd podiums here and there, once/twice

Alpine

Yeah it’s gonna be Renault for everyone

A close battle with Esteban and Fernando but I think that Fernando will do better

Questionable strategies and team choices, chaos, would do better if it weren’t for the team

I feel like Fernando is going to perform quite well

Esteban will have a better season than 2019 though.

A podium is not impossible if there are really wild races and others struggle

Ferrari

Either gonna have a strong comeback to the top of the midfield or be disappointingly slow, a bit faster than 2019 though so more points finishes

Charles will outqualify Carlos

Probably going to battle and the interteam bs is going to hurt the team’s overall strategies

Carlos will at some points be better than Charles in races and it will lead to questionable choices by the team

Charles will outgrow some of the mistakes he made this season and have a better season overall

Something dodgy and illegal in the car, I can feel it

(0 braincell videos from the ferrari account)

the car will look hot tho, as ferrari always does

AlfaTauri

Some really solid performances

I feel like Yuki is going to be quick and have a battle with Pierre

Pierre has fights with Esteban

Probably also going to fight with the Ferrari and in best times with the top of the midfield

Q3 appearances regularly, but from one of the drivers usually

Pierre has a solid, consistent season

Yuki is gonna do well

Alfa Romeo

I don’t see a lot changing

Battles with Kimi and Tonio, Tonio probably will outqualify Kimi

Although I don’t see Tonio doing a lot of improvement

And Kimi is there just as a hobby so

They will still appear in Q2 though at times

Haas

With this trajectory, I don’t expect a lot

With the car and the fact that both drivers are rookies and not known to do ~amazing showstopping speedy~ performances right at the beginning, I don’t see a lot better happening

Mick will have an okay season and do better than the other one

The other one will get disqualified somehow and will get penalties for stupid driving

Mick does his starting heroics and will get some points

Williams

Will have a better season and get points

George is probably going to get those points

George will outqualify Nicky and do it quite obviously

Less mistakes from George

In a crazy race (with many retirements), will both have points

Nicky will be again there, I’m sorry but I don’t see a lot of massive desvelopment happening. But a point finish, let’s say that?

Upwards trajectory

[umgeorge]

undefined

george russell is interviewed after qualifying, bahrain - march 4, 2023 transcription under the cut

Interviewer: So how do you feel about sixth and seventh for the team today? Going into quali... Yesterday feels like a year ago, and yet coming into today there was a lot of promise and hype. And we talk about the wing level changing. How much of a difference did that make, and are you ultimately where you expected to be? George: Yesterday, to be honest, was a bit of a shock for all of us. We didn’t really know why we lost such performance and why it was off the pace. We made some changes and they sort of exceeded our expectations, so that’s a positive. But, realistically, after winter testing, this is probably where we expected to be. I thin our goal over the winter was to make sure that we’ve got a car that we can build upon, and that there aren’t any significant problems.

We spent three-quarters of the year, last year, problem solving; understanding the porpoising, understanding why the car characteristics are so bad, why the car is so stiff. And now I feel like we’ve got a car that feels nice to drive. It doesn’t bounce. It generally feels like a good car, and now we can just focus on adding downforce and adding performance, which is what the team have done for so long.

So there’s definitely signs to be positive but, of course, the lap times don’t lie and we’ve got a lot to improve.

Interviewer: You’re right, because problem solving distracts you from performance. George: Yeah, it does. Interviewer: So what does all that mean? How does this translate to tomorrow and the race trim of the car?

George: I think, translating it for tomorrow, there’s not going to be any substantial changes. I think we’ve got a fight on our hands for P3. I think Ferrari, over the last four years, have always been really strong in qualifying and struggled a bit more in the race, so I’m relatively pleased to be not so far behind them. Obviously they took the second set of tires in Q3. And Fernando, he’s probably more of a dark horse than what Ferrari is. He had some really good race pace last week in testing so I think, yeah, it’s gonna be a really good fight for P3. It’s just a shame the Red Bulls are a bit too far ahead for now.

