All Plot Twisted

Oh look at me.

Six races of Formula One 2021 season had finished and this is my first post. Well don't blame me, it's been boring so far, with Lewis dominating the championship as usual and Max occasionally made things a bit fun. The plot we all knew would be happening.

Things got picked up only two races ago, in Monaco, where Charles Lecrerc hit the barriers during the end of Q3, and forced the quali to stop - making him the pole-sitter, and Lewis on 7th HA! Despite Monaco's nature of almost-impossible-to-overtake - which honestly made it a boring one - and Charles' sad SAD home Grand Prix heartbreak which... well, which he didn't even start thanks to the gearbox condition given the previous day's crash, the race eventually ended in such an exciting lineup:

Lando Norris in P3, Carlos Sainz in P2, and, Max Verstappen in P1.

And the whole championship went crazy.

The first plot twist.

Max's win in Monaco made him lead the championship, four points ahead of Lewis. For the first time since I don't know when, finally it wasn't Lewis that leads the championship. It's somebody else. It's Max Verstappen, and to make things spicier, it's his first time EVER leading a championship. Any championship. Of course this made the entire F1 community "freak out". The stats are like a solar eclipse, or a double rainbow, or any other natural phenomenon, where it only happens once in a blue moon.

Next stop was Azerbaijan. And we knew this would be epic. Because the Grand Prix has its own additional interesting stats. Ever since its inaugural start in 2016 - by that time it was still EuropeanGP - Baku never has a driver with most wins. 2016 was Nico Rosberg. 2017 was Daniel Ricciardo - oh my God I miss his heyday. 2018 was Lewis, 2019 was Valtteri and 2020 was none thanks to Covid. Each of them only managed to win once in Baku, and with Max leading the championship, of course WE WANT HIM to prolong the ritual.

And now enter The Race.

Oh God this will be really messy HAHA

I must say, this was the first epic battle of 2021. Monaco was great, but only because of the result. The race itself was meh. This one, the fucking messed-up - in a good way - Azerbaijan Grand Prix, was a crazy race we hadn't seen in a while. Oh and it wasn't only about the race day. Even the Qualifying Round was chaotic. Because there were FOUR crashes, resulting in FOUR red flags!

Stroll was the first to crash. In Q1. Against Turn 15. Front right tyre got instantly dislodged, red flag waved due to severe debris. Giovinazzi was the second crash. Also in Q1, and ALSO against Turn 15 - lol this is getting freaky, eh? Car stopped in an instant, another red flag waved. Third red flag was sadly because of Daniel. In Q2, and this time at Turn 3. Same cause though: not smooth turning.

During these whole quali sessions, it was always been either Lewis, Valtteri, and Max who scored the fastest lap. Typical, eh? Gasly, Tsunoda, and Alonso, however, progressed through and entered Q3, making it a worth-waiting end of quali -- though of course, we already thought that this would end in the usual LVM or LMV setup. However, the second plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened in Q3.

Charles surprisingly scored fastest laps halfway through Q3, .2s ahead of Lewis and .3s ahead of Max. Of course this would only be a temporary shit, and things could easily change because their time gaps were oh so tight. This stayed the same until the very last chance for everyone, where Charles still LEADS and Lewis was still OUT LAP, and... Tsunoda crashed. And session was stopped, and we never knew if Lewis could actually get the pole or not.

BUT HEY, WHO CARES!? Charles was on pole and that's what matters! Max was on P3 and this could only mean that the fight for the leader of the championship would still be on!

Fast forward to Race Day - and oh I swear it was the longest 24 hours of my life.

I don't want to chit chat too much because there will be lots of things to talk about. The lights out? Was blah. No overtakes for the earlier laps, though it only meant that Lewis was not leading. Everyone knew Charles wouldn't stay there forever, c'mon, but at least it'd buy some time for Max to charge on Lewis AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS! Also, Sergio Perez overtook Gasly early on, making it a RB 3-4 which would be a good news for the team because if that lasts till the end, given that Bottas was struggling so bad far at the verge between getting points or not getting points, at least Red Bull would still be leading the Constructors Championship.

Ever since Lewis overtook Charles on lap 3 - see? It's as if his pole was nothing! - everything went just as usual. The guy led the race, bla bla bla. Boring, boring, boring, skip, skip, skip, all the way to... Lap 12. Where Lewis pitted, smoothly to be honest, but he got delayed for some seconds thanks to Gasly passing through the pit lane just right on time - Red Bull's masterBlan? Perhaps...

And this was the start of all twists.

Hamilton's prolonged pit stop really benefited Max and Checo. It was 4 point something seconds! And when Max pitted a lap after that, it took only 1.9 second, and when he was out of the lane, POOF, Lewis was of course placed behind him! This was the time I realized we would be seeing something special at the end of this race. A WIN FOR RED BULL, HOPEFULLY!?

Our joy lasted only one lap. Lap 14, it was time for Checo to pit. We knew this wouldn't matter much to the positions because Lewis's 4s stop was too fatal to benefit him. But I swear the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe. Checo's crew had a bit of problem with the front tyre and his pit was also delayed, up to 4 fucking seconds. What the actual fuck? Why would this kind of thing always happen to the fan of any drivers except Lewis Hamilton's? I mean, it was all so smooth and blessed but why should this kind of thing happen, really?

So after the forever-second pit, Checo moved out of the lane. I honestly didn't care anymore if Lewis overtook him because that's what usually happened: other drivers - including their own Valtteri Bottas - did well, we were happy, and then these other drivers somehow made mistakes and Lewis got back on track only to fight with Max, which most of the time was unfortunate as well, so the Brit won. Every fucking time. But... not this time.

Because when Checo exited the pit, he was APPARENTLY STILL AHEAD OF LEWIS! With so small gap though, BUT HEY, HIM BEING P2 WAS WHAT MATTERS! The teamwork of both RB drivers would be tested here, and Checo's game of defense would totally be maxed out. THIS IS THE BATTLE BETWEEN RED BULL DRIVERS - plural - AND MERCEDES DRIVER - singular - WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Then Stroll crashed in Lap 31. Tyre failure, to be exact, and then hit the barriers. It was actually so sad because he hadn't pitted, and seemed to be waiting for someone else to make errors let's say at... Turn 15? But apparently he was the one having the crash. And just right in front of pit entry, so no one could take advantage of this unfortunate event...

After the race resumed from Lance Stroll's incident, Top 3 remained the same and it was looking really, REALLY fine. The way Checo defended his position from Lewis' attacks was so crazy, and shrieks-making - I lost count on how many screams I did that night. Another battle worth draining my emotion was of Sebastian Vettel, whom went charging on like his old bull self -- overtaking Charles just at the beginning of the restart, and Gasly some laps afterwards.

