#the official f1 account posted this last year

[silentreigns]

Today is the 3 year anniversary of Lewis matching Michael Schumacher's record of 91 race wins!

#f1 #formula 1 #lewis hamilton #eifel gp 2020 #the official f1 account posted this last year #i think it's great to bring back

[astonmartinii]

babysitter duty | max verstappen social media au

pairing: max verstappen x reader

an emergency meeting at red bull means max finally meets the horner family babysitter and chaos ensues

note: i will obviously not be using christian's real kids in this, this is a work of fiction. there will be no real pictures of his kids, neither will i use their real names (i actually have no clue what they are and cannot be bothered to google it lol)

yourusername added to their story

[caption: when all the big businessmen crash baking night]

yourusername

liked by yourbff and others

tagged: yourbff

yourusername: last weekend before the eff won starts again i.e. my last weekend before my only friends are literal children

view all 27 comments

yourbff bring the kids out me thinks

yourusername my boss literally follows this account dumbass

christianhorner do not take my children clubbing

yourusername YES SIR 🫡

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, christianhorner and 223 others

yourusername: wasn't raining in oxford for once so a picnic was only necessary

view all 10 comments

yourbff they're so so precious

christianhorner who taught her that sign?

yourusername you did??? stop swearing so much in drive to survive sir

maxverstappen1 she's not wrong

christianhorner why are you here?

maxverstappen1

liked by danielricciardo, yourusername and 601,778 others

maxverstappen1 best way to start the season and to end a ten year drought in Bahrain!! thank you to everyone in the garage and all the fans in the stands

view all 10,865 comments

yourusername smashed it maxy

maxverstappen1 why thank you i'm blushing

user67 what. the. fuck. is that ^^^

themaxverstappenstan33 i am actually bamboozled

danielricciardo ignoring whatever meltdown is happening in these comments - congrats max !!

yourusername added to their story

[caption: school run days]

maxverstappen1 added to their story

f1wagsupdates

liked by f1girly77, likedbypierre and 77 others

f1wagsupdates this is y/n y/ln, she's a live-in babysitter for christian horner and more recently, she seems to be the one catching max verstappen's attention. as far as we know they first met after the top officials at red bull met for an emergency meeting at christian horner's home - we know she was present because she posted on her story with one of the kids baking during the meeting. since then she has been commenting on his posts and max posted a picture of him with a girl on his story in an outfit y/n has posted in before. do you think they're cute?

view all 21 comments

yourusername someone fancies themselves a detective

user34 oof she gagged yall

hugsforcharles tbf she has a point, you guys are digging way too into all of it

lilacverstappen i know this is a gross invasion of privacy but i kinda think they're cute

user33 you're not wrong

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername, pierregasly and 1,206,781 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1 fuck u sherlock holmes i'll decide when i announce my relationship ... anyhow, you're cute, sorry christian but you're going to have to find a new babysitter

view all 23,089 comments

yourusername I LOVE YOU MAXY but i love those kids more so looks like you're movign to oxford

maxverstappen1 i never agreed to that

yourusername say goodbye to the tax free life and say hello to crayons and picnics

christianhorner you'll have three very angry kids to deal with max, but aside from that, i'm very happy for the both of you

yourusername love you bossman

maxverstappen1 love you bossman

danielricciardo this is not usually how this plot line ends

landonorris STOP RIGHT THERE OLD MAN THIS IS A WHOLESOME POST

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, christianhorner and 22,301 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername add max moving into christian's house to ur f1 bingo cards - you can't take me away from these kids, they're kinda my only friends

view all 3,451 comments

maxverstappen1 i've been here one day and i'm convinced @christianhorner ur kids are evil geniuses

yourusername obvs they are maxy, they're salty spice's kids

user46 omg she calls him salty spice as well

christianhorner don't make me regret giving you a room near mine

yourusername GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER CHRISTIAN... maybe invest in some ear plugs ;)

christianhorner consider this your eviction notice

note: bit of a random one lol but i had fun. i know people don't like christian (for good reason) but he's the one it worked with. ALSO my asks are open now !!! so ask away xx

#f1 imagine #f1 instagram au #f1 x reader #f1 #f1 x you #max verstappen #max verstappen instagram au #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine

[thesecretsoftheuniverse]

DRESS UP !

–pairing charlesleclerc x reader | wc 0,48k | warnings fluff | what's inside charles feels embarassed about the release of the iconic pictures showing him giving his everything while wearing a wig and sunglasses as well as ridiculous sunburns as he was promoting the las vegas grand prix.

you and charles were trying to enjoy and make the most out of the last few days you had together before the new season started and everything became way more hectic. this is why you dedicated the whole day to the couch, taking time to watch movies and cuddle. you were taking a look at a new book you had just bought, when charles was mindlessly scrolling through his instagram as he stumbled upon something rather interesting. „oh my god,“ he groaned. you perked up, „whats up, baby?“ you scooted over to where he was sitting, taking a glimpse over his shoulder. the image in front of you exceeded everything you expected to see. you desperately tried not to laugh, but were failing miserably as you let out a chuckle while covering your mouth with your hands to hide your smile. the official f1 tiktok account posted videos of the drivers wearing sparkly jackets to promote the las vergas grand prix, which had only recently been added to the racing calendar for the first time ever. only charles out of all the drivers was dressed in a wig and big sunglasses as well as a hat and had ridiculous sideburns sticked to his cheeks while being equipped with playing cards, looking like a wannabe elvis presley on his way to a casino to play some black jack. „oh my god“ you mimiced your boyfriend as you let out a snort. charles, who now had a frown decorating his face, turned his head slightly to your side as he felt your body vibrating against his. „i look hideous,“ he exclaimed while throwing his hands up in distress. „calm down, big boy. this is actually quite funny. something you could wear to a halloween party this year. don‘t you think?“ you said as you brushed your fingers through his hair, trying to get a smile out of him, "charles lepresley doesn't sound too bad." "you're making fun of me, le coeur. this isn't funny", he gasped, shocked by your response. "what, why? you look amazing, honestly," you took his phone into your hands, taking a closer look of the photo, "i should definitely print this out and hang it up somewhere. maybe in the staircase. what do you think?", you asked innocently, clearly trying to get to him. but charles was visibly shocked by your proposition. "you have to be kidding, mon amour", he croaked, while shaking his head. you immediately felt sorry about your idea. "oh no, baby love", you pulled charles into your arms. "only you can pull something like that off. it looks amazing and the fans will love it", you cooed, trying to make him feel a little bit better about the situation. "still very much embarrassing", charles muffled into your chest. "it will get better," you replied while picturing the image of your dressed up boyfriend in your head.

(gif via F1lasvegas)

© thesecretsoftheuniverse 2023 | all rights reserved. do not repost, republish, steal, translate, modify or claim my work as your own.

#charles leclerc x reader #charles x reader #formula 1 #charles leclerc one shot #charles leclerc fic #f1 imagine #f1 one shot

[maranello]

Why is Santander the root of all evil 😗 very curious to know

Sigh. Okay. Just know that I am not un-biased and I am just. tired and fed up fed up with Ferrari F1 shenanigans. Buckle up, kids, this is going to be a long one:

1. In the two periods of Santander's relationship with Ferrari (2010-2017; 2021-current), we have seen a Spanish driver in a Ferrari seat, questionable-at-best management decisions and from the pit wall, the phrase "internal politics" underlie every conversation surrounding why Ferrari has not won another title since 2007/2008, while Red Bull somehow are snagging consecutive titles. Did I mention our cars are not performing well either?

So if I had a nickel. For every time this has happened. I would have two nickels. And two times is not much in the grand scheme of things, but it is in the span of 15 years. Like. 10 out of the 15 years. You know, the very same 15 years since Ferrari last won an F1 title.

I personally think if you have not won a title in 15 years maybe you should stop doing the same things that have not won you a title in those 15 years. 2. Putting the viscerally unsavory flashbacks of longsuffering tifosi and outright conspiracy theories aside, to put it bluntly: Santander Group, a Spanish bank, had been the title sponsor (first period) and is one of the the biggest sponsors (current period) of Scuderia Ferrari F1. When you are such a big sponsor, you have a say in things, and Santander have a vested interest in seeing the Spanish driver they are backing to succeed at Ferrari. Now, whether that is in Scuderia Ferrari's best interests or gives it the best shot at winning anything is a different matter— The board and the management of Ferrari are obligated to contend with what Santander wants. It would be wrong to assume that Santander can single-handedly call the shots in Ferrari as a big sponsor, but it would also be wrong to deny that they can, possibly do, and likely have played a part in the famed internal politics of Scuderia Ferrari in the time(s) that they have been sponsors. 3. It is one thing to say that Silverstone 2022 was "gifted" to Carlos Sainz Jr. But another to highlight what Santander's official account posted under Ferrari's post praising Charles' efforts in the race (after the pit wall royally screwed his race up with a win on the line and more importantly, a championship, mind you, at that point, still to play for):

While we always have to keep in mind that official social media accounts are often just corporate personas and are very deliberate about what they do to get your sympathy and your engagement— What can you possibly gather from a comment like that?

