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gridgirldrabbles · 2 years

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Hate Isn’t Too Far From Love

Request: Ughhh i love your fics! Could I potentially get a fic about max following an enemies with benefits trope?

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Y/N

Words: 4.6k

Warnings: smut, spanking, unprotected sex, minors dni

A/N: sorry this took so long! I really enjoyed writing this, I hope you guys enjoy reading it <3

‘For fucks sake! He cannot be serious!’ You couldn’t help the anger in your voice as you spoke to your race engineer over the radio, trying to keep your focus as you sped round the track. You were currently P2, should’ve been P1 in your opinion but the stewards decided that your rival forcing you off the track didn’t need to be looked at. Your rival was none other than Max Verstappen, and the rivalry wasn’t just confined to the racetrack.

Max and yourself had been competing against each other for years now, having competed against each other in karting and then moved up in your careers beside each other. Yet, the longer you spend together, the more the hatred seemed to grow between you. It was clear to anyone who looked at the pair of you that you both had incredible levels of natural talent when it came to racing, and this meant you spent more than a decade being compared to each other.

It was particularly tough for you, being the only girl in the paddock, being compared to one of the best racers of your generation when there were still people who said you shouldn’t be allowed to race just because of your gender. While you and Max didn’t get on, hated each other even, you had to admit that you were thankful that he had never used the fact you were a woman in formula 1 against you. He didn’t hate you because you were a woman, he hated you because you were you and you kept stealing his podiums from him.

The rest of the race went by with the two of you far ahead from the others on the grid, in a constant battle for first place. Unfortunately, Max managed to get ahead of you by less than a second to secure the top podium, which had you ranting over the radio once again, telling your engineers how you were going to go and see the stewards once you were done with all the formalities that followed a race.

‘Y/N, they’ve already said they’re not going to look into it, you need to let it go. Plus, you still got P2! And Charles got P3 so it’s still a big win for the team.’ You huffed at the reply you got, knowing you would get into trouble with Mattia if you went storming to the stewards box and demanding they look at the incident. Now you just had to focus on celebrating the 2-3 that you had achieved for your team, the points were crucial at this stage in the season, and Ferrari and Red Bull were the only two teams who looked like they had a chance to win the championship.

You pulled up to the designated area before switching off the car and jumping out. Max was already celebrating with his own team, while you went over to yours and thanked them all for their hard work before Charles came up behind you. His hand clapped your shoulder, spinning you around and pulling you into a hug. He had become one of your closest friends over the years, having grown up alongside you and Max, and now he was your teammate he had become your rock. There were very few people who understood the pressures of racing, so it was nice for you both to have someone to rant to and go to for a hug when it was needed.

He let go of you, still grasping onto your shoulders, ‘P2! That’s great!’ You knew you should’ve been happier than you felt, but you knew that you deserved P1. You were just going to have to get over the frustration somehow.

‘I know, and P3! Double podium never disappoints.’ You and Charles joked with each other before you were called up to do the interview with Sky Sports, which you weren’t really focusing on so it went quickly. Once your interview was done you headed to the cooldown room to find Max in there by himself.

He turned when he heard the door opening, a smirk making it’s way to his face when he saw that it was you. ‘P2, hey? Not too bad.’ Your nostrils flared at his words; you knew he was only saying it to get a reaction from you, but you tried your best to hold it together.

‘I’d rather be P2 than cheat my way to P1.’ You mumbled under your breath, but it was evident that he had heard you.

‘Cheat? How the fuck did I cheat?’

‘You pushed me off the fucking track, Verstappen! How is that not cheating?’ Your arms were flailing while you spoke, showing just how annoyed you were with the whole situation.

‘Maybe if you knew how to drive properly you wouldn’t have gone off.’

Just as you opened your mouth to retaliate, Charles walked in followed by the camera crew, obviously having finished his own interview. Your mouth closed by the stormy look on your face alerted Charles to the fact that the two of you had been arguing. He knew just how much you hated Max, he was the one on the receiving end of the majority of your rants. He could relate in some way, the two of them had had a rivalry for years as well, just not quite as fiery as the one shared between you and the Dutchman.

The three of you were rushed to the podiums where you each received your respective trophies and doused each other in champagne. You would never admit it, but you tried to get as much in Max’s eyes as possible as payback for pissing you off earlier. Once you were free to leave you made it back to your drivers room, changing out of your now sticky race suit and into the clothes you had been wearing when you arrived at the track. You said your goodbyes to the team, planning on seeing them later for celebrations anyway, and began making your way back to your car to return to the hotel.

You were walking quietly through the paddock, taking in the cool evening breeze before a door to one of the hospitality centres opened and someone stepped out directly in front of you. There was no time to stop yourself, and before you knew it you had crashed directly into their chest, stumbling backwards a few steps. You were about to open your mouth to apologise before you saw who it was. Verstappen. Your eyes narrowed as you looked up into his eyes. ‘Mind watching where you’re going?’ You asked sarcastically, sidestepping him to continue your journey.

‘I think you’ll find that you were the one who walked into me, sweetheart.’ Sweetheart. Max had been calling you that for years, but not in the nice way, more of a patronising and condescending way. He knew it annoyed you immensely which was why he kept calling you it.

‘You walked out in front of me, asshole. Maybe if you cared enough about other people you would offer me an apology.’ You said over your shoulder, not having the energy to have a full-blown argument right now. All you wanted to do was go back to the hotel and have dinner while watching Netflix before going to celebrate the day with people you actually enjoyed spending time with. So that was exactly what you did.

You ordered your favourite dish from the room service menu and took a shower while you waited for it to arrive. Once it did, you bundled yourself up in your bathrobe and ate dinner in front of your favourite trashy tv show while you thought about what to wear to the club you had planned to go to with the other members of the Ferrari team.

You settled on a short black skirt and a flowy white top, something that would keep you cool in the unbearable heat as sweaty bodies grinded against each other. Clubs weren’t your favourite thing in the world, but you knew how much the team needed the break, as did you, and this was the perfect way to blow off some steam.

It wasn’t long before Charles was knocking on your door asking if you were ready to go, making sure that you had your room key and phone. It had become tradition for the two of you to travel to these things together, laughing and joking for the entirety of the short walk to the centre of the city where the club was located. You met the rest of your team outside and before you knew it you were already slightly tipsy with everyone offering to buy you drinks after your performance in the race.

You suddenly felt a hand on your lower back when you were leaning on the bar, trying to capture the attention of the bar tender. A hand raised in front of you, ‘We’ll have two shots of tequila please.’ You would recognise that voice anywhere. You spun round to find yourself closer to Max’s face than you had ever been before, the heels you were wearing meaning you were almost eye to eye.

You couldn’t help but narrow your eyes at him, the smirk plastered onto his lips drawing your attention. You had to admit that he looked extremely handsome. While you might have been rivals, it didn’t mean that you were blind to how good he looked. You often thought that pissed you off more, the intrusive thoughts about capturing his lips with your own while you were arguing with him spurring on your rage.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m buying you a drink, is that not allowed?’ Max replied, shrugging his shoulders.

‘It’s just unlike you to actually be nice to me is all.’ You smiled at the bar tender as you took the shot out of his hand. You were about to raise it to your lips when Max’s hand lightly gripped your wrist, stopping your actions.

