f1-primers

Looking back, I should have realised we were in for madness when George started the year by commenting on Alex’s winter training camp photos “Is this Baywatch,” calling Alex his best friend in Formula One (after pretending to hem and haw), and telling the world that Alex can’t dance, and Alex started the year by backing George to win the championship, picking George as his heavy hitter in his F1 team (after spending the rest of the video trying to pick cheap drivers), and saying George would be both his best man at his wedding AND his emergency contact. They both then did their best to alienate the rest of the grid by answering only each other for the drivers they’re close to (even though lots of other people said Alex). If there was any doubt, they really cemented their intentions by arriving at testing together, and then. Well then Alex decided to talk about George’s dick on commentary, of course.

arriving at testing together, stating their intentions for the year I need to linger here for a second because it truly makes me crazy. LIKE Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer are having your standard testing filler chat, reminiscing about the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix (and George’s feet being too big for the car), and you can just hear Alex giggling in the background, ready to make his bad joke about big shoes meaning a big dick. A lot of times, one gets the feeling that Alex speaks without thinking, but this was soooo premeditated it’s crazy. In the opinion of this humble scholar, Alex was absolutely laughing because he was trying to imply George has a small dick, and that’s why he was hyena laughing when George came to see him at Williams hospitality later. That’s my truth. 

Testing was the first time we got a hint that it could be a good season for Williams, and if that wasn’t enough to drive a person crazy in the run up to the first race, Drive to Survive blessed Galex Nation with THEEE Singapore episode, which opens with Alex and George flying out together, and Alex filming George for his private collection and calling him tight. Sure! 

thank you for everything netflix

When the first races of the year finally came, we got the return of driver’s parade chats and media pen debriefs, and in Japan, the Williams admin blessed us with footage of George begging for Alex’s old backpack at the hotel. Several things about this drive me crazy. First of all, the way Patrick says off camera that he had already said that George was going to want his old bag, like it’s that much of a recurring theme in their lives. And second of all, the way George’s hand kind of reaches out for Alex’s arm before he seems to realise he’s being Too Much, and he pulls back to put his fingers in his mouth instead. Incredible stuff, that would only get better at the end of the season when it turned out George bought a matching backpack himself after all. Never give up on your dreams, kids. 

one of my favourite photos of the year, hashtag yearning

In Bahrain, we got perhaps the most egregious media pen flirting to date when after free practice (when Alex nearly crashed into Luke Browning who was driving Carlos’s car for a young driver’s test), George swanned up next to him and started to give him shit. The two of them were laughing at each other and talking about who was the alpha like there was no one else in the room, all notion of giving interviews completely forgotten, and looking back at this footage now, I think it’s clear why the FIA decided to give us precisely zero Galex press conferences this year: they simply can’t be trusted. 

two men who like each other too much to be normal

Off track, they remained glued at the hip, surprising no one. After a padel match with Carlos and Lando, George showed off his swish new car to Alex, and every time I look at this video I want to cry laughing. My personal favourite part is when Alex bends down to look at the license plate at the back (which says 63OG), and then turns to George with glee on his face, clearly already thinking of a million ways to make fun of him. Around this time, we also got Alex picking George as an answer on Grill the Grid when George was Not an option, and Alex confirming on his lie detector test that he thinks George has nice abs. Thank you, Alex. 

This brings us to Miami, and I hardly know where to start. While Alex had already had a very strong start to the season, Miami was markedly good for him. In the sprint, Alex crossed the line 4th with George behind him in 5th, and when they got out of their cars in parc ferme, George waited for Alex so that they could yap and so that Alex could touch his back while they walked away. For the sake of the historical record, I must now document that post-race, Alex was given a 5-second time penalty that left him out of the points for driving too slowly under the safety car (which he found out about in the media pen). In a way, this too is Galex because his defence was that George was so close on his tail and it had been raining heavily, that he was just trying to be more cautious.

photo of galex yapping in miami to clense the post of alex's penalty We pick ourselves up and we go again, because the weekend was NOT over. Not only did we have the actual race left to come, where Alex finished 5th (which no one took it away this time) and Alex and George gave each other a thumbs up in the car, but more importantly, we had the LEGO RACE. I honestly still believe that the lego race is one of the most important things to have happened in the history of Formula One, and I’d be saying that even if it didn’t involve George crashing the Williams car into the wall. George was being a true on-track terror the whole time, so he deserved it entirely when his phone fell into the car and smashed, and he was honestly lucky that Alex is a big enough simp that he was willing to help him look for it. People will try to tell you that other things happened in the lego race and that George crashed into other drivers too, but even when George crashed into Lando and made Lando shout his name, to George it was still about Alex, as he made clear to anyone viewing his instagram stories. The two of them were really just joined at the hip the whole weekend, which makes sense because it was also the weekend that George announced his pregnancy. 