I want to see Scuderia Ferrari consistently challenging for and winning championships again. I want to see decisions being made that support this goal. At that point in 2022, Charles was still our best and realistically only shot. To see a comment being made like that so blatantly on an official account that could (and from a PR standpoint, should've!!!) easily be using corporate teamwork language?

It was hard to give Santander the benefit of the doubt that this partnership, this time, does enough to serve Ferrari in its goals rather than obstruct it. And a large part of that is also on management for not being firm with how much input to take balancing what a sponsor wants and what is good for the team.

4. The bulk of the issues that Ferrari fans have with this whole Santander situation has a lot more to do with Ferrari's internal politics getting in the way of doing what needs to be done on a management level to win - and the way that affects the relationship of Ferrari with other talented drivers, such as Kimi Räikkönen (which this article someone dug up on Twitter from 2012 goes into) and Felipe Massa, whom I need you to remember was not just some almost-world champion of 2008, but was considered one of the very best talents of his generation and groomed to be the heir of Michael at Ferrari in 2006.

This is not a knock at "Santander-backed" drivers or to say they unfairly got their positions and brought nothing to the table. I, for one, have a soft spot for the Fernando Alonso years because he was the first Ferrari driver I actually got to see race in person. He came so close to the title in 2010. And to this day I still have no idea how he was a title contender to the end with that car in 2012. And clearly in the year of our lord 2023, you see he still has that killer drive to get to whatever team it takes that can give him the best shot at winning and still has all the talent in the world + experience as a 2X F1 world champion/Le Mans winner today to back it up. (I would have loved to be watching him race if I could bear to look at Formula 1 this year with how Ferrari is doing.)

Charles Leclerc is, to the tifosi, and I believe to good part of Ferrari itself and many who had been a part of Ferrari, special, though. He is a generational talent. He has grown up through the ranks of Ferrari's own driver academy and is the very first to make it to the works team, in a very short time too. To many of us longsuffering Ferrari fans, it seems that surely, provided he has the right car and a good team in the pits and on the wall, he will bring the championship back to us. If Ferrari cannot win with him, who has been steadfast and loyal even through a rough year like 2020 and has performed nothing short of miracles with a shitbox of a car, then Ferrari's the problem. And the biggest problem being things—whether it is internal politics (largely) or ego (also huge) or plain bad decision making (I don't know how to fix this) or technological development (least of our problems really, Ferrari is capable of producing good cars)—keep getting in the way of Ferrari fixing its problems and winning a goddamn championship.

So, we are at Santander Ferrari 2: Electric Boogaloo. Charles' current 5-year contract is ending in 2024. If, let's just say, poor decision-making from the pit wall at crucial moments costing not just wins but potential championship contention, internal politicking that seem to leave a legendary racing marque completely unable to get out of a 15-years-and-counting deep hole it keeps digging further, technological developments that despite sacrificing seasons for keep missing the regulations and even when it gets marginally right will ultimately be sniped by poor pit wall calls or the FIA & co. anyways, etc., Charles, who has taken the brunt of a lot of blame off the shoulders of the team and repeatedly reiterated his dedication to winning the title with Ferrari, decides to look elsewhere—

Do you see why alarm bells are ringing for Ferrari fans?

I feel that it's just such a misrepresentation to say that all the reaction we have been seeing against Santander are just Charles Leclerc fangirls looking to discredit Carlos Sainz Jr., making up conspiracy theories about "Sainztander," and bullying his fans etc. Santander meddling in Ferrari is not a newly invented narrative nor is it a completely unfounded suspicion by salty fans.

To me, Ferrari will always come first. Ferrari always should come first. So it is great when the interests of big sponsors, drivers, the management, and the team itself all align. It is also incredibly rare. This entanglement with Santander, from 2021 onwards, just increasingly feels like a mistake because it seems that—and I hope to God I am wrong—Ferrari has not learned anything from our first stint with Santander, and it will cost us.

5. So we arrive here: the morning of April 15, 2023.

Lapo Elkann, with his wild eyes and tattoos, colorful personality (and personal history) to match the blazers and pants he wears, has been in a lot of contact with his brother John Elkann, the chosen heir of the Agnelli family of Fiat fortune, recently. After a period of rather unusual quietness on his usually busy Twitter— perhaps coinciding with the various woes that have been falling upon family-owned sports franchises named Juventus FC and Scuderia Ferrari, of which he is an avid and active fan of— Lapo has returned to the public light, tweeting his thoughts on anything that he sees fit, punctuated with pithy uses of CAPITALIZATION and a variegated arsenal of emojis 🔥♥🙏👀.

AND SO, on this fine morning of April 15, 2023— nearly two weeks after a disastrous Australian Grand Prix to forget for Scuderia Ferrari— Lapo Elkann tweeted thus:

Ferrari 🏎️ needs ❤️ Seriousness and [a] Winning Team in the Pits and Outside it's time to WAKE UP enough with politics and games like this WE WILL NEVER WIN ‼️ ‼ ‼ ‼ ‼

Is—

Is that—

Mamma mia.

Here we go agai—

#I am exhausted after writing this. #this is by far not a deep dive receipts account of everything santander might have committed against those of us on ferrari's side #I feel like there probably is a twitter thread somewhere or other blog posts/articles written around the time of Santanderrari Round 1 #but I am too done with all of this same bullshit to go looking #for the things I KNOW will upset me #maranello.ask #I am SICK of the continued argument that only Ferrari has internal politics so convoluted they have become perennial LOSERS #i am SICK of SATANDER #and I am SICK of Ferrari not proving that argument WRONG #just. BE DONE WITH IT.

[chussyracing]

the most recent F1 related news, rumours and interesting bits

the documentary Whatever It Takes by the second bulls team has been posted to YouTube and there have been some comments about the coincidence with McLaren's new campaign (but take into account that the movie had a premiere in September last year so in this case they were first)

reminder there is Formula E, Rally Monte Carlo and Daytona 24 hours today/tomorrow (Jake Dennis won race one)

Haas should show their livery on 2nd February and it's expected to be just pictures on last year's car due to the timing

Charles Leclerc officially started silly season, it looks like more teams will try to set down new contracts early now, with Lando Norris following with a multi year contract with MCL (the lenght is not specified again but it's rumoured to be till 2027)

it's Sergio Perez's birthday today

Lena Bühler will be racing for Sauber in Freca (for ART gp) in 2024 (note: some news sites report she will also race in F1 Academy but the rules state it's only for women between ages 16 and 25 and Lena is 26, so I suppose those are wrong)

rumour has it some people left Haas along with Steiner, so they are now hiring new workers

since Bernie Ecclestone wanted to avoid going to jail for fraud, he had to pay HUGE tax (the screenshots are so funny I put them below)

Jonathan Kennard is now Williams' Heritage Director

Alonso and Russell played some mini ping pong on a plane??

Formula E reported increase in audience (apparently 29% of tv audience increase just in the UK)

a bit of beef I tried to uncover: WTF1 was a platform made up by Matt, Tommy and Katie, then Tommy who was the official founder, sold the platform and they started a new one called Matt and Tommy p1. WTF1 (or rather The Race behind it?) hired multiple new presenters and made an introduction video last year which was the last time it was able go generate bigger numbers in views, likes etc. Since then it was dropping down. Now they took a month long break from YouTube and worked behind the scenes to drop new presenters, new logo and new merch (and new content). We shall see if they succeed now or if the platform fails to reach the heights of previous owners time.

#f1 #e #gossip night

[herohimbowhore]

On This Day in F1: February 5th

Present: Williams and Sauber Car Launches

History: 2015 Caterham Announces Auction

February 5th, 2024 is the date of the next two car launches - Williams and Sauber (otherwise known as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber).

For Williams, we have kind of known what the livery may be like based on previous years. F1 teams recently don't change much about their liveries unless it is to take away color and have more carbon fiber. So there was a starting point to go off of when thinking of the Williams car launch.

(Pictures from Williams Racing)

After an initial glance, the livery doesn’t look too different from last years. However, a key new detail is the addition of a new sponsor Komatsu — a Japanese industrial equipment manufacturer that has no connection to Haas Team Principal, Ayao Komatsu. Also, there is a nod to team founder, Sir Frank Williams, and the original Williams logo.

(Taken from Twitter: Chris Medland)

(The full car launch is also available on YouTube)

But for the Sauber car launch, there was nothing to go off of. This will be the first of two years that there will be Stake/Kick liveries. Based on the logo that the official F1 account used in the car launch dates post, my assumption was that neon green would be a key component of the livery - which is something I can get behind despite the team having one of the worst names I've heard.

As I had expected, especially after the race suits were revealed, the car is neon green with black. At first, the neon green is a bit overwhelming, especially in the wind tunnel that it was displayed in with the neon lights. However, in pictures it does look better, but the best test of how good the livery is will be on track. It is one of the few liveries that won’t be confused with another team.

(Pictures from Twitter: F1)

While we celebrate car launches, on this day in 2015, it was announced that Caterham would be auctioning its assets after entering administration the year prior. This would be the end to the Caterham team as everything was to be auctioned off in the coming months.

Caterham competed in Formula 1 from 2012 to 2014. The team is tied with HRT for the most races started without scoring a point (56 races). The team was not able to compete during the 2014 US and Brazilian GPs, but was able to crowdfund to compete in Abu Dhabi.