‘No salt?’ You rolled your eyes at him as you begrudgingly took the salt and poured a line of it along your wrist, tongue swiftly following before downing the shot. You couldn’t hide the disgust on your face at the flavour of the alcohol and began frantically looking for the lemon wedge to make it better. Before you could process it, Max’s fingers were in front of your mouth, lemon between them as he offered it to you.

You sucked on the sour fruit until the taste of tequila had subsided, waiting for Max to do his own shot. You think that this might’ve been the most time you’ve spent together without being mean to each other, a record three minutes. You watched him lick the salt off of his hand and couldn’t deny the dirty thoughts that began to feel your mind as you watched his tongue slide over his soft skin. He placed the lemon wedge into your hand before downing his own shot.

Your mind was foggy from the amount of alcohol you had consumed, and before weighing up the consequences of your decision, you placed the lemon wedge in between your teeth, inviting him to come closer. Max didn’t think twice about his next move, equally as drunk as you were as he’d been out celebrating his win with his own team. His face moved down to yours, breath ghosting over your face as his own teeth went to grab the lemon from yours, lips brushing each other softly.

Neither of you could hide the flushed looks on your faces, despite the darkness of the club, and the darkened look behind Max’s eyes indicated that his mind was heading in a similar direction to yours. As much as you hated him, it would be untrue if you said that you wouldn’t hook up with him if you had the chance. They always said hate sex was the best, right?

‘Dance with me?’ Without waiting for an answer, Max grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the dancefloor that was already crowded with sweaty bodies celebrating the events over the weekend. You were both lucky enough that the majority of people there were so drunk that they wouldn’t have been able to recognise the two of you if they tried.

As you started dancing together, you both kept your hands to yourself, but as the tequila started to make its way round your system you felt brave enough to press your back to Max’s chest, dancing a little dirtier than you had been before. His hands gripped onto your hips as he pulled you as close to him as he possibly could, his breath tickling your neck as he swept your hair over one of your shoulders. His lips ghosted across the sensitive skin, before bolding pressing them against the sweet spot where your shoulders joined your neck.

Neither of you were thinking straight, rivalry having flown out the window as quickly as the shots had been tipped down your throats. The championship wasn’t important right now. What was important was getting the Dutchman back to your hotel room as soon as possible.

You turned to face him, hands raising to clasp at the back of his neck. His fingers were rubbing soothing circles on your hip bones, and he was making it hard for you to think straight. His eyes kept flickering to your lips and you couldn’t stop yourself from leaning closer. His eyes fluttered shut, thinking you were going to press your mouth to his, but you didn’t. Your lips brushed against his lightly, his pushing forwards to increase the pressure but you backed off.

His eyes flew open, thinking you were rejecting him. But you stayed just as close as you had been before, and he almost didn’t hear you when you whispered the words he had been wanting to hear since he saw you leaning against the bar.

‘Do you want to come back to my place?’

The concern on his face was replaced with a satisfied smirk, before he replied, ‘Come back to mine, I’m sure it’s nicer.’ He just couldn’t help himself, making comments that annoyed you was second nature to him. Even now he couldn’t ignore the urge, despite wanting nothing more than to have you on your knees in front of him.

‘Don’t make me change my mind, Verstappen.’ With that you turned away from him, squeezing your way through the crowd towards the exit, Max following you as quickly as his feet would allow.

‘Y/N!’ You heard just as you were about to reach the doors.

A very drunk Charles suddenly threw himself as you, making you stumble slightly, the heels and your own drunken state not helping the matter. ‘Are you leaving already?’ He looked at your with the best puppy dog eyes that he could muster, wanting you to join him for another round of shots and continue the party until at least the early hours of the morning.

‘I’m just heading back to the hotel! I’m super tired after today and I’ve got things to do.’ You tried to give the best explanation that your drunken mind could come up with, but it didn’t stop Charles from noticing the way Max was lingering behind the pair of you. His eyes narrowed towards him, knowing how angry he could make you, but even in his drunken state he noticed that he hadn’t seen you two arguing all evening.

‘Something to do? Do you mean someone?’ He couldn’t stop the cheeky grin that spread across his face, nor the laughter that followed. But he quietened down once your hand smacked against his chest and you looked at him with stern eyes.

‘If anyone finds out about this, I’ll kill you okay?’ Charles knew you meant business and he knew not to push the issue further, especially when it came to Max. He bid you both a good evening, luckily without including any innuendos, and wandered back into the crowd to find someone from the team to annoy.

The walk back to the hotel was quick, with few words being spoken between the two of you. While you both wanted nothing more than to fuck each other, you still had nothing to talk about in the short journey. It didn’t take long to be outside Max’s room, which was a few floors higher than your own, waiting for him to stop fumbling with his key and open the door.

Eventually when he did, you couldn’t deny that his room was nicer than yours, not that you would ever admit it. Before you could have a proper look around your back was to the door you had just walked through and his lips were on yours, and you returned the kiss with just as much fervour. Every time you thought about kissing him hadn’t been like this at all. This was even better than you had imagined. His hands slid down your body until they landed on your ass, giving it a slight squeeze that caused the slightest moan to slip from your lips, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Max. His hands slid lower to the back of your thighs, and he picked you up effortlessly. You could see the way his arm muscles bulged under the white shirt he was wearing and it made you want nothing more than to rip it off of him.

He pulled you away from the door and walked over to the bed, placing you down without any grace or elegance, making you huff in annoyance as he laughed. It was soon forgotten as his lips reconnected with yours and he crawled up the bed until he was on top of you. He was balanced his weight on his forearms on either side of your head, and you took the opportunity to let your hands trail down his chest and start undoing the buttons of his shirt.

He shrugged it from his shoulders once you had finished fiddling with the last button, your fingers lacking the coordination they usually had because of the alcohol coursing through your system. Once his torso was freed from the fabric you couldn’t help but admire his toned body, your hand sliding down his abs as your nails left slightly pink marks in their wake. It took everything Max had not to rip your clothes off then and there.

Your hands wandered down to his belt but they were quickly stopped by his own grabbing your wrists. ‘I don’t think its fair for me to be completely naked while you’re wearing everything, do you?’ You smirked in response, ‘Well actually, I’m quite enjoying the view so I don’t mind.’

Despite your words, your fingers gripped onto the bottom of your top before pulling it over your head, thanking your earlier self for choosing one of the sexier bras you owned to wear to the club. Max couldn’t stop the audible groan leaving his throat at the site of you. Of course, he’d pictured this scenario many times just like you had, but they didn’t compare at all to the real thing.

His lips reconnected with yours, holding even more passion than they did before. It didn’t take much time at all for his tongue to be swiping over your bottom lip and then searching for your own. Meanwhile, one of his hands had come up to grope your breast, his thumb rubbing over your nipple through the thin material of your bra. Becoming impatient, you leaned up, hands making quick work of the clasp behind your back before sliding the straps down your arms and throwing the garment to the other side of the room.

Max took this as an invitation and leaned down to take your nipple into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the now aching bud. It had been a while since you had sex, so you weren’t surprised that your body was reacting so positively to the contact, even if it was coming from the man you hated more than anyone. Your hips began to grind up into his, unconsciously seeking the contact you had been craving. In response, Max ground his hips down into yours, relieving some of the pressure that had been building in your lower half. The sigh that left your mouth was undeniably one of pleasure.

