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leclercings · 1 month

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I'm Yours | Oscar Piastri

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Oscar Piastri x Reader

Summary: When the thing with Oscar turns into more than a crush...

A/N: This is longer than I expected it to be!! Hope you guys enjoy it. Cheers to Oscar for a great performance so far in his home GP!

You smile at yourself in the mirror. You're wearing a little black dress with nothing left to imagination, teamed with black pumps and winged eyeliner.

Your signature look of the day is complete.

It's Lando’s birthday and a few people from the McLaren Team have been invited, including you, Y/N Brown, the CEO’s daughter.

You wonder... If your dad would've seen you wearing this dress he wouldn't have approved at all, but who needs permission?

And anyway, you have a certain hottie to impress.

You're riding along with your best friend from the team, Y/Bestfriend/N. All of you are staying in Las Vegas for the Grand Prix and Lando thought that throwing a birthday bash for his 24th would be fitting to boost the team spirits up.

There's a knock on the door. It's your best friend. She looks killer in her red dress, making you a little conscious and underdressed.

“Wow, Y/N. You look stunning.”

“Thanks love. You don't look too bad yourself,” you respond cheekily. “Have you booked the cab?”

“Yep,” she replies, popping the ‘p’. “It's ten minutes away.”

“Cool. ID check?”

Your best friend nods confidently as she skims through her purse. Her expression falters just as she realises that she's forgotten to get her ID. As always.

“Shit, I almost forgot. I'll get it.”

You laugh, taking your clutch and room key. You know how clumsy she is.

“I'll wait near the lifts.”

She walks towards her room and you go in the opposite direction, near the lifts.

You do a double take. Oscar is right there. You back away a little, hoping he hasn't seen you and just as you turn away you're interrupted by the Australian accent that you know too well.

“Hey there, Y/N.”

You freeze.

“H-hey,” you catch your breath.

Oscar gives you a onceover and your cheeks turn red.

“You look gorgeous.”

You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, your heart beating fast.

“Thanks,” you reply timidly and you hear footsteps approaching.

“Found it! Oh, hi Oscar.”

Your best friend joins you both. She gives you a teasing smile.

“Hi! All set?” Oscar asks, just as the lift door opens. Being the gentleman that he is, he gestures the ladies to go first.

“Yes,” she replies. “How are you going?”

“Lando's downstairs, waiting. We've a car on rent. Would you like to join us?”

Your best friend nods. You nudge her.

“We've a cab waiting,” you reply.

“It's not a big deal. Come, Y/N.”

You give in to his cute expression.

“I'll text Lando.”

Your best friend nudges you quite harshly, and you wince in pain.

“What was that for?” You whisper.

“Sorry, what?” Oscar turns around and asks.

“Nothing,” your best friend cuts in.

The lift door opens. The three of you walk to the front of the hotel. Lando is waiting at the gate.

“Happy birthday Lando,” you and your best friend wish him. He gives you both a lopsided smile.

“I hear that you'll be joining us?” Lando says, just as the driver brings the car.

Lando sits in the passenger seat. You, your best friend and Oscar decide to occupy the back seat. He opens the car door for you. “After you.”

You and your best friend sit inside and he follows. His warm body touches yours, and you shiver.

“Cold?” Oscar asks you. “Mate, turn the heat a little up.”

Lando does as instructed.

“Did y'all pregame?” Your best friends speaks, connecting her phone to the car's Bluetooth.

“We thought it'll be better to get sloshed at the nightclub.”

Your best friend nods in approval.

“It'll be a fun night,” she winks at Lando who's staring at her from the rear view mirror. He cackles, making you all laugh too.

“What should I play?” Your best friend opens Spotify.

“What about The Weeknd?” Lando replies, before turning the volume up.

“Oh come on, how typical,” you roll your eyes.

Oscar is looking outside, lost in thoughts.

“What would you recommend?” He suddenly turns to you.

“U-um,” your mind goes blank.

Your best friend nudges you yet again.

“Let's stick to The Weeknd, okay?” She breaks the silence.

Within half an hour, you reach the nightclub. It's crowded inside. And really humid.

Lando and Oscar being the perfect bodyguards, guide you all to the table that the McLaren team has booked.

“Hi!” Everyone cheers as you all enter.

You earn a few stares. Nobody has seen you like this- so sultry and seductive. It's a nice change from the usual, but one that makes you a little conscious as well.

Oscar says something but you can't hear it.

“What?” You shout at the top of your voice.

You struggle to hear his reply.

Something something… drink…

“I'm going to the bar to order!”

You look around to find Y/Bestfriend/N, but she's busy talking to the McLaren boys. Not wanting to disturb her, you make your way to the bar.

“One Pina Colada, please.”

The bartender nods, and starts preparing your drink.

Someone comes right next to you. You smell alcohol, and it makes you feel nauseous.

“Hi there, sexy. You look gorgeous.”

A guy, flat out drunk, tried to make a conversation with you. You ignore him.

“Oh come on, darling. Don't be a tease.”

You give him a stare. He smiles creepily.

“Let me pay for your drink, darling.”

He takes out his card and you shake your head.

“I'm good, thanks. Please leave me alone.”

You take your drink and try to walk back to where the McLaren team is, but he stops you, holding your hand.

“Is there a problem here?”

This surprises you. Oscar has made his way to the bar.

“Why don't you go back to the table, love? I'll deal with this.”

You give him a grateful smile. The man goes away.

“Thanks Oscar,” you tell him, sipping your drink.

“Anytime, Y/N.”

The drink is strong. Being a lightweight, you start getting a little tipsy.

“You good?” He asks you, and you nod.

“Would you like to go outside for a little bit? It's hot in here.” You fan yourself and he gives a positive response.

You both go outside, towards the hotel side of the nightclub.

“Thanks for helping me out there.” You tell him, acknowledging what he did.

“It's no big deal, Y/N. Anything for you.”

That makes you blush. The conviction with which he responds makes you feel special. You wonder what else can he do for you… but never mind.

“Shall we get back?” He motions, and you follow.

Hours pass by. Now you're standing in the middle of the dance floor with Lando and your best friend. Your gaze lands on Oscar who is intently watching you, his expression unreadable.

You beckon him. You're not like this usually, but the alcohol is giving you the confidence to do so.

Oscar, as if on cue, comes and starts dancing right next to you. You breathe in his musky cologne- which is as intoxicating as the alcohol itself.

You lick your lips and loosen up your hair. Oscar gulps, his gaze on your lips.

“Like what you see?” You tease him, inching in closer.

You can see so many emotions rising behind his eyes. He puts his hands around your waist, pulling you in.

“Love it,” he responds. His lips centimetres away and above yours.

You gasp at the proximity.

Maybe it's the alcohol, or maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the heat of the moment, but he suddenly crashes his lips against yours.

You take a sharp breath in as his lips passionately kiss yours, before deciding to give in completely. His hands are firm on your back. Yours are in his hair, tousled.

You're confused. What is happening?

You pull away to catch your breath. He smiles at you, pressing his forehead against yours.

It might just be a kiss for him, but it means everything to you.

“Did we just-?” Before you can complete the sentence Oscar goes in for the second round.

Lando and your best friend cheer.

“Finally!” Your best friend squeals with happiness.

“Great job, mate.” Lando pats Oscar on the back.

Oscar is blushing, and so are you.

“I've always liked you, you know?” He whispers in your ear. “Be mine?”

Your heart is filled with joy. Of course you'd like to be his. You take a deep breath in and nod.

“I'm yours.”

487 notes · View notes

reverseexorcist · 2 months

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★ 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 ★

"If it's alright could I request Carmilla Carmine x a fem reader who's a fallen angel? Like maybe they met during extermination and got their wings ripped off for not wanting to kill Carmilla's kids or they were already in hell with Carmilla for some time before the extermination? If you don't want to do this that's totally fine, and sorry if this isn't how to request stuff :)."

Honestly, with how this ended, I'm really tempted to write a much fluffier part 2 to this

➲ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 Carmine + !Fallen Angel!Reader

➲ Romantic ☐, Platonic ☒

➲ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 Count; 3,462 Words

➲ Warnings/notes; Female reader, descriptions of gore/blood, canonical Lute slander (sorry Lute), romantic or platonic wasn't requested so I went with platonic to fit the story more (if the requester wants romantic just feel free to ask me), mother mode Carmilla (she might be a bit ooc because of this),

You couldn't tell if it was from the excitement or the nerves - Probably both if you were being honest with yourself, but you couldn't shake off the vibrating feeling tingling beneath your skin that made you want to fly laps around heaven. Your stomach was doing flips, but you led mask only reflected your nearly psychopathic grin and twitching eye.

Even after your lieutenant Lute shot you a stern look, no doubt pissed off because you couldn't sit still for five goddamn seconds, you still couldn't resist fidgeting with your spear. It was sparkly, and somewhat heavy, and a murderous weapon that was entirely yours! It was also cold, freezing almost. Even against your gloves it made your palms feel numb and seemed to shine in sync with your own valiant excitement.

Baby's first extermination, basically. While the name certainly sounded scary, you'd been waiting for this day for six months (you and the other forty-five cadets in your platoon) and you were ready to do your best! Sure, you were still technically a rookie, hanging around the flock and bringing up the rear of the exorcists, but this was how you proved yourself to rise the ranks, right?

Your heart stopped beating in your chest when you finally reached the front. Holy shit, that was the high seraphim! Sera, right? Oh wow, she really was much much taller in person, towering above the clustering sea of black and white murderous intent. Her outward vibe was motherly and caring, but you could see the glint of distain, guilt and regret sparking in the deepest depths of her eyes. Which was confusing, because you were doing a good thing, right? Ridding the divine planes of sinners irredeemable souls.

The thoughts crowded your mind - Evil, twisted monsters crawling around like bugs in the brimstone crowded crevices of hell. You could only imagine the satisfaction of killing your first hell spawn.

It would have to be cool no doubt. Something big with lots of teeth and claws and that could breathe fire! You had to come home with a cool story to brag about. You'd heard the tales from all your superiors. From everyone including the first man Adam himself, your respectably awesome (if a little terrifying) lieutenant Lute, to the other lieutenants like Michael and Gabriel. You'd have to off a demon built like a mountain to get their attention.

And by the big man himself, you were going to do it. Even if it took you a hundred years, you could already see yourself commanding a group just like yours, bearing a helmet with horns big and curved and bold, black stripes stippled along your ivory wings.

With a very particular pep in your step, you saluted the high seraphim Sera respectively, head cocked up just so you could regard her kindly warmth in fullness. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, and although she swiftly sent you on your way with the rest of your platoon, you couldn't help but let your nerves sway your resolve ever so slightly.

It didn't matter though! You unfurled your wings with perhaps a bit too much of a dramatic flair, but with your spear in hand and helm polished so it shined with malevolent glory, you kicked off without a second thought, tailing right behind where you were supposed to be.

Your first impression of hell was the heat.

With the extermination already well under way, raging fires were already burning up half of the city sending whorls of smog up into the air. You easily battered it away with a few strong flaps of your wings. With your head on the swivel, your eagle-eyes peered around the desolate land for the forms of the sinners struggling to thrive below, silhouettes hidden by the thick layer of smoke and ash blanketing the landscape.

Lieutenant Lute furled out her wings below you, a screeching war cry echoing throughout the battlefield as she all but left your rookie platoon in the metaphorical dust. The sound itself only spurred you on, itching for the blood of a demon on the blade of your angelic spear. Without a second thought, you tucked your wings to you sides and dived below, headfirst into the fray.

Billowing flames licked past you harmlessly, though they burned like hell (which seemed rather apt, considering where you). You didn't falter, flying through the embers like a goddamn phoenix ready to cleanse the realm sprawled out beneath you. The solid wingbeats of two of your fellow cadets only strengthened your resolution, a holy fire burning in your soul - An itch to clear the filth of devil scum away. This was the chaotic strength that your captain had sought to build in you, and now you were finally able to act on it.

But everywhere you looked, you only found simple, humanoid souls running and screaming in terror. Eyes wide, half-dead or bloodied beyond belief as they scrambled to find shelter from the onslaught of exorcists like yourself. Nowhere could you see the mangled forms of the demons you'd been taught to slaughter. Descriptions from your seniors before you passed through your mind - 'gleaming eyes with with wrath and lust', 'gangly limbs twisted to an unholy form', 'mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth, and claws like knives'.

You faltered, confused. The words of Lute rang out in your mind.

"Of course, it's not like they can actually hurt you. You're all warriors, the toughest, just use your spears to stab the shit out of them!"

You were alone now. You couldn't hear the comforting sounds of your fellow rookies behind you anymore. They were well in front of you now, peering around with a similar confusion to yours. But to your absolute horror, they simply shrugged their shoulders and dived forward with bloodlust evident in their glowing white masks. Silver points of spears were jammed through the heads of the terrified demons below. But were they demons? They didn't look like them at all. Every single book you'd seen depicting demons drew them as eldritch monsters with too many eyes to count, tentacles and claws and fangs with nary but bloodlust and vile thoughts hidden within their slitted eyes.

But the demons in front of you looked just like people. You could see the way their faces contorted in terror. You could see them scrambling to help what you could only assume were friends and family, pulling them along and carrying the ones who couldn't run for themselves. You could only feel your heart fall as you watched one of your best friends land on top of a sinner already crushed by rubble, turquoise skin stained red. The begged and pleaded and cried, but their voice was silenced as the spearhead sunk into their skull.

You flinched. The world around you ignored you completely, and for once, you were completely happy to go unnoticed.