Despite receiving a special dispensation to use their 2014 car for the 2015 season, the auction announced on February 5th, 2015 meant that the team would fold and end its run in Formula 1. Unlike the team stability of the current era and refusal by FOM to allow new teams, earlier eras were riddled with teams folding and dropping out due to not having enough funding to keep racing.

(article from The Guardian by Paul Weaver)

(The CT04 — Caterham’s last F1 car. Driven by Kamui Kobayashi. Other 2014 Caterham drivers included Marcus Ericsson, Will Stevens, and André Lotterer. )

__________

Previous: Feb. 2nd - 2007 Williams Car Launch

Next: Feb. 7th - Alpine Car Launch

On This Day in F1 Masterlist

#on this day in f1 #car launches #formula 1 #f1 #williams racing #stake f1 team #sauber #caterham #f1 history #Youtube

[tubbietommo]

I said it yesterday, Seb’s quotes were going to be the inspiration for this Monday Motivation. Mainly because I strongly believe that if we keep talking about Seb as a human, he is never leaving us for real. Yes, I am in denial and it hasn’t sunk in yet. I wanted to make a whole Daniel/Mick/Seb/Nicky Monday Motivation… but now I think I’ll shine a little spotlight on these beautiful quotes.

Yesterday I saw a TikTok that said ‘only six more weeks till 2023’ and normally it would give me the biggest rush of anxiety. “SIX WEEKS? But I haven’t achieved a whole lot and there is so little time…” But this year I am taking a different approach. Instead of just looking at the big things (like working for a company I loved, getting back on track with making myself healthier and of course getting my bachelor diploma last week), I am looking at all the small things that in hindsight made a big difference for my happiness and I want to ask you to do the same. I would love to hear the small things that made your January till November happier! 🧡

Here’s a small list of mine: I got closer with my friends since high school, I met new people and became close with them, I started doing these Monday Motivations and we became closer, I went on small little trips that are now big memories, I put myself out there and started this dating journey, I went to more concerts in a year than I’ve ever done, I started to take more pictures (no… I am not starting a babette.jpg even though I do think I could run a good account), I’ve seen more F1 cars in a year than I’ve ever done and most importantly I chose myself countless of times.

So, am I gonna give you a piece of homework this week? Yeah, I am! Write that list! Sit yourself down and write/record/sketch/whatever else a list of moments. Little moments of happiness and positivity to combat the stress of this year almost coming to an end. And if you feel like sharing, I’m a nosy bitch so… send them my way 🥰

Have a great week! 🍀

Damnnn getting homework from Babette. I gotta do my best.

I'm still sick so I missed this post on Monday (also I'm still very much not over Seb having officially retired. I think I'm gonna join Lewis his delusional world and convince myself he's coming back).

You got your bachelor diploma?!?! CONGRATS. PROUD OF YOU ❤️❤️

Anyways I'll give you my list right here, right now (might forget some things):

Being able to watch Seb drive irl at Spa. Super grateful to my dad that he wanted to share that experience with me. I still think about that day.

I learned how to crochet!!! And I'm loving it so much. I make plushies, I make flowers, I made a tote bag for my friend's birthday.

I finally after years having felt like I had to lose weight for others (like as a kid I had to do it for doctors or my mom etc etc) and fail. I finally can say I'm 100% doing it for myself, doing it my own way and letting no one interfere with it, and I already am having small victories. Which I'm really proud of. I also am going to make a documentary about this for my school project. So wish me luck on that one haha

I realized how much more happier and relaxed I was when I was single. So I decided to choose for myself again.

I think 2022 is the first year where I would say "hey this was a pretty good year" (apart from the whole Seb thing. But not everything is about f1 sksksksk).

[f1]

Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from Matchbox Twenty after they see him singing one of their hits

Freshly sacked McLaren star Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from superstar band Matchbox Twenty after they see him belting out one of their hits  Daniel Ricciardo offered job by Matchbox Twenty after posting car karaoke clip  The Aussie Formula One star has been recently sacked by McLaren  Fans on social media were quick to point out that Ricciardo needs a job By James Cooney For Daily Mail Australia Published: 20:56 EDT, 24 August 2022 | Updated: 20:56 EDT, 24 August 2022 Aussie Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren a year early after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract at the end of this season - but he may have scored a gig with rock band Matchbox Twenty. The eight-time grand prix winner was on holiday in the US when he filmed himself driving and singing along to one of the American stars' biggest hits. In clip, the 33-year-old Aussie belts out his best version of the band's smash 1997 single '3AM' as he cruises down a freeway. Aussie Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo recorded himself singing along to Matchbox Twenty while on holidays in the US The Aussie star (pictured) has been recently sacked by McLaren and his future plans are still unclear - but he might have a lifeline in the music industry The clip didn't escape the notice of the band, who took to social media to let him know they were impressed. 'If you're ever looking for a side gig outside of @F1 let us know @danielricciardo!' the band wrote on Twitter. Fans were quick to chime in, noting that Ricciardo might be looking for a new line of work in light of his recent sacking. 'He'll definitely need it next year,' wrote one. 'He's actually looking for a main gig now! Hopefully y'all sign him!' joked another. 'As a roadie,' said a third commenter. American rock band Matchbox Twenty (pictured above) saw footage of Ricciardo singing their hit song 3AM and offered him a job The Aussie actually has some experience in the music industry after scoring a guest appearance on a Gang Of Youths album playing drums and backing vocals in 2020. Ricciardo has endured a horror two-season stint with McLaren in which he struggled to find form and was frequently outperformed by his British teammate Lando Norris. The Aussie has struggled for form during his two-season stint, being markedly outperformed by his less experienced team-mate Lando Norris in qualifying and trailing him by 57 points after 13 races this year.   With Ricciardo's departure now confirmed, 21-year-old Formula Two champion Oscar Piastri is expected to take his fellow Australian's place. Ricciardo was under contract until the end of 2023 and only last month insisted he was 'committed to McLaren until the end of next year'.  He could be set for a payout in the region of $24million, taking into account his massive salary and performance bonuses. 'It's been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak & Andreas we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season,' Ricciardo said in an official statement. Ricciardo's midseason break ends this weekend as he suits up for the Belgian Grand Prix - his first race since the news of his split with McLaren broke 'I'll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. 'I've enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together. 'I've never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next.' Advertisement Share or comment on this article: Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from Matchbox Twenty after they see him singing one of their hits via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

#F1 #Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from Matchbox Twenty after they see him singing one of their hits #Formula 1

[albon-o-positive]

nah my take on this is give de Vries the entire season?? he's a rookie and AT is supposedly built for them. and the fact that AT didn't even let de Vries say he left first.... the people who hated on McLaren last year for doing that to Daniel are real quiet now huh.

plus icl the way the official F1 account hasnt even let the news die down a bit before posting Daniel fan posts kinda rubs me the wrong way like de Vries is getting zero sympathy. just a year ago at Monza they were hailing him the new F1 star and now he's basically been exiled by F1 tbh. I'm not saying I liked de Vries like he wasn't doing great in the AT - but also the AT is shit this season. like de Vries did drag a Williams into the points in his first race plus he is a world champion like I think he deserved the grace of an entire season.

plus if they were going to swap drivers shouldn't that have swapped Perez? who consistently is not getting into q3 somehow in the fastest car

and idk I do believe that AT should be for younger drivers to get a chance. like I don't think AT should have hired nyck in the first place because then wtf do they have an academy for? but this is even more of a fuck you tbh.

and I find it kind of ironic that Daniel who wanted to stay out of a backmarker like haas has now jumped at the opportunity to be in a backmarker.

anyways moral of the story, fuck Helmut Marko as usual for treating drivers like shit

#no hate to anyone i just think everyone sucks here tbh #mait speaks

[whatsnew-apabaru]

F1 fanatics on twitter

Formula 1 had gained recognition through mainstream media and new fans through its "Drive to Survive" series on Netflix. It pulls a shit ton of new fans to the sports, where they knew about Formula 1 from the show itself. This had been a good and bad thing, from the context of fan perspective on the sport itself.

From the good side, of this newly fetched fans, it showed how the Netflix show had an absolute impact on its viewers, making them interested in the sport, and removing the view of guys driving fast cars in a circle multiple time per weekend, worldwide (( this is how non F1 fans see F1, legit ))

These fans been twitting much about the race itself, with the most anticipated race of previous generation formula 1 cars, Abu Dhabi 2021, where Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were tied on points to clinch the World's Driver Champion (WDC), where Hamilton were looking for his 8th, breaking the record of Michael Schumacher with each of them having 7 WDC titles and Verstappen is trying everything to win his first WDC.

This is when things get spicy and how the governing body of Formula 1, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) making last minute adjustments on the rules, to create drama and gain world wide recognition about the sport.

(( yes this is my take on the drama, dont @ me as im a Lewis Hamilton fan reeee ))

This sparks controversial debates on twitter, with old and new fans of Formula 1, debating on their perspectives on how they saw the race ended with such a way.

Can't just fans move on from the controversy?

Honestly, no. Because it has made a filthy stain on the beauty of the sport and how fans react to each other on social media, especially Twitter.

Yes, there are memes regarding the race itself, but some fans took it to another level, where they keep reminding people on how Lewis is robbed of his race win and 8th WDC from the controversial decision from FIA.