Max leaned back from your body, your skirt having bunched up at your hips to give him a full view of the panties that matched your bra, along with the wet patch that was growing in the centre. He leaned down towards your core, fingers hooking into the sides of your underwear before locking eyes with you. You knew he was silently asking for permission to take them off so you gave him a small nod, eyes pleading with him to touch you where you needed him most.

He slid your underwear down your legs with ease. ‘Fuck, you’re so gorgeous.’ You couldn’t stop the blush that appeared on your cheeks. It might’ve even been the first nice thing he’d ever said to you. Max wasted no time before his tongue made contact with your already dripping slit, an unholy moan leaving the base of your throat. While you could spend all day criticising his skills on track, you couldn’t criticise how well he worked with his tongue.

He started sucking on your clit as one of his fingers worked their way in to you, you legs jerking slightly at the abundance of pleasure he was giving you. His finger brushed over your g-spot, and you couldn’t hold back the string of curses that left your already swollen lips. Max took that as encouragement and sucked on your clit with a little bit more pressure while he added another finger to the mix and picked up the pace. Your body gave you absolutely no warning and your orgasm washed over your body in waves, you thighs clenching around Max’s head while he guided you through the pleasure.

As you got your bearings back, Max removed himself from between your legs and started undoing his trousers, boxers following them to the floor straight after. You shimmied out of your skirt leaving you both naked in front of each other for the first time ever. Neither of you would admit it, but you were both thinking that the other was the most gorgeous person you had ever seen.

‘Face down, ass up.’ It seemed that Max was just as dominant in the bedroom as he was on the track, not that you were complaining now like you usually would. You complied with his order and got on your hands and knees, legs spread, inviting him closer to your body.

Max took a second to admire you, hand lazily stroking his cock. You looked back over your shoulder at him, ‘Are you just gonna stand there and watch, or am I going to have to get myself off?’ You knew it would get a rise out of him, but you didn’t expect to feel the sting on your ass cheek when his hand came down to spank you.

‘Enough with the sass or I won’t fuck you at all.’

Stubborn as always, you thought. You wiggled your ass towards him and he couldn’t resist any longer, sliding his cock through your folds before pushing inside you. You both moaned, not caring if the rest of the hotel heard. Max gave you a second to adjust, wanting to make sure you were comfortable before he had his way with you.

You rocked your hips back towards his, and he took that as his signal to give you what you wanted. He was slow as he started thrusting into you, slow but deep, and his tip was brushing against your g-spot in the exact way that you loved. ‘Fuck, Max, faster.’ You mumbled into your arms, your head resting atop of them. He listened to your request and his thrusts picked up speed, hips slapping against yours with every movement. His eyes were closed and his hands dug into your hips, pulling you back onto his cock with every thrust.

He could feel your walls clenching around him and it made it harder for him to not cum then and there. To get you there even faster, one of his hands slid around your body until it found your clit, rubbing it at the same face he was fucking you. The pleasure that he was giving you was unlike anything you felt before and you were beginning to see stars.

You whimpered, ‘I’m close,’ and that was enough for Max to take the pace up that extra notch.

‘I want you to cum on my cock, sweetheart.’ With a nickname that you usually despised, he tipped you over the edge to your second orgasm of the night. Your pussy was clenching around his cock as he continued chasing his own high, and once you had recovered from yours enough to talk, you looked back over your shoulder to meet his eyes.

‘I want you to cum inside me.’ With that, Max let go, coating your walls with his cum as the uncontrollable groans left his mouth, his face contorting in pleasure. You thought he looked like a work of art in that moment, and if you could, you would’ve made it your phone background.

Once he had come down from his high, he gently pulled himself out of you, flopping onto the bed beside you. ‘Well, that was different.’ You let out a chuckle at his words, laying down beside him but not touching him.

‘Yeah it was.’

You lay there for a moment gathering your thoughts before the gravity of the situation finally dawned on you. You sat up from the bed, searching for your clothes. Max sat up with you, eyebrows furrowed as he watched your movements.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m getting dressed, what does it look like I’m doing?’ You couldn’t help the sarcastic remark that left your lips, sliding your skirt back up your body. You looked across at Max just to catch the look of hurt that flashed briefly across his face. Usually, you wouldn’t care if your words hurt him, you would’ve rejoiced in it even, but now it didn’t feel right.

You took a deep breath, ‘I need to go back to my own room, if anyone catches me in here there will be too many questions that we can’t answer.’

He nodded in agreement but didn’t say a word, finding his boxers before sliding them up his toned legs.

You had collected your stuff and didn’t really know what to do next. What do you say after you’ve just had sex with someone that’s meant to be your worst enemy? ‘I guess I’ll see you around.’

You walked towards the door, legs wobbling slightly which returned the smirk to Max’s face, knowing that he’d left you weak in the knees. ‘Need help getting back to your room?’ He asked teasingly.

It’s lucky you weren’t facing him, or he would’ve seen the smile dancing on your lips as you spoke, ‘No, it’s okay. You’re about as good as bed as you are at racing.’ He didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult but before he could ask you had shut the door behind you, venturing back to your own room.

When you next saw each other, it was like that night had never happened, both of you back at each other’s throats over the tiniest things. That was, until you both ended up on the podium again and back in each other’s beds.

#max verstappen imagine #max verstappen #max verstappen smut #f1 smut #f1 imagine #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 smut #f1 onshot #formula 1 oneshot #smut

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meaningofmotorsport · 2 years

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Miami Grand Prix Review

It was a weekend which delivered on some of the promises, as this was more than just a race, it was an event. It wasn’t just a circuit in a car park either, the facility looked superb, apart from perhaps the fake harbour. The race itself didn’t quite live up to the hype, despite the chaos to end the race, but it was a great first attempt.

Red Bull are becoming an ominous threat for Ferrari, with it looking as though it will be a question of when not if Max takes the championship lead. They were close together on one lap pace for qualifying, with a small mistake costing Verstappen a chance at pole. In the race though, their tyre wear was miles better than the Ferrari, with him crawling over the back of Charles after only a few laps. The late Safety Car put him under pressure, and suggested that on pure pace they weren’t that far ahead, but he got through it, and got another win, to close on Leclerc as we go to Europe. Perez was unlucky to have another reliability issue, which does spark concerns for the future, especially after Max’s FP2 disaster. Without the issue, he probably would have passed Sainz, maybe even before the Safety Car. His dive on Sainz nearly went very wrong.

Once again, Ferrari have been blown away when it comes to the race. There is clearly some issue that is causing them to shred their tyres. Leclerc could do nothing to hold Max back, and did very well to nearly pass him again after the Safety Car. It was a day where he just needed to get points. Sainz was boxed behind his teammate at the start, which allowed Verstappen to pass him around the outside, from there on his pace was again some way off Leclerc, but right now he just needs to score points. His defence of a podium was brilliant too. These upgrades for Spain had better put them back in the fight with Red Bull.