Shakily, you touched-down in a nearby street. It was littered with already oozing corpses, but other than that it was peacefully empty. At least here the sounds of violence and pain and terror was muffled, far away enough that you could at least try to distance yourself and get your breathing under control.

You barely reeled in a gag as the smell of blood invaded your senses.

Was this really what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? You could still see yourself in your mind's eye, a model exorcist like your lieutenant now leading her own platoon into another extermination. Maybe this would be a one off, just a shock to the system that would get your mind reworked into killing mode. But, the more you thought about it, the more your heart clenched in pain and terror that seemingly matched the suffering souls around you. You were an agent of heaven, you thought you were killing mindless monsters, not those with human souls! Sure, there were probably shitty people fucking around down here, but what about all those who had to sin in self defence?

A chorus of startled gasps startled you out of your panic ridden stupor. Your wings flared up, trying to make yourself look bigger, more threatening as you wheeled around. The spear in your hands looked more like a prop at this point, and it was clear that you had minimal idea how to use it inside a proper battle. But still, you fumbled with it and pointed it threateningly in the direction of the two demons that had appeared right behind you.

They clutched each other, stumbling backwards and further away from the danger of your angelic weapon. One of them placed an arm in front of the other, her eyes narrowing behind her red-tinted glasses as if she was both terrified by you, but was daring you to do something about it.

But still, you could see them shaking from where you stood. They both seemed rooted to the ground, the one with platinum blonde hair refused to take her eyes off of you, but the demon behind her (maybe her sister? A friend?) was looking around nervously.

You could see yourself reflected in those crimson specs, and for once it made you freeze. You'd seen yourself in uniform plenty of times before, the steel boots and guard gloves and the led, horned helmet, but it always seemed almost comforting before. When you were surrounded by your cohorts, it made you fit in. Out here, you realised, you were the monster.

The ever-present smile on your mask shrunk, falling into a grimace as your grip on your weapon tightened. Your wings drew in, you shrunk backwards, almost stumbling over your own feet in the process of trying your hardest to get away. You never wanted to scare people.

So drowned by your own confusion and fear and reckless thoughts of worry about the future that you didn't notice the confusion growing the faces of the demons in front of you turn into abject horror as a far more ominous silhouette grew behind you.

"I thought I taught you not to hesitate," Lute growled in your ear, placing her free hand on your shoulder and digging her fingers in till your were sure a bruise was marred into your skin. You didn't respond, couldn't even if you wanted to. The trembling that rattled you only grew stronger, and you fumbled as your hands cramped painfully. With a resounding clatter, your spear dropped from your grasp an on to the brazen brimstone floor.

Lute growled.

She didn't say anything, but she knew. The both of you knew by now. You couldn't kill a sinner.

Lute didn't even hesitate before shoving you to the ground. Your head collided with solid stone painfully even with your helmet on, stars shining behind your eyes as her words blurred together as she pressed her foot firmly between your shoulder blades. Your wings shivered and spread involuntarily, and you feared the moments that would come next. Lute was unpredictable, but this could only end with bloodshed.

The two girls still hadn't moved, transfixed in horror as they watched the scene in front of them play out.

Asphalt stung your hands and you tried to claw your way to freedom, fingertips digging into the scorched Earth as you started crying. Lute, however, was stronger than you. Of course she was, she'd been doing this for centuries, and you were still a fledging on her first trip out of heaven.

You never thought it would end like this.

Lute dug her fingers into your wings, tangling into your still downy feathers before she yanked with all her might. The scream she tore from your lips was hellish, agonising, yet the blended with the sounds of violence all around you. You were sure you blacked out several times throughout the process, but by the time your old lieutenant was done with you, barely anything but feathery stumps and golden blood remained of your wings.

You could only curl up, cry and watch as Lute tossed clumps of feathers aside as she stalked toward the two demons that still hadn't had the thought to run. And for the first time in your life, you felt sorry for the sinners that populated hell's ring of wrath.

She would make them suffer, that was for sure. If she was happy enough to tear of another angel's wings, you could only imagine what she would do to a sinner. You didn't want to imagine, and your mind was fuzzy enough that you thankfully didn't have to.

The sound of something sharp rang throughout the air. It made you groan in pain, the sound piercing your ears and making your brain rattle in your skull. Sharp - 'Tink tink tink tink tink.' If you could see the look of relief coming across the demons faces, a part of you might've urged Lute to run. Only, she had just torn your wings off with little qualm, and now you had no shits left to give if she lived or not.

The exorcist never got the chance to strike, her weapon torn from her hands and thrown across the street till it collided with a bloody body. Lute herself barely had time to react before she was struck over the head once, then twice in rapid succession. A whirlwind of white and angelic steel and pure fury launched herself in the path between the two demons and the exorcist. It was almost exhilarating to watch, seeing Lute strike out with her fists in a pathetic attempt of hand to hand combat against her new foe. Whoever they were, they were really fucking fast, almost too fast for you to keep up with.

The fight was over before it started. Without her weapon, Lute couldn't do much against the sinner she was pitted against, and as ruthless as she was, she knew when a battle was lost. In a flurry of black and white feathers, she fled. And then the newcomer's attention was shifted to you.

At this point, you would've welcomed death. The pain alone was making you drift slightly, and you didn't even have the energy left to groan when whoever nudged you slightly with something hard and cold.

"Mother.." The words were so soft, floating away from your ears.

"We need to leave." It was undoubtably her. That voice was the one who beat Lute into the ground.

"What about..?" That was the one who called out for mother.

"Won't she tattle?" So that had to be her sister.

Those words sent a dose of adrenaline through you. With as much strength as you could muster, you clawed yourself into an upwards position. You could feel the clotting blood running down your back, but if you were going to die, you at least wanted to do so with some dignity.

Shakily, with much more effort than was really desired, you reached up and peeled your helmet off.

It clattered noisily like glass against the floor, and suddenly the world was much brighter, much more red and the air was laced with more sulphur and death than you could imagine. But what really surprised you was the look of shock written across the sinner's face.

She was tall. Really tall. The only person who could really compete was Seraphim Sera or maybe Adam, but you really couldn't tell with how delirious you were.

"Una niña?" They all looked surprised.

The one called mother took a few steps forward, confusion and anger clearly present in her eyes. But, as she kneeled down in front of your comparatively tiny form, you realised the anger wasn't directed at you.

"Did she try to hurt you?" She turned back to face her daughters. They both shared a look, but ultimately shook their heads no. That right there, was your saving grace.

She looked back at you, hair pinned into high horns, and took your helmet in her large hands. She passed it off to one of her daughters, before gently scooping you into her hold.

You whined, writhing minutely in her hold as the searing phantom pain of your wings being torn off returned. Fat tears rolled down your cheeks, and yet the demoness tutted softly, shushing you like you were a baby.

Her daughters followed without a word, and you and the family unit moved swiftly through the desolate roads. So many questions were running through your mind, and yet you couldn't find the answer to any of them, your thoughts to lost to the fog of blood loss to ever truly return.

"You better not betray me," Were the last words you heard before promptly passing out.

The plushness of a soft blanket was the first thing you felt waking up. For a moment, you felt nothing but relief realising the entire thing had been a horrid nightmare, but when you tried to rustle the numbness out of your wings, the relief was replaced with horror when you realised that your wings were just straight up missing, only two feathery stumps remaining in their place.

That made you shoot up in horror. You didn't even care about the sharp sting that ran down your spine and into your very being, you were a bit too concerned about your current predicament.

"You're awake."

That made you promptly scream before ducking under the covers like you were a nestling again. A soft sigh reached your ears, but you dared not to venture out from the warmth of the thick covers.

Not like you had a choice, though, as you were soon pried away from their safety. It was her, the demoness with the high-pinned buns. She looked down on you, red eyes glowing in the low light, and yet, you couldn't sense a smidge of hatred towards you. Only distrust and sadness laced her expression.

"How old are you?" She asked after the silence had gone on long enough.

"I'm a fledgling," Is all you said. You didn't really fancy giving too much information. Although, the look of horror the crossed her face maybe suggested that you'd already given away plenty.

"Obligan a los niños a hacer esto?" She raised a hand and carded it through her snowy tresses, locks of white hair threaded loose as she paced back and forth. You only watched her, slowly sinking back into the comfort of the warm blankets.

"You're still a child." It was a statement.

You hated being a child. You didn't want to be a child, at least, you hadn't wanted to be a child in the past. You wanted to join the ranks of the exorcists, and to do that you at least needed to be juvenile. Hell, you were lucky enough to make it into the cadets while you still had baby feathers decorating your wings. But now, the fact that yes, you were still technically a kid made your saviour look upon you with more than just disdain and hatred like any other exorcist, but rather she looked upon you with an emotion that you'd never seen before, and not one you could really name.

"You are a child, and now you have fallen," She eyed your mostly healed wing stumps, and you couldn't help but reflexively flex them anxiously. The literal weight off your back made you want to cry.

"Was this your first extermination?" She gazed upon you with a guarded look. You nodded.

"And you didn't hurt my daughters?" Another nod from you. That seemed to make her relax just a tad.

"Could you ever hurt someone?" That made you pause, the memories of the extermination rushing back to you full force. Tears grew at the corners of your eyes, and still, you answered with a simple 'no'.

She exhaled a sigh of relief before closing the distance and kneeling down to your eye level.

"Carmilla Carmine." She reached a hand out toward you. So that was her name.

You clutched your hands close to your chest, fearing her touch, but gave her your name anyway.

"What are you gonna do with me?" You asked, voice cracking. Her gaze softened, finally letting her guard slip for just a moment.

"Well, you weren't going to make it out there by yourself. You'll be staying with me," The words took a moment to sink into your mind. Well, at least it was better than death.

Gently, like she was working with a scared animal, Carmilla coaxed you out from the comfort of the bed, slowly ushering you to her side. With your wings missing and their remains bandaged, head bare and missing your exorcist helmet, it felt like the safest place in the world.

"Welcome to Hell."

Rules + Info,

Masterlist,

#carmilla carmine x reader #carmilla x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x female reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel carmilla #hazbin hotel carmilla carmine #hazbin hotel carmilla carmine x reader #carmilla carmine #carmilla carmine x female reader #platonic

544 notes · View notes

fiveredlights · 9 days

Text

there's glitter on the floor after the party: the deleted scenes

i'm sure it'll make someone happy because i think we all need it! just as a note, this is all unedited so some of it might make no sense and that's okay.

(i recommend the google doc for easier reading otherwise the whole thing is under the cut)

Chapter one: 2023

I don’t have anything to show…anything I did cut has already been long deleted. My bad. The first two are very sparse because I was cutting unwanted things as my Google docs was lagging whenever I opened it. The only thing I remember writing that chapter was that it was meant to coincide with Daniel’s return to COTA in real life but I ran out of time so I pushed it back to Las Vegas.

Chapter two: 2024

CUT: Daniel winning the championship

WHY: Felt too rushed and easy. No emotional pay off, you were only just introduced to Daniel in RBR again. Also don’t ask me what happened to Max for him to not just clean sweep 2023-2027. Also don’t ask who won the championship in 2026. I declare that your favourite driver won it and I definitely did not forget to give a championship.

DANIEL: Oh my god, it’s just surreal like I don’t know how to describe it. Especially after the past couple years, it’s just—yeah. And to do it with Max too, it’s just something special for me and the team.

MISCELLANEOUS:

73 Questions With Daniel Ricciardo | Vogue

3.3M views 2 days ago …more

Vogue 4M

[00:00:00]

DANIEL: Hello Vogue, didn’t see you there. Welcome to my home away from home.

[00:13:33]

PRODUCER: One sentence you could tell your younger self?

DANIEL: Doors are meant to be opened.

[00:15:09]

PRODUCER: Worst thing about racing in Formula 1?

DANIEL: Accidents, hands down. It’s horrifying as a driver to watch someone crash, because that’s when everything sort of gets a reality check in the cockpit. Like we are racing around at three-hundred kilometres an hour, and there is a real chance that something could go wrong. I’ll never forget Max’s Silverstone accident, just—yeah it just a horrible thing to witness.

—

emotionalsupportredbull

not daniel fidgeting with his necklace when he talks about max’s silverstone crash… you ain’t slick boy

#yes i have deluded myself into thinking it’s from max #i’m already depressed i don’t want to hear it #join team emotional support redbull delusions

348 notes

frenchpine

qu'est-ce que tu sais, espèce de salope française qui aime l'érable et qui parle bizarrement ? sors avec ça (What do you know you maple-loving weird speaking French bitch? Come out with it)

#je ne veux pas te traiter de salope #ou peut-être que c'est le cas (#i don’t mean to call you a bitch #or maybe i do)

392 notes

(i promise i wrote this before he decided to rear end daniel in china. i pinky promise.)

landando

daniel “doors are meant to be opened” ricciardo

#what is my man on #doors are meant to be opened 😭😭 #he didn’t open a door one time and it’s haunted him for life

78 notes

Chapter three: 2025

CUT: Red Bull marketing video

WHY: Chapter was already very long. Also I couldn’t find any good questions.

Daniel and Max play the F1 newlywed game 💒💍

827K views 10 hours ago #Gives you wings #F1 … more

Oracle Red Bull Racing 1.58M

INT. RED BULL RACING HOSPITALITY - DAY

[00:00:00]

MAX: Hello everyone and today we are playing the newlywed game.

DANIEL: Are you excited?

MAX: I mean I have to say yes otherwise I look like I’m in an unhappy marriage.

DANIEL: Wow—

MAX:—Also the name doesn’t even make sense. Newlywed? That isn’t us.