Tweets like this, posted one-year after what had happened showed on how immature the fans were on Twitter, absolutely asking for attention. This image is bad for the sports, and towards new fans, as they might think the governing body of the sport, may change the rules, based on what they wanted for the "better good" of the sport itself.

A meme tweet from obviously a Verstappen fan, meme-ing on the official social media of Formula 1 (@F1), showed how the fans are still trying to bringing up things of past, and generating engagement out of it.

Personal opinion on F1 fandoms

The story written above, is just the tip of the iceberg for Formula 1 fans debate on things that had happened on and off the sport itself. Disregard the ever lasting debate on who is the "Greatest of all Time" (GOAT) driver from Formula 1, these things might be more popular on Facebook fan pages, where people tend to debate on this topic in the comment section (( they do have a lot of spare time )).

Personally i dont mind, as i dont take part in any of the debate, only twitting and bantering about things that had happen during a race weekend on my personal twitter account.

Nonetheless, these fandom has its own uniqueness in making quality "memes", and creating fan accounts just to rant about other drivers, and bombard the twitter home page, about their favourite drivers.

A quality meme, keeps the doctor away. (( i made this idiom on my own, dont @ me, again ))

As always, Stay Passionate!

Refs:

<https://twitter.com/RayyLH44/status/1599805520751517698>

<https://twitter.com/Mroemax/status/1599020692678139905>

#mda20009 #week 9

[landinoandco]

My best friend and I...

Lando Norris x reader (best friend)

Request from @lovebynorth "LN x best friend

Warnings: none :)

Word count: 1.2k

Requests are open...

A loud sound of laughter could be heard from Lando’s streaming room. The pair of you laughing over some reddit post concerning the Hungarian crash - more specifically Bottas the bowling ball. It was the beginning of the summer break and Lando Norris was doing one final stream before his family and friends' holiday. He was putting you in charge of the house whilst he was away. 

“Now chat -” He started, still chuckling, “What do you reckon, can I trust her to not burn the house down.”

You and Lando had been best friends for longer than you could remember - it had all started over social media; which (you supposed) was considered normal nowadays. You had commented on one of his karting posts and the pair of you had been inseparable ever since. Naturally, you had both battled through the awkward teenage feelings - you could both look back at it now and laugh at how naive and innocent you were…

It was shortly after Lando had turned 16 and a few days before your 15th birthday and you were sat on the park swings - reminiscing on how quickly time had flown when Lando almost shouted.

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

You had nearly fallen on the floor laughing but when you realised he had been serious, you comforted the heartbroken boy. “Look, Lando, I love you too just not in the way you want me too. You know me, I’m a free spirit, I want to explore the world on my own and I don’t want that sort of commitment. I’m an independent woman. You know that.” You had said proudly, patting his shoulder. When he didn’t meet your gaze, you wrapped your arms around him. “You’re invited too, I don’t know how I would cope without my sidekick by my side.”

At this he chortled, “Who are you calling a sidekick?” 

From that day forward, you hadn’t left his side - you were there for every race, for every win, unfortunately for every crash. You were there to experience it all but he couldn’t have been more grateful. 

It was when he reached F1, by that point you were both adults - you were in need of a job and he would be travelling 24/7 throughout the whole year. Your interests had always been regarding the sport - you couldn’t see yourself doing anything else so when Zac Brown had offered you a PR apprenticeship - you didn’t even have to think about your answer, it was an immediate yes. 

Here you both were - Lando’s third season with McLaren and your first as his official PR officer. 

“Chat.” You gasped, “Are you really going to let him talk about me like that!” 

It appeared that the whole of the F1 community adored your friendship just as much as the infamous bromance that was “Carlando.” 

Your eyes scanned through the incoming comments, all of them coming to your defense. This only made you laugh harder. 

“You know what, Lando, I think your chat prefers me to you.” 

People described your friendship with Lando as chaotic and they were probably right, you had a habit of persuading Lando to do very ‘un-Lando’ like things; like the time you managed to persuade him to eat a slither of your salmon. Admittedly he almost threw up as soon as he swallowed it and he was in a mood with you for the rest of the night-out. 

He looked directly into the camera and leaned close into his microphone, batting his eyelashes and doing his best puppy-eyes. “You’re really picking her over me, guys, I thought we were closer than that.”

He scrolled down his reddit, you were picking out the odd post and he was asking for chats opinion on it. 

An hour or so later, Lando decided that it was time to finish the stream, you had leaned over and placed your arm around his shoulders in a mock consolation. 

“Now stream.” He sighed dramatically, “I am going on holiday for a while so I’m not going to be able to stream. Going to go old school and no social media. This is going to be the last one for a while.” 

“Don’t you worry guys, one thing I promise you is that I am going to hack into Lando’s computer and stream off of his account. Can you drink on twitch?” You asked, turning to face Lando. He had a large beaming smile, stretching from ear to ear. “Maybe I can have a glass of wine and spill all of our childhood secrets.” You winked at him. The smile immediately dropped from his face.

“No, you definitely won’t be doing that.” He stated, pushing your chair away from the table. “Stream, that will be all and she definitely won’t be streaming from my account.” You laughed in the background - little did he know. 

It was a week later when Lando got the notification on his phone, twitch had emailed him recognising that he had logged into his account - a security precaution he took to ensure he was safe. The only problem was, he hadn’t logged into his account because he was on a yacht, somewhere in Croatia. He swore under his breath, “You son of a-” He started, shaking his head, the corners of his lip turning up. He licked his lips and rubbed his hand over his mouth. He was about to dial your number - as his PR officer - but then he remembered. 

Exiting the dial pad he opened the twitch app and went onto his profile - there in a little moving box was you. Wearing his headphones and holding a mug that probably wasn’t filled with tea. 

He clicked and your voice filled the room.

“You see, chat, I told you I would stream whilst Lando was away. Never break a promise, me.” You chucked and took a long sip. It was then, taking a step back and admiring you from a distance that he fully appreciated the woman you had become. Completely independent in the way you lived, reliant only on your common sense and it was then he realised that you really didn’t need him at all. Warmth spread around his body, he smiled fondly at your moving form as you asked the viewers to send in questions. It was at that moment Lando realised how much you meant to him, for all the years you had been inseparable and the life you had made together. You were his life at this point and he was lucky to be able to declare that. 

He typed into the chat: “Do you miss me then?” 

It didn’t take long for you to pick the comment out. You beamed, “I could never not miss you.” 

It was then you realised how much you relied on Lando, you liked to let him believe you could do it all on your own but really, after all of these years you didn’t know how you could live a life without him.  

Part two

#f1 #lando norris #lando norris x reader #f1 x reader #mclaren #lando norris one shot #lando norris fanfiction #lando norris imagine #f1 2021 #f1 imagine #f1blr #formula one one shot #formula one fanfiction #formula one x reader #formula 1 x reader

[someone-worth-racing-for]

Can you tell us more about Isa? :) What she does for work etc?

Sure - I mean, I probably don’t know more about her than anyone else around here, but I really love and admire her and if you really want to know what I know.. Let me see..

Isa's full name is actually Isabel and she also comes from Spain. She has a sister and if I remember right then Isa is the older one between the two of them. This year Isa has turned 26 just like Carlos already has last year. Even when many people think she is way younger than Carlos, because of her look-like. Isa works as a press officer for Scalpers.

I have once heard the two of them have met for the first time in Mallorca, when they have both been on vacation. I don’t know if this is true, also because it is actually none of our business anyway. I also don’t know since when they are a couple, maybe since 2017 or 2018!? I really don’t know.

I don’t know Isa, but just from following her Instagram account I can tell, that she seems to be very likeable. She looks like the girl next door, all cute and sweet, but I bet you can also have the fun of your life with her. Isa seems to be so down on earth to me with loving the things she does, like baking, fashion, enjoying pretty flowers and delicious food and spending time together with her dogs. And overall Isa also seems to be a natural beauty.

But what I actually like the most about Isa and her relationship to Carlos (and so also about Carlos himself), that they try to keep it secret. You won’t find one single pic of Carlos on Isa’s Instagram account or vice versa. The only time I remember you have ever seen Carlos’ face on her account (usually you only see his hand, leg or whatever) was last summer when they have spent the day together with Carlos’ family on their boat and she hast posted a story about it. I also remember that she has posted a story by the Portugal race last year, when Carlos was leading the race for the first few laps. I think these were the only times she has mentioned Carlos' name/you were able to see his face.

Normally you only get hints on her pics about him or their relationship, when you look closely. Like when Isa posts pics from Carlos' place in the UK, from his dogs or of her wearing his jacket or cap. Or like I have already mentioned just Carlos’ hand or his back and even tho we all exactly know it’s him, I still love the way they handle their relationship.

It’s not like Isa or Carlos want to fool us or buying us for stupid, no - they just want to keep their relationship as private as possible and I really, really love that. If I would be in their position, I would want to do it the same way. Just because I would be way too shy to have a public relationship with someone famous, but also because not the whole world needs to know what is going on between my boyfriend and me.