two of the greatest images i've ever seen

Now I’m down on record as thinking Imola should be cancelled every year, but in 2025 I had to kind of eat my words because in the run-up, we got a media event so spectacular that Galex nation might never see the like again: the George & Alex-centric episode of The Fast and the Curious Podcast. While sadly we didn’t get them winding each other up jointly, they appeared back to back, and wasted no opportunity to rib the other as much as they could. We received crucial lore, such as Alex saying George ditched him to hang out on a yacht, and George hitting back by saying that Alex doesn’t respond to him when Lily’s around. I don’t exaggerate in the slightest when I say that George’s tone of voice when he said “Oh now you want me” has haunted me since May, and I know that Galex Nation has collectively not moved on from Alex goading the hosts into calling George “Princess George,” or George calling Alex an alpha male in return (Alpha count for the season: 2).

George may have felt he had something to apologise for – after even Alex’s cats were winding him up about spending too much time on yachts – because he was soon after spotted in the Williams garage. For those keeping track at home, this was the first time he was seen in the Williams garage in the year – it wouldn’t be the last. In the race itself, Alex finished 5th again (!), and on the back of Kimi inviting his school class to the paddock, we got Alex telling the world that George isn’t school-smart, and in revenge for George roasting his dancing at the start of the year, Alex slandered George’s dancing skills right back. 

It’s slightly daunting to realise that I’ve written so much and we haven’t even reached Monaco yet because Monaco was almost certainly THE Galex event of the calendar year. The weekend started off well with our boys joined at the hip at the F1 movie premiere and George confirming that he doesn’t wear underwear when he races, but no one could’ve predicted where the on-track action would take us. After George’s engine blew up in Q2 (and ruined his end-of-year stats), in the race George ended up stuck behind Alex, who was driving intentionally slowly to help Carlos.

f1 movie premire aka sanctioned flirting time Already frustrated by his car failing him, he had a full crash-out on the radio about Alex’s grandma driving, and eventually resorted to cutting the Nouvelle Chicane to get past him. Alex snitched on him for intentionally going off track, but George wasn’t about to let a five-second time penalty stop him – not even when the five-second penalty turned into a drive-through penalty for knowingly breaking the rules. Bloggers up and down the internet were posting about the Galex divorce, but not two minutes after the race, they had already made up, with George insisting that Alex buy him dinner (despite the fact that it was George who had intentionally cheated). Alex’s suggestion that they go for a drive-through was sadly thwarted by the fact that there aren’t any in Monaco. 

alex_albon: you’re welcome @.georgerussell63

Because god loves rpf, we then got a full debrief of the date, where George made it clear that the debt was not settled, and Alex spilled that it cost him 500 euros. Even weeks later, George still wasn’t done talking about it. Lobster pasta, you will always be famous to me.

As if to prove to the world that their marriage was strong as ever post-Monaco, in Spain, we got more media pen flirting where George told the press that Alex smelled, and Alex retaliated in social media videos by randomly bringing up how much George sweats for no reason at all, and stating unequivocally that he and George have the biggest bromance on the grid and that George is a whore for attention. 

Austria blessed us with an umbrella incident that was beautifully photographed by Lewis, and at Silverstone, Alex gave us the spiritual follow-up to the time George went to the mat defending him in 2020, and told the world that George was underrated and Mercedes should give him everything he was asking for in his contract negotiations. Never one to let a moment go unacknowledged, George thanked Alex by thwacking him on the arm in the media pen, and (in my reading of events) Alex responded by panicking before the driver’s parade that he had given too much of his feelings away. Best to cover it up by roasting his guy.

few things hit like an umbrella moment In Spa, yet another Galex Media event hit the towers when George crashed Alex’s post-quali Sky Pad interview for absolutely no reason at all, and spent the whole time he was on camera looking at Alex adoringly. Alex qualified P5 ahead of George’s P6, and George was clearly in such a good mood about it that he decided Alex still owed him for George helping him get his Williams seat, which Alex was absolutely not having, considering that George used to go to his family’s house for dinner when Alex wasn’t even there (sidenote: I would like to award this interviewer a medal on behalf of Galex nation for his good work in always asking the right questions). They were both then obviously joined at the hip giggling (and jumping) up a storm before the race itself, and the parc ferme shots gave us photos destined to be fic headers.