DANIEL: [To off screen] Guys, I would get someone to approve your overtime, we’re gonna be here a while.

[00:02:01]

OFF SCREEN: Who is more likely to overpack for a holiday?

DANIEL: Don’t look at me!

MAX: We have three suitcases.

DANIEL: It takes effort to look this good.

MAX: Three suitcases every single race weekend.

DANIEL: What’s the next question?

CUT: Lucinda’s vaguely threatening email

WHY: Broke the fourth wall. Glitter on the floor is meant to be solely a third POV view and I couldn’t justify it.

CONFIDENTIAL: PRESS STRATEGY REGARDING MAX VERSTAPPEN AND DANIEL RICCIARDO

From: lucindasalzar@/press.redbull.racing

To: maxverstappen@/redbull.racing, danielricciardo@/redbull.racing

CC: christianhorner@/redbull.racing, teamdaniel@/press.redbull.racing, teammax@/press.redbull.racing

Date: 21 Nov 2025 at 3:04am

Hi all,

Please see attachment below for finalised details regarding your press strategy and talking points this weekend. Media have been advised to not ask any questions about the ring and we’d like to keep it that way. Remember to keep it vague if you do get asked, and if you don’t feel comfortable a simple no comment will suffice.

Please email for any further clarification or questions and good luck this weekend. (And please no spur of the moment Las Vegas—Elvis impersonator weddings you two.)

Best regards,

Lucinda Salzar (she/her)

Head of Communications, Red Bull Racing.

E: lucindasalzar@/press.redbull.racing

P: +44 ** **** *****

CUT: The chaotic Abu Dhabi super seat swap

WHY: I had to cut this because I altered the timeline, Las Vegas was going to the second last race. In an earlier version Max and Daniel were gonna come back in 2026 and also drop the Matilda news at the same time but I wanted more content just out of Maxiel so I had to leave this on the cutting board. Some of it made it into the published fic but the original thing was more chaotic. (Also I changed the Red Bull junior driver at least once a week because they kept dropping them. It went from Hauger, to Crawford, to Maloney and then I just gave up because I could not keep up.)

lights-out-away-we-go

red bull needed to replace two drivers and they did in THE MOST CHAOTIC way possible. okay, just listen:

the official red bull reserve driver is liam lawson (of alpha tauri, so he obviously gets pulled up)

alpha tauri then call on zane maloney to replace liam (alpha tauri’s reserve driver)

BUT, daniel’s car still needs to fulfil the mandatory rookie free practice session (max’s was completed in mexico when maloney drove)

red bull can’t get zane in daniel’s car again cause he’s got to drive liam’s… so they’ve got to find someone who has the super licence points … we’ll come back to this

so right now car 3 is being driven by liam lawson, car 40 is driven by zane maloney. i hear you ask… who is driving car 1? it’s none other than yuki tsunoda (of alphatauri)

I KNOW, but red bull have quite literally run out of contracted reserve drivers and i believe because every driver is technically employed by red bull (whether they drive for RB or AT) they’re able to pull them up or down without the FIA kicking up a fuss

i’ll wait for why red bull pulled up both AT’s

this means yuki tsunoda’s alpha tauri will be without a driver and once again, red bull call Pepe Marti

#i don’t even know if this is 100% correct i could be so wrong

13,482 notes

—

SKY F1 SPORTS- 2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE 1

David CROFT: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our final race of the 2025 season, to our first free practice session under the blistering sun of Abu Dhabi and if this is your first time watching, welcome along cause this will certainly be an interesting race weekend. Now, eagle eyed viewers may have caught that AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda is in the Red Bull, and his team mate is sitting in the next garage over not in a car. Anthony Davidson is with me—Ant, care to explain to our viewers at home the driver seat swap chaos that’s happening down at Red Bull?

Anthony DAVIDSON: Hello everyone, wherever in the world you may be watching and yes, chaos is the right word for it isn’t it? I’ve got about five pieces of paper and I’m going to do my best to explain, what I think, is the most complicated driver situation in F1 history.

CROFT: Yes, for those who didn’t join us last time out or who may be new to F1, I promise driver seat talk usually isn’t this complicated but we’ll do our best to make sense of it all. Now we’ve got to start at the last race for it all to make sense. Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo had a nasty crash with Enzo Fittipaldi of Haas that left him with a concussion and bruised ribs, which is why presumably he isn’t racing today, and we wish him well in his recovery. Red Bull’s other driver Max Verstappen was also not able to race this weekend for an unspecified reason, so Red Bull are left with two empty seats.

DAVIDSON: We know that Red Bull’s official reserve driver is Liam Lawson, so that’s no problem there. He’s driving Daniel’s number 3 car, but here’s where the trouble starts. Car number 3 still needs to complete its mandatory FP1 session, which Zane Maloney was planning to do this session. But you’ll notice that Zane is in Liam’s car right now, the Alpha Tauri—and this is because he’s Alpha Tauri’s reserve driver.

CROFT: Still following everyone? So far, car number 3 is being driven by Liam Lawson, car number 40 is being driven by Zane Maloney. But Liam Lawson isn’t even in car number 3 at the moment, it’s Pepe Marti, who is currently racing in Formula 2 and part of Red Bull’s junior academy. He’s competing the mandatory rookie FP1 session for car number 3.

DAVIDSON: So now we move onto Max Verstappen’s car, which is being driven by the other AlphaTauri driver, Yuki Tsunoda. Which now means AlphaTauri needs a driver to replace him and it’s Red Bull junior driver, Isack Hadjar who is in car number 22.

CROFT: Right, so it’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in Red Bull for the race, Zane Maloney and Isack Hadjar in the AlphaTauri’s and Pepe Marti in Liam or Daniel’s Red Bull for FP1. Confused? Don’t worry, so are we so bare with us if we accidentally get names and teams wrong because I believe this is possibly the biggest driver change in F1 history.

DAVIDSON: Yes and because I know people will be asking, “Why didn’t Red Bull just put Maloney in Daniel’s car for the whole weekend?” and we have an answer and officially, it’s because of contracts. Whatever behind the scenes isn’t allowing him to drive that Red Bull which is why they called up Yuki instead. Maloney has also said he feels more confident driving the AlphaTauri all weekend rather than the Red Bull, so that also may play a factor in this.

CROFT: But also this is a perfect opportunity for Red Bull to compare both drivers, should the opportunity for one of them to make the move into Red Bull when the time arises.

Chapter four: 2026

CUT: Netflix Drive to Survive script

WHY: Once again, I was lazy and didn’t want to write a script. I kinda wish I did though, I think it would’ve given Las Vegas 2025 more substance, especially because you only see it through a fan perspective whereas DTS allows you to get the driver’s perspective, but I do plan to finish this off…. eventually….

Netflix- Drive to Survive

Season 9, Episode 3 “Redemption”

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is back in town but it’s not all good fortunes for those driving. The biggest paddock secret is unveiled.

—

INT. KITCHEN - MORNING

We see scrambled eggs on a frying pan.

OFF SCREEN: Daniel? Where is my jumper? The blue one?

The camera zooms out from the eggs to see Daniel, wearing a light blue jumper, grimacing at the camera.

DANIEL: (Under his breath) To be fair it was my jumper first.

The camera swings to Max in the doorway, arms crossed as he narrows his eyes at Daniel.

MAX: I heard that.

(In the garage, during the crash.)

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #1: Has anyone told Max?

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #2: We’re not telling him.

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #3: Seriously?

RED BULL TEAM MEMBER #1: He thinks his husband is dead, we’re telling him!

INT. HOTEL ROOM

PRODUCER: Do you have some fears about allowing the world to know about your relationship?

DANIEL: God, of course I have. We both have. But we spent so long being—not scared, but worried let’s say about the consequences of us just being together. But then Las Vegas happened and all I wanted was Max to sit by my bedside and make a stupid joke about me being in hospital again. And it was when Christian literally had to fight multiple people to get Max into that hospital I realised that what we were doing was unsustainable.

PRODUCER: Unsustainable?

DANIEL: Are you married?

PRODUCER: Yes?

DANIEL: Have you ever watched your partner crash into something at three hundred kilometres an hour and no one telling you if they were even alive? Because I’ve done that. We’ve done that. Multiple times.

Montage of different Max & Daniel accidents.

DANIEL: And then you have to go on with your day, going to debrief, doing press but all you really want to do is go to them and make sure that they’re even alive?

PRODUCER: …

DANIEL: So yeah. Unsustainable.

—

333 update account @/official333

📺 | Drive to Survive (Netflix)

Daniel talking about his relationship with Max on and off the track:

Q: Do you think it’s been challenging to balance out the relationship given your unique relationship with Max?

Daniel: No, and I think people over dramatise the complexity of it all. I mean sure, it has been somewhat difficult, especially at the beginning but in the end it is just racing, you know? We’re both aware that we are something different from the other drivers, but I like that. Not many people get to do what they love with their partner right next to them, so I definitely take every race we do together for granted.

476 replies 88 reposts 8,372 likes

CUT: Alternate ‘M’ reveal

WHY: I genuinely spent like half an hour thinking if fictional Max and Daniel would show Matilda, I had earlier drafts where they hide her face until I was like okay, this is fictional. Bad things do not exist in this universe, so it’s fine. Plus, Matilda is so cute I can’t hide her.

[Video: Daniel, standing in front of a door.

DANIEL: I know a lot of you guys might have noticed that I’ve been dropping clues towards who this mysterious M is and it’s finally time to reveal who it is.

He opens the door and pans the camera to Max.

DANIEL: M stands for Max. Sorry to break the news, it’s not that exciting. Wait, who’s that?

The camera pans further down to show Max holding a baby, she’s sleeping soundly in Max’s arm.

Photo: A baby. She’s wearing a light blue onesie, and her hand is wrapped around a mini honey badger soft toy.]

Liked by lucsalzar and others

danielricciardo Everybody meet Matilda. Matilda, this is everybody.

View all 5,638 comments

georgerussell63 They learnt what hard launching is and said we’re going to do it for everything… Congrats 🙌

landonorris be prepared for the onslaught of driver themed onesies coming your way…

1 March

CUT: The half-completed TIME article about Daniel

WHY: I did not have it in me to write another 1000 word article. I spent around a week just writing Daniel’s The Players’ Tribune article. But what I did write, I did like. Was also around the time TIME named Taylor Swift as their person of the year, so that’s where I got that inspiration.

How 2025 was the year of the Honey Badger—Daniel Ricciardo on winning his first Formula 1 Championship during a historic year.

by Tylda Rune-Liberi for TIME

February 15, 2026 9:33AM EST

It’s 2017 and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was asked in a press conference what race he would like the new owners of F1 to host. His answer? Las Vegas. In 2023, five years on, his wish was granted. Two years later, in 2025, the race he had proclaimed as a dream race would turn into stuff of nightmares.

Leading the race and looking like he would take a first win at Las Vegas after a podium in 2023, it looked like everything was going Ricciardo’s way until a bizarre accident with Kick Stake Sauber’s Theo Pourchaire causes a major accident, leaving Ricciardo wedged in the cockpit for over half an hour.

Pourchaire had given way to Ricciardo as he was being lapped, before attempting to unlap himself, choosing the wrong moment as Ricciardo was heading into the pitlane. Radios released after the accident have Pourchaire admit he “didn’t think he was going into the pit lane.”

It’s a horrifying crash to watch—even with the knowledge that both drivers would be okay, and it would soon be clear that no one felt it more in the pitlane than Ricciardo’s own teammate: Max Verstappen.

Formula 1 drivers all drive with the knowledge that a crash could happen at any given moment, but this accident was different.

[Photo: Daniel, in a dark navy denim blue overshirt and jeans.]

Ricciardo and Verstappen have had a long and varied partnership throughout their career, first starting in 2016 where Verstappen was brought up mid season from then-Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso (now Visa Cash App RB), winning his debut race with the team, where it looked like the win would go to Ricciardo instead. They would go on to be teammates for another two seasons, before Ricciardo announced a shocking move to Renault (now Alpine).

One thing that stood out about their initial partnership was how their off track friendship never seemed to waver, even in their most turbulent of times (see Hungary 2017 or Azerbaijan 2018). In an era where friendships between teammates seemed to famously end in failure, in the likes of fan dubbed ‘Brocedes’ (Nico Rosberg & Lewis Hamilton; best friends growing up who’s friendship ended in rivalry fighting for a championship) or former Red Bull teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber (Multi-21 Seb?), it was an outlier that the two remained such good friends, even after Ricciardo had departed Red Bull.

Even Ricciardo mentions that Lewis Hamilton had gone up to him to ask how Verstappen and Ricciardo had managed to keep their friendship going even though they had tussles on track. “I don’t really know,” Ricciardo says. “I mean it’s definitely all in hindsight now, but I think it was because we—or at least I—knew that our friendship was really important. Like it was no matter what happens I don’t go and screw up this friendship I have with Max.”

Ricciardo would go through a bumpy time in his post-Red Bull career, going through two seasons at Renault, two seasons at McLaren before a 6 month break where he was named ‘Third Driver’ for Red Bull, a 6 month stint in Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso, now Visa Cash App RB) which was marked with Ricciardo missing 5 races due to a hand injury during a free practice session in Zandvoort before returning back to the very seat he left six years earlier, Red Bull announcing Ricciardo’s return at the 2023 Las Vegas race.

A move that was then deemed as a surprise move by many pundits, all was put to rest when Riccardo finessed his AlphaTauri in the podium position, grabbing the team 3rd place and their first podium since Pierre Gasly in 2021.

Something was different about this second stint, and it wasn’t the journeys they’ve both gone on since they both parted ways. There was something different about them together.

