I Think Every Time Someone Says "sebastian And Lewis Are/were The Nicest Guys On The Grid" Mark Webber

NICO HULKENBURG????????

>wakes up

>checks phone

>sees oscars three place grid penalty

>goes back to sleep

everybody read @topnotchquark's addition to my post because it's literally perfect.

f1 is a sport where the drivers so rarely have any agency in their exits. they chase the dream so hard for so long, even after they've been successful that almost none of them get to leave because they genuinely want to. for so many of them, chasing the dream of f1 glory ends up being a slow, brutal, painful, often humiliating slog in midfield or backmarker teams until they finally cannot take the losses anymore.

michael schumacher was the greatest of all time by a literally ridiculous margin when he first left f1, and he left it as a genuine competitor who fought to the end. when he came back for his second try, he got beaten by a teammate for the first time ever, and achieved a single podium in three years. he was eventually manoeuvred out by mercedes management who left him no way or time to get another seat if he wanted one, and discarded him for the next great talent, lewis hamilton.

sebastian vettel left a team that adored him and prioritised him to fulfil a childhood dream, and when ferrari decided that he wasn't worth it anymore, they prioritised his teammate and then fired him for a driver who had never even won a race. the highlight of his final years in f1 was a single podium, and winning grill the grid. i'm not sure that that particular trophy will be of great comfort to him.

fernando alonso left formula 1 after trying and failing to recapture the glory of victory so many times. even now, he is racing in a sport where he hasn't won a single race for more than a decade. now, as he faces retirement for a second time, he has to consider making it to the podium a great achievement, where once it would have been a sub-par weekend.

daniel ricciardo was once considered a genuine contender for a world championship, but he got beaten by a younger, stronger talent, made a series of career mistakes that ultimately resulted in him being fired, and has come limping back to the junior team, knowing that he will never be considered a championship contender again, and at best he can hope to be max verstappen's second driver.

even lewis hamilton is not immune to this. he is statistically the most successful driver of all time, and yet the team with which he won six titles did not want to give an indefinite extension to his contract because they lacked faith in him and the car and would rather set themselves up for the next generation of talent than spend money on an aging driver potentially past his prime.

no driver, no matter how great, is exempt from this. and nico, who grew up in this world more than almost anyone else, knew exactly what could happen, and decided that he didn't want that life. he married vivian because he loved her, and had a child with her because he wanted a family with her. and once he had his championship, he decided that what he wanted was away from the track, and to this day i don't believe he has a single regret over it. i don't know that you can say that about everyone else

max saying in the post qualifying press conference that he gave a middle finger to a (not nice) ferrari fan

+ the moment 🖕

glad to see the rest of f1 tumblr also having heart attacks over lando in the elimination zone

hulk p1 stop the time

the accuracy..

OMGJSKFNAKFNS THAT WAS SO SCARY WHY DID THEY LEAVE LANDO SO LATE MY GOD