F1 Contract Negotiations: The Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Williams Contract Negotiations Saga (EDITED)

If you've ever asked yourself "what really happened during Carlos' contract negotiations?" and "how much do we really know about it?" - this is for you!

I compiled all the relevant quotes and bites from the assorted podcasts, interviews and press conferences, made a handy timeline, and presented it oh-so nicely. Now, all the information about the "secret meetings" in "various hotel locations" can be found in one place! Enjoy💙

Chosen sources: Full list in the last slide!

How Sainz Will Turbocharge Williams - with James Vowles | F1 Nation Podcast (5 August 2024), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zodLL9POfeE.

EXCLUSIVE: Late nights, secret meetings and colossal contracts – James Vowles on how he signed Sainz (29 July 2024),  https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/exclusive-late-nights-secret-meetings-and-colossal-contracts-james-vowles-on.2KTdZFiYOsMCIRT6GdRlLA.

‘He's an incredible driver’ – Vowles says Sainz is top of Williams shortlist for 2025 (7 June 2024), https://www.formula1.com/en/video/hes-an-incredible-driver-vowles-says-sainz-is-top-of-williams-shortlist-for-2025.1801235335357520279.

Sainz poised to announce F1 deal with Williams in Barcelona (June 2024), https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/06/20/sainz-poised-to-announce-f1-deal-with-williams-in-barcelona/.

Vowles has his ‘heart set’ on signing Sainz as he says ‘odds are in my favour’ for Williams to secure him (29 July 2024),  https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/vowles-has-his-heart-set-on-signing-sainz-as-he-says-odds-are-in-my-favour.6tOC9hN3OfIO24JLvY8JMm.

Vowles describes 'emotional reaction' from Williams team to Sainz signing as 'largest I've ever seen' (8 August 2024),  https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/vowles-describes-emotional-reaction-from-williams-team-to-sainz-signing-as.3THrWsaiypWlASRFJhkztP.

Sainz believes Williams can make an F1 performance leap akin to McLaren with their “very strong project” (August 2024), https://www.pitdebrief.com/post/sainz-believes-williams-can-make-an-f1-performance-leap-akin-to-mclaren-with-their-very-strong-project/.

James Vowles: On The Right Track With Albon + Sainz | F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast (2 October 2024), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMyUNzNETuk.

Carlos Sainz: Pain, Pride + Potential | F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast (4 December 2024), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PsKeH_ytA.

Pit buildings: elevations

high res

I believe this is the front/back of the building. It's actually a pretty familiar visual from the TV broadcast: you can imagine the cars pulling into their garage bays, but the most important note is how at the end of the garages, we're attached to what I believe is "Pit Building 1" in the Australia site map. As we'll see in the floorplans below, this houses race control and other neat stuff.

Not including 22-44 because they're basically just more garages and I think a utility tower or somesuch.

Pit buildings: ground floor

1-22:

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On the right-hand side of our image we've got our row of garages, no surprise there

I'm gonna try and do a post on the layout of the individual garages btw since I was researching that too. But we do also tend to see into those a lot during race day.

What's really worthwhile here is the left-hand side of the image: the technical/administrative complex with utilities, race control, offices, and meeting rooms

Not embedding 22-24 because it's just garages, building services, a washroom, etc.

Pit buildings: first floor

1-22:

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This has the podium! So this is super helpful to me because it means I could now write that a podium-nabbing driver would climb the stairs from their garage to Pit Building 1

We've also got the driver's briefing & press conference area right behind the podium, and a cafeteria on the other side of it (unclear who uses the cafeteria - I'm assuming press/media)

Then on the other side of that HUGE press room we've got assorted offices and lounges. Also unclear to me if this is for team/driver use or admin, media, etc.

Then, to the right of the "photographer's seats" section, we've got lounges lounges lounges, storage and corridors - I THINK those uniform blocks (which we'll see continued in the 22-44 half of the diagrams) may be team-specific.

Note that Monaco has a special layout Charles actually refers to this area (above the garages) as "hospitality" and both the first and second floor are explicitly team offices and meeting rooms. So it seems like a safe assumption that everything to the right of photographer's seats may be team-specific?