[Photo: Max and Daniel laughing in the Red Bull garage.]

Nine years on since their first race together, it was oddly reminiscent of their first. Verstappen crossed the line to win a race his teammate had been poised to do so. Only this time, the celebrations were much different.

With Ricciardo in hospital, Verstappen quickly left the race track after a tuned down podium ceremony, skipping out on mandatory post-race media duties, where competitors and team can attract fines for doing so. (The FIA opted not to fine Verstappen and Red Bull in this instance.)

Even during the red flag it was clearly Verstappen was antsy, with his radio calls after finding out his teammate was in an accident conveying his state of worry. Leaked video from inside the Red Bull garage has Verstappen mention not finishing the race, wanting to be by Ricciardo’s side instead.

///

“I remember I posted the post and people were like ‘Oh, maybe he meant it in a friendly way’ and I was like f***, I’ve got to actually spell it out for them.” Hence, the iconic post that broke the F1 world was born.

[Daniel’s tweet.]

It’s 2020, and the Australian Grand Prix has just been cancelled due to COVID.

All the drivers and teams are left scrambling to try and leave the country before the borders close, and Daniel Ricciardo has just invited Max Verstappen to stay over at his house in Perth.

“I don’t think I can even call it a friendly gesture, because as much as I like the other guys on the grid, there’s no way I would’ve invited them over.”

///

“Yeah, I won a championship. But I’m still the same person.”

Ricciardo’s often been somewhat of an open book, he says—whether it was for the better or for the worse. Every aspect of his life has been so highly publicised, from winning races to what it looks like when he’s not, it’s remarkable how he still holds nearly the same candour, even if his name and career has seemingly been dragged through the mud a thousand times over by the media.

Last year he publicly came out in a F1-related podcast, to what he says was very unplanned. “I didn’t plan to come out, let’s say, it just kind of happened.

“I didn’t even plan to come out, let's say, it just kind of happened? I was recording a podcast and I was talking about 2022 and how it unfolded, the support systems around me and I said “my partner”, and a part of me went Oh, shit! I hadn’t talked about my relationships at length before that, and I knew people were going to absolutely run with it and then I was like—well, might as well just go the whole nine yards, so then the second reference to my partner I very deliberately dropped in he. And that was it.”

“I remember so vividly, I went home that night and I told Max, oh I think I did something stupid and his mind immediately went to me accidentally leaking like team secrets or something big like that, and I was like no, I may have accidentally came out and within like three seconds you could see is brain just switch.

“There is no we found the elephant in the room or whatever. The elephant has always been in the room and it’s just decided to make its presence known.”

“Look, I definitely understand some of the criticism that some people may have with F1 or Red Bull or us capitalising on our relationship or whatever, but I think now more than ever there’s a need to perhaps know who the drivers are when they aren’t driving.” Ricciardo adds.

“Because it’s all fine and good if John Smith is winning races and driving amazingly, but if you know next to nothing about the person because it seems like they’re packed up and shipped race to race, you’re not going to root for the guy because they’ve made no connection.”

Ricciardo quickly clarifies that it’s not a negative for sports people or celebrities to maintain their personal lives, but he sees it more as a way to express or show what he wants to show in his own lives. “We spent nearly five years it near complete secrecy from the outside world and whilst I’m not saying that we should’ve just been public right from the start—we probably wouldn’t have survived—I was just wanting to post a photo of Max burning dinner or something and not have gossip magazines or Instagram accounts dissect every pixel of it.”

Did Ricciardo get pushback from the FIA or his team? It’s a difficult question to answer, he tells me. NDAs and whatnot. He says, “The team was wonderful about it, though. Had multiple team members come up to us willingly to fight the higher powers if needed which was very sweet.”

“Let’s just say there were conversations that I had been made aware of that had made me feel like we weren’t even allowed to look at each other when we were in the paddock. I felt like they were asking me to only refer to him as my teammate, stuff along those lines.”

///

“One of our friends told us at our wedding something along the lines of for F1 drivers, you did move pretty fucking slow in your relationship! And Max was like yeah, did you know who we were in 2018?” Ricciardo laughs loudly, scaring one of the cats who seemed ready to take a nap.

///

“I used to rely so much on what other people thought of me, it wasn’t enough that I thought I was the best guy out there, you also had to think I was the best guy out there.”

///

Racing has always been part of Ricciardo’s life, but he doesn’t want it to be the only thing now in his life. He wants you to ask about things not related to racing, like how much he loves his family or how he thinks the Buffalo Bills are the greatest NFL team on earth.

“I’m not going to do this forever, you know?” He says, finishing the can of Red Bull he’d been slowly sipping throughout the course of this piece. “I hope when I look back at these years of my life I’m going to be equally proud of what I did in the car and what I did outside of it.” — With reporting done by Tylda Rune-Liberi and Nicolas St. Revelate.

CUT: Max and the team getting called up to the FIA

WHY: The FIA seems like an organisation who might send me a cease and desist if I wrote them as quietly homophobic. I don’t have money for a lawsuit. Also wanted to keep the universe happy because the real one is not. Still think my Mad Mex reference is funny.

Autosport @/autosport

Breaking: Max Verstappen summoned to the stewards after allegedly breaking parc ferme rules.

12 replies 90 reposts 821 likes

—

F1 - 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE - TRANSCRIPT

23.3.26

Q: Sorry, Daniel just coming back to you now. We’ve just received word that Max Verstappen has just been summoned to the stewards for breaking parc fermé conditions, any reaction on that?

Daniel RICCIARDO: For what?

Q: Uh, we think it might be related to post race procedures around weighing. Not entirely sure yet, his meeting is at 6:15pm.

DR: Well there goes our dinner plans. To be fair our dinner plans were literally just Mad Mex in our hotel rooms before flying to Perth, but still.

Jack DOOHAN: Mad what?

DR: Mad Mex? You know, the Mexican fast food place. Surely you’ve had it.

JD: Oh, I thought you said Mad Max and I was like, “He finished P4 that doesn’t seem too bad.”

DR: Did Max not do the weigh in or what?

Q: He did, after your podium. Sorry mate, even more bad news for the team, they’ve been summoned to the stewards as well.

DR: If I find out I’m going to lose another podium about ten years on after the race here I’m gonna be pissed.

Q: This one is related to Article 26.13 b, where “Unless authorised by the FIA, no one under the age of 16 is permitted in the pit lane at the following times: b) The period commencing fifteen (15) minutes before the pit exit is opened to allow cars to cover reconnaissance laps and the time when the last car enters the parc fermé after the sprint session or the race has ended.”

DR: What cause we had our daughter with us at the podium celebration?

Q: Quite possibly, yeah.

DR: That’s interesting. I—yeah, I’m just gonna say that’s interesting.

Oscar PIASTRI: Kevin had his kids with him in Monza twenty four, didn’t he?

DR: Yeah, I’m sure the team will have a lot to say so we’ll just leave it at that.

CUT: Reaction to Australia winning

WHY: Timeline changes. Original timeline was Australia 2026 being their first race back after Las Vegas and relationship/kid reveal. I apparently also cut the all Australian podium. Can't remember why.

[Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Photo 3:

Photo 4: Lucinda holding the constructor trophy on the podium, Daniel giving a big grin next to her.]

Liked by jackdoohan and others

danielricciardo Never thought I’d be able to share a podium with two other Aussies but what better time than at our home race. @/jackdoohan @/oscarpiastri @/redbullracing 🇦🇺❤️

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ausgp Surely this gets us a public holiday?! @/auspm

oscarpiastri We’re about to get even more annoying…

—

Oracle Red Bull Racing @/redbullracing

Don’t mind us, we’re just in a puddle of tears over how cute @/Max33Verstappen and @/danielricciardo are 😍😭🫶

[Video: Taken from behind the parc ferme barriers, Daniel holding Matilda as Max hugs him, one hand around his waist and the other around the back of his neck.]

—

jeanie 🤠 @/COTADANIEL

flabbergasted about how well max and daniel hid their relationship from the world because man that he looks at daniel like he hung the moon stars and the sun and we’ve just been blind to notice

jake @/381racers

Maxiel admin logged on today thank you universe 🙏

—

DANIEL: Yeah, I just didn’t think I was able to have this, you know? If you had told me like seven years ago that hey, “You’ll be winning again and Max and your kid will be right along with you”, I would’ve laughed in your face. There is still absolutely more work to do, but I’m just glad I get to have my little moment without like some of these outside factors screaming and kicking at us.

CUT: Jake @/381racers meeting Daniel

WHY: Felt too indulgent. Loved it, but I think the idea pushed the boundaries/fourth wall maybe A Little too much, even for my low standards.

jake @/381racers

Only felt right that I get this signed

[Photo: Jake’s infamous tweet “Max Verstappen can you fight?” printed out and framed. Max has signed it and wrote “Yes he can.”]

—

jake @/381racers

First photo really Daniel did you have to shame me further . I thought we had a promise. Anyways, here's the video of me meeting them.

[Video: Jake meeting Daniel, in Red Bull hospitality. They’re both sitting down in chairs, and Jake has his hands on top of a frame placed face down on the table.

JAKE: Do you remember like two years ago in COTA you wore a leather jacket outfit and basically the internet blew up because of how good you looked?

DANIEL: Yeah, with the cowboy hat and everything!

JAKE: And there was a tweet that trended on that weekend—

Daniel sits up in his chair, eyes widening in realisation of who Jake is.

DANIEL: Oh my god you’re “Max Verstappen can you fight?” guy?!

JAKE: Embarrassingly, yes.

DANIEL: (offscreen) How did you find him?!

OFFSCREEN: Remember when I said I was going to bring my boyfriend this race?

Daniel looks back and forth behind the person offscreen and Jake multiple times before bending over and laughing hysterically.

OFFSCREEN: Yeah, I’m not happy about it either.

DANIEL: Oh my god did I like cause you two to meet?

jake @/381racers

No I too am not happy about my internet history coming back to bite me

CUT: Interview with Lawrence Baretto

WHY: I ran out of time. I had planned to post this at the end of Jan, but since I didn’t post that NYD bonus fic, I didn’t wanna go a month without an update so this got culled. Also my vague illusions to Max’s dad felt a little weird.

Exclusive: Daniel Ricciardo on retirement, 15 years of F1 and family with Lawerence Barretto

When I ask about his daughter and if they have any interest in making her follow in her parents footsteps, he shuts down my line of questioning pretty quickly.

“No,” he immediately says. “I’m not going to write out a path for her to follow, or put expectations for her to go into karting because of a family legacy. I think Max knows it a little bit more than me, how the expectations of someone who’s meant to take care of you can tarnish the thing you love.”

Jos Verstappen, Max’s father and former F1 driver hasn’t been seen in the paddock since 2023. Both declined to comment when asked.

“If she wants to start karting, then we’ll probably have a very long conversation about how it’s important that she finds it fun and if she doesn’t then she doesn’t. It’s not important to me that she wins or whatever, I just want her to enjoy it.”

Chapter five: 2027

CUT: Drive to Survive script

WHY: I did not have the energy to write a full script, and I felt like there were too many events to write about and I could not do it justice. Also I would like idk if Max and Daniel would show Matilda on DTS which is crazy because Matilda is not real…

—

Drive to Survive

Season 10 Episode 10 “One final rodeo…”

After fifteen years in the sport, Formula 1 says goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo.

[00:20:26]

INT. HOTEL ROOM INTERVIEW

PRODUCER: We don’t have to talk about Las Vegas.

DANIEL: No, it's fine. Probably should. Uh—yeah.

PRODUCER: We can take a minute.

DANIEL: Yeah, thanks. I didn’t talk about it last year did I?

PRODUCER: No. Okay, we’ll cut.

CUT TO BLACK.

Sound of car crashing into wall, before it fades in to show the Red Bull in the pitlane wall. Cuts to people reacting—Red Bull employees, fans in the grandstands and then a birds eye aerial view of the crash, showing the medical and extraction crew.

PIERRE HAMLIN (V.O): Daniel, are you okay?

Cuts to Max’s T-CAM footage, him driving past the car.

MAX (V.O): What the fuck happened?

PIERRE: Daniel, please just press the radio button so we know you’re okay.

Cuts to Daniel’s T-CAM footage, his helmet leans against the left side of the halo, indicating he’s unmoving.

PIERRE: Daniel, can you hear me?

Cuts to showing the Red Bull pitwall, everyone looking at each other worried.

DANIEL (V.O): The first thought I had was: Shit. This is really bad timing. Second thought I had was: Max is going to kill me.

Cuts to Daniel's forward facing cockpit onboard, him moving his head and looking up and down the cockpit.

PIERRE: Daniel?

DANIEL: Yep. Fuck. My chest, fuck. Shit, is um the other driver okay?

PIERRE: Yes, he's okay but don't worry about him. Do you think you can get out of the car?

DANIEL: Yeah no, I don't think that's happening with breaking something. Fuck, my ribs. Oh god. I think something's broken.

PIERRE: Okay Daniel, the medical team are nearly there but do not move if you think it will cause more damage. The car is safe, so do not worry about anything else.

DANIEL: Yep, okay. Um, will someone tell Max I'm okay? Just, don't freak him out yeah?

PIERRE: Copy Daniel, it will be okay, it will be okay. Just keep radio on please.

DANIEL: Okay. Fuck, this sucks.

INT. STUDIO

TEXT: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing driver

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Been a while.

PRODUCER: Didn’t think you were going to agree.

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Would be a big thing if you made it look like we hated each other again!

PRODUCER: We asked Daniel what his first thought was when he had that accident. He said “This is really bad timing” and that you were going to kill him. Why?