But it’s also not like Carlos is hiding Isa from us. Actually he talks openly about having a relationship, he just doesn’t mention her name (at least I have never heard him saying so). But there a few pics on the internet (official pics where they were posing for it - being aware about it, not creepy paparazy pics) where you can see the two of them together and also a few official videos from F1 and you can also see Isa in a few of the 2019 unboxed.

And one of the cutest things ever for me is that Isa almost always comments under Carlos’ Instagram posts. Most of the time it’s something motivation after a bad day in the office or cheering with him together, with her being very supportive in general. Sometimes Isa also writes other sweet comments under Carlos' posts and it warms up my heart everytime I see it. From time to time (it really doesn’t happen that often) also Carlos comments under her posts, which has actually just the same level of cuteness for me 🙈

And the last thing I know about Isa is, that she obviously gets along pretty well with Carlos’ family and also with Lando 😄

So the two of them don’t deny each other or their relationship (which would be ridiculous if you ask me), but they just don’t want to share everything with us and that is more than just alright. It’s their decision and we have to respect that if we want or not.

Sometimes I also wish they would share more pics of them two with us, because I really, really love seeing them together, but on the other hand I’m happy they try to keep it as private as possible. In my eyes, that’s the perfect way to handle such a relationship. But everyone sees that different and that’s also alright, but the most important thing is (and I know I repeat myself) to respect their privacy and just let them be and live their lives.

#carlos sainz jr #carlos sainz #Isa hernaez

[silentreigns]

do you now know what first lap incidents are or are you just dense because you don't like daniel? because with sai and mag those were first lap incidents where he did take responsibility and apologized. not to mention daniel has had little incidents on his 10+ long career so this revisionism is crazy. it would be like saying lewis is a dirty driver for silverstone 21.

about the yuki incident, he was penalized, he served his penalty during the race and there was enough time to get a good result in the race. same way lewis was penalized at silverstone, served his penalty and then there was good enough time to get a good result in the race. they're incidents, they happen. it's not an agenda.

I think it's so bold saying you hope daniel gets his karma as if last year wasn't enough and everyone who reported on him said it was bad. like I get it if you dint like daniel but this is asshole behavior.

not to mention "he should have confiere considered nyck's feelings when taking the seat"??

same way oscar considered daniel's? nah fuck outta here with that. not to mention helmut explicitly mentioned the writing was on the wall already and he said that if daniel didn't have the pace on the tyre test, they would have gone for another driver. or would it be okay if another driver took the seat? it's a sport.

Guess what guys I got another long post incoming. With screenshots too because maybe I am not being clear about my perspective on the situation 🥳🥳🥳

I addressed the 10 second penalty in the tags of the post. I don't think I'm tweaking but ruining 2 people's races in back to back weekends when you're already getting released from your contract ain't a good look.

Don't bring Lewis into this because it ain't about him. I know you're making the comparison because Lewis is my favorite driver in order for me to ~empathize~ but I never said anyone was a dirty driver. You're putting words in my mouth 🤷‍♀️. The Mexican GP thing was to put things into perspective as to how people react in situations involving him. The general consensus for that race was "the race was boring, and Daniel was the only person who did anything notable, but he took out a driver, but causing someone to dnf is fine because we saw some of the old Daniel". Of course Yuki fans won't forget this incident 😭. Not a lot of people were sad for Yuki that weekend even though he was close to the points (y'all saw the AlphaTauri last season it was not good). If someone was celebrated for ruining my chances at succeeding I'd have a chip on my shoulder.

I think Daniel at his prime was world champion material, but the reliability issues he had during his first stint at RedBull ruined all of that. Maybe my feelings about this are wrong as I was not a f1 fan in like 2016, and I'm sure someone will correct me in my inbox.

So I said this because I believe it's alright to have these expectations for him. ~12 years vs ~3 years, the more experienced veteran generally performs better. If he believes himself then he should be just fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I only share my opinions on platforms where I know the driver won't see it for a good reason.

I really do sound like a broken record. So my main problem is a driver with ~12 years in f1 replacing a rookie on a team that's meant for development and getting used to F1. You can't expect a rookie to produce good results if you give him a car where the brakes don't even work properly. And my annoyance is exacerbated by F1 media still pretending Nyck didn't exist. Like has any official F1 account posted about Nyck since this went down a few days ago? I don't think so. That is what's getting on my nerves.

I don't think I need to go over the differences between the Oscar situation and Daniel's. If you can't figure it out by now I doubt me explaining would change much 🤷‍♀️.

I literally can't envision a situation where they would replace a rookie with another rookie in the middle of a season. Would I be just as annoyed if this were to have happened? Most likely yes? I need this to actually happen in this era of F1 to form an opinion.

TLDR: I know why Daniel was put in AlphaTauri but I don't agree with the way it happened. Would I be upset with a rookie replacing a rookie in the middle of the season? Probably.

#f1 #formula 1 #daniel ricciardo #nyck de vries #yuki tsunoda #i didn't say a lot of things you're accusing me of saying tho so let's not do that

[crystalracing]

Kimi Raikkonen 2008: Connecting the "dots"

September 10, 2013 UPDATE:  Today, Ferrari announced Kimi's re-signing for 2014 F1 season as a SF driver.   In many ways this is a confirmation of what we have been saying all along that Kimi's ousting at the end of his first stint took place under a totally unusual circumstances which had nothing to do with his racing and driving abilities.

I'll continue to update this documentary blog as new information becomes available but judging from the visitor traffic to this blog a lot of people are now even more curious as to why would Ferrari re-employ Kimi if in fact all those reasons and justifications to fire him were true... So, my guess is that we'll continue to learn a lot more about the details of 2008 events as the insiders continue to talk (they always do...).   We'll keep this documentary blog as an example of a Hall of Shame Piece for Formula One Journalists who have been either sleeping on the job or too scared to expose/talk about what goes on behind close doors...  

This is the working version of the article "

Why Kimi was not on top of his game in 2008"

-- the original was published in AS forum and F1Bias.com (Soren is a good friend).

Dates of events in the following timeline are important, because according to official Ferrari, or Santander accounts, and timelines most of the following did NOT take place in 2008, but in 2009.

You may read all original articles in this blog in their timeline order (starting from the bottom on the main page, all articles are posted under their original 2008 dates).

Why Kimi was not on top of his game in 2008

by wrcva

The period between April-July 2008 is probably one of the worst periods not only for Kimi’s F1 career but probably in his life.  All his life he and his family believed in hard work and doing their best to achieve good things on merit. In Kimi’s case this means putting his natural talents to best use in performing, and winning races.

2007 season was a dream come true year for Kimi.   He won the closely fought Formula One (F1) World Drivers Championship (WDC) and was ready for defending his title in 2008.   From all indications outlook for the 2008 season was pretty good, arguably conditions were even better than the 2007 season for Kimi to defend his title.

Backdrop for 2008:

 As of April, Kimi Raikkonen is already leading in WDC points 4 races into the 2008 season. Generally, life is good other than the management changes that took place at Ferrari as

Stefano Domenicali

replaced

Jean Todt

as the head of Scuderia Ferrari the 1st of January 2008. It's no secret that Todt and

Luca di Montezemolo

(LdM)

had a power struggle within Ferrari, something which lead to Todt'd eventual and swift exit. With Todt effectively out of the way from early 2008 and Domenicali, di Montezemolo's protege, in his place it was basically a different Scuderia overnight

(thanks to OSX).

"In 2007, [Todt] prepared the ground for Stefano Domenicali to succeed him as head of the Scuderia as from 1 January 2008. Then, on 18 March 2008, he resigned his position as Special Advisor to the Ferrari board, to be replaced by Amedeo Felisa. He nonetheless remained a member of the board of Ferrari for a further year before resigning all his functions within the Italian firm in March 2009."

April 27, 2008

-- FIA post-race press conf after winning Spain —

Kimi –

“It was a perfect weekend for us in Barcelona,” explained Raikkonen. “We were going really fast all the time and we didn’t have the slightest problem. Many times I have won and afterwards still had the feeling that it could have gone better. This time I did not have that feeling: this was probably the best weekend I’ve ever had in my career.”

Comment

: The guy won Spain just several days ago… then, all of a sudden Public Relations (PR) seed planting & “rumors” kick in.  It is not clear who started them but the mission was to melt the iceman because it would be terrible PR to get rid of a 2 times WDC, in the event that he managed to win the 2nd one in 2008.

In the following, partially narrated timeline, I tried to put the main news item with the earliest approx. date of first showing up (in google news based on article posting date) out of 100s or 1000s regurgitated ones for each article. They give a good glimpse into what was in Kimi’s mind as he was facing a psychological PR war, aside from racing issues during 2008.

May 1, 2008

–  

Luca di Montezemolo:

Massa’s future with the team is secure. It will be too damaging to partner Alonso with Kimi.  

Keke Rosberg:

Kimi has to make way for Alonso…

Stefano Domenicali:

Kimi is motivated from head to toe, and I know he is not thinking about retiring.“

here

.

Comment

: You can tell that they have been talking about Santander coming in as the new long term sponsor but the plan is to not to talk about it externally… This is the first time appearance of Kimi’s “motivation” by Domenicali. It is not yet used in a negative way but it is a crucial PR keyword because at this point they cannot start talking about Kimi’s performance as he is in the lead.  But, this is point the decision has been made that

Kimi has to go

. Also note the disconnect between LdM & Dom’s statements. Yes, the date is correct - May 1 2008, and Ferrari leaders are are forced to answer questions about the driver line-up, Kimi's motivation, and retirement rumors instead of talking about their win of Spanish GP several days ago.