Everything looked all on track, but then God of F1 said: "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys." And the major plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 happened.

Max Verstappen crashed.

The leader of the race, the leader of the championship, crashed. On Lap 46, out of fucking 51. It wasn't a crash between two cars -- it was a crash as a product of another tyre failure. The second tyre failure of the race - and our arch nemesis changed from Turn 15 to Pirelli.

Can you guess how I reacted to this? Well, wrong. No screaming, no screeching, to couch banging, no table flipping, no wall punching, no. Nothing. I was out of words. The only voice that was out of me was so soft, even the most annoying light-sleeper baby wouldn't dare to wake up. I was mindblown, because, BECAUSE OF COURSE I WAS MINDBLOWN -- SHOULD I REALLY TELL YOU WHY???

Max was fucking on a roll, and it was so close for him to win. To win the race and resumed his position on top of the championship. TO WIN THE RACE AND EXTEND THE GAP BETWEEN HIM AND HAMILTON. It was 5 more laps. I swear one minute before the crash I complained to my fellow F1 fans just how 5 laps felt so long and then it fucking happened. Five. More. Fucking laps, and WHY THE HELL SHOULD HE BE HAVING THIS TYRE FAILURE!?

Proof of my complain and how the plot twisted just less than a minute after.

I may be letting all these right now, but back in that day this happened, I really was out of words. It was bullshit. All these emotional rollercoasters since the beginning of the race, oh wait, SINCE YESTERDAY'S QUALIFICATION, all gone, all wasted and useless because this fucking race was going to end like it always ended. "Lewis Hamilton is the winner of Azerbaijan Grand Prix!" oh God I could even hear Croft said that already, even before the race restarted.

I mean, seriously, how did this kind of shit never happened to Lewis? He was a good driver, yes, I can't deny it, but others are as good! But others sometime ran out of luck, so why did this luck never leave Lewis??? Everyone seemed to agree that he's got so much luck, but I just couldn't take that anymore. What happened to Lewis is God play, and it's just beyond my logic.

Well there was a gap between Perez and Lewis, right? Red Bull can still win? Ha ha, of course that's not what happened. Of course God was still with His "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys" crap.

So came the Red Flag.

The fifth this weekend, the one that didn't really feel joyful to me. It was a safety car at first, but then it grew to a questionable red flag and a fucking standing restart. I mean, it was Lap 50 already with the safety car, WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU STOP THE RACE!? So that it would not end under safety car? No, more like so that it would be Lewis who wins. Gosh, I always had these negative thoughts on him but all these can't be just coincidences, right???

After finding out that they'd be doing a standing restart I was like, okay, it's done. Lewis would be easily snatching the first position from Perez, and oh guess what, the Mexican was having problem with the engine. WHAT ARE THE FUCKING ODDS? :) Might as well just shut down the entire Red Bull team and let Mercedes not only win this one, but each and every single F1 race all the way until 2052 no??? So yeah, that was it for this race.

Lewis would be back on top again, points added from winning Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Verstappen stuck with his current points. The gap would be too big for the Dutchman to catch up. The only miracle that would refrain Lewis from winning was if he jeopardized himself, crashed himself to the barrier or to the corners, in the name of sportsmanship and honor to his fight with Max. But lol what the hell that wouldn't happen. He was on the verge of winning, and the chance he'd ruin it was like 1:infinity.

I tweeted that 1:infinity wish, not knowing what would happen next...

Around 30ish minutes passed and the race was finally restarted. Though it was like against all odds, I honestly still had a pinch of hope and that's why I stayed to watch. But of course the hope was false. Not long after the lights out for the second time, Lewis overtook Perez.

Of course. That's what meant to happen. Of course Lewis would win. Of course his luck would bring back his favorite position and of course we couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was just stomping the ground in anger and agony, cursing to God only knows who.

However...

You do remember the time when I said "the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe" right? While everything looked all messed up, God of F1 said, for the final time that night: "Heavens no, this ain't over for you guys."

And the ultimate plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened.

LEWIS HAD A MAN-MADE BRAKE ERROR CAUSING HIM A MASSIVE LOCKUP CAUSING HIM TO DRIVE WAY OFF TRACK!

AND I WAS LIKE OH MY GOD IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?? I JINXED LEWIS HAMILTON! AND THAT GUY WAS RUNNING OUT OF LUCK! THIS WAS MUCH BETTER THAN SEEING HIM CRASH! THE RACE RESUMED AND LEWIS WAS ON THE FUCKING BACK OF THE GRID, SEEING HIS EASY WIN JUST FLEW AWAY FROM HIS GRIP!

I SWEAR I NEVER CELEBRATED THAT CRAZY OVER AN F1 RACE, EVEN WHEN DANNY RIC WON. THE TWIST WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE TO THE POINT THAT I THOUGHT I WAS A SORCERER OR SOMETHING!? I BET EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE NON-MERCEDES F1 OUT THERE WAS SCREAMING AND YELLING IN JOY AS LOUD AS I WAS THAT DAY, AND EXACTLY NOW AS I AM WRITING IT.

Phew, okay, caps lock off starting now but SORRY I CAN'T HELP IT! I'M WRITING THIS POST IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE I WANT TO TELL HOW UNEXPECTED THE TURNTABLES WERE!

At first we thought Max would win, and then Lewis would win, and then Max would win, and then the crash, and I swear that crash, I lost all my hopes and faith in everything, EVERYTHING, I WAS LIKE, WHAT KIND OF VOODOOS AND SANTETS AND DUKUNS DOES THIS BRITISH GUY OR HIS TEAM IS USING!? His luck - and skill, of course, but luck fucking takes roles too! - are unreachable...

But then it was Perez who won the race, such a worthy pairing to Max's crazy speed, and Vettel came second OH MY GOD VETTEL! We would really do anything to see him win again! And his performance during this race was fucking uncanny! If things went smoothly and both Max and Lewis were still in the race, he'd be placed 4th and still it was a freaking awesome result! What happened was somehow God's doing, a gift to him for all his amazing hard work. He deserved that podium, really.

I had a shooting the day after the race, and of course I had to wear this.

Anyways, CRAZY RACE!

I know I've said that a whole lot time in this blog - although as a fan, it wasn't enough because we want each race to be crazy! - but I swear this time the craziness was different.

The plot twists were unbelievable.
But then again, we F1 fans love
To be twisted!

Sick Sakhir

Previously, on Formula One 2020.

"It's lights out in Bahrain and away we go, Romain Grosjean hit the barrier the car exploded the race was stopped and the medical crews saved the Frenchman, Lance Stroll flew and rolled to DNF, Sergio Perez dominated the top rows only to retire and let go of the podium that he would snatch in several more laps leading Racing Point to a tragic double DNF, giving the glory to the lucky Alex Albon! What a race!"