It may not have been the heroics of Friday practice, but this result is surely a relief for Mercedes after the turmoil of Imola, although Russell did finish well there too. They still have a long way to go though, the good news for the team is that they managed to find the window for the car on Friday, they just need to understand how to unlock it every race. Hamilton was not able to make an impression on Bottas for most of the race, and in fact needed a mistake to pass him. His pace was solid though, and a boost after Imola. Russell had a great race, despite falling back early on. The overcut allowed him to jump to 7th when the Safety Car came out, and fly on the new tyres to get another top 5 result. If Mercedes fix their car, he could be a true title threat.

Bottas is a machine right now, just punching out results every weekend. Without the Safety Car, he may well have got 5th, as he looks to be in the form of his life right now. Ocon was another like Hamilton to turn his fortune around since Imola, the Alpine has shown promise all year long, but luck has not been on their side. Albon may well be one of my drivers of the season so far, as he gets another few points for Williams, showing the car has pace for the points.

Stroll was in the middle of the mid-field chaos, but survived it to bag a point, as they try and stay off the bottom of the standings. Alonso was in the points on track, but lost it through a penalty for hitting Gasly. The penalty was deserved, as he was barely alongside when they hit, so it wasn’t his corner. Tsunoda just struggled for pace this weekend compared to his teammate. Ricciardo had a difficult race, not able to improve really from where he started, and a late pitstop further hurt that.

It was looking so good for Schumacher, sitting in the points after the Safety Car, and the Haas looked to have real pace, but with the newer tyres, the cars behind pounced, and he defended too hard on Vettel, ruining both their races. Magnussen was with Mick for most of the race, but retired late on. Vettel was on course for points after starting in 13th, with the Aston Martin continuing to look better than it was, but it wasn’t to be in the end. It was a rather weird crash between Norris and Gasly, who was ailing after the collision with Alonso. In a tight part of the track, Norris followed the curve of the track, but Gasly didn’t, leading to a crash which was a bit scary. McLaren were struggling for points anyway.

Miami can be proud of their first F1 race, it brought in the crowds, and definitely helped to put F1 on the map in America. The track probably does need to be altered for next year, but not much, only really that horrible chicane at the end of the second sector. For me, the definition of this race’s success was not the first year, it is the subsequent years after that, and if they can maintain the hype and growth around the event. That will really show if F1 has broken into the American market!

-M

#f1 #f12022 #miamigp #formula1 #motorsport #miami gp 2022

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formulinos · 3 years

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in order to cope, what are your top 3 ferrari moments and your top 3 charles leclerc moments? :’)

awww anon thanks! but also S.O.S.

well top 3 ferrari moments! these are just the ones i remember but i will say:

1) michael's last race EVER - 2006 brazilian grand prix

first of all, it was in brazil and it was the end of an era. everyone was crying even the reno fans were crying because it felt like A Coming Of Age moment. pelé was there and he was crying too. the whole thing was poised to be a disaster. the championship was as good as done and michael had qualified in 10th while fernando was in 4th. things got worse when he attempted to overtake fisichella and punctured his tires, which supposedly meant his race was as good as over as he nearly got lapped. however, he climbed back to P4. he deserved better in a way, but his performance was the one of a champion imo.

2) seb's first win - 2015 malaysian grand prix

here's the thing, seb's rbr era came along w my puberty and sudden awareness that people are hot. he was incredibly cute (come 2013, incredibly hot), he stanned michael and he was the best driver on the grid no cap, which meant i secretly was into him while officially standing as "i hate everyone who isn't in a ferrari". 2014 onwards i knew it was a matter of time and 2015 came to confirm it: he was mine. i mean, ferrari's. so the combination of this particular grand prix having played out in the pits alongside seb, my ultimate bias, winning for my favourite team was HUGE. when i think of ferrari seb i think of moments like these tbh not about what happened in 2020. oh well 3) RUBENS BARRICHELLO AT THE 2000 GERMANY GRAND PRIX

MAN. obvious choice, how could i not add it here? first brazilian win since ayrton senna in 1993, first brazilian to win for ferrari, RUBENS' FIRST RACE WIN EVER AFTER BEING LONG OVERDUE ONE. this is 2000 so i was four, i'm not gonna claim i remember vividly everything that happened on that day, but since i watch it quite a lot whenever i am sad, i have practically the whole thing memorised. complete masterclass by rubens in the wet after starting in P18 (just as The Boss would have liked it). what moves me the most is seeing everyone congratulate rubens (including michael, who had dnf'd himself and came back just to hug him. also both mclaren dudes). in the british narration brundle says how he can hear the brazilian commentators going insane and that's not enough. these dudes were CRYING. the narration gives me chills, one day i will subtitle it and post it here. alexa play tema da vitória.

ok, so, top 3 charles leclerc moments? it's hard for me to pinpoint tbh because in his case, my highlight for him is the entirety of 2020. he had surprise podiums, monstrous qualifyings and true bottling races worthy of mental breakdowns yet he always kept his head high and managed to criticise the team without breaking them down and was incredibly supportive of seb without ever throwing him to the lions. he is the sort of person you want in your team if you know your car is shit and the payoff has been a very solid 2021. his pole lap in monaco this year was amazing. i just wish the guy was a bit more socially conscious but well. i live in bolsonaro's brazil everything is miserable, you know? i want to have fun mindlessly for 2 hours or so. i will always carry 2019 italian grand prix in my mind though. it really was worth to make the engine illegal.

also 2018 germany grand prix, free practice 3. that was hilarious.

sorry for the long wall of text anon!

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astrojmonaf1 · 5 years

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A Neutron Star Merger, The Fall of A Formula One Hero, and a Belgian Maiden Grand Prix Win

The LIGO/Virgo collaboration teams, observed a gravitational wave event of a Neutron Star merger "with the probability that the source may have at least one object in between three and five solar masses" said LIGO, on September 1st.

📸: LIGO Twitter

Kilonova observations are extraordinarily rare, for when Neutron stars collide, the remnants left are showers of gold and platinum scattered into the universe. These showers bring forth metals like the ones found on Earth.

Elements beneficial to our very existence.

Although the remnants here are believed to have merged into a black hole.

Who would have imagined that to the world of Formula One, that same rip to the fabric of space and time of a binary system hundreds of millions of years in the making, could have different consequences in the racing track.

It would arrive the same day that Charles Leclerc would make his Maiden Grand Prix Win.

While one can’t be certain what Einstein meant when he said, "God does not play dice with the universe,” we can only think of this moment. The Universe may be 14 billion years old, and with that, heroes and legends can be made because heroes are not born. Through pain and tears, downforce and minimal drag, Gravity much like F=ma, can be good friends, but in one wrong Turn, all can become the enemy, to Formula One drivers.

They are made, on the track and in moments such as these.

Racing For Anthoine

Like the great Carl Sagan once said, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”

Anthoine Hubert, 22, of France, lost his life at the Belgian Grand Prix on August 31st.

The Renault French driver, was involved in a major accident with American Sauber driver, Juan Manuel Correa, at the Spa-Francorchamps. Hubert's car hit the bars then collided with Correa’s.

Correa, underwent surgery and “will remain in intensive care for at least another 24 hours to ensure that his condition can continue to be monitored by his surgical team,” read the official statement released on his website.

Anthoine Hubert, succumbed to his injuries after that tragic accident at Spa-Francorchamps.

