Here for F1

what. WHAT. oh my god jail. jail for a thousand years! no one else gets that commentary! no one else has the story and that kind of connection and history with any track! that commentary is about his family and his journey and it works because so is every corner of the monaco track. it works because he struggled so hard to win there and finally did as only the second monaco-born driver to win in almost 100 years. there's a reason he got that iconic home race commentary and not idk lando winning silverstone last year.

I don't really care for the corporate bullshit that gets thrown around every time someone renews with a team - what I do care for is the way the red car has woven itself into the fabric of Charles's life, the way he cannot talk about Ferrari without talking about his family, his dad, Jules, his town, the dreams and the heartache and the what ifs.

This feels braver and realer than anything else - because it shows the messiness of it, the fact that you don't always get the perfect setup or a linear progression, and that sometimes the most meaningful things are not the ones happening on a podium.

So no, I don't think it's Stockholm syndrome, career suicide, or a hostage situation. I think Charles is showing that there are many ways to leave a mark as a legend of the sport.

because if you did, you would understand these people you curse day and night actually raised him, and no not in the metaphorical sense, i mean that in the literal sense

he got to the ferrari academy when he was 15 years old and they helped him through the ranks and when he says they're his "family" he's not sprinkling that shit for a wholesome look, some of these people that you and i don't know by name, have been there for him in times we were never privy to

so when you sit down and furiously rant about why he's doing this, take a moment to yourself and use your little brain neurons to understand his relationship with this team goes beyond any other relationship that a driver has with their team. he's clearly not only in ferrari for sporting reasons alone and you need to accept that and move on

There's no issue as a fan of Charles to have your own opinions on his career choices. What I think starts getting really deep in "Why are you even a fan?" territory is projecting onto him your own dream you have for him instead of simply supporting what his actual dream is.

Charles wants to be a world champion with Ferrari. That does not mean he would not be happy to become a world champion with any other team or even that he would never leave Ferrari if he thought staying would prevent him from ever achieving that title. But it would mean that Charles would have not achieved everything he wanted to achieve in F1. Maybe it would be mission accomplished for you but it would not be mission accomplished for him and, in my opinion, that sentiment sort of defeats the purpose of being a fan.

I understand a lot of these feelings come from fear that a talent like Charles could, unfairly, never win a world championship. But F1 is too complex of a sport, with too many intertwined factors, for there to ever be a clear path for someone, especially an outsider like us fans, to say "This is exactly what Charles Leclerc needs to do to win a world championship". And to be completely honest with you, I've seen other cars the past 8 years Charles has been in the sport that to me seem like cars he would manage to win a championship in with ease. I've seen other teams at times look like a better oiled machine than Ferrari. But in the past 8 years, there isn't a scenario for which I can confidently say "Charles would have 100% won a championship in this season with this team" and that has 0 to do with him, his skills, his mentality and everything to do with, 90% of the time, poor driver management on the teams' part that I can't say with absolute certainity Charles wouldn't haven't been a victim of.

Also, I hate that the appreciation, respect even, Charles shows to Ferrari, to the team and to the people who have helped him get to Formula 1, is so often portrayed as a negative thing when it's one of Charles' best qualities. It's extremely rare in this sport to see someone so dedicated to trying to always show, through their words but mostly through their actions, how grateful they are for all the work that has been put into helping them achieve a dream. Hoping to one day be able to give back as much to your team as you feel they have given you by restoring their former glory does not have to be blind loyalty or Stockholm Syndrome and I don't understand why so many people have decided that can't be true for Charles when we know he had one foot out the door in 2022, when we know Aston Martin was showing genuine interest in signing him and he didn't let himself get fooled by all the hype around Newey...

Maybe its not the fastest car right now but technically speaking we have a bomb ass engine for 2027 and the development is going in the right direction, there is potential for great things to come.

And no "mercedes" or "mclaren" can treat charles like ferrari does, so obviously he'll choose the team which feels like home to him.

why the fuck would they agree to a compromise when they have been shot dead in the face every time they come up with something unique while others are allowed to trot freely with fuckass unrealistic units of measurements that cannot in good faith find them guilty

ferrari have invested so much into this developmental path and the fia knew of it before the car was even built together and it's already on the bench for the 27 car but sure let's take it away because there's "too much downforce" and the others "can't follow" but let's also make sure to nerf your starts because "the others are at a safety risk" and "mercedes can't run to the finish line from lap 1"