This has the podium! So this is super helpful to me because it means I could now write that a podium-nabbing driver would climb the stairs from their garage to Pit Building 1

We've also got the driver's briefing & press conference area right behind the podium, and a cafeteria on the other side of it (unclear who uses the cafeteria - I'm assuming press/media)

Then on the other side of that HUGE press room we've got assorted offices and lounges. Also unclear to me if this is for team/driver use or admin, media, etc.

Then, to the right of the "photographer's seats" section, we've got lounges lounges lounges, storage and corridors - I THINK those uniform blocks (which we'll see continued in the 22-44 half of the diagrams) may be team-specific.

Note that Monaco has a special layout Charles actually refers to this area (above the garages) as "hospitality" and both the first and second floor are explicitly team offices and meeting rooms. So it seems like a safe assumption that everything to the right of photographer's seats may be team-specific?

22-24:

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Same pattern repeats of lounge + storage + corridor.

Pit buildings: second floor

1-22:

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Looks like mostly terraces & VIP lounges. If anyone notices anything interesting I missed about this floor call it out in the comments/tags!

22-44:

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Biiiig terrace.

Pit buildings: third floor (roof)

1-22:

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Roofs, another terrace and VIP lounge.

22-44:

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It's... a roof.

Pit building: special extra roof

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Note that this is 1-12 not 22 - this presumably corresponds to the area in the third floor diagram above that's not covered/blacked out.

So... that's an example floor plan of a pit building/garage! A couple of other interesting tidbits from the Silverstone pit plans:

There's a pedestrian tunnel running underneath the pit lane and race track

Could be a fun little detail if you have people walking around the paddock/track.

Here's the side elevation of the end of the pit buildings

This is what they'd look like if you were looking at them from either end. In case it's helpful to visualize.

There's a scrutineering building, a starter's platform, and a shower building

Regulation and Rule Changes

Each season, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) may introduce new technical regulations that impact car design.

Teams must carefully analyse these rules to ensure their car complies while also finding innovative ways to maximise performance within the limits set by the governing body.

During The Season

2024 McLaren F1 Car

Teams analyze data from the previous season, assessing where their car performed well and where improvements are needed. This includes evaluating tire wear, aerodynamics, power unit efficiency, and reliability.

Aerodynamics

F1 Car Under Wind Tunnel Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics play a crucial role in F1 car performance. Teams conduct wind tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to refine the car’s shape, optimize downforce, and reduce drag. These adjustments help improve cornering speed and straight-line performance.

Power Unit Optimization

The hybrid power unit is another critical aspect of development. Teams work with engine manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency, energy recovery systems (ERS), and reliability while ensuring maximum power output. Fine-tuning cooling systems is also essential to prevent overheating during races.

Materials and Weight Reduction

F1 teams use advanced lightweight materials such as carbon fiber to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity. Engineers constantly search for new materials and manufacturing techniques to make the car as light and strong as possible.

Simulations and Virtual Testing

Before a new car even hits the track, teams use driver-in-the-loop simulators to test various setups and performance characteristics. Virtual testing helps identify potential weaknesses and refine the car’s setup before physical prototypes are built.

Pre-Season Testing and Development Updates

Once the car is built, teams conduct pre-season testing to gather real-world data and fine-tune setups. Based on test results, modifications are made to aerodynamics, suspension, and power unit settings to optimise performance before the first race.

Continuous Development Throughout the Season

Oscar Jack Piastri 

He was born on April 6th, 2001, in a suburb of Melbourne close to Albert Park. He is the eldest sibling and has 3 younger sisters. His grandfathers were mechanics and his father co-founded HP Tuners, a tool used for tuning and modifying the performance of vehicles with electronic control units. His mom, Nicole Piastri (née Mcfadyen) is a naturopath who specializes in botanical medicine and natural birthing practices. The entire family is pretty private, but the family was well-off enough so that they could support Oscar’s motorsports career.

Left to Right: Hattie, Mae, Nicole, and Edie (3 of Oscar's sisters with his mom) (Photo by Kym Illman)

Unlike Carlos and a ton of other drivers where they started off pursuing a career in motorsports by karting, he started in remote-control racing. He started karting in 2011 at age 10, but it wasn't until three years later that he began taking the sport more seriously. His career then progressed rapidly; in 2016, he made his debut in single-seater racing. He moved to the United Kingdom to further his racing career in 2016, finishing sixth in the 2016 CIK-FIA World Junior Championship in Bahrain. The following year, he was the British Formula 4 vice champion, with his dad’s company HP Tuners sponsoring him.