A childhood friend to Charles Leclerc, someone he raced Karts with, laughed with, and joked with, perhaps looked up to race with head to head in this very track, the Monegasque now ran alone.

For Charles Leclerc, securing his maiden win at the Belgian Grand Prix, wouldn’t be the first place in his legacy, but a bequest to honor the memory of his now departed childhood friend.

Notwithstanding, everyone was racing for Anthoine and to honor his memory.

This was no ordinary race and as challenging as it was it would become one to remember.

The morning of Charles’ race, he'd been seen by the media talking to Anthoine’s family.

His mother, Nathalie, Father Victhor and brother Francois, gave him their support, as Nathalie embraced him.

That heartbreaking sight will live in the hearts of fans forever.

The Love of a Mother

📸: Kym Illman

It might have instilled love and strength in the Monegasque and a little extra push to go with the respect of millions of fans as a reminder that Anthoine would have wanted him to get to P1.

His last race having been practically stolen in Bahrain, this time, nothing would get in his way.

Phased, and unbelieving that any of it had happened, Anthoine’s loss, and his win, Charles said: “We were four kids dreaming of getting to Formula One.”

Anthoine Hubert, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

“We have grown up in karting together, so to lose him is a big shock for me, and everyone in the sport.”

“It was definitely the first situation for me where I have lost someone and then raced the following day. It is obviously quite challenging to close the visor and go through the exact corner —where he died— at the same speed as I did the day before.

Pierre Gasly, the Toro Rosso driver, gave Leclerc a little fuel to win the race too, had the words “ALWAYS WITH ME #AH19,” above the open view of his halo:

“I've grown up with this guy since I was seven in karting, we've been roommates, we've lived in the same apartment, in the same room for six years."

“We’ve been class mates, I’ve studied since I was 13 until 19 with him, with the same professor at a private school that the federation did. I’m still shocked.”

“You have to put it out of your mind because otherwise, you can’t race,” he added,

“I told Charles before the race: Please win this race for Anthoine, as we started racing in the same year, Charles, Anthoine, and myself. And Anthoine won the French Cup in 2005. We raced for many years and knew each other.”

Overtaken in Bahrain by a one-two Mercedes win, and getting wheel banged by Red Bull's, Max Verstappen in Austria, back in July, costing him-his first win, this one; means more.

“We lost a friend first of all — I would like to dedicate my first win to him. In my first race, we drove together, it's a shame what happened yesterday, I can't enjoy my victory fully.” Charles added.

"It is difficult to enjoy this victory, but hopefully, in two or three weeks, I will realize what happened.”

Everyone was cheering for Ferrari’s 16 to win it for Renault’s 19.

In the aftermath of Hubert’s passing, it’s hard to express what Leclerc must’ve felt like when he got to lap 19.

19 was Anthoine’s racing number, and the crowds paid tribute as well when the drivers came through.

it was no consequence that of all days, that Neutron Star Merger would be named S190901ap. The date that recorded the LIGO/Virgo's Neutron Stars Merger, which coincided with Anthoine's number.

And then you heard a solemn “This one is for Anthoine,” coming from Ferrari’s radio, said by Charles Leclerc upon finishing first.

Everyone burst, there was commotion everywhere, a good day and a sad day in Motorsports indeed for all the right reasons.

“It’s a good day but on the other hand losing Anthoine yesterday brings me back to 2005, my first ever French championship,” continued Leclerc during an interview.

📸: Kym Illman

A League of His Own

Seeing the Monegasque separate the Silver Arrows and keep good pace through and through, was what Formula One is all about, but is unfathomable to know how he must’ve felt while driving down Spa’s circuit or how he feels now that it’s been completed.

As youth of this new century, explorers and pioneers, one often forgets that millennials have much on their shoulders.

They’re here to make a name for themselves, and it's undeniable that on the way to greatness, they’re bound to lose those they love because this sport is ruthless.

Charles Leclerc won't be the exception, to the rule, but he's been the valid example of losing in every aspect and yet here he is. Racing and winning. Nothing deters his will to keep going.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver, and godson to Jules Bianchi, the last casualty to the sport before Hubert, is the living reminder that today's youth, still have plenty to look up to and much to fight for.

You could see him in the podium wearing a black armband with his entire Ferrari Team, as he raised his Trophy to the sky in honor of Anthoine.

Empowering generations of new drivers to not feel like outsiders. He might have lost a friend, his godfather, his father, that battle on two multifarious and defining races before, but on his third, he got his maiden trophy with a little help from above.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes spoke encomiums of Charles Leclerc after the race.

"It's not easy for any driver to jump into a top team like Ferrari against a four-time world champion, with much more experience, and then to continuously out-perform, out-qualify and out-drive him. But Charles’ results speak for themselves. There is a lot more greatness to come from him, and I am looking forward to racing alongside him in the future.”

“Then once I got in the car, as I did for my father two years ago, you need to put all the emotions to one side and focus on the job.”

Said, Leclerc “I was happy to win and remember him the way he deserved to be and, yeah, happy to do it on this day.”

"They are so much faster than us and Monza is all straights ... We will do our best, but it is going to be a tough job to match them.”

He lamented his inability to master those straights like Leclerc, before. Something the Monegasque is seemingly able to do. Monza will be the place to put the five time World Champion to a test.

"So, there's a lot more greatness to come from him and I'm looking forward to seeing his growth and racing alongside him ... Today, it was fun, trying to chase him. He was just a little bit too quick.”

Maybe, Chekhov was right after all about Entropy, that beautiful chaos that makes our universe work, It does come easy, but as I wrote in my book, “Entropy comes easy, but Love outgrows the Universe,”©️

"I was struggling in the corners, so that allowed him to get close," said Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Leclerc's Team mate.

"I couldn't hold him off for a very long time. I tried to obviously make him [Hamilton] lose time in order to give Charles a cushion, and in the end it was just enough, so it did the job.

"I couldn't stay in range to look after myself, and I was sort of playing a road block to make sure that Charles was gaining some time." He did everything to help his team mate achieve his first victory.

In a statement given by Daniel Ricciardo from Team Renault, he too admitted not wanting to race following Hubert’s untimely death.

“I know that, weirdly enough, the best way we can kind of show our respect was to race today,”

“But I don’t think any of us actually wanted to be here or wanted to race”

“At least, I’m speaking for myself, but I’m sure I’m not the only one. It was certainly tough to be here and try to put on a brave face for everyone.”

“I know a lot of people in the paddock are hurting so I think everyone’s relieved it’s done, we can move on from here, and hopefully it’s the last time that this happens.”

For the Renault fans, Ricciardo racing that day meant everything.

To know that a driver from his team had perished, how does one reconcile, to keep the morale high for the millions of fans aching so racing is the answer.

Is the one thing the Aussie does to help the fans, and he does it well. We appreciate the effort even when we know the heartbreak he's feeling. A collective effort from everyone now to help each other heed the call of the F1 neighbor even on social media.

We love him for it.

It becomes a Labor of Love.

“Since I was a child I’ve been looking up to Formula 1, dreaming to be first a Formula 1 driver, which happened last year, then driving for Ferrari this year, and then the first win today.”