MAX: Well, because of Matilda.

EXT. PORT HERCULES, MONACO— MORNING

Long shot of Port Hercules, Monaco, filmed from a balcony. It’s peaceful, quiet—the city sounds filling the background before we hear a baby scream in joy.

DANIEL: Matilda!

Matilda is on the floor in the living room, on a playmat and she plays with wooden blocks. Max is next to her on the ground, with his back leant against the couch, Daniel is on the couch.

DANIEL (V.O): Yeah, she’s one of the best things to happen to me. For a long time my whole life was just racing, but now she’s my whole life. Like it’s okay if I have a bad race or whatever, I’ve got to move on quickly because she’s there at home waiting.

MAX: Having a kid does change you, I think. Daniel will not say his driving has changed, but it has.

PRODUCER: In what way?

MAX: I think now he is more focused on winning every race, not that he wasn’t before. But because maybe he knows that every race matters more now. You hope that the others around you will not be too reckless so that you can go home after the race.

EXT. CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS — MIDDAY

TEXT ON SCREEN: 2025 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: Hey, welcome back Danny!

DANIEL: Thank you, thank you. Hope you didn’t miss my handsome face too much.

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: I didn’t know Jake went on holiday!

DANIEL: I’m gonna crash the car just for that.

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #2: No, we’re just kidding. So how’s the baby?

DANIEL: She’s great, do you wanna see a photo?

RED BULL EMPLOYEE #1: Oh, she’s adorable. Matilda was her name?

DANIEL: Yeah, yeah. We had a list but I think Matilda was the only one that stood out to us. She just looks like a Matilda you know?

///

The camera swings to the right, as Daniel’s head sticks out from the door.

DANIEL RICCIARDO: You aren’t talking shit about me, Maxy?

MAX VERSTAPPEN: Of course I am.

///

MAX: I have raced with Daniel in every single year of F1. I think it will be weird.

DANIEL RICCIARDO I think I was a pretty good darn car mechanic.

CUT: Max’s interview with GQ

WHY: If you haven’t learnt by now, I am very lazy. Honestly, I just wanted this chapter out and I knew I didn’t have the time to write a whole article. Also I don’t think Max would be this open about this relationship but maybe Daniel made him more open in this universe. I still stand by the first sentence, it is possibly the truest thing to come out of the fic.

You can’t talk about Max Verstappen without eventually talking about Daniel Ricciardo, and you can’t talk about Daniel Ricciardo without eventually talking about Max Verstappen. This was a true statement in the earlier part of Verstappen’s career, but now perhaps even more so. “He’s made me a much better person,” Verstappen comments when I ask him about his husband. “I maybe wasn’t the best person to be teammates with when I was first in Formula 1, but he stayed friends with me. Even after he left and I was not being nice to him, he still stayed. That was very important to me.”

There’s a certain aura of happiness that comes from Verstappen when he starts talking about Ricciardo, and he says it’s probably one of the most documented love stories of F1.

It started in the early morning after the final race of the 2018 season, and a drunk voicemail to Ricciardo kicked things off. “I was still mad that he was going, and I had too many gin and tonics and I called him at like 12 am or something. Obviously he didn’t answer because he was sleeping but I said really embarrassing stuff in that voicemail.” He left one more a couple hours later, asking Ricciardo not to mention it.

“He really took that to heart.” Verstappen laughs. “I don’t really know why, we would talk when we saw each other on race weekends and pretend that everything was fine between us.”

They were seemingly friends only when it was the race weekend, but off track they had never been further apart. There was a lot of resentment and unsaid conversation from Verstappen’s side, self proclaiming that his stubbornness had put a pin in their relationship. “It’s easy to say now looking back, but I thought Daniel leaving Red Bull was also leaving me. And I didn’t take it well.”

But a little bit of push and shove from his fellow friends made him realise that having Ricciardo in his life was more important than whatever feelings he had towards him leaving.

///

Verstappen proposed two years later in December 2022 at that same house. “Coordinates of the house and everything on the ring,” Ricciardo comments when he drops in to grab something from the office. “Cried like a baby when I realised.”

Deleted Epilogue:

WHY: I still can’t decide if Matilda would go down the F1 path. If she did, she is definitely a Ferrari driver. Just to mess with her dads. I think she would sign with Red Bull in the junior seasons, maybe do two seasons with Red Bull then switch to Ferrari. A Sebastian Vettel if you will…let’s hope it turns out better for her than him.

[Photo 1: A Ferrari car crossing the chequered flag.

Photo 2: Matilda on the third step of the podium, holding the trophy in the air, the Australian flag wrapped around her shoulders.]

Photo 3: Matilda hugging her parents in parc ferme.]

Liked by danielricciardo and others

mvr one home race down 🇦🇺, one more to go 🇳🇱 😉

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scuderiaferrari 👏🎉

23 March

—

SKY SPORTS: 2048 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

David CROFT: And Matilda Verstappen-Ricciardo absolutely sends it down the inside and makes it stick, and what a move! Gosh, I was not expecting her to pull it off but she absolutely does and gets a roar of a cheer from the home crowd, Verstappen-Ricciardo is currently in P3.

Jenson BUTTON: I mean, we should not be surprised. Daughter of Max Verstappen, a six time World Champion and Daniel Ricciardo, another World Champion. A lot of racing talent in that family, I thought the last of the late breakers was Daniel but she has really put a new meaning on late!

DC: And speaking of there is Max and Daniel Verstappen-Ricciardo, who I imagine are probably the most nervous parents in the paddock right now! A lovely nod and clap of encouragement as we watch the reaction of Matilda’s overtake for P3.

—

matilda verstappen-ricciardo @/MVR

if you’re wondering if it’s embarrassing to have your parents show up at work to congratulate you just wait till one of them interviews you in front of the tv…. thanks dad i’ve never felt so uncool before

138 replies 98 reposts 20,482 likes

—

POST RACE: PARC FERME INTERVIEW

Daniel RICCIARDO: Matilda!

Matilda VERSTAPPEN-RICCIARDO: Oh my god, please be cool about this.

DR: Just wait till I convince F1 to let me and Max double host it.

MVR: This is actually my worst nightmare. Like maybe three other people will understand what I’m feeling right now.

DR:

///

MVR: I mean I’m not worried about a legacy, if people think I’m here to start or continue a legacy then they can think that, but I’m here to race. Not carry on whatever my parents did.

#maxiel #glitter on the floor #candle wax and polaroids verse

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ammonitetheartist · 1 month

Text

Unauthorized Freaking Wolves

(wow it’s been like. a WHILE since I touched this AU alsnsjdhhdhd)

[Image ID: A drawing depicting wolflike designs of N and Uzi from Murder Drones, each with wings (N’s wings are much more apparent). N is standing with a slight prowling stance, while Uzi has reared up, one paw slung around the back of N’s neck.

Both of them are looking directly at the viewer, pupil-less eyes glowing in the dark. They’re both backlit, shaded and highlighted in indigo. The background is indigo as well. End ID]

#murder drones #murder drones n #serial designation n #murder drones uzi #uzi doorman #murder drones au #wolfwalkers au #skystriders au #tw eye contact

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theprinceofliones · 11 days

Text

Tristan has always been scared of the dark.

It's a fear he's never been able to shake ever since he was little. Not being able to see what surrounds him, not being able to anticipate what would come next---it terrified him to no end.

Arthur Pendragon must be aware of this, as wherever Tristan is being held now is as black as night with no entrance or exit in sight.

His hands and legs have been wrapped in chains that obviously nullify his magic, his goddess wings have been strung to the floor, open and unable to move. He's on the stone concrete floor below, unable to muster the strength to lift any part of his body as they're weighed down so heavily. He keeps his eyes closed, attempting to focus on his breathing so he doesn't have to open his eyes to darkness.

He doesn't know how long he's been here, doesn't wish to know. He just wants to go /home/.

Suddenly, after what felt like hours, the door, entrance, opens wide.

Tristan's eyes snap open and they adjust to the light now spilling into the endlessly dark cavern that is this dungeon, and when they do, their he finds the man behind it all.

Arthur Pendragon smiles at him sweetly, head titling.

"Are you comfortable?" He asks. "Little prince?"

Tristan glares at him and his fists clench behind him. He doesn't say anything, choosing to keep his last remnants of dignity that he can muster to keep to himself.

The false king grins wider. "Shy now, are we?" He chuckles. "A shame. You were quite mouthy last time we met."

"I'm gonna kill you," Tristan suddenly seethes and Arthur laughs.

"There it is!" He cheers and claps. "Such /rage/. You look just like your father when you glare at me like that," He chuckles again and sighs. "I don't know why everyone says you look like your whore mother, Elizabeth---to me, you are a carbon copy of your monstrous father and all his demon kin."

At the mention of his sweet mother, Tristan /snarls/. "/Don't speak her name, bastard/!" He screams as he shakes with rage. "Else I'll rip your fucking tongue from your /throat/!"

Arthur just scoffs. "I will admit, you're either quite brave or quite /foolish/ to insult me when you're in the position you're in now," He says nonchalantly. "All alone, away from home. You poor thing, you must be so scared."

Tristan wants to claw the bastard's eyes out, rip out his vocal cords and shove them down his throat until he chokes and dies.

He's never felt such rage before---a wrath taking over him like nothing ever has.

"Well," Arthur sighs with a devilish grin as he turns around and away from him with a wave of his hand. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, little prince, because you're going to be here for a /while/, I'd wager. Who knows, maybe you'll even come to like it here? Perhaps you will one day come to lick my boot---"

Tristan doesn't even realize he's able to move until he's near inches away from Arthur's face.

Chains stops him, tugging him back and away from the bastard.

Tristan cries out as he nearly loses his footing and pain floods his senses as the brackets around his wrists and ankles nearly pull his skin off. His goddess wings attempt to flap uselessly and he nearly /screams/ in frustration.

Arthur rears back, obviously not expecting Tristan to be able to move with the magic wards and drugs in his system flooding his senses to make him dizzy and drowsy.

Tristan tries to get as close as possible, shrieking in rage as he can't get any closer and Arthur stares at him in complete disbelief before he begins to laugh, as though he were in shock and awe.

"Wow!" He gasps. "I shouldn't have expected any less! The fact that you're able to get past my wards at all is---"

Blood spills from a cut on his cheek and the God of Chaos stumbles.

Tristan pants for air and his one /freed/ wing floats beside him, feathers sharpened to the same sharpness of steel /blades/.

Arthur is stunned into silence.

"/I/ am Tristan Liones," He begins, gasping as he stands up as tall as he can. He can feel his magic flowing through him, as little as the wards allow. "I am the son of Meliodas and Elizabeth Liones, the Crown Prince of Britannia, the Four Knights of the Apocalypse of Pestilence, and, when I escape from here, I will take your /head/."

The only sound that can be heard is Tristan's gasps for air and the sound of chains rattling and Arthur's lips part as their eyes remained locked.

After several moments of silence, Arthur just smiles again, tiny scar and droplet of blood gone as he heals himself.

"I look forward to your meager attempts, sweet prince," Is all he says before he turns around and leaves the dungeon before he shuts the door.

Thus, encasing Tristan in a darkness that will now, unfortunately, become his home for a long, /long/ time.

#nanatsu no taizai #mokushiroku no yonkishi #the seven deadly sins #the four knights of the apocalypse #tristan liones #lancelot #meliodas #elizabeth liones #arthur pendragon #king arthur #4kota #nnt #nnt manga #4kota anime

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bonefall · 8 months

Note

Do you have any plans for Shaded Moss, since Gray Wing is dying in his place? (The specifics of that in my brain was Gray Wing shoving him out of the way of the carriage)

My own thoughts were something along the lines of him having been second-in-command to Gray Wing, but after xir death, Clear Sky starts undermining them, 'suggesting' to people that hey, maybe he *set that up* like, isn't it convenient? That Gray Wing died? Leaving Shaded Moss in charge? Wow, funny like that, huh? And even if most of the group dismisses it as bullshit, it's still "What kinda moron almost gets run over by a carriage and has to be pushed out of the way? Should we really be following him?" Eventually, Clear Sky takes the people who listen to him and leaves, and Tall Shadow kinda forces him to step down, and Shaded Moss kinda lives on the fringes of the group until after Bumble gets driven out. He kinda serves as a surrogate father to Thunder (because I kinda want to keep adoption a thing) and teaches him how to pass better as a tom (because I love older transmascs helping guide their juniors, I wish I had had someone older who knew a little more helping me with that shit as a kid).

I imagine he dies in the First Battle, either just before the "Tell the stars you won" line, or just after, knocking Clear Sky off of Bright Storm and getting killed for it just before Starclan intervenes.

GREAT IDEA let's take it!

(Note though: Shaded Moss -> Shaded Flower, because they now have a naming system that includes a familial last name. Shaded Flower and Rainswept Flower are father and daughter like canon.)

It'll be good for showing how "connected" tribe culture is, to have Thunder Storm have bonds with a lot of the cats he will eventually come into conflict with. Thunder Storm having a surrogate dad figure in the disgraced leader works nicely. Here's how I'll approach it though, taking your suggestions and making sure it works with what's established;

Gray Wing was the leader, Shaded Flower was second in command. He was a logistics sort of guy.

They had never seen a horse before. The group charged in front of it while crossing, spooking it.

Something I found interesting in Sun Trail is that Clear Sky was commanding them across the road that gets Canon!Shade killed on. I think I want to keep that, having Clear Sky be the one who shouted for them all to charge.

Shaded Flower's response to the large animal rearing up was to hiss and freeze

And of course, Gray Wing runs back to save him, getting kicked and killed.