Gotta admit, Bahrain GP was something.

Not because of the blast, because no one would ever want to witness that. I literally screamed when that Haas car slipped to the edge, hit the barrels and actually BLASTED! I've never seen a fire like that in an F1 race before, and the view was a total horror. Thank God Romain Grosjean made it out and the scene where he jumped out from the blaze remained sanctity to me it never failed making me cry. Such a miracle to see that happening in front of my very eyes...

So yea, Bahrain GP was something, but totally not because of the blast. It's what follows afterwards that made things went saucy.

Lewis Hamilton was tested positive for Covid-19.

That's another news we didn't want to hear, really, though gotta admit the idea of not having Lewis in a race was somehow exciting. But still, speedy recovery, Lewis! Then rumors of who to replace the champ to compete in the upcoming Sakhir GP went like all over the air. First strong candidate was Stoffel Vandoorne, because duh, he was the actual reserve. Then of course Nico Hulkenberg's name surfaced too because he'd been doing that this year for like, thousands of times. But the one that really tickled most of everyone, because we really REALLY wanted it to happen, was George Russell.

Britain's next F1 talent. A driver we knew more than capable enough to sit that Mercedes throne, a driver whom we agreed deserves a better car than that Williams kiddy ride. We wanted him. More than anyone else. And so they heard us.

George Russell was to replace Lewis Hamilton.

I just loved the vibes. Everyone suddenly became a fan of Mercedes, forgetting that they're not a big fan of Lewis. Everyone? Or it was just me? Haha. Predictions on where Georgie would start, whether he'd snatch pole, and ultimately, whether he'd win the race, blew up like crazy. People were also curious on how Bottas would deal with this sudden change, challenged by a fresh, aggressive driver.

Sakhir GP, though took place at the same circuit as Bahrain GP but with different track layout, sadly was broadcasted at night -- meaning that I would have to stay up late. But I didn't care. I watched the quali anyway because I wanted to see how far George would break his own record. I wanted to see him out of Q1 with not much struggle as usual, out of Q2 for the first time, and even strike pole if he could. Well eventually he couldn't but he was second! George Russell would start on the front row, set only .0026-ish below pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas! CRAZY ENOUGH TO START THE GP WEEKEND? YE BET!

Because the actual race was out of the world.

Oh my God. This is going to be all over the place. And too much. Because seriously, the race itself was mindblowing. From the very first lap, even from lights out! It was a freaking 87-lap race but GOD DID I HAVE NO TIME TO BREATHE??

Okay. So let's talk about lineup first. Bottas, Russell, Verstappen, Lecrerc, Perez, Kvyat - like, whaaatt??? - Ricciardo, Sainz, and so on and so on I forgot the rest. But just look at this top 5. Four top teams were there. Then followed by the favorite mid-tiers. WHO DIDN'T FREAK OUT WITH THIS LINEUP? I mean, even if Russell messed things up, which would be fine, because he was only a reserve driver and that car belonged to you-know-who, there were still Max, Charles, Sergio, and Daniel. AND CHARLES!? Literally everyone rejoiced to see him back up there, casually starting fourth like a good ol' fashioned Ferrari! THIS WAS LIKE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF F1 FANS FANTASY LINEUP! Oh the idea of seeing two Mercedes, a Red Bull, a Ferrari and a Racing Point run in a very interesting almost square-like track it gave me a mini o*gasm already.

You can't tell how excited I was when the time was already reaching close. When coast was clear and all twenty cars did their formation lap. And then lights out.

For a split second it was all over the place. Some drivers were still on their current position but already running, until I saw both Mercedes were side by side entering the first corner... revealing that George exited first to snatch the lead.

George Russell. Snatched. The Lead.

AND I WAS INSTANTLY LOSING MYSELF. I screamed as if he was my favorite driver. George Russell led the race, and after overtaking Bottas, he fled away, creating some distance between him and his temporary team mate and then BOOM! Crash happened just behind them Mercedes.

One crash. That made the top three contenders swept away, two of which even had to retire early. Lecrerc booped on the back of charging Perez, sending the pink car spinning and the red car widened to the direction of Max Verstappen. Max and Charles DNF-ed instantly after both ended up kissing the barrier, and Sergio Perez, dropped from almost P3 to P18. FVCKING CRAZY TO THINK THAT IT ALL HAPPENED IN JUST THE FIRST LAP, AND ALL OUR FAVORITES TO BE TODAY'S CHAMP JUST GOT SWOOPED AWAY IN AN INSTANT. Phew. As the competitors fell, now the mid-packers were feasting to get the empty spots.

Things went smoothly for Georgie. Most fights happened in the middle pack, as usual, and both Mercedes swayed on the far front, as usual, but the feeling was unusual. Because I enjoyed it this time. EVERYONE, must've been enjoying that this time. We wanted George to keep on running and just wrap up the race so we could see him as the winner of Sakhir Grand Prix. We did want that, we really really longed to see that, and we were actually seeing that happening.

Until Safety Car deployed.

The type that would change everything.

This time was thanks to Jack Aitken's crash, causing his front nose break and debris all over the track. Thanks to Jack Aitken, which was driving a Williams car. A Williams car which seat was free, because the driver moved to Mercedes. George's usual car.

George entered pit during this period. It was fine until Mercedes decided to do double stack pit, and suddenly... they're being doofus. The crews messed up the tyres set, giving Bottas' tyres to George and the other way around, sending him out of pit in an instant not knowing their errors because Bottas was waiting. They realized they made a mistake when they did Bottas, and that was why it took them forever to do his pit. Long story short, after one lap George was recalled to the pit to switch the tyres again.

Oh my God. I swear when it happened, I'm losing my knees it feels like both of them were disjointed I couldn't stand again. It's as if I was the one being robbed. The best F1 team made a very foolish mistake that looked so unprofessional. COULDN'T YOU FREAKING BELIEVE THAT?? And for that sort of stupidity to happen when the seat was filled by a promising reserve driver, not when His Majesty Lewis Hamilton was onboard it felt like... DID YOU GUYS DO THAT ON PURPOSE???

I was so gutted here. It was lap 64, and all of my excitement towards George was for what? Seeing him now several places behind where he should be, and even worse, behind Bottas?? Seeing that super dumb tyre mixed-up made me question Mercedes' strategy, and whether they'd want to let Bottas give way to George later on. I didn't care about Perez, Ocon, and Stroll in front of them because I thought they hadn't pitted and that they'd give the P1-2 back somehow, but, WE DON'T WANT TO SEE GEORGE FINISH SECOND!

Race resumed, and as expected, George fought for the 4th place. Against Bottas. This was really REALLY concerning because a little mistake would create an unnecessary contact and SWOOSH! Bye bye both Mercedes. I was curling so hard on my couch like a cold cat, not sure how to react to every single too-much-too-bald moves from George. Because hey, it's not his car and it would be easy for him to lose grip!