“It’s a good day, but on the other hand, as I said, losing Anthoine yesterday brings me back to 2005, my first ever French championship. There was him, Esteban [Ocon], Pierre [Gasly] and myself. We were four kids that were dreaming of Formula 1. We grew up in karting for many, many years, and to lose him yesterday was a big shock for me but obviously for everyone in motorsport, so it was a very sad day.” - Charles Leclerc

📸:© Reuters/ FRANCOIS LENOIR

A day filled with grief, racing, camaraderie, and the inextricable reminder that; the Universe is always at work.

Congratulations, Charles Leclerc and Team Ferrari for a well-deserved win.

We knew you had it all along.

“And when you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Paolo Coelho

Jen McCulley TM Sep 2, 2019

#charles leclerc #anthoine hubert #sebastian vettel #lewis hamilton #daniel ricciardo #pierre gasly #esteban ocon #scuderia ferrari #charles 16 #formula 1 #formula1 #essere ferrari #formula one #f1 #racing for anthoine #belgian grand prix #belgiangp #belgium gp 2019

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kinetic-empathy · 6 years

Text

At The Pleasure of the President

I did it. I wrote the Oval Office Nine-Nine AU.

If I’m being honest, I wrote this really quickly and haven’t actually read through it, so there is a chance that its trash and out of character, but hey, I wrote it, and that’s what counts.

This is really just supposed to serve as the introduction to the AU; hopefully, if I’m actually motivated to continue, I can work more with the characters and make them more, well... in character.

Well, with no further ado, I give you all the first entry of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine West Wing AU that literally nobody asked for.

It was the yogurt. That was the only explanation. The day could have been great had it started with a cup of yogurt.

But no, Terry Jeffords, Chief of Staff to the President of the United States of America, had no yogurt to start out the day with, and really, it all went downhill from there. Between trying to get Cagney and Lacey to school, making sure Sharon had her coffee before she had the opportunity to kill anyone, trying to ignore whatever mess his deputy had gotten himself into, and not having any damn yogurt, there was one thing that really set the ball rolling on this downhill, horrible day.

Terry’s pager, which had to have been out just to mock him, went off, giving one horrible, dreaded message:

Velvet Thunder in fencing accident. Come to office.

“Jake, Jake, Jake,” the woman said, walking up to the counter at Starbucks. “You need more finesse. You need more pizzazz. You need to give the press the ol’ Razzle Dazzle to really get them on your good side. And as much as I love you, you just don’t have that Ol’ Razzle Dazzle. Grande Iced Latte with extra whip for me and a venti black coffee with five sugars for this sad sack of boring,” she finished to the barista.

Jake opened his mouth to respond, but the woman cut him off. “Jakey-poo, you may try and dazzle everyone, but you just haven’t learned how yet. And that’s why you’re just the Deputy Chief of Staff, and I’m Gina Linetti, Press Secretary extraordinaire.”

“Just the Deputy Chief of Staff?” Jake exclaimed, taking his coffee from the barista. “Well excuse me, Miss Linetti, lets not forget who got you the job as Press Secretary extraordinaire. Just the Deputy Chief of Staff,” he pouted.

Gina took it all in stride. “Hon, you got me a job on the campaign trail for a nobody Senator from New York. Without me, you all were nothing.”

For a moment, Jake stuttered over an attempted response (“Lacking the Razzle-Dazzle, there,” Gina commented), but both were interrupted by the shrill beeps of their pagers.

“Well, it looks like it’s time for me to give the press the Ol’ Razzle Dazzle,” Gina said, taking off ahead of Jake, destination set. When she was on a mission, there was no stopping her.

Jake, taking longer to read, process, and react than Gina, was left behind, spluttering out responses to three different statements.

“He’s not – I did – I do too have Razzle Dazzle! I can definitely Razzle Dazzle them! I can Razzle Dazzle them ALL!”

A typo.

There was a typo. In the New York Times.

And it wasn’t just an article in the New York Times, no.

It was a typo in the crossword puzzle of the New York Times.

And Amy Santiago was not having it.

“Do you know who you’re talking to? Do you know who I am? I don’t care if you’re ‘just a receptionist,’ I don’t care if you have nothing to do with the editing of the paper, I am the Deputy Communications Director of the White House, yes, that White House, and I assure you, mister, I can track you down, and I will make sure you never – oh, please hang on one second.”

Amy groaned as she read the message that was just sent to her pager.

Picking up the phone again, she stated, “I apologize for my inability to finish this phone call right now, as I have to go deal with an emergency at The White House, where I work, with the President of the United States, but I assure you, this is not the last you will be hearing from me. Thank you for your time.”

Velvet Thunder was in a fencing accident, and that, for the moment, was more important than a typo in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Rosa’s not sure if it’s the nature of her job, or if it’s just her as a human being, but whatever it is that makes everyone leap out of her way in fear as she strides through the hallways of the White House, she’s very grateful for it. Moving forward at a pace much faster than anyone who didn’t work for the Federal Government would consider walking, she makes her way up to her target.

“A fencing accident?” She asks. “Really?”

Terry just sighs, falling into step alongside his Communications Director.

“That’s what he’s saying it is, but after all, it is Holt.”

“Yeah, he could’ve been stabbed through the wrist with a machete and still be referring to it as a ‘fencing accident’,” another voice chimed in as Jake met up with Terry and Rosa. “What’s our official statement on this, anyway?”

The group turned the corner into Rosa’s office, where she immediately sat down and started typing.

“Well first of all, it’s not our statement,” she said, “it’s mine and Gina’s, and you’re not allowed anywhere near it, less you decide that you need to punch someone in the face again. Don’t even try to defend yourself,” she added as Jake opened his mouth to do just that. Terry’s face was saying that same thing that Rosa’s words were.

“Gina’s going to brief the Press in about 2 minutes. Amy’s going to be in with meetings all morning to fix your mess with Brogan and the rest of his people,” Terry shot at Jake, “You get to go figure out why the FDA is taking so long to get the new food pyramid drafted, and Terry is going to go clean up all of the messes that you crazy kids keep getting yourself into!”

For his part, Jake at least had the notion to look vaguely embarrassed at that, even if Jimmy Brogan had deserved what he got.

“Everyone, get to work. Try not to punch any other important committee leaders in the face until the President gets back.”

Gina Linetti is great at a lot of things, and she’s definitely not afraid to say that. And the White House Press Room? That is her jam. She has great hair, and she loves spinning the truth in her favor; she was made for this job. For all of the work, all of the scandals, all of the general insanity that a job at the White House entails, there is nothing that any woman could love more than getting up behind that podium and giving the Press Corps the most important quality for any Press Secretary to have: the ol’ Razzle Dazzle.

“The President, while at his home in New York, was doing a routine fencing practice in which he just so happened to twist his wrist. After a brief visit to the Doctor’s, I can tell you that it is no more than a sprain, and President Holt will be back to blow your minds faster than you can write your little articles on how long he’ll be out. Questions? Yes, Diane.”

“Will the President’s injury interfere with his ability to do his job?”

“Well Diane, seeing as the President is ambidextrous, and we have these wonderful inventions called computers, I do believe that, barring any more epees coming in his direction, he will still be able to do his job far better than you’re able to do yours. Next question?”

Razzle Dazzle ‘em.