In 2018, he participates in Formula Renault Eurocup and places 8th, spends one more year there, and places 1st. Through 2019-2021, he’s on a winning streak: he wins F3 and F2, and is Alpine’s reserve driver for the 2022 season.

British F4 Vice Champion (Photo by Jakob Ebrey) | F3 Champion (Photo by Joe Portlock)

In 2018, he participates in Formula Renault Eurocup and places 8th, spends one more year there, and places 1st. Through 2019-2021, he’s on a winning streak: he wins F3 and F2, and is Alpine’s reserve driver for the 2022 season. He is also available as a reserve driver for McLaren, and he participates in some test sessions throughout the 2022 season: he drives at COTA, Losail, and Silverstone.

In 2022, we also get the infamous tweet: Oscar saying that he will not be driving with Alpine for the next year. When Sebastian Vettel retires, he opens up a seat at Aston Martin, and reports emerge that Oscar is supposed to join Williams in 2023, and Alpine will keep Alonso and Ocon. Alpine then tweets Oscar will take Alonso’s place, and then Oscar rejects the claim. His contract announcement with McLaren comes out in September, saying he had signed with them July 2022, and the rest is history.

Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro Cenamor Rincón Rebollo Virto Moreno de Aranda Don Per Urrielagoiria Pérez del Pulgar

He was born September 1st, 1994, in Madrid. He is the middle child to two other sisters, Ana and Blanca, and is son to Carlos Sainz Sr, a World Rally champion. His grandfather, Antonio Sainz, was in charge of the Bolivian honorary consul in Madrid, helping with generous financial contributions. Right before Carlos Jr. was born, his grandfather got into a serious scandal when he was found shooting and killing a man after he stole a bag from his wife. He was not charged but did turn himself in to the police. Carlos Sainz Sr’s sister buys a car for him at 11, and he becomes obsessed with racing, but wants to try to be the best at everything, and is a squash champion at 17. Antonio forces him to study law, and he gets through 2 terms, before debuting in rallies. He wins 2 world rally championships and becomes vice champion 4 times. His family is extremely rich, as compound surnames like “Vázquez de Castro” in Spain belong to nobility or at least, the upper class. Blanca, the eldest daughter, received a degree in Business Administration and even studied at Northeastern. Ana, the youngest daughter, also received a degree in Business Administration and Management but works within the real estate sector. They are all very close to Spanish royalty and nobility.

Photo from Twitter

Carlos begins his career in karting in 2006. (Mind you, Oscar is 5 in 2006...) After competing in smaller series, he wins the Asia-Pacific KF3 title in 2008 and finishes runner-up in the Spanish Championship. In 2009, he secures the Junior Monaco Kart Cup and comes 2nd place in the European KF3 Championship. Carlos becomes a part of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2010. He makes the switch from carts to open-wheel cars in 2010, and although he competes in a variety of series, his most notable finish from 2010 and 2011 is 1st in Formula Renault 2.0. 2012-2014, he competed in F3, GP3, and Formula Renault 3.5. Before GP2 became F2, he never actually competed in it, skipping the series. He races in an F1 car for the first time in Silverstone in 2013, and at 20, he signs to race with Toro Rosso for the 2015 season. 

“Spanish youngster Carlos Sainz, whose father and namesake was a double world rally champion in the 1990s, will race in Formula One next season with Toro Rosso in the youngest line-up on the starting grid.” - Article by Eurosport

For a lot of his career, Carlos was always compared to his dad, living in his shadow. From the beginning of 2015 to the middle of 2017, Carlos races for Toro Rosso. He gets a new teammate in 2016, partnering with Daniil Kvyat after Max is promoted to the Red Bull senior team and Daniil is demoted. His results in the F1 world championship went from 15th to 12th to 9th.

In 2017, he leaves Toro Rosso for Renault. Helmut Marko spoke about his decision, saying “"It was his bad luck to get Max as a teammate. The atmosphere between the two [Sainz and Verstappen] at Toro Rosso was quite toxic.” He referred to both of their parents as being toxic and creating that toxic atmosphere, making their children hard to compete with each other.