While burying xem, Shade was catching flak. He panicked and his response was to freeze. Clear Sky never takes responsibility for his own actions, and what kind of guy freezes in front of a deer so huge??

He didn't really "step down" so much as Tall Shadow and Clear Sky just naturally started becoming the new leaders. He was pretty ashamed that he got Gray Wing killed.

Embarrassingly, Rainswept Flower ended up having to be his defender a lot of the time. He didn't want her reputation to suffer as a result of his cowardice, but... ugh here they are.

When Jagged Peak broke his leg, Shaded Flower didn't speak up, doubting his own judgement.

But when Bright Storm comes back with her three-legged newborn, he is IMMEDIATELY on Tall Shadow's side in the split. Though his reputation took a big hit, him being on her side IS still helpful.

He probably teaches Thunder Storm how to cook along with helping his transition, since this is going to be an important skill he displays later when he befriends River's Ripple. Rainswept Flower is like a young 19-year-old at this point, making her own life, and Shaded Flower has a sort of loneliness about him.

He probably looks out for Bright Storm, too, since they both had a pretty traumatic experience with Clear Sky treating them like ass. Brings her food and such, makes small talk, watches her kid when she needs a break.

Shaded Flower is, however, probably not a member of early ThunderClan. Or at the very least, he's kind of conflicted about it.

Rainswept Flower is loyal to Tall Shadow, and will remain ShadowClan for her whole life. He really doesn't want to leave her behind

(She even eventually has kittens with Sun Shadow, but that's not super relevant.)

Though... I may have him be part of Bright Storm's Reinforcements, and note how much he's torn between supporting the boy who's practically an adopted son, and his daughter back in Tall Shadow's Clan. He can love them both equally and be torn up over it.

Whatever happens, he will be dying in the place where Rainswept Flower dies in canon. His death in Clear Sky's jaws, "I'm not greedy, just strong!" enrages Bright Storm, who bumrushes him.

She delivers the Star Line, Clear Sky rejects it, and Thunder Storm rushes in to end his battle with Clear Sky once and for all before StarClan halts it.

#I'll clean this all up later along with any other Shaded Flower suggestions anyone has #And make an official character summary #BB!DOTC #Shaded Flower #BB!Shaded Moss #Better bones au

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diabolus1exmachina · 1 year

Photo

Lincoln Indianapolis (one-off).

With its sextet of faux, side-mounted exhaust pipes, proboscis-like front end and aircraft-style wraparound screens, the one-off design study looks eye-poppingly futuristic even today – so imagine how extreme it must have seemed when the wraps were first pulled off it at the Turin International Automobile Show in 1955.As is often the case with such ‘concepts’ the design was created in double-quick time, flowing from the pen of Gian Paolo Boano, the talented 20-something son of the celebrated coachbuilder and former Ghia boss Felice Mario Boano. Boano senior only founded Carrozzeria Boano in 1954, but Gian Paolo had an ex-Ford friend who suggested that, if the Boanos could create a dramatic and futuristic design based on FoMoCo underpinnings, it might serve as a starting point for establishing a potentially lucrative arrangement between the fledgling firm and the giant manufacturer.

Gian Paolo was thus handed a Lincoln chassis – Lincoln being Ford’s luxury marque – and set to work creating large-scale sketches that he and the carrozzeria’s skilled craftsman brought to life using a combination of steel tubing and sheet metal. The hugely exaggerated hood was flanked by suitably long wheel arches (or ‘fenders’ in U.S. speak) that each held twin stacked headlamps and culminated in shrouds from which those fake exhaust tips ostentatiously protruded.

The feature was balanced by forward-facing air vents set into door-mounted cowlings that flowed seamlessly into the rear wings which, in turn, book-ended a sloping tail that made the roof seem even more ‘canopy’ like to reinforce the design’s aviation influences.

The 2+2-seater ‘cockpit’ was trimmed, chequered flag-style in black and white and featured a wraparound dashboard and bucket seats separated by a prominent, stepped centre console. And, just to make sure Boano’s futuristic creation didn’t go un-noticed, its already dramatic bodywork was finished in a coat of flaming orange paint.

With Carrozzeria Boano being based just a few miles west of Turin, it was an easy job to get the freshly-finished, freshly-named ‘Indianapolis Exclusive Study’ to the 37th Salone dell'Automobile, where it wowed the crowds and provided visiting motoring journalists with ready copy. Auto Age magazine even made it the cover star of its November issue, teasing its readers with the tantalising caption: “Is this the next Lincoln?”

#Lincoln Indianapolis #Turin International Automobile Show #Gian Paolo Boano #Ghia #Ford #one-off

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adrena-dine · 2 years

Text

MONZA GP : a summary

Nyck de Vries is a Mercedes driver, that did a free practice for Aston Martin and ended up racing for Williams on Sunday. Defo has more than one hat (like literally)

Lando and Daniel having tattoos of each others’ face in VERY visible part of their bodies

Not Ferrari being in their chicks era for celebrating I don’t remember each anniversary, feels like they’re celebrating anniversaries every year in monza 🤨

Pierre being sick and missing FP

Alex sudden appendicitis on Saturday and Nyck de vries being called in emergency to drive

Bestie literally spent his weekend in 3 different garages but doesn’t have a definitive sit anywhere 💀

Antonio in a Haas 🥳🥳🥳

Esteban’s and Daniel tribute helmets 🥺

Seb pulling out a Roland Garros 80s version look

TIFOSI SUPREMACY 🇮🇹

Charles. On pole. At home. What could we ask more ? (A victory)

Daniel telling Charles that he has big d*ck energy. I mean…he ain’t wrong

adios Porsche, let’s go for 10 more years of speculations 😒

quali being a mess like every year

Carlos didn’t give Charles a toe 🫥

Meanwhile, Felipe Drugovich (congrats for the championship !!) put a mess by visiting garages (he was looking for a toilet seat)

So many grid penalties for so many different reasons that Esteban and Pierre ended up asking on Twitter where do they start

3792920202 different provisional starting grid

Ferrari deciding that they won’t be fool for their home race. But for their home race ONLY the circus is coming back in two weeks 🤡

KIMI IS THERE and he still doesn’t smile 😐

Lewis coming from p19 to p5, and doing a double overtake to people not to forget he’s still a king

McLaren messing up Lando’s start set up 😒

Double retirement for Aston 😬

Pierre is going to have nightmares of Daniel’s rear wing

You know what’s hotter than Charles ? Sergio’s brakes

Fernando « wow » Alonso. If you don’t like your alpine speed be ready for your Aston’s bc it’s going to be worse lol

Daniel Ricciardo being asked to let Lando in and not answering 💅🏼

And his car just ✨stopped✨

Carlos was on fire, man was on A MISSION

GUANYU POINTS VAMOOOOS

When it’s not Ferrari messing up, it’s the fia ruining their race

FIA « safety is our priority » lmao.

Mercedes having another podium with their tractor, take whatever you can sweetheart

NYCK FIRST POINTS + DOTD

The race ending up on safety car, never missed Michael « we want to race » Masi so much

MAX WINS

See y’all in Singapore !

#lando norris #charles leclerc #f1 #daniel ricciardo #sebastian vettel #lewis hamilton #george russell #alex albon #Nyck de vries #max verstappen #sergio perez #carlos sainz jr #pierre gasly #zhou guanyu #fernando alonso

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herebegiants · 7 months

Text

‿︵‿✎ Raspberries and Sunbeams ✎‿︵‿

Chris grunted. Birdsong met his ears and sunshine battered through his eyelids, filling his drowsy vision with bright red. He opened his eyes, groaning as he squinted at the world around him.

Climbing to his feet, he stretched with a groan.

He scratched his shoulder, which cramped from having been pressed against a tree all night, and shot a stink eye at a particularly loud bird in a nearby branch.

A yawn dragged out behind his back.

“Mm, hey. ‘Morning, big guy.”

Chris glanced over his shoulder.

Nick sat up in the hammock, leaning forward to stretch his wings over his head. His arms reached out ahead as far as he could make them. Light crackling sounded from his knuckles, and his feathers did a little shake.

He huffed a weary breath, his eyes lined with dark rings.

Chris turned himself around to face him, scratching the back of his neck as he shoved his other hand in his pocket. The uncomfortably off texture still lingered on his clothes.

“‘Morning.” He tried to sound more chipper than he felt, though he didn’t know if it worked. “What d’yeh want for breakfast?”

The fairy’s brow raised. “Huh?”

Chris shrugged, rolling his eyes at his shock. “Breakfast? Uh,” he frowned, “I don’t know what yeh eat.”

Nick stared at him for a moment. “You’d, get me…”

He sat back, blinking as he propped himself up with his arms. “I guess… whatever? I’m not too picky.” He hummed with a thoughtful frown, gaze wandering to the side. “What could you even eat out in the forest, though? Besides berries or something.” His confusion dropped as he looked back to Chris. “Could I maybe have a bit of whatever you have? I wouldn’t take much.”

Chris arched a brow. “Ehhh… You’re not gonna want what I eat, half-pint. I don’t even know if your body could process it.”

Nick tightened his lips. “Hmm. Right.” He nodded. “‘Cause, the whole… metal thing… Yup! Yup, nevermind! I… I do not want whatever you’re having. Probably.”

He tried to jump into the air, only to yelp as he flapped his wings and dropped into the hammock again.

Chris jumped over. “EASY! Stars! Give ‘em time first yeh little…” He shoved Nick back to his rear as he tried to get to his feet once more, getting a snicker out of the little man as he bounced on the fabric.

Chris tried to stifle a smile. He stepped back. “Berries yeh say. Lemme see what I kin do.”

»———— ✯ ⋅. 𝄞 .⋅ ✯ ————«

Nick watched as the giant spun on his heel and swept off past the trees.

His smile faded. The words from his dream drifted through his mind.

Do you KNOW what he IS?

He frowned to himself. Why would that matter if all the creature referred to was Chris being a giant?

He snapped his head up as Chris thudded back into view.

“Hope yeh like raspberries. Lucky thing they weren’t too far from here.” He held his cupped hands out, offering a pile of bright red raspberries as big as he was.

Hesitantly, Nick reached out, taking one half the size of his head.

His mouth watered as he bit into it. Sweet and tart juice flooded over his tongue, rich with the strength of sunbeams.

His stomach growled appreciatively. He grabbed another as he stuffed his face, eyes wide with a whole-hearted nod in thanks.

“WOW these are good! Thank you!” He tore another bite, snorting with alarm and latching his jaws over a drop of juice that nearly fell onto Chris’s shirt-hammock.

He looked between Chris and the rest, waving a hand to them.

“‘Alf shum!”

Chris blinked.

“Uh, sure...” His face bent in a puzzled look. “Yeh don’t want more?”

Nick frowned, still biting the berry. He breathed a doubtful grunt, but he grabbed another.

Chris took back his hands, eyeing the berries curiously. He picked one and popped it in his mouth.

His eyes flew wide.

“Mmm! You’re right!” He grinned, stepping back as he prodded the fruit, searching for one particularly ripe. “We never had anythin’ this good where I’m from!” He tossed one into the air, throwing back his head to catch it with a laugh.

Nick paused. “What do you mean?”

Chris bobbed his head to the side, his eyes still locked on the pile of sweets. “Well, when everythin’s grown in greenhouses it’s just, different. I guess the sun adds a little somethin’, eh?”

Nick frowned. Guilt swirled in his belly as he watched the giant, very nearly giddy at the delight of simple raspberries.

He’d been acting more like a person than any creature from old horror stories.

Suddenly he wasn’t very hungry.

Chris almost licked his dirty fingers before he caught himself. He wiped them on his trench coat, spinning on his heel and scanning the ground.

Nick arched a brow, watching as he pried up a rock, rammed it into the dirt beside a tree root, and proceeded to dig a pit in the soil.

“Uhh, whatcha doin there?”

“Hm?” Chris glanced over his shoulder. “Oh. Gettin’ my breakfast.”

With that he dug his hand into the ditch, and with a grunt he yanked the root out of the ground. He set a foot on the side nearest the tree and wrenched the root over itself, snapping off a portion as long as his arm. He brushed it off.

Nick furrowed his brow with a blink.

Chris cracked the root open over his knee, sinking his teeth into its side and spitting out the bark exterior. He bit a chunk out of its center, chewing it with a frown.

Nick pulled back, blinking. His lip curled in a grimace.

“Dude. What. The f*ck.”

Chris raised his brow as he looked at him. “Well I don’t exactly have much else.” He swept his arms wide, encompassing their surroundings in the gesture. “At least there’s plenty of it. Everywhere.”

Nick looked at the berries in his hands. He picked up the two that were still whole and held them up towards the giant.

“You can have these if you want.”

Chris paused. An amused smile crept over his lips.

“Thanks, but berries are not as easy to come by. An’ they’re not as filling to me.” He patted his belly with a chuckle before stepping forward, holding a hand out. “If ye’d like I can put ‘em in the bag for later. But those are yours.”

Nick’s brow twisted in sympathy. He dropped the berries into his palm, then turned back to the first one and forced himself to eat the rest of it.

Chris plucked a thin bottle from the bag, pulling out the cork and rolling the berries into it before putting it away again.

Nick licked his lips and wiped a sleeve over his mouth. “So, there’s a meeting point we’ve gotta get to today.” He started.

Chris nodded as he turned back to him.

“We had it set, in case anything went wrong.” He explained, trying not to let his voice waver at that. “It’s a bit early, but since the summoning worked we’d probably better get there. The others’ll wanna move on with the plan now, since we’ve got your help.”