May 8, 2008

– Niki Lauda scoffs at Alonso-to-Ferrari rumours —

"Raikkonen and Alonso together?"

former triple Formula One World Champion Lauda, 58, is quoted as saying by the German news agency DPA.

"Last year Raikkonen was champion and now he is number one. Why must we now discuss whether Alonso is going to go there?"

the great Austrian wondered.

"They already have the perfect team with Massa, so why should they bang their heads together?"

Lauda, who won two (1975, 1977) of his drivers' world titles with the Maranello based team, added.

Comment

: Hearing all kinds of rumors, Lauda is wondering WTF is going on at Ferrari as they seem to have one of the best line-ups for defending the championships they won with Kimi just six months ago... He is a racer and he simply is thinking about these rumors from the racing perspective as to why the team would change their existing WDC/WCC wining line-up... but what he does not know is that the seed is already planted about a month ago when

Emilio Botin, Fernando Alonso and Flavio Briatore

(Renault boss and Alonso's manager)

, and

Luca di Montezemolo

got together to discuss

Santander/Alonso Ferrari move

(April, 21 2008).   Interestingly, the next day

Montezemolo (April, 22 2008)

,  and subsequently

Briatore (April, 24 2008)

both denied the rumor

,

Briatore agreeing with Montezemolo that.

"When a team has two drivers equally good, the teammates become their biggest enemies. Pilots as Raikkonen and Alonso are complicated and put them in one team does not produce the best result for a team. During the last year, see the McLaren. Hamilton and Alonso lost the championship and the reason was simply because of their rivalry." -- link

So, by the first week of May 2008 Santander-Alonso-Ferrari plans were already in motion.   From this point on Ferrari's challenge is to manage the situation with the media and fans to make sure Kimi is phased out of Ferrari with minimal negative publicity for Ferrari for getting rid of their World Champion.  

May 24, 2008

– Alonso signs for Ferrari —

The word in the F1 paddock in Monte Carlo is that Fernando Alonso has just inked a deal to drive for Ferrari in 2010. No confirmation is expected for a year, and there may be denials of any arrangement, as there would obviously be some serious knock-on effects for other parties in the F1 paddock.

here

Comment

: Spanish press is going nuts over this as well at this time.. You can use google news with date filters if you want to see for yourself.   Emphasis:

do not confirm and deny until next year

— which they did…

June 6, 2008

– FIA interview —

Kimi: “

I still have a contract until the end of next year,” Raikkonen said during the press conference ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Thursday. “I haven’t made any decision as to whether I will keep going or not. That’s the last contract I have and we will wait and see during this year and next year what happens.” “I haven’t made my mind up and we will see.”

"I like the racing and the other stuff is not always the best thing... When there's too many things that you don't enjoy, or you think that the whole thing is not what you want any more, then it's time to go away.  

Comment

: (this is the GP Hamilton rear ended Kimi) — why would this contract issue come up in the FIA press conference?   You can tell internal discussions about his departure is well underway.  Yet, we are only 7 races into the season…

July 10, 2008

–  German magazine Sport Bild

According to popular German magazine Sport Bild, it would seem that Spanish bank Santander would be moving from sponsoring McLaren to become one of Ferrari’s top sponsors from 2009 onwards. The big bank would have their adverts on the front and rear wings, alongside lettering on the drivers overalls. Ferrari have been touting for a new top sponsor since cigarette advertisers were not allowed in many countries, Marlboro being the major backer for many years. With a contract with Marlboro still in place, hash markings would still be on the cars. For the Scuderia though, Santander have said the major condition of their deal is that former World Champion Fernando Alonso would drive for the team. He won’t confirm his future, and will not comment until September.

here

Comment

:

Santander-Ferrari-Alonso deal is done at this time but negotiations with Kimi are in full force. Look at the desired date for the sponsorship… Now, how did Alonso come up with that

September

date, unless he red Kimi’s contract, and is familiar with the performance / and renewal options Kimi could exercise?   I think that is an accidental slip up by the Spaniard because the September date was significant only to Kimi’s contract.   He cannot comment on what will happen because they do not know what Kimi will do yet – as Ferrari is still negotiating! (see Sep 12 news, in the following).

July 11-19, 2008

--  Kimi's front suspension is updated sometime between these dates..

According to Interview with Ferrari team principle Domenicali on December 16 2008, this is the point Kimi lost his front suspension.   From all indications this was a surprise to Kimi, given how sensitive he is to changes made on the car.  

Question to Domenicali by Autosprint:

Did Kimi share his problems with you? - We always talk with each other and argue about general technical issues. From the technical point of view he was dissatisfied with front suspension, and it didn't work the way he wanted. The front suspension to suit him was a recurrent topic of our discussions. How fast did you discover that? - In midseason. We changed the suspension in Germany and returned it for Kimi in Monza.

In this interview Domenicali misspoke.  Kimi got his old suspension back in Singapore, not Monza. This issue is also alluded to by Michael Scumacher who is in charge of car development and updates:

“In a way it is his (Kimi's) strength that he has a very focused vision, and maybe sometimes it doesn't always help him. We could maybe help him more if he would ask for it,”

said Schumacher in an interview for BBC earlier yesterday. The German insisted that part of Kimi's loss in form in the second part of the season was because the Fin failed to adapt to the new developments introduced by Ferrari in the mid-season. “I think I have to protect him in many ways, because in the middle of the season we made some developments to the car but Kimi simply didn't get on with these ones. The moment we went back to those changes, we got him back to competitive lap times," link

Here, if we look at the WDC points table, from mid-July to the end of September Kimi was able to score only 9 points in 6 GPs. Surely, there was some bad luck involved as well...

July 20 2008

-- FIA -

German Grand Prix

Post Race driver quotes:

Look at Kimi's reaction in the interview in his own words:

"This was definitely not the kind of race we had been hoping for. We have struggled all weekend and we have to try and understand why. Usually, our race pace is always good, but today that was not the case, because I almost always suffered with a lack of grip: only in the final stages did the situation improve a little bit, but it was never enough to be competitive. We have a test in Jerez, where we will try and improve the car so as to arrive in Budapest in better shape. This is definitely not a crisis, but we have to study carefully the handling of the car to understand if we have taken the right road in terms of development." Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/7/8126.html

Comment

:  Mr. Schumacher definitely knew what was the deal but maybe he did not have a chance to inform Kimi that his front suspension was totally different for the German GP...  This also amplifies the communication and turf problems between Domenicali and Schumacher.

Now, imagine or try to visualize what would Schumacher himself (as a driver) or Alonso would have done after learning the fact that their front suspension was replaced without their knowledge or they were not invited to driver debriefs... not a pretty picture huh.

Interestingly, Schumacher made another comment back in early April about Massa with a prediction.  At the time, it was not a big deal but hindsight his support for Massa, and willingness to predict his WDC chances, given his 3rd and development driver role for Ferrari, further supports the timeline that he knew a bit more...

"He (Massa) has zero points for the season, so it is not the best of starts ... he has played his jokers so far, and doesn't really have any more jokers to play,"

"But things will turn around very quickly I think in his favour. He is certainly still very capable of winning the championship this year.

"If Massa wins the championship at the end of the year, nobody will care or remember about the start of the season." (link)

July 31, 2008

– FIA Thursday press conference - Hungary

Question: People are talking about you retiring, not necessarily at the end of this year but at the end of next year. Are there any thoughts on that?

KR:

I never said anything like that. I only said that I have a contract until the end of next year and then somebody made up that I will stop at the end of this year or the end of next year, but I never said that.

here

Comment

: Guess who is propagating retirement rumors?   This is a pretty major PR war against Kimi… and they are wearing him out. You know, all by itself, it is pretty hard to fight for the WDC – even when you have full support from the team…

Aug 24, 2008

– FIA post-race press con –

Massa: “My win in Valencia moves me ahead of Kimi into second place in the championship. I’ve been asked if I feel Ferrari should favour me for the title since there are just six races remaining. All I can say is that I want to keep winning, to keep beating not just my teammate (Kimi Raikkonen) but others too,” Massa was quoted as saying on the Ferrari website. The Brazilian, who is on 64 points, six behind the leader Lewis Hamilton, further added that he has got nothing to do with such decisions. “I just do the best possible job for the team and leave the rest to the management,” he added.

Raikkonen is third on the table with 57 points. Meanwhile, Kimi has rubbished the claim that he lacks motivation.“Next week, we will go to Spa (venue of the next Grand Prix). I love this track. I will give it all to win again. If someone has doubt as far as my motivation is concerned: go ahead. I want to win. More than ever,” he said on the Ferrari website.