“Sainz was a strong performer at Toro Rosso alongside Max Verstappen in their rookie 2015 season, matching him in qualifying. But his reputation never took off, and while he was always a promising young driver, clearly capable of some excellent performances, few seemed to believe Sainz was a prodigious talent. When Verstappen got promoted to Red Bull’s senior team a few races into 2016, Sainz was left at Toro Rosso. Though not in the same spotlight as Verstappen, he comprehensively outperformed the demoted Daniil Kvyat over the next 18 months. However, it had become clear to Sainz he lacked a path to the front with Red Bull. He always denied that Verstappen refused to be his team-mate again, but if it was not the young Dutchman’s preference it was almost certainly Red Bull’s, as the team did not want to pair Verstappen with Sainz.” - Article by The Race

He spends 1.5 years at Renault, then signs with McLaren. He was on loan from Renault to Red Bull, and he was unable to resign with them due to not being free from his contract early enough. Renault also conveniently decides to replace him with Daniel Ricciardo, who ultimately joins Renault in 2019, and Carlos goes on record saying he left Renault without any bad feelings. Ultimately he decides his Plan B is McLaren (as Alonso decides to retire at the end of 2018), and he signs with them, a “multi-year” contract.

He takes his first podium with McLaren at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, finishes in 3rd place, and in 2020, he takes his second podium at Monza, finishing in 2nd place. He also takes 1 fastest lap at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix. Ultimately, he had very successful seasons with McLaren, finishing 6th in the WDC back-to-back, and he is offered a 2 year contract by Ferrari to replace Sebastian Vettel for the upcoming 2021 season. Daniel Ricciardo, funny enough, replaces him at McLaren (they are swapping seats lol).

Photo from SkySports

From 2021-2024, he remains with Ferrari, scores 3 wins, a number of podiums, and stays close behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc. And now, we are here, the start of The Carcar Timeline.

The Carcar Timeline

Australia 2015 - A String of Invisible Fate

"Piastri shares another memory from the Australian GP Oscar Piastri has another memory from the Australian GP. Back in 2015, the Aussie was one of the grid kids for the event. Grid-kids were children who used to hold the flags of each driver’s nationality. Piastri was assigned Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat. Unfortunately for young Oscar, he was unable to meet the Russian driver as Kvyat was unable to start after a transmission failure." - Article by The Sports Rush

He was standing not far from Carlos!!! THE FIRST CARCAR CRUMBS! Thank you @a-amvryllis for posting these photos!

Spa 2023 - The Story Begins with a DNF

Lewis Hamilton starts 3rd, Carlos Sainz starts 4th, and Oscar Piastri starts 5th

Lewis is fighting with Carlos going into turn 1, on the outside of Carlos

Carlos has a slight lock-up going into turn 1, and to avoid contact with Lewis, he has to turn inward

Oscar ultimately has to take the inside line to Carlos going into turn 1, and is squeezed into the wall by Carlos

They both DNF due to damage from the incident, deemed a “racing incident” by the FIA

In an interview, Oscar tells the media: “I had a pretty good launch, I was getting alongside Carlos and then he kind of jinked to the inside a bit and I obviously had to get out of the brakes to not get hit. My nose was kind of there and at that point, it was too late to try and back out, so unfortunately I ended up in contact. A shame to end so early."

Carlos, on the other hand, tells the media: “I was on the attack with Lewis into Turn 1 and I think I pretty much had the move done and then I received a bit of contact on my rear-right,” reckoned Sainz afterwards. “If you want my honest opinion, I think it was a bit of a mistake by Oscar trying to go through side-by-side into [Turn] 1. If you look at the last seven, eight years, everyone who has tried that move, it’s never really worked and has generated a bit of a crash when you look at the past races. So yeah, I don’t know if it was a bit of a lack of experience, a bit optimistic, but again a racing incident that cost us a race."

The Infamous Tweet that got Carlos slightly cancelled because he blamed Oscar 😭

Zandvoort 2023 - Big Yikes in Qualifying

During Q1, Carlos was exiting the pit lane behind Valtteri Bottas, and was unaware of Oscar's presence

Oscar was on a slow lap

As Carlos pulled across to take the natural racing line into turns 2 and 3, Oscar was forced off track and had to brake suddenly to avoid contact with Carlos

Carlos is ultimately given a 5000 Euro reprimand, as Ferrari did not warn Carlos about his proximity to Oscar until they were alongside each other

Monza 2023 - Free Practice 3 Inchident

At turn 1, Carlos and Oscar go side-by-side, and Carlos forces Oscar to go wide to avoid a collision

Carlos is shown the black-and-white flag for the incident

The commentators go on to say "it's always these two, isn't it?" (and it's true because sometimes you just beef with your younger enemy)

Yuki is also upset with Carlos too due to some congestion on track, and him getting in the way 😭