But that kid really was a crazy son of a Brit. After a few laps, George took on Bottas, closing in, and FOR FUDGE'S SAKE A BIT TOO CLOSE, and finally OVERTOOK BOTTAS YET AGAIN WHICH MEANS THAT HE DID THAT TWICE IN JUST A SINGLE RACE! OH MY FREAKING GOD! I WAS LITERALLY SQUIRMING AND ROLLING HERE AND THERE WHEN THAT HAPPENED! I SWEAR I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE CHEERING FOR A MERCEDES CAR LIKE THIS! THE FACT THAT HE'S AN UNDERRATED DRIVER GIVEN A CHANCE TO PROVE HIMSELF REALLY MADE ME LOWER MY EGO AND WOULD WANT TO SUCK UP TO THE TEAM I LIKE THE LEAST! GOD HOW COULD F1 DO THIS TO VICKY AMIN!?!? HAHA!

I skyrocketed from being uber upset to super excited! For a split second I completely forgot about the foolishness Mercedes did, because Russell was now ahead of Bottas. It was just a matter of time until he could kick the three worms off of his way, and there he did! He gained back to P2 in just one lap. Meanwhile Bottas, after getting overtaken by Russell, seemed to be losing it and got raped by Sainz, Danny Ric and even Albon.

But I guess I've made one too many jinx out of George. All of us F1 fans did jinx the poor guy. And we forget the fact that this is 2020, the year of fuckery. Also the fact that this was not Lewis Hamilton, whose luck was divine and beyond compare.

Just before Russell got the chance to take on Perez and snatch back his place, a crazy thing happened. A crazy thing that made me decided that this race was a fucker because it really played with my emotions. From up there being all too excited, crash landing to earth thanks to the idiotic double-stacking-gone-wrong, to high up again until I feel like I reached the climax, now back down even deeper than the center of the hell.

George was called back in.

He got puncture, they said, sending George back to pit for a total of 4 stops which until now I really can't comprehend on why, WHY, did that have to happen??? Why did this have to happen to a pure fresh talent hungry for a boost that could make him go even further??? WHY ON EARTH ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WHEN IT WAS NOT LEWIS HAMILTON WHO WAS THEIR DRIVER, WHEN HE WAS NOT ONBOARD, WHEN HE WAS NOT FIGHTING FOR HIS YET ANOTHER WIN!?!?

That cost Russell his chance to win. He even almost lost his chance to score points because out of pit, he joined the pack on 14th place. Thank God he still made it to the points sector and finished 9th, giving him a sad 2-point finish which happened to be his first ever points. At least he got something but, what's the beauty in that, after for 60 laps or so was looking at the grandeur of being the race winner? I don't know how it was like to be him. I really don't, and I hope I don't ever have to. I feel so terrible, and it wasn't even on me. It wasn't even my favorite driver. I was just being a human.

But then the human side of me wasn't all completely devastated. Because although the man we wanted the most to win the race eventually didn't, the place went to the second-best deserving driver whom I'm sure no one would ever be against it.

The Overlooked Sergio Perez.

The real hero of Bahrain last night. The real driver of the day, if it wasn't for everyone thinking Russell would win, or everyone voting him out of pity. Sergio started 5th originally, and then the crash made him drop to 18th, only above Max and Charles whom both DNF-ed, which means that he was basically at the bottom. But he crawled back up there, slowly but steadily, all while all of us were swooned by George's charm and smooth operation.

From the bottom of the pack to the points sector, Sergio's first meaningful fight was against the weirdly-underperforming-throughout-the-weekend Norris and obviously-not-deserving-an-RB-seat Albon for 9th place. Passing those two, it was apparently fast for him to get even higher. Having an early pit after the crash surprisingly gave him all the benefits as the others started to pit and struggle between medium or hard strategies, Mr Perez went on with the yellow tyre.

His last decisive maneuver was when he overtook both Lance Stroll and then Esteban Ocon, which would stay like that until the end of the race. Little did he know that Mercedes had a plan to "destroy" George's chance to win, and eventually gave free space for him to be the race leader, making his supposedly P3 a winning spot.

Sergio Perez finally won his maiden Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon got his first podium, Stroll got his second of the year which made it double podium for Racing Point, but I didn't care. I didn't really care about all those additional sugar icings because the main cherry on top was Sergio Perez. He deserved every little second up there on that podium.

And for some time we were really distracted from the sorrow of George's big loss. He was robbed, big time, and we felt really REALLY crushed for him, but honestly, we couldn't ask for a better consolation. Sergio Perez winning Sakhir Grand Prix is the only thing that could really cure our heartbreak and no one would complain about that.

Frantic. Mental. Insane.

We've been waiting for this race, for George Russell specifically, actually, and it gave us endless insanity. I swear I've never been so stuck to a race before I mean, I usually got distracted for like a total of quarter of the race. This time, my eyes were fixed almost all the time.

Well we've been waiting for Mr Russell, but good luck wasn't with him.

But again it's okay. It's MORE THAN OKAY, because the result was as much fulfilling.

So whatever the ending was, really,
Eventually I'd say the same anyway:
That Sakhir was Sick!

Fratelli d'Italia, L'Italia s'è Desta (Ancora)

We thought it’d be just another boring race.

And I thought it'd be a difficult week to go through.

Truth be told, we were all oh so wrong.

Watching Formula 1 had been really, REALLY painful lately. For basically almost every race, we could predict what would happen. A Mercedes 1-2 for both Quali and the actual race, with Max or Racing Points could give a worthy fight. The last good race was Austria, which was actually the first race of the season - so of course it'd be fun because we hadn't watched any race for like 8 months - and it was like, seven races ago... But this was Monza. At least it's a legendary circuit, and it's rude for us to despise it.

However, this was the time I kind of... feel afraid to embrace. Why because exactly last year, I was actually there. I was a part of those tifosi in Monza, in that legendary circuit of Italia, witnessing the shocking win of a Ferrari, in front of their home spectators. It was simply one of the best life experience I could ever have, and today, just staying at home watching the GP from my couch, only able to imagine things thanks to the pandemic, really, it broke me inside out. I was so sure that I wouldn't be able to survive this weekend because, well, let's just say because I'm an emotional crybaby bitch.

Then came the Qualification.

And hopes got a bit high after Quali. With Sainz started third and Ricciardo not so far behind, I felt like it could be a fresh air for the race. And to distract myself from my sorrowful nostalgia. Same Mercedes 1-2 start, yes, as usual, but at least we have a new color up there eh?

Then came the Race Day.

