#sunset lap

Something that's been running in my mind a lot is how we view drivers and events in Formula 1. There are a few ways we can go about it, with the two main ones being the imagery and the stats.

Imagery, in my opinion, is so important in Formula 1. In a sport where things change every year and no true stats or comparisons across teams/eras exist, it is the imagery that people remember.

Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher crossing the finish line just 0.011 seconds apart in Indianapolis 2002. Sebastian Vettel on his knees and bowing to his Red Bull after he won the World Championship. Lewis Hamilton with the Brazilian flag wrapped around him. Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel doing donuts together at the end of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The two Ferraris driving past a broken-down Red Bull.

The imagery is important in not only what we remember, but also in how we think of drivers.

Images of Charles Leclerc's 2022 Austin sunset lap and Max Verstappen's 2023 Brazil storm lap will go down as iconic Formula 1 images.

But, the images can also play into how we perceive the two drivers. Sunset vs Storm. Leclerc vs Verstappen. Ferrari vs Red Bull.

There is a visible dichotomy between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen through the images of their laps.

Sunsets hold many meanings across literature, cultures, and art. In most cases, the sunset represents the completion of a cycle. The setting sun brings an end to a day. Often times it is attributed to the ending of something - life, laws, a journey, etc.

But other than that sunsets are also a thing of beauty. A moment in time when a golden shine settles over the earth and everything is bathed in that glow. It is the boundary between the bright skies of the day and the darkness of night. They also represent the beauty of the world.

Storms, just like sunsets, can mean many things based on how you would like to interpret them. Oftentimes, the connection to storms isn't very pleasant. Filled with thoughts of fear and impending doom. In gothic literature, storms are often seen as harbingers of doom. Foreshadowing the inevitable.

Where sunsets bathe everything in a fleeting, golden light; storms bathe everything in a lasting darkness. A destruction of nature as rain pelts everything in sight. While storms are typically destructive, they have an ability to cleanse

So how can this be used to explain the dichotomy in Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen?

The imagery in these laps exemplify how we as fans see the two drivers.

On one hand, we have Charles: il predestinato, il principe, the sun of Maranello. And on the other hand, we have Max: mad Max, the Dutch Lion, Super Max.

That's two very different types of nicknames/monikers that follow these drivers who grew up racing together.

Sunsets align with the image that has been created around Charles Leclerc. Beautiful, golden, and an expected end to the championship drought at Ferrari. He is the sun of Maranello that shines over the Scuderia. The predestined prince that will bring back glory to Maranello. Born in Monaco, raised in Maranello, Charles Leclerc is who the Tifosi have set their hopes on. Chanting "Oh Leclerc portaci il mondiale" (oh Leclerc bring up the world championship." There is no doubt that the kid who grew up with Ferrari backing, the first FDA driver to make it to Ferrari, will be the one to end the years-long drought that Ferrari has faced. When Charles did his sunset lap, we saw how he will be remembered by Ferrari and the Tifosi no matter how his career progresses, a golden moment in time. A driver who gave his all to the Scuderia and bled rosso corsa, a tifoso at heart. And when Charles Leclerc wins a championship, then he'll be the sun setting on a championship drought that has lasted well over a decade now.

Whereas, the storm is the perfect imagery for Max Verstappen and how he's made his mark on the sport. Destructive, a sign of doom, fear, inevitability, and change. Max Verstappen came into the sport so young and so many questioned if he should even have his seat. And in those early days, he made a name for himself. He was bold in the maneuvers he made, reckless some might even say. Mad Max, as said by so many of the 2010s drivers. He had Nico Rosberg terrified. Given a good car that didn't have reliability issues, everyone knew what Max Verstappen could do and the potential he held to bring Red Bull the championship. And he did do that, ending the Mercedes/Lewis dominance and starting the Red Bull/Max dominance. In 2023, as Max did a qualifying lap as a storm brew, shrouding the track in darkness, we saw a hint of how Max will be remembered. The inevitability, the man who took Formula 1 by storm and made his mark.

So imagery is very important in how we think of the drivers and the narratives that follow them. Should there be documentaries made of these drivers in years to come, it will be images like these that will be used to show who they were as drivers.

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