“Jake! Jake! Did you hear about the President? Is he okay? Oh, I hope he’s okay, because if he’s not that would make everyone’s jobs a whole lot harder, especially yours. And then the country would fall into a state of ruin and we’ll be invaded by Canada and I’ll have to sell my dogs in order to afford maple syrup and-”

“Charles. Chill.”

Jake Peralta and Charles Boyle went way back. They really were best friends, and there was no one else that Jake would trust to be his “Deputy’s Deputy.” But sometimes, it was a little much.

“Obviously, the President got his head stuck in a guillotine and the entire country is in a state of panic. It’s why everyone is freaking out so much,” Jake said, gesturing to the surprisingly calm bullpen.

Charles nodded in understanding.

“Right, you’re right, I’m overreacting. But a fencing accident? President Holt seems far too well-toned and agile to do something so silly as to twist his wrist while fencing.”

As Jake nodded in agreement, Charles added, “by the way, Amy was looking for you. Something about a meeting with Jimmy Brogan?”

Jimmy Brogan was about as much of a racist, homophobic, xenophobic, any other type of phobic, gun-toting, capitalism-loving, women-hating, antisemitic Republican as you could get.

It never ceased to impress the Staff that this man was the Chair of the House Ethics Committee.

And Amy was dealing with the aftermath of him having been punched in the face by none other than the Deputy Chief of Staff himself.

The incident had, for the most part, been taken care of. At this point, Amy was just trying to clear up any final misconceptions, which was turning out to be a lot more difficult than it should have been as she was facing stubborn pig-headedness from both sides of the argument.

“You know, Peralta” Amy said, “had you been able to get your head out of your ass just this once, you could have avoided a whole slough of problems for The President. And myself, for that matter. But no, you just had to overreact, and now we’re trying to convince the entire Right Wing that we’re not a bunch of hot-headed idiots who think with our fists instead of our heads.”

“Pssh, says the girl who traumatized the receptionist and the New York Times this morning,” Jake responded.

“There was a typo! It was unprofessional, unacceptable, and irredeemable!”

“Unprofessional, unacceptable, and irredeemable, title of your sex tape.”

“JAKE!”

“Yes, okay, coolcoolcool, I get it. Punching the guy was a bad move.”

“A bad move? You’re lucky you still have a job, Jake!”

“And I am incredibly grateful towards Terry for not firing me, Amy, I really am, but do I really have to work out a compromise with this guy? He used about four different slurs in one statement.”

Amy sank back into her desk chair and put her head in her hands.

“I wanted a job at the White House, and instead I’m working with infants,” she muttered. “Yes Jake, you have to work out a compromise with this guy. He’s not pressing charges, you still have a job, and really, it’s not even a compromise, you just have to apologize to him. I have a binder for the entire process right here.”

“A binder?” Jake laughed. “You have a binder, that you already had prepared, for what the hypothetical process would be if a member of the President’s Senior Staff was to punch an asshole Republican in the face.”

“It never hurts to be prepared,” Amy replied. “I like binders. And if the President has binders for everything, why can’t I?”

“Yo, Charles, where’s Jake?”

Charles jumped in surprise, but quickly pulled himself together as he responded, “Oh hi, Rosa! I was so busy organizing Jake’s messages that I didn’t see you coming!”

“Yeah, that doesn’t answer my question,” Rosa replied. “Where is he?”

“He’s in a meeting with Amy. Something about Jimmy Brogan, I guess they’re still going on with that? They must have a meeting with him later today, I bet Jake’s going to… okay, bye Rosa!”

“He punched me in the face!”

Amy tried to repress another sigh; Jake wasn’t even trying to stop looking smug.

“Yes, Mr. Brogan, he did do that,” Amy said, “but he, as well as every member of the President’s Senior Staff, has apologized multiple times, and we will continue to express just how sorry we are for Mr. Peralta’s actions. However, as you were spewing profanities about the President at the time, your office already agreed not to press charges of any sort.”

Jake snorted. “Spewing profanities is a bit of an understatement, is it not?”

This, of course, just made Brogan angrier than he was before.

“I’m being punished for speaking my mind?” he shouted, spit spewing across the room. Jake couldn’t help but think that this is the kind of man who existed purely to help political cartoonists make a living. “I don’t know what your mamby-pamby, soft-hearted, safe-space needing President has taught you, but we have this little thing called the First Amendment. Do you know what that says?”

“’Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” a new, powerful voice said, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.’ Unless, of course, my 8th grade Social Studies teacher taught me incorrectly, in which case, I believe we need to place more emphasis on our country’s education. Do you agree, Amy?”

As the President walked into the room, the entire atmosphere changed. Raymond Holt was a man who could command a room before saying a word. He was a leader in all possible ways, and even with his arm in a sling, he emanated more power than any average man could even imagine to behold.

As Amy nodded in response to his question, Holt continued.

“Now, Mr. Brogan, if I’m correct, you’re referring to the Freedom of Speech part of this amendment. A great addition, if I do say so myself. It is nice to know that neither I nor you can be imprisoned due to something that we say, no matter how vile or insulting it may be. Now, it is an insult to this beautiful amendment to paint it in the sort of light that it allows someone to, for lack of a better term, be as ass to another person. Freedom of Speech does not excuse the offensive verbiage that flows out of your mouth, it only makes it so you cannot be imprisoned for it.

Now, as far as I’m concerned Mr. Peralta and Ms. Santiago have already apologized profusely on not just their own behalves, but on mine as well. And if you want to avoid the President of the United States filing a lawsuit for slander, I believe it would be in your best interest to accept the apology and leave it at that. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Mr. President, sir,” Brogan responded.

“Well,” Jake said, not even attempting to disguise the look of joy on his face, “I do believe that everyone here is a-okay good to go, so uh… see you never, Jimbo!”

“Jacob,” Holt reprimanded.

“Yeah, sorry again. Have a good day!”

After quite literally showing Brogan and his people the door, Holt took a seat and addressed the two staffers in the room.

“Amy, thank you for seeing this through. If you would please let Terry know that the situation has been taken care of, that would be appreciated.”

Amy jumped to her feet, proclaiming, “Sir, yes sir!”

“Unnecessary, Santiago.”

“Yes, sir, sorry, sir,” Amy responded, tripping over her feet as she ran out of the room, leaving Jake and the President behind, one laughing, and the other merely watching her leave with a blank expression on his face.

As Jake finished laughing, the President prepared himself for what he was going to say next. He had always admired Jake’s ability to have fun and still get the job done incredibly well, but sometimes, his lack of professionalism severely damaged the image that those who may not know him as well have of him.

As Raymond was just about to start speaking, Jake beat him to the punch.

“Sir, I really am sorry about what went down. I was very wrong to hit him like that, I just…I don’t know. The way he was talking about you like you were just some gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and then the slurs he was using, I just… I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sorry, sir.”

For as goofy as laid back as Jake Peralta could be, Holt also knew that he was one of the most emotional people he had ever met. And as draining as that could be, it was something that he would always appreciate about his Deputy Chief of Staff.

“Jake,” he said, “you don’t need to apologize to me. I want to thank you for doing what you did. It’s people like you who are going to spark the change that this country needs.”

“Well sir,” Jake said, “that’s how we do it in the West Wing. Make the country a better place, and look good doing it.”