And things got heated up even from the lights out. Bottas somehow lost it - puncture he said - and kept losing places. Both McLarens suddenly emerged to P2-3 with Dan on P4. If it ended this way, which was what I hoped for some times during the race, I’d be more than happy. Same Mercedes win, same LEWIS win, but at least we have a new color up there eh? And who would say no to McLaren double podium win??

Then things got EVEN more heated up when Kevin retired. And safety car deployed, and pit lane closed BUT FREAKING HAMILTON ENTERED TO PIT. This was the major turn of event because Giovinazzi, who did the same thing, got punished with a stop-and-go 10s penalty. It took quiet some time for us to know how Lewis would be punished, AND IT WAS SUCH A WAITING-IN-VAIN MOMENT!

Safety car ended and things got pretty shuffled afterwards, with Lewis still on top, yet both McLarens lost places as they went into pit once the lane was opened again. At this point I was a bit pissed because I really wanted them to win. Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll, however, with their teams’ “risky” strategy for not pitting, suddenly earned themselves P2-3 spots. Here I was like, well, they would need to pit later somehow, so Carlos and Lando will regain their places soon.

BUT. Little did I know that another big bang would happen.

Charles Lecrerc crash. This accident alone is really heartbreaking because some laps before, Vettel got some brake issues and retired. First retirement of the race, topping their shit performances all weekend. Shit performances in their home grand prix. Shit performances for Sebastian Vettel, in their home grand prix. Shit performances for Sebastian Vettel, in his last year home grand prix with Ferrari. I swear I felt really REALLY bad for him...

Now back to Lecrerc's crash. It was pretty big, and it ended up with a red flag. All cars then returned to pit, and this was the race's next turn of event. A VERY BIG ONE. Because not so long after the red flag announcement, stewards finally decided to give the same stop-and-go 10s penalty to Lewis. And I swear I could hear the whole world celebrating. Because this only meant that when the race resumed, Lewis would drop nastily from top to bottom. Oh he'd drive his ass back to top, for sure, but with the race already gone half way, he might not be the winner and that's for sure.

So now it left us with A VERY OPEN POSSIBILITY for everyone else to snatch that spot Lewis brilliantly ditched. Gasly and Stroll secured positions in P2-3 but we knew it would be P1-2 soon when Lewis served his penalty. Oh yea of course they took the opportunity to switch compounds, so all they needed to do next was just to defend their position without having to worry about tyres.

Raikkonen and Giovinazzi stopped at P4-5 during red flag but we knew that they were not big threats - especially because they switched to softs I mean, why?? Sainz was at P6, thanks to him switching tyres just before the red flag, and this, my friend, was where the drama began.

Then Italian GP 2020 restarted.

It was a standing start, and after one lap, Lewis entered pit and did the penalty. And that was the end for Mercedes for this race. With Bottas struggling, and everyone on top would fight their asses off to defend their place, they wouldn't be dominating today.

Gasly led the race ever since. Sainz charged from P6 to P2, taking on Kimi and Lance, finally battling fiercely with the French guy. For many laps, distance closed in slowly but sure from 3s to .5 ish. At this time, I really wanted Carlos to win. So bad. Because he must really wanted it. He needed to bring a title as he steps into the garage of Ferrari next season. He needed to have at least one win before he’d be struggling next season with Ferrari. He needed this to calm himself before the Italian storm!

But I tried to look from Pierre’s perspective too. This could also be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him. His team is a total midfield player so an opportunity like this might not happen often later. But I guess most importantly, he needed to prove something with this win. Given that exactly this time last year, he was dropped from RB to Toro Rosso.

I remembered last year in Monza on Saturday, just before the Quali, we had a meet-up and Q&A session with some drivers. Alpha Tauri were on stage, and there was this guy who stood exactly beside me asking some question to Kvyat, and it goes like this:

"Dani, do you think you'd have a future to go back to Red Bull? No offence to you Pierre."

NO KIDDING HE DID ASK THAT! And I swear Gasly's face was so fucking pissed. He was just demoted from Red Bull the race before Monza, and this stupid guy out of courtesy asked this harsh question in his face? I'm pretty sure it bugged Gasly so bad, that so for a year, he'd been fighting hard to prove things wrong. To prove that those people made bad mistakes by kicking him out of the team. This win, can be a nice slap in the face for Helmut Marko.

Battle got even crazier between the French guy and the Spaniard. I swear, it was really intense! Felt like my adrenaline rushed and I didn't even drive the car lol. But believe me, I screamed like an old lady like so many times during these last laps. Especially on the final lap, when Carlos really closed it like sooooo tiiigghhht!

Finally, Sainz couldn't make it. Gasly won.

Pierre Gasly, is the winner of Italian Grand Prix.

I screamed like I was a fan of his. Because hey whoever your favorite driver was, you'd feel the same. You'd feel happy for Gasly. You'd celebrate the end of this Italian Grand Prix. Especially knowing that he became the first French winner since 1994. Sainz was P2, Stroll P3, and this was the second win for ALL THREE OF THEM - Gasly's first was Germany 2019, Sainz's was Brazil 2019, Stroll Azerbaijan 2017.

All these good news, really, it made this race even more beautiful.

We didn’t expect that an Italian anthem would play in Monza this year, given the fact that Ferrari was doing poorly lately. But the universe had another plan. So whoever thought it’d be just another boring race, and I'm pretty sure most of us did, well, we're wrong. I really can’t imagine to have this race with tifosi.

Honestly, I was going to repost last year’s Monza situation as the race ended, because I was expecting that it’d be another Mercedes 1-2 and the race would be boring and totally different with last year. But of course I dropped that plan, because it turned out to be the other way around. So when I thought it'd be a difficult week to go through, well, I was wrong. I got distracted, in a very very amazing way. It became the best one yet. Immediately, instantly.

I came across so many tweets and comments saying that “this kind of race is why I love F1”, literally so many, and I couldn't agree more! We do need variations and unexpected results like this! I’m not trying to be negative here but, it’s just so crazy to see everyone’s euphoria for Gasly’s win. It’s obvious that we’ve had enough of Mercedes domination. Next week we might be back to that pattern, but to hell with next week let’s just enjoy the result of this week first :)

Amazing.

Utterly crazy amazing.

Apparently Italy always have something to offer.

Although yea, this year I just watched it from my couch.

Still,

Grazie, Italia!

It Finally Begins

Seven months.

Seven, fucking, months, oh for crying out loud - oh, yeah, I won't bother typing 'fucking' as 'fvcking' anymore because I've had enough I DON'T WANT TO BE POLITE HERE!? That's how long we F1 fans had to wait for the first race of the season, from the end of last year's.

This fucking pandemic is getting really out of hand. It RUINED everything. Oh, like totally everything, but since I'll be talking about F1 in this post, let's just stick to only F1-related stuff.