Comment

: Since April, Kimi’s lack of motivation stories have been propagating into millions of articles, blog and forum posts. (Google is your friend). Motivation is the keyword because they still cannot talk about performance…

Sep 12, 2008

– Ferrari confirm Raikkonen to end of 2010 —

Ferrari have announced an extension to Kimi Raikkonen’s contract for a further two seasons, keeping the world champion with the Italian team until the end of 2010. With Raikkonen’s teammate Felipe Massa also under contract for that period, it means Ferrari’s race line-up will remain unchanged until at least the start of their 2011 campaign. Raikkonen joined Ferrari from McLaren last season, while Massa has been with the team since 2006. The announcement should end media speculation suggesting that Raikkonen may retire at the end of this season.

here

Comment

: This is the automatic contract renewal option Kimi is exercising to increase the Santander/Ferrari payout based on exceeding his performance benchmarks on his contract.  He knows he is done with Ferrari… and if he could find a way, he could have left by the end of 2008.  He is loosing the PR war, but trying to secure finances in negotiations.  I also think this is the point that Kimi's generally cooperative relationship with LdM went south.  (read about

Kimi's contract

)

Sep 12, 2008

– Alonso "Kimi deal has no impact"

Fernando Alonso insists that Kimi Raikkonen's extended Ferrari deal has not put a dent in his plans for the future.  Ferrari announced on Friday that Raikkonen had extended his contract and would remain with the Scuderia until the end of 2010.

 This put an end to reports that Alonso could be heading to Ferrari at the end of 2009.

However, the Spaniard insists those were just rumours and that Raikkonen's deal has not upset his future plans.

"I knew already that they will extend the contract," he told Autosport. "Nothing has changed. "Talking about 2010 and 2011 is way too far for me. I want to win before that! "Always my plans were more focused on 2009 and in 2009 there was no possibility of Ferrari so it was never in my plans." It remains to be seen which team Alonso will race for next season as while Renault are keen to retain their double world champion, Honda are also reportedly on the look-out to sign him.

here

Comment

: Alonso knew Kimi had to exercise the automatic contract renewal option after negotiations with Santander failed... I guess he could not convince Botin to pay up Kimi to walk at the end of 2008, so he could move to Ferrari starting 2009.   It is interesting that Kimi's contract renewal announcement date is the same date as Alonso's statement: September 12 2008.

I also think between July and September 2008 Santander explored various possibilities to get McLaren let them off the hook from the exclusivity clause in the old Santander-McLaren sponsorship agreement but their attempts were unsuccessful (probably Ron asked for a lot of money).   If that took place Santander could have started their Ferrari sponsorship a year earlier.   So, during this period (until September) Kimi was waiting to see if he would be able to end his relationship with Ferrari at the end of 2008.

Sep 14, 2008

– FIA post race int. Monza —

Raikkonen. “

You don’t have to be Einstein to understand that this is not the right way to fight for the title. It’s not over yet, but now it will take a miracle, like one that makes lightning strike twice

.”

Comment

: He is not just talking about racing here. Even though he is still within the mathematical possibility with 4 races left in the calendar (he is 20 pts behind Massa, and yet that still is better odds than 2007); he is up to his neck in the swamp trying to fight/fend off elegators on multiple fronts:

Santander/Ferrari lawyers…

His relationship with Schumacher.  It was never emphasized in 2008 but I think it was a very significant issue.  For 2008, Michael’s role was, per LdM: “official 3rd driver, in charge of car development.”   See footnote 1 (and check out Michael’s Ferrari and wiki profile for his role in 2008).   Kimi did not like this at all because Michael was in charge of something (the car itself) that he had been used to controlling/influencing all his career. Link

Pressure from LdM and Dom to help out Massa because if Massa wins the 2008 WDC, Santander will be thrilled given their upcoming 2009 IPO in Brazil. In my opinion, Dom or LdM never mandated this, but they highly encouraged Kimi to fall back because financial implications for Santander, the future sponsor, was in Billions of $. (not Millions, it is Billions) And because Massa is a native son of Brazil who can mobilize local investors even better than Alonso. here.   In the end, Santander’s IPO gains were about $9 Billion. See footnote 2.   Note: IPO means Initial Public Offering. Or the stock market launch for that company. In this case, in Brazil. Click on this link to read about the inportance of Brazil to Santander.

Sep 24, 2008 - Pitpass –

Spanish media is claiming that Ferrari’s recent decision to re-sign Kimi Raikkonen until the end of 2010, is a smokescreen, aimed at putting everyone off the real story, which sees Fernando Alonso heading to Maranello as early as next year. Spanish newspaper Marca claims that Santander, which headed to McLaren with Fernando Alonso in 2007, is behind a move which will see the two-time champion join Felipe Massa. The Spanish banking giant is due to take its account to Ferrari next year, and, having lost out when Alonso quit McLaren after just one season, wants its national hero back on board and in a winning (red) car. It’s claimed that the bank will not only meet Alonso’s financial requirements but will also meet any compensation demanded by Raikkonen.

It is fair to say that the announcement that Raikkonen is to stay with Ferrari for two more years caught many by surprise, especially since the Finn appears to have lost his sparkle in recent months, a situation not helped by the fact that he is now almost certain – barring a miracle recovery – of having to play second fiddle to his Brazilian teammate. While several teams, most notably Honda, have been wooing Alonso, the Spaniard needs to be back in a winning car, and other than BMW – which is backed by Santander’s rival Credit Suisse – Ferrari appears to be the only option.

Comment

: Looks like negotiations for buying out 2009 failed, probably to Kimi’s dismay — from here on it is a Cold War within the team and

Kimi is the unofficial #2

by corporate decision because they still need to ramp up Massa’s standing in Brasil for the upcoming IPO.

The only thing they could not foresee was Massa’s accident in 2009. Kimi’s departure was a done deal as early as May, 25 2008, latest Sep 14 2008. They just had to make sure he did not accidently win 2008 WDC as Ferrari would have looked really stupid… Very curious about that pit screw up in Monaco, if it was real or orchestrated because this is where it all started, it is a milestone event for things starting to go wrong for Kimi for the rest of the year, along with some unlucky situations.

May 25, 2008 FIA post race Monaco — Kimi “A very poor race for me, right from the off. There was a problem with a wheel before the start and we broke the rules, which meant I was given a drive-through penalty. During the race, my main problem was trying to get the tyres to work as well as possible. Then we decided to change the strategy as we expected it to rain again, but it didn’t happen. Twice I had to change the nose after breaking the front wing. So, as you can see, a long run of things going wrong which explains the 0 points. I am sorry for Sutil, who I hit with just a few laps to go. I lost control of the car under braking coming out of the tunnel and I could do nothing to avoid him. It’s a shame how things went today, as we had the potential to do well. It’s true that I’ve lost the championship lead, but I always said the championship would be a very long one. Now we must prepare as well as possible for Canada where we will try to make up for this disappointment.”

That is why, Kimi always said;

“There are many reasons. In F1 there is always a lot of money and there can always be different options. That’s what happened in the end. It’s nothing to do with racing or what I do in the team.”

In short, Kimi was in the wrong team, at the wrong time stuck between Ferrari and future sponsor Santander, because he had the wrong nationality (the Latin lineup), relative to Santander’s business plans, and Ferrari’s role within.

January, 13 2009

-- Ferrari approves of Kimi's rally outing --

  Ferrari has no problem with Kimi Räikkönen contesting Finland's famous Arctic Lapland Rally later this month, team boss Stefano Domenicali has insisted.

Formula one teams often baulk at drivers' requests to engage in dangerous off-season activities, but it emerged last week that Räikkönen, the team's title winner of 2007, has entered himself as the driver of a Fiat Abarth S2000 in the event later this month.

"This is the traditional attitude we take to our drivers," Domenicali said at the launch of the team's new 'F60' single seater for 2009.

"We always try to have a very open attitude to what they do. I see this as an extra two days of testing for Kimi."

 -

here

Comment

: Why change of heart by Ferrari after two years with Kimi, all of a sudden approving a "dangerous sporting activity" for Kimi?   Because that was a part of

Kimi's separation negotiations

back in September that he will be allowed to participate in whatever sports activity he desired, including rallying.   Domenicali is referring to Michael's soccer activities in  "We always try to have a very open attitude to what they do."  

Possible reality is they are no longer concerned about Kimi or whatever happens to him as he is on his way out.  Again, note the dates...  

Now, let's fast forward to September 2009...

September 14 2009

-- Formula1.com - Q&A with Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali--

  Formula1.com Q&A with Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali

Q: After all the rumours it would be helpful to hear one word from you regarding Kimi’s future. Is Kimi driving a Ferrari in 2010?

SD:

I am definitely not going to discuss that now. As everybody is aware, Kimi has a contract with us next year and I am very happy with his performance because he is driving very, very well, especially in the second part of the season. The last five races he has always been on the podium and I think after Barrichello he has scored the most points, so he has shown true qualities of fighting for the championship. That is our position

.

Comment:  

So, Kimi's ousting is not officially announced yet...but the new contract was already signed and sealed about a year ago, back in Sep 2008 that;

Option 1) 2 year full pay (2010+severance) provided he walked away from F1 for 1.5 years.

Option 2) 1 years pay (2010) + some severance + get the McLaren seat.  

As we know Kimi took option 2 - you can read more about this

here

.

December 11 2009

-- SportsPro discussion interview --

  The following snippets are one of the few direct mentions of Massa's role within the Santander world from Mr. Cendoya, who is the Senior Executive Vice President in charge of Communications, Corporate Marketing and Research for Santander Bank (Mr. Botin's number 2 guy for sponsorship affairs)

.