And they might wonder if you killed me, otherwise. He thought. His face twisted in a grimace once more.

A trace of anxiety pinched in his gut. He didn’t want to think of what they might do to the giant if they did. Especially if he wasn’t around to say anything.

Chris swept his pale hand in front of him again, waiting.

Nick tried not to show how he gulped.

Right. No flying.

Slowly, he crawled out of the hammock and onto the massive, rough palm, sitting on the cloth of the giant’s fingerless glove.

A knot formed in his throat. Self-awareness tightened his rib cage, and his breathing grew shallow as he tried not to let his thoughts overtake him. It was like sitting on someone’s lap, but instead of the part where you’re worried about crushing their poor legs you’re mainly focused on the part of how awkward you’re being. After all, after last night he’d realized that Chris could probably feel every move he made.

And without being pinned, another thought jumped into his mind.

“O-okay how do we do this exactly?” Nick flopped his arms against his sides with a shrug, his wings shuffling on his back as he tried not to show how tense he felt. “This does not look stable.”

Chris chuckled. “Relax. I’m not gonna let yeh fall.”

The fingers curled, cupping around him and leaving him in the pit the hand made. With that the giant stepped up to the tree and undid the knots of the hammock with his free hand. He backed out from the branches and shook the pine needles from the shirt before tucking it into one of his belts.

Carefully, Nick crawled to the edge of his hand, standing on his knees to peer over his fingers.

The morning sunbeams filtered through the leaves on their right.

He pointed in that direction.

“We’ll have to head straight for a while, but the city should be that way.” He glanced at him over his shoulder. “And if we end up missing it, we just have to follow the coast for a ways before circling around through the woods again.”

Chris’s eyes widened. “The coast?”

“Yeah. The Eastern coast? At the edge of the Great Sea?” Nick tilted his head as Chris frowned, his gaze turning distant with thought. “Is… is something wrong?”

Chris blinked. “Uh… No.” He shook his head, his footsteps thudded from below. “Let’s. Let’s just get to this meetin’ place.”

Nick sat down, leaning against his thumb, watching as the trees disappeared behind the giant’s torso as he continued to tear through the rest of the tree root.

A pool of dread stirred in his mind.

He glanced to Chris from the side of his vision, careful not to move his head and reveal he was looking.

His brow was furrowed. As usual.

But it was pensive.

I actually have no idea how he died.

Nick clenched his jaw.

I hope I didn’t hit a nerve...

#reupload #HereBeGiants first draft

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udretlnea · 2 years

Text

Broken Wings Can Still Be Rebuilt (A fan work inspired by“LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME BUILD” GI x Dream SMP)

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT CANON TO GENSHIN IMPACT X DREAM SMP by @victoria1676. This is a fan work inspired by her work. PLEASE GO FOLLOW AND CHECK OUT HER WORK AS IT IS QUITE GOOD IMO.

Author’s Note: I’m going to be 100% transparent and state that for her brief appearance, I attached myself to Mei Mallory; it was after her dethroning and disappearance that caught my muse’s interest. So I thought, “What happens to her after she disappears in Snezhnaya?” and several days of writing-and drawing-later this was the end result. Also, since Mei Mallory canonically doesn’t have an official design IIRC I simply used my interpretation, but feel free to use your own in your own works/art pieces. (Comments & critiques are welcomed.)

Synopsis: Mei’s story as the imposter creator may have ended, but that doesn’t mean other beings’ attention haven’t been caught by this strange timeline, and with the multiverse still open for interdimensional travel it was only a matter of time before someone reared their head in this direction.

Content Warning: Graphic Descriptions of Violence/Torture. (Hey fyi I like that trope where the person uses jokes and smiles as a coping mechanism ;P)

As she felt the glowing lance pierce her stomach, the young lady merely closed her eyes and waited for darkness to take her. When she opened them again, she found herself right back in her cell, shackled to the wall; her body untouched and did not possess any wounds.

With a resigned sigh, the young woman merely brushed her long hair to the side and slumped on the nearby wall; shivering, she huddled into a ball in an attempt to keep warm.

Well, that was quicker than I expected, Mei Mallory thought as she picked up a rusty nail and began carving another line alongside the others. Including just now with the Tsartisa, that makes…twelve? Damn these bitches really are crazy about showing loyalty to their god.

Tossing the nail aside, Mei casually strode towards the cell bars and leaned her head on them lazily; the shackles on her wrists and ankles clanked noisily. She looked at the Fatuus that was standing straight, but even she could sense his drowsiness from where she stood.

“Heya Vikky! How’s it been?” The Fatuus moved his head as if he were about to reply, but stopped himself. “Aw come on, indulge a lady soon-to-face certain death with some conversation will you?”

Viktor scoffed. “Go jump off a cliff, impostor.”

“Haha! Funny you should say that! I think I did jump off a cliff once in order to escape some people who were chasing me…but that was so long ago. Wow. It’s been so long since I stepped foot into Szeznhaya. I thought I’d find at least someone who was still loyal to me.” Mei shook her head. “I’m sure you can figure out how that ended. Look at me, the once great creator of Teyvat now reduced to a lowly prisoner.”

“Don’t you dare call yourself that, not after what you did. Or have you forgotten how much pain and trouble you’ve caused for the Creator?”

“Yeah…yeah I did sort of do that, didn't I?” Mallory hit her head on the bar and let her arms hang in the air limply. She stared at the ground as blurry images of that person being run through with her sword, only to be enveloped by a golden light and reappear with wings and no injuries; the sight of their eyes-Archons those eyes filled with pure hate-appeared in her head, and when she concentrated she could remember all those times she was slain, only to be brought back to life once more. “Haha…what a wonderfully messed-up timeline this is. Oh well…what are you gonna do? Go back in time and fix things?”

With that, Mei retreated to the bench attached to the wall and sat down; she curled herself up in a ball with a miserable smile.

Haha…what’s wrong with me? Showing vulnerability…have I truly fallen so far…? Mei buried her head in her arms. Get a grip Mallory. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of is gone. Your power, your throne, your subjects-everything is gone…and the worst part is it’s all your fault.

It's all my fault.

…Haha…since when did I…feel so sorry for myself? All of a sudden, I feel so tired.

Let me rest…I have a feeling whatever they have planned for me I’m gonna need the strength for it.

Ill Dottore strode through the icy halls of Zapolyarny Palace; the way to the dungeon was more or less memorized by him, and by extension all of the other harbingers. It just so happened that it was his turn to “play” with the impostor Mallory. He turned right before reaching a door; after opening it, he descended several flights of stairs until he reached a metal door with a lone Fatuus standing guard; his small smile stayed on even as he nodded and opened the door for the Doctor.

Marching into the room, the last thing he expected was that everything was practically made of solid ice, including the bars holding the impostor. The Fatuus that was standing next to it was looking almost tired, but the sight of the Doctor stirred him to stand upright.

“Bring out the impostor.” Dottore said. Viktor inserted his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring of keys; he fumbled with them, trying to recall which one was the correct one until he pulled a small key, inserted it into the lock, and turned. There was a satisfying kachunk and Viktor opened the cell door. Mallory lay on the bench, curled into a ball. Dottore observed her form uncaringly as Viktor stepped inside, grabbed her by the shoulders, and hoisted her on her feet; Mei jolted awake and stood unsteadily on her feet.

“Wha-? Hey! I was napping…!” Her eyes landed on Ill Dottore and they widened; she sighed and put her hands behind her back, smirking. “Oh hey Dotty, I guess it’s your turn to be taking care of me, ehe~”

The Fatuus behind Dottore let out a snort; the Doctor said nothing and began walking out of the dungeon. Viktor shoved Mei out of the cell who promptly started walking behind the Harbinger; as for the second Fatuus in the room, he followed closely behind Viktor.

The four walked out of the dungeon without much event.

“Hmm…say, Viktor, would it be remiss of one to forget to do their patrols?” The Fatuus asked out loud.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You know…it would be a shame if someone were to just, let the backdoor open, and let an intruder in…” He trailed off.

While this was happening, Mei was having a one-sided conversation with Dottore,

“So Doc! What’ll it be this time? Ya gonna slowly cut me up while I’m still alive? Or maybe have me drink a poison that’ll make my insides burn while you sit and watch? Oh, don’t tell me: You’re gonna tell one of those clones of yours to do their worst!” Mei clasped her hands together in mock delight. “Hahaha! I adore those other versions of you, ya know? They’re just so much more…fun to be around than this…older…version of you-!”

Dottore sighed internally as the argument between the two grunts got more heated.

“Ahaha! I’m only stating the hypothetical! I mean, only a fool would try to infiltrate the most sacred place in all of Snezhnaya-”

“I said will you shut up already-?!” Viktor yelled at the other Fatuus, finally stopping and turning himself around to stop him. “You’re talking crazy, you know that? Nobody in their right mind would want to infiltrate this place unless they wanted something from here!”

The Fatuus tilted his head. “You mean someone like her?”

“Pft, nah, who’d ever want some scum like her?” He grinned at Viktor.

“...I would.”

“What-oof!” Viktor flew across the room after getting punched with enough force, hurtling into Mei who tripped forward and clung onto Dottore’s jacket; taken by surprise, the Doctor fell backwards as the two’s combined weight caused him to fall on top of them.

“Ugh-!?” “What is the meaning of this!?” “Ughhh you two are heavy…”

“Hahahaha!” The trio froze in their efforts to untangle themselves and stared at the only one who was standing; he was grinning widely, his teeth bare for them to see.

He stuck out his right hand to his side and slowly moved it in front of his torso; when the hand passed, his Fatui uniform changed into a dark gray metallic suit. When it passed his head, a dark helmet magically appeared on its head; it had two protruding horns that pointed in opposite directions. There were six red triangles in front; three triangles were larger than the others and had small orange pupils. When the transformation was complete, standing before them was a tall man in a futuristic-looking suit.

“Why hello there,” he greeted the awe-struck trio. His voice seemed to reverberate, as if there were at least several other voices mixed in. “Say, do you guys wanna see a magic trick?”

He held his hand out and a second later, grabbed a violet blue staff that manifested out of thin air. On the end of it was an orange block with what looked like a square gray console with lights on it. Grinning like a child that got to try out their new toy, he flourished it, twirling it around and then pointing it at them. A moment later, a beam of light shot out from the cube at the end and enveloped Viktor and Dottore; he pointed the end of the staff up, and in turn the two Fatui rose in the air. With a slight flick of the wrist he nudged the staff forward, and they shot backwards with enough force that they crashed through the wall at the end of the hall.

Mei stared at the hole her captors left, unaware of the sound of footsteps coming closer. She blinked and turned around to find the stranger’s orange eyes gazing down at her while still wearing the manic grin.

“Don’t worry, they’re not important to the story,” he said. He pointed the staff at both of her shackles and a beam fired, making them disappear. “You, on the other hand, are what’s important, Mei Mallory.”

Mei rubbed her wrists, chafed from being shackled for so long. Slowly, she stood up straight and looked him in the eye; it was taking every ounce of her willpower to keep her legs from shaking.

“How do you know my name?” She asked in a soft voice. She internally cursed herself for sounding weak, but right now she was dealing with something unknown. Judging from the strange outfit this man is wearing, perhaps…he too comes from somewhere else? That block looks eerily similar to the one that…that they used.

“Short answer? We’ve been watching you for quite some time now. We have deemed you worthy of…redemption. Atonement.” He pointed his staff at the wall to his right and fired. It exploded in a shower of pebbles, and Mei covered her head; she parted her fingers and saw that a hole was blown, revealing the snowy landscape and the night sky. The cold fresh air washed over her body, but to her it was refreshing after being kept in the dank cell. Suddenly she felt a tingle throughout her body and the cold subsided as warmth overtook her. “There we go. Now follow me. It won’t be long now until the rest come to investigate.”

Atonement? Me? Mei thought disbelievingly. “What are you talking about?”

“Hmm…now’s not the perfect time or place to explain, or have you forgotten where we are?” He started walking away from her and into the snow. “If you truly want answers and a way out, then follow…”

Mei watched him march away, her hands clasped in front of her chest; she looked at the hole in the wall with uncertainty. Then she looked outside where her rescuer(?) was still walking away unperturbed by the snow.

I don’t have much of a choice do I? She sighed. Well let’s hope wherever he’s going is less of a hellhole than this place.

Deciding her best bet was with the stranger, she stepped outside and ran towards him, her footsteps leaving marks in the snow.

By the time she caught up with him, he was standing in front of a large tree absentmindedly tapping the end of the staff against his other hand. He turned around once Mei got close enough.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but shouldn’t we be running for the hills? We’re still awfully close to the palace,” Mei said with a pleasant smile on her face, though her tone had undercurrents of worry in it.

“Oh don’t you worry dear, I’ve taken care of that loose end. It should be setting off right…about…now…!” He snapped his fingers and a massive explosion rocked the ground; Mei turned around to find a cloud of smoke erupting from the now-on-fire Zapolyarny Palace. Mei covered her face as a wave of heat washed over her. “Haha! Nice…that came out better than I expected.”

“Was that…really necessary? The explosion?” He pointed his staff at the ground and several glowing yellow blocks appeared; they formed a rectangle and with another fire from the staff the center was filled with a translucent light blue glow.

“Haven’t you ever heard of distractions? Now come.” He stepped towards the portal, but paused and turned around mere inches from entering.

“What?”

“Ah...we never told you my-our name, did we?” Mei shook her head and the young man held out a hand. “Derin. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Was now really the time for introductions? Mei thought annoyed, though she took the hand and shook it. Derin clapped loudly and grinned.