So to begin with, I planned to continue my 4-year-streak of watching F1 live this year. It was either Australia or Vietnam. Australia, because I still have a valid visa that will expire this year, and Vietnam, because it'd be their very first Grand Prix. But the outbreak got worse by the beginning of March, and so AustraliaGP canceled. Okay, let's see for Vietnam, I said to myself. But the outbreak got even worse and worse that flights are canceled and events are even canceled-er and so, VietnamGP of course canceled-est!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!? But hey that's not the worst part. I've mentioned the worst part: with all these canceled Grands Prix, we had to extend our vacuum of F1 intake for another four fucking months, and so in total we had to wait for SEVEN, FUCKING, MONTHS!

Phew, okay, I've let go all the steam.

Now let's get into the better part.

F1 Finally Begins

To be honest, I prefer the 2019 version of the opening theme but

I don't want to complain because F1 IS HERE!

After GP by GP announcing their cancellation, we've come to the ultimate fate that the Formula One 2020 season would start THIS JULY, with two Austrian GPs back-to-back as the grand opening. Lol, yea you read it right: TWO. Weird. But for God's sake who cares about the quote-unquote weird formatting -- we no longer give any shit because we've been needing any kinds of racing action! ANY! Lol okay chill, Vick.

So yea, this was it. YESTERDAY, was it. The day we've been waiting for, after seven fucking months of waiting painfully. I got to admit that four months stuck in a self-quarantine was like an emotional rollercoaster ride to me with its ups and downs about many things in life that sometimes I forgot that I needed to watch F1. But when this week came, and everyone's euphoria sky-rocketed like crazy, I just realized that WE'VE BEEN MISSING THIS SHIT SO BAD!!!

I lie if I tell you that I didn't freak out when the race day finally came. Because I did, freak out like an old lady. Usually I had this annual watching-together with some fellow F1 fans - hi Arga and Chita! - for Australian Grand Prix but thanks to COVID, this year we started the season only through group chat. But the tension was the same lol because I swear we talked and screamed a lot - virtually - and flooded the group like crazy. From practices to quali, the nearer we got to lights out, the talkier we became.

And finally it was lights out.

MY LOOOORDDD I'VE MISSED THIS SPECTACLE!!!
Pic's from here.

Ugh my heart, felt like it exploded! WE HAVEN'T HAD LIGHTS OUT FOR 7 MONTHS OH MY GOD I WAS TREMBLING TO FINALLY SEE IT - too much? It started so smoothly, this Austrian Grand Prix, a bit disappointing to be honest, because we wanted crashes didn't we? Ha ha.

Not long after, drama starts: Max's P2 ended with, an electrical fault (?), giving a Merc 1-2 yet again which I would not love to see... oh, yes, if you're new to my F1 approach, I'm not the biggest fan of Mercedes' dominance. I'm rooting for Bottas, still, because he's the 'underdog' worth to support there, but as for collective Mercedes, I'm just not up for it. So Max's failure was such a loss to me. But not as much loss as Daniel's retirement. He failed too and seriously, I lost my appetite from there onwards. I thought that was it for the race, I'm done, I don't want to continue, but thank God I didn't make that stupid decision. Because other teams are WORTH rooting for.

Especially Racing Point. They had been oh so promising throughout the weekend. Said to be the Mercedes of the past. I was so joyed to see them, Checo, specifically, and it just felt so awesome to watch them fighting on top-tier grid, given their last year's not-so-fulfilling performances. He got a bit too fired up though, I guess, because at some point during a pit he sped up and almost hit Norris!

Ferrari was fun to watch too, because, admit it, you want to see them challenge Mercedes. So them starting weak was more like a good-guy-losing-first kind of moment that made us want to wait for whatever they had under their sleeve. They were slow-but-surely-rising, well at least for Lecrerc, as he started midpack then slowly gained position... Vettel on the other hand, ugh, well, I still feel bad for Vettel - the one versus Carlos, which sent him all the way back to the bottom.

Let me show you some turmoil my friends and I had during the race.
This is after Vettel had contact with Sainz.

Back to top, Mercedes' gaps with the others were totally unbelievable. They seemed untouchable, making me wanting some dramas so others could come closing in. Hamilton charging from P5 to P2 - partly thanks to Verstappen out, closing in with Bottas and constantly keeping the gap below 1s was, surprisingly, nerve-wrecking to watch. Because I would want the Finn to defend his place.

We're not even halfway done yet. In fact, it was about to get better. Especially when God gave us something even crazier: two safety cars - or more? - with highlight on the second SC, where Perez on P3 decided to stay with medium tyres while Albon on P4 switched to soft. It freaking created an intense prediction of who will conquer whom and apparently, the drama DID HAPPEN BECAUSE ALBON OVERTOOK PEREZ, but then he slowed down for yet another yellow flag - this time for Kimi - AND PEREZ TOOK BACK HIS P3 LIKE OH MY GOOD CAN WE BREATHE A LITTLE FIRST!? Fucking crazy I couldn't stop screeching like a rat!

With Kimi out, we had seven DNFs already! Seven!? Verstappen, Ricciardo, Stroll, Magnussen, Grosjean, Russell, and Raikkonen. Plus Albon and Kvyat toward the end, it all came to a total of NINE FREAKING DNFs! This gave me a side excitement remembering that this season's newcomer, Nicholas Latifi, WAS STILL ON THE RACE and could possibly GET A POINT! ON HIS DEBUT RACE IN F1!! AND DRIVING A FREAKING WILLIAMS!!? My God, there were just so much dimension of fun in this race alone, and honestly, I LOST MY GRIP MOST OF THE TIME, MY FRIENDS AND I STARTED TO MAKE TYPOS AND IRRATIONAL SENTENCES IN OUR GROUP CHAT!

Another fun stuff? Hamilton's downfall, thanks to his own mistakes. See, he should've started the race from P2 but got 5s penalty for not slowing for a yellow flag during quali. Then he succeeded in finishing 2nd for the race, but got yet another 5s penalty for his contact with Albon -- which leads us to something so worth talking about: I'm not a big fan of the Thai guy, BUT MAN I FELT SORRY FOR HIM!? He was like, the podium was just around the corner for him but then, it's Brazil 2019 all over again!? AND WITH THE SAME BAD GUY AGAIN!?!? Crazy.

And this is when Lewis(a) crushed Albon's chance to win.

Now we're reaching the end of the race. Bottas was clearly getting it, he was fast though kind of slowing down - him and Lewis kept scoring fastest laps, but towards the end, Lecrerc got it and finally it was Lando who came out to be the fastest... something's wrong, Mercedes? Hamilton was P2, but he got that 5s penalty from crashing with Albon. Charles was P3, and Perez was P4, but they'd be P2 and P3 once Ham's getting his penalty. IT COULD'VE BEEN A VERY COLORFUL PODIUM with red and pink on top, but guess what--PEREZ ALSO GOT A 5S PENALTY FOR SPEEDING UP ON THE LANE - the one where he almost 'kissed' Lando.