“Jacob, one more thing.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you want to know how I really hurt my wrist?”

“Sir?”

“I was hula-hooping. The First Gentleman and I attend a class for fitness and for fun.”

“Oh my God.”

“I’ve mastered all the moves. The pizza toss, the tornado, the scorpion, the oopsie-doodle.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because no one will ever believe you.”

“…you sick son of a bitch.”

“That’s President Sick Son of a Bitch to you.”

#i just need to do the world building and have someone else do the writing for me #but hey I did it #oval office nine nine #west wing au #b99 west wing AU #brooklyn nine nine #whats next?#nerds in the nine nine

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thisdaynews · 4 years

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Brazilian GP: Max Verstappen wins thriller as Ferrari's Vettel and Leclerc collide

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/brazilian-gp-max-verstappen-wins-thriller-as-ferraris-vettel-and-leclerc-collide/

Brazilian GP: Max Verstappen wins thriller as Ferrari's Vettel and Leclerc collide

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes twice to take a brilliant victory in a gripping Brazilian Grand Prix.

Behind him, the race developed into a dramatic finale as the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided while disputing fourth place.

Then, Hamilton collided with Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly held off the Mercedes for second place on the line.

It was a remarkable end to one of the most incident-packed races in recent memory. “What a race!” Verstappen said, summing it up perfectly. “Loved it.”

Hamilton took the blame for his crash with Albon and was penalised after the race by five seconds, demoting him to seventh – promoting Carlos Sainz to third for McLaren.

Verstappen was a deserved winner in a race that he controlled from the start, but Gasly was a star, Hamilton and Mercedes had an unusually difficult race, and yet again there will be a sharp focus on Vettel’s driving and character, as the four-time champion continued his battle for supremacy at Ferrari with his young team-mate.

Brazilian GP full race results

Verstappen wins thriller in Brazil – reaction

‘Verstappen wins a mad Brazilian Grand Prix’

After a rant over team radio, Vettel replays the collision in his head…

…kicks a stone…

…and the moment of realisation…

How a classic unfolded

Verstappen led away from the start, tracked by Hamilton, and Mercedes threw the first strategy dice with an early stop on lap 20, attempting to use the fresh pace of new tyres to pass the Red Bull.

It looked like it had worked when Verstappen, already touch and go as to whether he would keep the lead when he made his stop on the next lap, was held up by Robert Kubica’s Williams on his way out of the pits, for which Williams were penalised.

That gifted Hamilton the lead, but Verstappen was determined to win it straight back.

Hamilton caught Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on his first lap after his stop and passed him into the final corner, but now Verstappen was right on his tail and, with his battery depleted after his fast lap, Hamilton was defenceless as the Dutchman swept around the outside into Turn One.

Verstappen and Hamilton gave the passionate Brazilian crowd a race to remember

That looked to be it, until Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas retired with an engine problem on lap 53, bringing out the safety car.

Hamilton was told do the opposite to Verstappen as they approached the pit entry and when the Red Bull pitted, Hamilton stayed out.

But he immediately doubted the decision, worrying that his used medium tyres would be no match for the virtually new softs on Verstappen’s car.

And when the race restarted on lap 60, with 11 to go, Hamilton was proved right and Verstappen swept past him into the lead – again around the outside of Turn One – despite Hamilton’s best efforts to trick him at the re-start.

That was the battle for the lead done, but it was just the start of a frenetic final 10 laps…

Oh no, what do Ferrari do now?

Hamilton was now struggling at the head of a train of four cars, comprising Albon, who had brilliantly passed Vettel at the re-start, Vettel and Leclerc, all on fresher soft tyres.

The tension built, as Vettel first tried and failed to re-pass Albon, and then Leclerc, on the freshest tyres of all, pressured his team-mate.

With five laps to go, Leclerc pulled a stunning move on Vettel into Turn One to take fourth place. But Vettel refused to back off and came back at his team-mate.

Leclerc moved left on the back straight on the run to Turn Four, leaving Vettel just enough room on the outside.

But in scenes reminiscent of his collision with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber back in Turkey in 2010, Vettel edged across and the cars collided.

The impact immediately broke Leclerc’s front suspension and gave Vettel a rear puncture, and both were forced out of the race.

“What was he doing,” Vettel said over team radio, before perhaps accepting his error and saying: “Sorry.”

“What the hell?” Leclerc screamed.

The incident will surely have repercussions at Ferrari, where team boss Mattia Binotto has struggled to contain his warring drivers all season as Leclerc has threatened Vettel’s seniority in the team.

What was Hamilton doing?

The collision brought out the safety car again and Mercedes decided to pit Hamilton for a fresh set of tyres so he could attack in the closing laps.

The race re-started with only two laps to go, with Hamilton running fourth behind Albon, and Red Bull on for a one-two, and Gasly.

He was straight past Gasly at Turn One but made a too-ambitious move on Albon at Bico De Pato and the two collided, sending Albon into a spin and damaging Hamilton’s front wing.

‘Come on, guys!’ Hamilton feels heat in Brazil

Hamilton said of the incident with Albon: “The gap was there but it was completely my fault”

“The gap was kind of there but it closed right at the end, clearly my fault,” Hamilton said, as officials announced the incident would be investigated after the race.

Gasly passed both in the incident and Hamilton set off after the Toro Rosso again as they entered the final lap. The Mercedes was right with Gasly into the final corner and pulled alongside on the exit, but Gasly was able to edge ahead as they approached the line to take the best result of his career and a deserving reward for superlative performances since being dropped from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in favour of Albon in the summer.

Behind Sainz were the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Sainz’s podium was confirmed after he was cleared following an investigation for illegal use of the DRS overtaking aid while passing yellow caution flags.

It is McLaren’s first podium since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, 118 races ago.

Driver of the day

This has to go to Verstappen after a dominant performance and as big a statement as he could have made against Hamilton in the developing rivalry. But Gasly deserves an honourable mention for a brilliant performance of his own, completely out-classing team-mate Daniil Kvyat, as he has since rejoining Toro Rosso

What happens next?

The final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. For all the glamour and the lights, it’s an antiseptic track that seems unlikely to offer the riches of Brazil. But there have been so many great races this season, despite Hamilton’s dominant title win, who would dare say there won’t be another?

What they said

Max Verstappen:“Lewis was very quick so I had to keep pushing and all the time. He pitted early so we had to be on top of our pit stops we had a good move on him. I could control the race with the tyres I had it was unbelievable it was a lot of fun out there and great to win the race.”

Pierre Gasly:“This is my first podium in F1 and for sure I will never forget it, it’s such a special moment – so emotional. Toro Rosso have given me such a fantastic car since I’ve come back. It’s an amazing day.”

Lewis Hamilton:“Max did a great job – he was very fair the way he positioned the car. Massive apologies to Albon. The gap was there but it was completely my fault. They did a fantastic job, they outperformed us on the straights – he raced my heart out and took a lot of risks today, as you could see.”

The Brazilian GP is Gasly’s best ever result in his 46th Formula 1 race

Thousands of fans flock to Sao Paulo for the grand prix each year

History repeating: At the Turkish Grand Prix 2010 Vettel and then team-mate Mark Webber touched wheels and spun off

#collide #Leclerc

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