... Cendoya is understandably reluctant to place the bank in the pecking order of Ferrari sponsors and says simply: In Ferrari, we are on the podium and the podium is a very good place to be. Ferrari has a process and they are going to announce the car and image later on. We are a main sponsor; we are not a title sponsor. I cannot say more... ... Cendoya rightly points out that Santander is not in charge of driver selection and intriguingly suggests that, for example, the commercial appeal of current Ferrari driver Felipe Massa might be an effective way of growing the brand worldwide the implication being that, even with Alonso on board, the bank's popularity might only increase in Spain by one or two percentage points, whereas the potential gains in other markets are significantly greater. Cendoya says it is all about creating an emotional link between potential new customers and the bank. How many Spanish people, for example, are today very happy because we are with Ferrari? I don't know, but in my opinion a lot because I received more than 700 emails giving felicitations for this agreement. Every employee in our bank can guess a figure but it could be 10 million. In Brazil there are 50 million fans of Formula One, 80 per cent of them are Ferrari fans and they now feel happy and proud of being part of the Santander group (source article::  Sport is playing its part in the Santander story).

This SprortsPro article is very telling about why Kimi had to go without mentioning his name even once.  Mr. Cendoya further states;

Cendoya makes clear, a cold, rational business decision, just as was the decision to sponsor McLaren three years ago. We started at the McLaren team, with an English pilot and a Spanish pilot at the beginning. We had a low presence in the team but we paid a lot of attention to every penny, peseta, euro that we were spending. We don't give money away. We have given a lot of attention over the last 100 years to caring for the money of our shareholders.

Comment

: This article also sheds light into Massa's continued presence at Ferrari without results (read update on this here).  His presence alone is enough to produce the expected

Return On Investment

(ROI) at the levels that are even better than what Alonso is able to generate as a Spaniard.   Santader's ROI does not even depend on Alonso or Massa winning races. Given their demographics they have enough appeal in the Latino world to satisfy Santander's financial expectations by just driving the red cars around to boost credit card, insurance, other financial instrument sales as well as merchandising.

What is a bit hard to understand is how the journos/media could not connect these dots to show what really went on in 2008.   You do not have to do any major investigation because pretty much everything is in the public domain.   While we understand commercial pressures on the racing business, 2008-9 was anything but sporting for Ferrari.   They should have just let him go after 2007 instead of playing all kinds of games, and engaging in a PR war to give it an appearance of performance problems.

I suspect, even Massa will not bet against Kimi’s performance this year, or when he appeared to beat him back in 2008-9 as he knows what the deal was relative to his role within the Santander world. I think Kimi understood the business aspect of the issues, and in line with his character never washed any dirty Ferrari laundry in public. Yes, he did have several unlucky situations but his fate was already signed and sealed mid season 2008 purely for business reasons. 2009 was essentially continuation of the 2008 theatrics until Massa’s accident. On another front, almost identical scenario (to Santander-Massa-Brasil situation) is in play for Perez in a Santander sponsored car (Ferrari or McLaren)   — Perez-Santander-Mexico, from the same playbook.

November 8 2012

-- Spanish sports newspaper Marca --

  Asked by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca to recall his memories of racing for F1′s most famous team Ferrari, Raikkonen answered: “Neither good nor bad.“

I won a title with them and had some good times. I am satisfied with the three years I spent there.

“I don’t miss anyone,” he admitted. “To me, leaving there (Ferrari) was a relief.“

The situation could have been better, but it’s the past and what is done cannot be reversed,” said Raikkonen.

“Things don’t last long if you’re working somewhere and the relations are not good.”

He explained that, in contrast, he enjoys working with Lotus.

“I felt good from the start,”said Raikkonen. “

People work hard and calmly, but they want to win and the sport and the technical sides come before the politics.” --

Source

.

December, 4 2012

--

Mercopress.com

--

  For Spain’s Santander bank Brazil is number one and ‘absolute preference’

Emilio Botin chairman of Santander Bank, the leading financial institution in Spain and among the top largest in the European Union said in Sao Paulo that Brazil is the “number one country in Latin America” and the absolute preference of his institution...

read full article

Footnotes:

1) As to how things evolved with the car I am not totally sure, but the person who had a front seat was Chris Dyer.  In the following quote, he is reflecting on 2008 season.

“We had a tough and hard season but Kimi did exactly the right thing within the team and everyone respected what he did and how he reacted to this situation. We had a fantastic car but unfortunately we made mistakes when thinking about what’s best for our driver (Raikkonen).”

I believe the "situation" he is talking about is the Ferrari corporate decision to support Massa – not exactly sure when, but possibly Sep 24. (Kimi was told that they have to let Massa contest the 2008 championship because they are stuck with this request from Santander).

I think

“we made mistakes when thinking about what’s best for our driver”

bit is referring to Michael Schumacher, because Michael wanted Massa to be the official feedback/debrief driver sometime around Monaco. I think all of Michael’s initiatives were well intentioned organizational efficiency related enhancements trying to help Ferrari without favoring any driver but because he was closer to Massa probably Massa benefited more from them.

The other issue was the infamous suspension change that was introduced mid-season, again by Michael's planning and directives.   It was a unilateral action by him as he was trying to improve the car.  

link

If you recall, recently Kimi said there was only one person at Ferrari he did not like… he did not name that person but I believe it is Michael, because Michael was officially in charge of the car. I think he was/is on good terms with Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo (LdM) because he understood the Ferrari business situation that he could not control but Michael was in charge of something (the car itself) he has been used to controlling all his career. In any event, this area – Michael’s role — needs more research because it is mostly opinions. I suspect Dyer will talk or imply after his departure mid year.

2) Massa was at the right place, at the right time and with the right Sponsor, given his nationality.  In fact Botin personally made sure

Massa was taken care of

even before the 2010 Ferrari sponsorship started:

Massa-“I’m glad to get this support from Santander. Lately I met President Emilio Botin twice and he is absolutely excited about the potential of the Brazilian market…

Being Brazilian, going into the IPO Massa became the

brand ambassador for the bank

(read the last paragraph in the link relative to the date of the article. Alonso was supposed to be in the list but not Massa, on that date) sometime during the summer of 2009, well before Santander-Ferrari relationship kicked in on Jan 1, 2010 (Alonso had been the brand ambassador for Spain for a while). This was a direct Massa-Santander payroll relationship ~$5-7M per year.

Fast forward to Nov 2011,

Botin decided to personally fire him

because he was upset with Massa for the results of 2010/2011 seasons. To understand the importance of Latin America to Santander, just look at their annual reports. So, to those who have been wondering why Massa has been with Ferrari despite underperforming? Because his nationality has been more important than his performance. And remember this stuff was not supposed to take place prior to Jan 1, 2010.

Global recession further increased the importance of Brazil

for Santander as they are desparately looking for new markets to offset losses in Spain. Therefore, they couldn't afford to drop Massa despite his not so stellar performance between 2010-2012, so they had to renew his contract.

This area could use some more research – journos: talk to some ex employee perhaps…

Posted 10th September 2013 by wrcva canvass

#Kimi Raikkonen #ferrari #raikkonen #Scuderia Ferrari #F1 #fernando alonso #Felipe Massa #Massa

[f1]

F1's Pierre Gasly goes behind the scenes with the Miami Dolphins

F1's Pierre Gasly gets a signed Miami Dolphins jersey from Tyreek Hill with wide receiver joking 'my feet faster than your car' as driver goes behind the scenes at team's facility with Miami Grand Prix 100 days away By Kate Mcgreavy For Dailymail.Com Published: 23:09 EST, 26 January 2023 | Updated: 23:09 EST, 26 January 2023 Formula One driver Pierre Gasly was given a warm welcome by Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill at the team's training complex Thursday. The Frenchman, who represents Alpine, went behind the scenes of the facility during F1's offseason. Hill took time out of his day to accommodate the 26-year-old and gifted him a signed jersey with his name and No. 10 on.  F1 driver Pierre Gasly (R) was given a warm welcome by Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill (L) Hill took time out of his day to accommodate the 26-year-old and gifted him a signed jersey The wide receiver added a personal touch to the signature, writing: 'My feet faster than your car!!! Beat you in a race!!!' The pair were pictured sprinting down a football field in a race at the Baptist Health training complex in Florida. The Dolphins teased out future content involving the duo, posting: 'Dropping something fun soon with @f1miami' via its official Twitter account. Pair were seen sprinting down a football field at the Baptist Health training complex in Florida The Dolphins teased out future content involving the duo with the Miami Grand Prix in May Gasly will return to Miami later this year when the F1 circuit heads to the area for the second time. Miami Grand Prix organizers revealed plans for a brand new three-tier Paddock Club that overlooks the start-finish line for 2023 race just last week. The 2022 race did not stand out for its performance and organizers have repaved the entire 3.36-mile race track in the hope of more overtaking this year.  The 2023 race will be held across the weekend of May 5 to May 7.  Advertisement Share or comment on this article: F1's Pierre Gasly goes behind the scenes with the Miami Dolphins via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

#F1 #F1's Pierre Gasly goes behind the scenes with the Miami Dolphins #Formula 1