Abu Dhabi 2023 - More Free Practice Inchidents

Oscar is approaching a turn when Carlos is in the racing line on a slow lap

Oscar believed that Carlos had impeded him on his lap, accusing him of "dangerous driving"

Ultimately, nothing comes of the incident, except for the fact that we get our signature "Classic Carlos" moment

During qualifying, Carlos also is criticized by Daniel Ricciardo, saying he's "always the culprit" with impeding (thank you @scrappyracers for sending this)

Saudi Arabia 2024 - Minor Complaining

During FP2, Oscar is told that "Sainz is pushing" and slows down to the left side of the track, to let him pass

But then, Carlos doesn't think that this is sufficient, throws his right hand up and gestures at Oscar as he passes him like "what tf are u doing" and says the following radio message

The onboards can be found here, thank you @eightyonefour for posting!

Miami 2024 - When Carcar Went Mainstream

Through the middle of the race, around lap 34, Carlos attempted an overtake on Oscar

Oscar pushes Carlos wide to defend his position

Carlos then states that Oscar should give the position back for pushing him off the track

No penalties were given here, as Oscar was overtaking on the inside and his front tyres were ahead–therefore, this was a legal move

On lap 35, Carlos attempts another overtake on Oscar, and has a slight-lock-up

There is contact! The cars touch, but Carlos makes it past

Oscar tries to retake the position, but has a major lock-up, and has significant front-wing damage. He ends up replacing his front wing, falling from P4 to P13

Carlos is given a penalty after the race for causing the collision due to "losing control of his car" and he drops from P4 to P5

(it's worth noting Oscar literally has no radios of him even acknowledging this fight with Carlos, he just talks about the vibrations of the rear wing)

Monaco 2024 - The Soulbond is Acknowledged

We got this very funny moment of Oscar trying to offer Carlos the microphone but getting ignored

While Charles was on pole, Oscar was in 2nd and Carlos was in 3rd, and on the first lap, Oscar didn't get away as well as Carlos did so Carlos caught up to Oscar

They went side by side at the first corner and Carlos rubbed against Oscar's floor, leaving him with a front-left puncture

After the red flag, all the grid positions were restored, so they ended up racing each other all the way until the end of the race

At the press conference, Carlos was lying down first and then Oscar decided to come join him

Then, when starting the press conference, Carlos tried to offer his phone to Oscar (boyfriend behavior)

In the interview, Carlos goes on record saying:

"for some reason oscar and i, we seem to have a magnet recently between each other, for some reason that i don't understand because we get on well and everything is okay but we always seem to find each other on track" from here

They acknowledged the soul-bond

The Crusty White Dog

They both own crusty white dogs. Do you guys think they share it

Instagram Saga

Carlos does not follow Oscar on Instagram.

Oscar follows Carlos on Instagram.

Oscar has never once liked any of Carlos' posts (I can confirm. I have scrolled through the thousands of posts he has.)

BACKGROUND

by 2013, sebastian and mark had been teammates for 5 years, and part of the extended red bull “family” for 7.

when they became teammates in 2009, mark was the older, more experienced head. seb was the young wunderkind who already had a race win under his belt, more than mark had.

(ironically, mark won his first race in germany in 2009. seb wouldn’t win his home GP until 2013. seb has since called mark’s 2009 german gp win as one of the most impressive drives he’s ever seen.)

anyway. let’s go back in time. it’s japan. it’s 2007. and it is raining. it’s lap 45, under the safety car after alonso crashed out. the rain is TORRENTIAL, and mark (red bull) is running in 2nd. he’s so sick that he’s vomiting in his helmet. seb (toro rosso baby. 20 years old) was 3rd. hamilton was leading, and braked quite dangerously. seb was caught out by this, and crashed into the back of mark. both of them had been running in the podium places, and both had to retire. mark called seb a kid without experience fucking it up. seb cried in his garage. this is the first time they crash. mark later referred to it as the first time they made love on track because he’s a freak

fast forward to turkey 2010. they are teammates now, and have been for over a year. fuji 2007 had largely been forgotten. water under the bridge. they are fighting for the championship against ferrari and mclaren. mark got pole, but around lap 40 seb had caught up to him as mark had to save fuel. they “merged towards each other” (generous). mark didn’t give seb enough space, seb was too over-eager. people will have different opinions. unless you’re helmut marko, who will always back seb, since seb is a product of the red bull academy whereas mark wasn’t. mark went on to finish on the podium, seb had to retire. seb was PISSED! (sexy). this is seen as the start of the “rivalry” by many.