“Alright! Introductions are out of the way-let’s go home!” Derin turned and stepped through the portal, disappearing in a flash of light.

Mei looked back one last time at Zapolyarny Palace, which was currently on fire; then she stepped through the portal and disappeared.

#sagau #self aware genshin #I don't know about this mate...it's too risky #Dude the BIGGEST risk is not TAKING any risks #I suppose that makes enough sense #oh and by the way don'tcha think we could've described Mallory better?#meh hindsight's 20/20 now shut up and help me get to bed it's near midnight #and quit writing in the tags!#But it's QUIRKY and it's FUN #genshin impact self aware #genshin sagau

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vro0m · 5 months

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vro0m's rewatch - 182/332

2016 Singapore GP

Hello. We're in Singapore. Nico is on pole. Brundle says Lewis looked "flustered all day". And indeed, it must be true, because he's not the one sharing the front row with Nico, Daniel is. Lewis will start third on the grid. Toto has taken the blame saying the team hasn't been able to provide him a good enough car at this point of the weekend.

Lewis on his way to the driver parade does his usual show for the crowd. Then he says it's impossible to overtake here, "almost" he adds. "So how do you win it then?" the woman asks. He shakes his head with a cynical smile. "I don't know." He chuckles. "I'm just gonna drive, try and drive the socks off the car like I always have since I was a kid." He qualified 0.7 behind Nico.

Not a lot of interesting things in the build up. Of course after some people vehemently denied it happening last time, F1 has been sold to liberty media. So of course there's a Bernie interview which we don't really care about except for the fact that Brundle says Bernie has said before he finds it difficult to work with others but he's gonna have to work with Chase Carey, the chairman. "The only thing I have to do is die and pay my tax," he replies, which is hilarious because in 2023 he's just pleaded guilty of tax fraud.

It's already time for the race because nothing interesting happened. So there's been a huge downpour during the night and the track has been washed clean. It might have an impact on the tyres.

Almost forgot the top 10 of the grid : Nico, Daniel, Lewis, Max, Raikkonen, Sainz, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Perez. Seb took a penalty for a gearbox change and they decided to take a lot of different PU components while they were at it, like Lewis in Belgium. He starts last.

Formation lap.

Grosjean is already out idk why.

And they are racing.

Good start for Nico, Lewis has to defend against Raikkonen behind him OH THERE'S A CRASH. Hulkenberg touched with someone, spun around and hit the wall facing the wrong way. Thankfully no one collected him but someone hit some debris as well. It's a safety car already. They have to go through the pitlane given that Hulkenberg is on the pit straight. Wow Alonso got a really good start and Max a terrible one. Here's how they line up behind the safety car : Nico =, Daniel =, Lewis =, Raikkonen +1, Alonso +4, Kvyat +1, Sainz -1, Max -4, Massa +?, Magnussen +?. Who collided with Hulkenberg then? Was it Perez? No it was Sainz, who's lucky he ended up where he is with this collision. On the replay we see him move out of his starting line to overtake Max from the left and as he joins the middle line, his right rear gets right in between Hulkenberg's front and rear left and of course the rear left hits Sainz' front right and that's what sends him spinning right in front of Max who's lucky he didn't ran into him because he was right on his front wing. I wonder if he got damage out of that. It'd be a miracle if they really didn't touch because it was a matter of centimetres.

Daniel pits, Valtteri has a puncture, Lewis pits. Valtteri almost collides with Seb as he leaves the box. Remember they're going through the pitlane. Did the others actually pit or was it some automatic thing because they went through there? Oh god. We see the start from Max's on-board and I don't even know how he didn't collect Hulkenberg, it's insane. I'll gif it.

Jenson is missing half his front wing. No Lewis and Daniel are still P2 and P3, I don't think they really pitted. It must have been the sensors going off automatically. Safety car in at the end of lap 2.

Lewis attacks Daniel but can't do anything yet. Again a couple corners later. And again. And again. Every corner.

OH MY GOD. wait. On a replay we see a marshal running off the track as the cars arrive at full speed METRES AWAY. Insane image. Extremely dangerous. Unacceptable really.

Some broken piece of bodywork from the collision has been flapping off Sainz' car and 6 laps in he gets a black and orange flag as the stewards see it as a potential danger. Verstappen is currently stuck half a second behind him, while Sainz himself is stuck 0.7 seconds behind Kvyat and so the commentators are wondering whether Horner is about to call Toro Rosso to have them move aside for Max. Now Verstappen is told Sainz is about to come in because of the black and orange flag. But Sainz doesn't come in. Ted thinks they're trying to make the stop coincide with their planned pit stop but they might get a penalty for staying out with a dangerous car. Ocon is under investigation for overtaking under the safety car. The stewards are also looking at the start incident and at the unsafe release. No further action for the collision. Nico is warned about brake management by his team. No further action for the unsafe release. And Nico is again warned about his brakes. The team sounds nervous. He needs to lift and coast. He's three and something seconds ahead of Daniel, it should be okay? Brundle says as we watch Lewis go by that his front brakes also look pretty yellow-white hot. I'm not good enough to see that myself but it doesn't bode well. Despite the warnings, Nico keeps increasing his gap to Daniel.

It's lap 10. Nico, Daniel +4.0, Lewis +2.2, Raikkonen +2.3, Alonso +8.5, Kvyat +1.1, Verstappen +0.9, Massa +1.7, Magnussen +3.6, Gutierrez +1.4. Bono to Lewis : "So we really need to get on top of these front brakes." I can't understand Lewis' answer and I can't find the radio transcript. I just know it ends with "so much". He doesn't seem to be backing off either. Are these idiots playing chicken until one of them loses his brakes? Ted says Raikkonen has been told Mercedes is starting to panic about Lewis' tyres but he believes it might be at least partially bluff because again, they are still extending the gaps here. Bunch of pit stops. Lewis : "Can you keep me up to date please I have no clue what's going on." What's happening is he's losing loads of time on Nico as he is now actually managing the brakes. Ted says Mercedes said they're both managing the brakes now so they don't become a problem later on. Mmmh. Daniel and Lewis pit. It's unusual for them to pit the second car first. Very nervous about the tyre strategy, because they put him on softs while all the other teams are avoiding them apparently. Daniel is on supersofts. Lewis is not happy about it. "Come on guys, I needed a strategy that could get me past." Nico also gets soft tyres and it's a 4.3 stop. What the fuck are they doing? Raikkonen finally pits from the lead. Verstappen is battling Kvyat for P9 and it's tense and personal. Kvyat pushes Max wide over the kerb." Come on, man…" Verstappen comments on radio. Crofty comments that if he likes getting "punchy" when he overtakes, he has to expect the others to do the same to him.

It's lap 20. Nico, Daniel +6.0, Lewis +5.0, Raikkonen +3.2, Perez +11.3, Seb +1.7, Alonso +4.8, Kvyat +2.3, Verstappen +0.4, Massa +1.7. Raikkonen apparently is faster than all three cars ahead of him. Max attacks again, and can't make it again. Kvyat is told he's racing Alonso. The commentators think it's code for let Max pass because it's not about him anyway. There's a piece of debris on the track. Maybe from Massa's car? Double yellows waved at the end of the lap. I think someone retrieved that piece of debris. Unfortunate because I think a safety car would have been good… Lewis says they have to come up with a plan so he doesn't lose P3 because this is all the pace he got with the brakes. He's unhappy. Raikkonen is catching him. There's a three way battle for 10th between Sainz, Seb and Gutierrez and it's stressful because all three of them are wheel to wheel on this very narrow track. Seb wins it.

Lap 30. "Is the other car not having the same problems?" Lewis asks. Bono says Nico has a similar pace and is doing a similar level of management. "He does have the issue." But Lewis is under pressure from Raikkonen and Nico has a comfortable 4 second gap to Daniel. Lewis is 9.3 seconds behind, Raikkonen less than a second from him. Then it's Alonso 32 seconds down, Kvyat +2.5, Magnussen +6.7, Seb +6.8, Gutierrez +8.5, and Perez +0.8. Raikkonen is told again that Lewis has big brakes problems. Daniel pits. He's out behind Raikkonen in P4. I can't believe we're only barely halfway through this race. Raikkonen overtakes Lewis, expectedly. Now what, Merc? Nico pits. Raikkonen pits. Valtteri is having a super long pit stop and Ted says it looks like his seat belts have come undone. Lewis pits. It's a good 2.2 stop. He's out 5.6 seconds behind Raikkonen. Valtteri is retiring. I don't know why. Why are they saying he got married the week prior? He was never married was he? OH HE WAS. I did not know that at all. Not that it matters lol. (I'm still nosy so I still wanted to see what she looked like and boy does he have a type. Anyhoo.) Two consecutive messages to Lewis : first he's told there might be opportunities at the end of the race so he needs to use all of the PU, then he's told they're gonna move to plan B and he needs to pull Raikkonen in. So is that 3 stops? What's the gap to Raikkonen now? 5.3. Mmh.

It's lap 40. Lewis just set the fastest lap. Nico, Ricciardo +4.4, Raikkonen +5.6, Lewis +4.6, Seb +15.0, Verstappen +6.5, Alonso +6.7, Perez +1.8, Massa +1.4. Lewis gained 0.938 seconds on Raikkonen in the last lap. Let's go! Two laps later the gap is down to 3.4. To Nico "Gap to Ricciardo is four point thr–" – "Stop, stop ! Stop telling me that." Oh Ted explains what happened to Valtteri : his engine cooked itself while he was sitting in the pitlane because his seatbelt was undone. Unfortunate. Seb pits. Lewis to Raikkonen gap down to 2.3. 1.9. Jenson retires. Verstappen pits. Lewis pits, for supersofts. Why not ultrasofts? Raikkonen is told to push, I guess they're gonna pit him as well? Oh they're not sure, over the radio. Weird. The garage is still. He eventually pits. It's used ultrasofts for him. Lewis is ahead but just so! 0.6. 0.8. 0.6. 0.7. Pull away, come on! The Merc garage is very happy about this undercut. Ricciardo pits, he's still P2. Nico is told to push hard. It's a chain reaction! He doesn't pit! They're waiting for him but he didn't come in. Verstappen is hunting Kvyat down again. Oof. It's done. And Perez overtakes Kvyat as well immediately after. Messy overtakes. They're struggling with grip.

It's lap 50, we're finally getting close to the end. Nico, Ricciardo now +21.6, Lewis +5.7, Raikkonen +1.6, Seb +13.5, Alonso +26.3, Verstappen +6.9, Perez +4.5, Kvyat +0.5, Magnussen +3.6. Ricciardo gained 3.6 seconds on Nico in the last lap. Why didn't he pit? Ricciardo is told at the current pace he'll catch him with 4 laps to go. But well his tyres are not gonna allow him to maintain that pace for long are they? 10 laps to go. Nico asks how much more he can take out of the brakes and they tell him they'll let him know. Ricciardo is now 11.3 seconds behind. Lewis is 7.1 seconds off, his fight is with Raikkonen who's only 2.3 behind him. Max overtakes Alonso for P6. Nico hits traffic. 8.2. With 4 laps to go, Nico finally puts in a faster lap than Daniel. 5.3. He got DRS thanks to backmarkers. 3.9. It won't be enough for RBR.

It's the end of the race.

Nico wins ahead of Ricciardo and Lewis. He's now 8 points ahead in the standings.

Absolutely nothing happens in the cooldown room. Daniel forgets to take off his cap during the anthem. Lewis just hands his champagne bottle over to the Merc rep and doesn't really take part.

It's Lewis' 99th podium though!

Oh okay so actually Lewis had a hydraulic leak at some point in the weekend and so he didn't practise as much as Nico. Toto says it means he couldn't "double check" the setup, and he wasn't happy with his setup.

HAHA. So Seb finished 5th even though he started 22nd. The journalist interviewing him asks "Sebastian when you sat on the grid at the start of that race I don't suppose you could have imagined finishing fifth, could you?" – "Why not?" he says with twinkling eyes.

Alright let's listen to Lewis. He says he doesn't believe there was an opportunity for him to get a better result. He feels like he did everything he could. He made a mistake which wasn't great but he feels like it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway. "Very trying weekend," he says. It happens and you have to take it on the chin and move forward. She doesn't understand what mistakes he's talking about. He says he passed him. She says right the pitstops. He says no I went wide and he passed me.

She asks about him asking for a strategy that allowed him to go fast over the radio. Did he get it in the end? He looks down while she asks, then shuffles uncomfortably. Hums.

"Well it was really… It doesn't really matter to be honest," he says, "I was having such problems with my brakes, doesn't matter what strategy they put me on." He takes a deep breath in.

He says they extended his first stint and they pitted him at the same time as (he gets a hint of smile, kind of cynical?) he thinks of his name, Daniel, he says, he shakes his head slightly all the while as he talks, still with the hint of a smile, "which didn't make sense to me" he says.

He calls it a missed opportunity. He still reiterates he had such problems with his brakes he wouldn't have been able to beat Daniel anyway.

About the engine he says it was turned up, he only turned it down once he had a gap to the car behind but then they told him he had plenty of engine to use because he thinks it's the last time he has to use this one so… He smiles, his eyes shine a bit.

She says it's tough to leave today being 8 points behind Nico, does he reset for Malaysia? He says it's not as tough as they think. "I don't know why but…" he makes a face.

I'm not convinced. He says he's been there before but he's also been a lot worse so. Anything he's learnt from this weekend in his approach. “Erm not really no.”

#f1 #lewis hamilton #vro0m's race reviews #2016 #2016 singapore gp

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