I was like, WHAT THE HELL!? So Hamilton gets P3?? I feel like this is it. FIA is vouching for the celebrity. He and his team was allowed for that DAS thing, then he was almost getting away with the yellow flag drama if it weren't for Red Bull's protest, and now this!? How can we stop him from benefitting??

But guess who saved the day: Mr Lando Norris. Snatched the third podium from the reigning champion. Finishing somewhat just point two seconds faster than Hamilton. POINT TWO!? GOSH, IF HE WAS SLOWER BY JUST POINT SOMETHING SECONDS THE PODIUM WOULD'VE BEEN DOMINATED BY MERCEDES AGAIN!? Oh my God he was such a savior. And not only for his last-minute gig.

Norris, along with McLaren, had been pretty amazing throughout the weekend - at least to me. Both he and Sainz made it to Q3, securing both P4 and P8, and even better, the milk guy got promoted to P3 for Hamilton's penalty. THE KID STARTED THE RACE FROM THE SECOND ROW! Then during the race they've been showing some constant performances, resulting in a podium and a P5. Amazing work, McLaren's, really. Their growth was just so pleasant to see, especially since we've  all seen them during their dark ages. They deserve this big win and that celebration of their team, ohh, such a delight to see!

Our reaction was as happy as those on McLaren's garage.

And there you go.

A race that we've been waiting for for seven months. SEVEN FUCKING MONTHS. On Saturday I was a bit hesitant because it would seem to be yet another Mercedes 1-2 score, with only Max as our trump card to spice things up - because both Ferraris were a bit on the back. Who would have thought that the result would come up like this???

Dang, man, I really can't wait for the next one.

Same track. Same drivers. Same day next week.

Some would say it's boring, I'd say it's exciting.

Because it'll be like revenge for many of the drivers.

For Max, for Daniel, for the others who did not finish, for Albon - OH MY GOD I WOULD WANT TO SEE HIM CHALLENGE LEWIS LIKE RIGHT NOW, for Latifi to actually score a point, basically, FOR EVERY ONE!

Seven months.

Seven, fucking, months, oh for crying out loud.

This color combination... I'm sincerely hoping that from now on, podiums would be
as colorful as this! Even with other colors! Pic's from here.

It finally begins. And it's

What we've been waiting for.

この声枯らして

Let's talk about Formula One.

Guess I haven't really done it this year.

This season has been... well, not so bad. But as always, I will never be tired and losing interest to rant about F1. The races, the cars, the drivers, the transfers -oh, the transfers... a different post will be made to talk about this soon, anything!

Including, of course, the plan to once again watch a race live.

So I did Singapore two years ago. The closest possibility from Indonesia. It was a blast, giving the fact that my favorite guy Daniel won the second place. And of course, because it was my first ever Grand Prix.

Then last year I was in Malaysia. Oh, that one was a complete package. Real circuit, real fans -the one in Singapore is made of 90% concert goers, eewwhh, real atmosphere, real activities, all packaged with Daniel -again- making it into podium after giving such a good fight, and then completed with me actually seeing him with my very own eyes, OH MY LORD, that was the best!

Now I did the closest, then the second closest -though we had to say bye to Malaysia :(- and I guess it's only natural if this year, I maintain my streak, to come to yet another Grand Prix, not so far but at least an upgrade from the last one.

Yea, the choice was

Japanese Grand Prix

Well, well, well. Another crazy, spontaneous decision I ever taken, THAT, I'm totally proud of. Because, hello, THIS IS SUZUKA! One of the drivers' most favorite circuit, and obviously the favorite Grand Prix too because of the atmosphere and the fans OH MY GOD EVEN JUST TYPING THIS MAKES ME WANT TO GO THERE AGAIN :((

This time was a quiet new experience too, as I had to go quiet far from where I stayed, to the circuit. Unlike in Singapore where I could just walk, or in Sepang where I just needed to board a shuttle bus and then bam, I was already at the circuit gate.

The nearest big city from Suzuka is Nagoya, which thankfully I haven't visited yet, so it was just like a big big coincidence. From Nagoya I needed to take a train to, umm, I forgot the name of the station, but it was like a one-hour ride. From there I needed to switch to a smaller local train to Suzuka, and from the train stop, I still had to walk for another 20 minutes to reach the circuit.

HOWEVER. I didn't mind at all, because even from Nagoya, even from the very first moment when I had to wait for the very first train, ALL THE F1 FANS WERE THERE TOO! And that's why I said it was such a new experience to me!

Then the atmosphere now. Gosh, I can't even start on this one. Suzuka was so alive! Well, Sepang too, actually -especially because it was their last Grand Prix ever, but it was just different in Japan! The fans wearing weird costumes, the enthusiasm all expressed in Japanese, the shops selling lots of trinkets, IT'S LIKE WATCHING ANIME OF RACING!

My ticket was valid for all three days of the race. It's much more expensive than the one I bought in Malaysia -of course, buddy, it's Japan, so the class was a bit lower too, only a wooden bench without shelters. And yea, it was just the beginning of autumn in Japan, so summer rain was still pouring -don't ask me how wet I could get, and then dried again, then wet again lalala BUT I DON'T CARE BECAUSE IT'S SUZUKA! One thing a bit disappointing was, from the bench I sat, there were no screen for me to update everything on track. I had to walk a bit to the other part of the class, but then, when I found a screen, the commentators were in Japanese...

Oh, well, it's the ambiance that I bought, no?

Still I spent the first day moving from Tokyo to Nagoya, so I missed the Free Practices. But on Saturday, ho ho ho, of course I wouldn't miss it for the world! Went there early to check out the circuit and by "circuit" I meant THE WHOLE circuit. From the entrance, to the shops, the theme parks, the inner circuit, and of course my own seat category. Doing this so for the race day, I wouldn't need to do that all over again and would just focus on the race itself.

Qualifying started, and ended so quickly -because, well, I didn't know what was going on... and with my whole body soaking wet, I went to the main stage area of the fan zone because I knew something was about to happen: the drivers on stage!

I didn't get to do this last year in Sepang for some reasons -lateness reason- so I was damn ready for this one. For Massa, as he was the first one I saw on stage. For Kimi. For Mika Hakkinen. And finally, and this is why I'm writing about this, FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO AND HIS RED BULL GANG -oh yea, including Max too- OH MY GODDD!!!

