:(

The most bizarre thing is how they are outright copying everything George Russell and forcing it onto Antonelli and then it's suddenly the best thing someone has ever done.

George has the T-pose because he pushed against all the mean comments and clowning trying to take him down. Antonelli has a noncommittal "signature pose" because George has one, but he's supposedly so full of personality.

George is known for being smart and analytical, so articles spring saying Antonelli is the most intelligent creature and comprehends the new regulations better than his teammate. As if we can't see that he's being remote controlled by Bono.

People start to sympathize with George's string of bad luck, then it's soon flipped around to poor Kimi is the unlucky one, while George does nothing and gets everything handed to him.

George has a couple of weekend when his car isn't falling apart and handily outperforms Antonelli (what a surprise!), and suddenly there are "analysis" "proving" George is much slower even when he wins.

George talks about having the support of Mercedes, Ola and Toto in these hard times, and immediately the media is all about how Mercedes is Antonelli's family while they cherrypick some picture to prove everybody hates George, from the other driver to his own team.

George has said nothing but praise for Kimi's driving, while Antonelli is busy making up mind games and shading his teammate to Italian media. And George is the two-faced one.

Now they are even dressing Antonelli in a suit and sending him to Wimbledon to latch himself to Sinner, despite Jannik repeatedly saying he's very close to George and that he is rooting for him above anybody else.

There are countless exemples over this year. It's so persistant there's no way it isn't deliberate. What kind of influence does Antonelli's camp have that they got most of F1 media to put so much effort into turning everything he does into the best thing someone has ever done?

Also, someone at the top at Mercedes has to be into this as well, giving the very strange communication going on at their social media, post-race comments and race debriefs, often giving contradictory information and backtracking stuff.

Austria's celebrations showed that a large chunk of Mercedes is plenty happy to see George win. Even Toto seemed completely fine with it. So it may or may not be him who is pushing George down to hype Antonelli up. Or maybe the Antonellis have some shit on him as well, who knows. It's all speculation on my side anyway.

And indignation!

The most bizarre thing is how they are outright copying everything George Russell and forcing it onto Antonelli and then it's suddenly the best thing someone has ever done.

George has the T-pose because he pushed against all the mean comments and clowning trying to take him down. Antonelli has a noncommittal "signature pose" because George has one, but he's supposedly so full of personality.

George is known for being smart and analytical, so articles spring saying Antonelli is the most intelligent creature and comprehends the new regulations better than his teammate. As if we can't see that he's being remote controlled by Bono.

People start to sympathize with George's string of bad luck, then it's soon flipped around to poor Kimi is the unlucky one, while George does nothing and gets everything handed to him.

George has a couple of weekend when his car isn't falling apart and handily outperforms Antonelli (what a surprise!), and suddenly there are "analysis" "proving" George is much slower even when he wins.

George talks about having the support of Mercedes, Ola and Toto in these hard times, and immediately the media is all about how Mercedes is Antonelli's family while they cherrypick some picture to prove everybody hates George, from the other driver to his own team.

George has said nothing but praise for Kimi's driving, while Antonelli is busy making up mind games and shading his teammate to Italian media. And George is the two-faced one.

Now they are even dressing Antonelli in a suit and sending him to Wimbledon to latch himself to Sinner, despite Jannik repeatedly saying he's very close to George and that he is rooting for him above anybody else.

There are countless exemples over this year. It's so persistant there's no way it isn't deliberate. What kind of influence does Antonelli's camp have that they got most of F1 media to put so much effort into turning everything he does into the best thing someone has ever done?

Also, someone at the top at Mercedes has to be into this as well, giving the very strange communication going on at their social media, post-race comments and race debriefs, often giving contradictory information and backtracking stuff.

Austria's celebrations showed that a large chunk of Mercedes is plenty happy to see George win. Even Toto seemed completely fine with it. So it may or may not be him who is pushing George down to hype Antonelli up. Or maybe the Antonellis have some shit on him as well, who knows. It's all speculation on my side anyway.

And indignation!

max is the cliche hothead on track and is pissed when george doesn’t let him have his way. off track, he’s a goofball around george and acts like nothing bothers him. deep down, he is very bothered, probably more than he should be in this stage of his career. it’s obvious in literally any press interview with the two of them together, from that one iconic clip of him being extra fiddly to not wanting to touch george’s hand (almost in fear of annoying him).

"you're violent" (where was i when they were handing out permits to manifest all the rage i feel? did i miss it? were you the only one invited? are you more deserving or am i missing something fundamental?)

"you're two-faced" (it's only right to lose our temper because we can't help it, because there are times where no cage is sturdy enough to contain the worst parts of ourselves. so, if a plastic smile is enough to keep all your anger from causing ravage, am i simply broken?)

imagine being told your entire life that survival is one track, cut and clear, spending your youth honing everything that track demands of you, and then meeting somebody it comes so, so easily to. so easily they don't have to think about it. and they keep insisting that, actually, it's their worst flaw.

learn to be ruthless, angry, inconsiderate, pick apart all your soft edges and come away only half undone. and then you meet george again. he used to be terrible at placating people, he used to tell the other boys he would crash into them on purpose, he used to be all stone-faced and angry, everything that's Good, everything you must be to survive. but he's renounced it all; he keeps smiling for the camera, he keeps saying the right thing, the safe thing, trying to demonstrate over and over that losing control is a moral failing.

everything you've been taught is a lie.

likewise, every day you are told that you are difficult, that you want too much, that you give too little. the other kids at school don't want to be your friends and you live with this constant, indistinct feeling that there is something about you so far removed from the human experience that nobody will ever come near you and leave your orbit without taking damage. then you meet max. he's the best amongst the boys your age, but he's not cutthroat, he's not unapproachable, everybody likes him. he understands other people, he knows how to yield, he wants to make others feel loved. you meet him again, years later, and he's still the best. it's been a gruelling few years of learning how to make others at ease with your presence, maybe you've taken a page or two out of max's book. except max has a reputation now. he's loud, he's difficult, he wants too much and gets it-and somehow, he is still loved.

and again, everything you've been taught is a lie.