[myimaginarywonderland]

Because I was really inspired by all the rumours and some of the post about other peoples teams for next year, I thought I would make my own. (This mostly realistic but still dreaming, so not everything is realistic. Also it might be biased because I think some drivers deserve better but especially the junior drivers deserve to be given a chance and not just be stuck. If this bias bothers you, I am sorry.)

Let's start with Mercedes.

Obviously I would let Lewis stay there. That man is at the top of his team game and will break all records that he can. But because we actually want to see more competitive driving, I would partner him with George. It would still secure them the teams championship but it will not only make for a little fight in the drivers championship but would also give Lewis a teammate that he could actually compete against and maybe give him more interesting/active races where he prove to everyone that still doubts him that he is one of the greatest.

RedBull

Now, here I will go drastically different. Sure, let them keep Max so they can realize that he will never become the youngest world champion but give Max someone who actually would call RedBull out and might be the only that could make them change. Yes,I want Seb in a RedBull. For one as a fuck you to Ferrari but also because he might help them develop a car that could compete in the championship. Seb wouldn't take their shit and they might actually try to change and not only have their golden boy.

Racing Point

You know, I would just keep Checo and Lance there.

Both good drivers that have a competitive car without a preference for one as the winner, so let them have some fun and battle with the others.

McLaren

At first I was against the idea of Daniel and Lando at McLaren. But now? I am here for it. I take it, I want it. The team is only going up and both of their drivers are great.

Renault

I would have just kept Esteban and picked Zhou as the second driver. He is good, consistent and doesn't look like he would be any trouble (obviously not like an Alonso.) Just give your junior drivers a chance (this is directed at all teams) instead of sticking to the Sam's drivers that don't really do much for you as a team.

Alpha Tauri

You know what? Alex deserves better than the shit he gets at Red Bull. He deserves to be in a team where there are people that care for him, that let him make mistakes and learn. He deserves to be somewhere where he can grow and is not constantly under pressure. Add to that the fact that he would have Pierre as a bestie who obviously has been through the same Red Bullshit, they would just be driving and having fun.

Williams

Easy, keep Nicholas because he brings in sponsors and because he can consistently bring the car in Q2, potentially even Q3 while still being helpful to Jack Aitken, his new teammate. Nicky is easy to work with, has experience and could benefit the team (not quit like George but still). He would help Jack get used to everything and that would be a beautiful team. All said.

Haas

I don't have anything against Romain but seeing as I would drop both him and Kevin in the next years and I still think Kevin is more consistent as well as the better of them, Romain will have to go. But he's just take a break where he lives his best life, making a family channel and talking about food.

Kevin stays there because he's talented and they need an experienced driver to partner with the new one, Christian Lungaard. They would talk shit about other drivers in Danish so no one will understand. Also, I feel like Christian is more quiet compared to Kevin, so he will calm the team down.

Alfa Romeo

Honestly? Kimi needs to go. I am sorry but that man has been in that sport so long and is right now just taking the space for someone young, talented and promising. He has had his time to shine and so one. Don't hate him but yeah.

Giovinazzi is honestly in my opinion not really it? Like sure that car is by far the worst one on the track but I would still expect them to maybe not be dead last most races (when nothing else has happened). He's had an okay, even good junior career but just not really that impressive to me? I would probably also drop him and let him become a model. But to be honest it can't get worse and the team has nothing to lose. So, I would probably get both Schumacher and Schwartzman. Mick has actually had a decent junior career (somehow I expected him to be worse considering some of the hate he gets but he's not as bad as some people like to make him out to be. He is also not his dad and never will be and I think as soon as you manage to realise that, you'll see he's actually done well.) Schwartzman I think is more unrealistic (I don't know if he has the points required for a super license) so if he is not available I would take Iliott. This is more difficult but I think the team could do with some young drivers, depending on who is more available. (In my dream it would be Schumacher and Schwartzman but I think the later could still do with maybe a year in F2 but he's really impressive so far.)

Ferarri

I hate them so I will just let them keep Sa*nz and Charles for now. (They will get another chance from me sometime but not this year or next year.)