britain 2010. aka the mark-webber-slams-water-on-desk moment. seb was given the new front wing from marks car for qualifying because he was a better qualifier because his had broken in fp3. he would ultimately get a puncture in the race, whilst webber with the old wing came first, and graced us with the “not bad for a no.2 driver” radio message.

so, where are we by summer 2010 and spring 2011? fuji was no one’s fault really, turkey was six of one half a dozen of the other, but mark felt the team favoured seb. britain made that feeling CONCRETE in marks mind. then seb won the title in 2010 after not leading until the final race of the season. in the press conference before abu dhabi 2010, seb kept getting asked if he’d let mark past it if would win mark the championship, and he kept evading the answer. see, mark had been ahead in the championship, but he qualified 7th while seb got pole and won. so, come 2011, webber was convinced the team favoured seb. however, seb was by far and away the better driver.

so. britain 2011. an underrated moment of the vettel webber rivalry. mark qualified on pole, with seb p2. seb quickly took the lead in the race. later on in the race after some botched pit stops and drama, mark was close to seb. red bull told mark NOT to pass seb.

mark ignored this team order. he tried to pass his teammate, but ultimately failed to do so. it’s often forgetting in vettel/webber rivalry lore that mark was the first of them to ignore a direct team order. the difference was he just wasn’t able to make the overtake. here are two interesting quotes from just after the race:

and now. brazil 2012. another forgotten multi-21 backstory. it was the last race of the season, and seb was fighting for his third straight championship, only alonso could possibly beat him. mark qualified 3rd, seb 4th, and alonso 8th. seb had a rocky start to the race, which resulted in him being hit from the back & spun around. he pulled off the mother of all recovery drives to win the championship. alls well that ends well right? wrong. horner admitted a few years ago that seb felt that mark was to blame for the rocky start by forcing seb into the wall. horner even went as far as to say that this lack of teamwork was directly in sebs mind when malaysia 2013 came around. that that was seb’s revenge.

conspiracy theorists will say that mark forced seb towards the wall because he wanted his mate alonso to win the championship over his teammate. definitely possible but not confirmed.

so. here we are. malaysia 2013. it’s been 5 years of crashes, ignored team orders (mark), favouritism (seb) and finally an almost championship-ruining shove towards a wall.

seb qualified on pole, mark 5th. but mark took the lead after the first round of pitstops. around lap 46, seb was gaining on mark, who was on old hard tyres. team orders came through for seb not to fight mark. multi 21 literally means that car no 2 should stay in position ahead of car no 1. just as mark ignored team orders in britain 2011, seb ignored them here. the only difference was seb actually got past. mark was furious (“yep that’s good teamwork!”) seb, a bad liar, was hilarious (“i was really scared… all of a sudden he was moving… i had to…”) horner was regretting most of his life choices (“this is silly seb come on.”)

seb won the race. the most awkward of all cool down rooms ensued (“multi 21 seb. yeah? multi 21”) seb chugged an entire bottle of water. poor lewis hamilton just trying to disappear into thin air. underrated moment is you can see a clip of seb trying to explain something to mark and neither of them are having a good time. on the podium interviews after mark said “seb will have protection from the team as always” - harkening back to his long-felt belief that the team favoured seb, yet ignoring his own history of ignoring team orders, and ignoring brazil 2012.

seb would later apologise.

…

three days later seb would rescind that apology.

(“i was racing i was faster i passed him i won.”)

at this stage, seb had been the dominant driver for four years running and some crowds had grown annoyed at him, so used this as an excuse to boo him at basically every race for the summer swing of the season. seb spoke at the end of 2013 about how hard this was for him, and how he was thankful for the support of his family and girlfriend during the hard times. it’s important to remember that seb was only in his mid 20s when all this booing and controversy was happening. it’s a lot to shoulder, especially when you’re only doing what you’ve always done, what you’re being paid to do: winning.

mark would retire at the end of the 2013 season, though apparently he had already made up his mind before malaysia.

seb would stay at red bull for one more year before moving to ferrari.

when asked in 2022, seb said he wouldn’t change what he did in malaysia 2013. and in my opinion, he’s right.

unlike the mclaren clusterfuck of hungary 24, there was YEARS of history between vettel and webber before multi-21. grudges, crashes, hurts, pride, friendship, rivalry, championships lost and won. this was the cumulation of their entire careers to date, all of their mistakes and their motivations for better or for worse.