I'm being a crazy fanboy again, just like last year. Daniel didn't make it on top this year in Japan, BUT STILL, even if he starts from the back, I'D SCREAM FOR HIM!!! So he did the interview, speaking some Japanese words that cracked the audience up, and finally came to the middle, fvcking closing in to me, and my scream was like, damn, oh getting so louder! That was one of the highlight of this Grand Prix to me.

As for the race day itself, honestly, it wasn't that enjoyable. Again, thanks to the no-screen and the no-English-commentators -one of a few pain in my ass for watching a Grand Prix live. HOWEVER, again, it was the atmosphere that I bought. So I sank deeper in every event, from the drivers parade, the marshalls that performed some fantastic car-imitating gig, the first lap, the laps that followed, and blended in with my surroundings, savouring every weird yet unique fan tidbits and their reactions, EVERY. SINGLE. THING, and I enjoyed it all!

Plus, the spectators helped building the hype. People around me consisted of fans of different F1 teams, so it wasn't so intimidating. But most of Japanese were shouting for Scuderia Torro Rosso team, which was a bit confusing to me, but when I asked an F1 store guy at Nagoya Station why they were so into the team -yea, when I was buying the official Red Bull jersey, I just realized that the engine of the team was Honda. And of course, Japanese would cheer for Honda.

Plus, it was the very first time I'm traveling with a decent camera. That could also snap different kinds of situation. So instead of complaining about how I couldn't really enjoy the race, I wandered around the seating area, took pics of everything I found interesting—until the next thing I know, the race was over -Lewis won, of course, yay. . . . . . . .- and here goes the best thing of this Grand Prix.

The Circuit Visit.

But no, it wasn't like last year. No breaking in, no cage destroying, no running into the track like a free gazelle. It's Japan, remember? So when Lewis passed the chequered flag, people started to get down the seating area, approaching nearer entry gate to the circuit, and, as Japanese would be expected to do -although there were more people there and not only Japanese- queuing.

That was quiet hilarious. I mean, when I was standing on the line, I recalled what happened last year. When people went mad and crazy and didn't really think of being arrested by the officials for trespassing something not really certain can be passed or not, and poured over the circuit. Today, just a year later, everyone submissively waited on a freaking line, missing the podium scene though could listen to what happened there from the megaphone, then kept waiting in uncertainty.

Then the gate was opened. Oh my God. My heart was beating fast. I'M ABOUT TO ENTER SUZUKA!!!

And so I stepped into the track.
And it felt like a pilgrimage.

I almost lose it. I was so close to actually cry. 15 minutes ago 20 cars I just saw on the track, which I could usually just see on the TV screen, were running along the roads I was walking on exactly right now. I could still see the tyre marks here and there. People even touched it in awe. They also picked some unusual debris from the track, hoping that it was some sort of a leftover from the cars they love.

Of course I was doing the same. Touching the roads, picking up stuff, taking photos, lots of photos, and capturing mental pictures of everything I saw around me. For it was Suzuka, one of the world's F1 haven which everyone loves.

It took me almost two hours I think, to explore every corner of the circuit. Yes, EVERY. CORNER. It was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity eh, so why would I rush things? Plus it's not like I had other things to do after this anyway, so, of course!

Also, I think it was because it would be my last time wearing Danny Ric's Red Bull cap—and I guess it was also the main reason why the whole race wasn't quiet fun for me.

Dan is leaving Red Bull.

It sucks actually, to know that it'd happen. For the past three seasons, past three years and past three Grands Prix I watched live, it was always him that I cheered upon. In Singapore when he finished second and just so close to Rosberg. In Sepang when he finished third and almost lost it to Vettel -I won't forget how I, the only Red Bull fan among Mercedes Petronas patron, shrieked every time Ric almost dropped his position. And just now in Suzuka, though he didn't do quiet well anyway.

Next year he'll be with Renault. Oh of course I'll still be supporting him, but I gotta be real, I'm pretty sure I won't see him that much on top of the grid anymore. He'll be playing mid-pack, with the Force Indias and Haas's. It's just, it'll be weird not to see his name gracing the Top 6 that much.

Well anyhow, I didn't really think of it that much when I was on the track of Suzuka. I just wore my Dan cap with full pride, and Red Bull banner on my back as a cape, then trace every single inches of it. All the way from the moment when the sun was still striking, until it gave in and concealed itself behind the iconic Suzuka ferris wheel. And the whole track turned purple-ish and quiet, slowly left by satisfied motor-racing fan.

And I stepped out of Suzuka, with my voice all dried out,

And full awareness that this has become another amazing,

Memorable Grand Prix.

And as I walked back from the circuit to the station, with oh so many other F1 fans around, I talked to myself that this has got to continue. Always. Watching a Grand Prix live, it CANNOT end here. I need to make it an annual ritual, I don't care if it comes with my annual trip, or separated, but this has to happen every year.

Because it's not just about watching the race.

Not even about supporting a certain favorite driver.

It's about the atmosphere. Being one with the likeminded people.

Your people.

And together with them, scream until

Your voice withered

A Dilemmatic Fan

Imagine that you're a new fan of something awesome.

You began to love its actions. Its progresses. Its characters, its identities, its colors, its back stories and whatever related to it. You've then been to places they been to. Come to places they fought at. Just be present for them, to support them, for at least these past two years.

Imagine all those fanships you've been through.
And that "something awesome" left.

Daniel Ricciardo is Leaving for Renault.

Fudge, really... anyways, pic's from here.

No, the guy is not leaving F1.
But he's leaving the team I thought I'd cheer for quiet some time.

But to have my favorite driver leaving my favorite team, now it left me with two options: should I keep on Daniel's side, or should I stay being a Red Bull fan, cheering for Max and God knows who the other driver will be? Should I be a fanboy of a guy, or a supporter of a team?

Well I guess I'm the first type of fan.

Dang, it's such a shame, because I like Red Bull. A lot. I grew fond for the team. I bought the car replica when watching the Singapore Grand Prix. I bought the big banner when attending the Malaysia Grand Prix. I'm planning to buy a freaking not-at-all-cheap jersey when coming for Japan Grand Prix later this year, for it'd be so weird to be a part of the Honda-fans crowd while not wearing any Red Bull attributes!

Being on top-tier of the grid, but not necessarily on the highest of the rank, it's really fun to watch Red Bull. There were times when they had to lose, but more times when they won, so it was just so fun with the rollercoaster non-frustrating times! I've been to Singapore, Sepang, and will go to Suzuka for this team, and none of them failed me nor would later. Now that I have to learn how to love Renault, I don't know if I'd have the same euphoria.

Honestly, it's a no brainer consideration, really. I could just support anyone or any team, and still have fun watching F1 despite whoever wins. But still, it's much nicer when you're attached to something, no?

So yea I'm staying with Daniel.
But I guess it's no harm to still follow Red Bull's streak, eh?
Being a double agent or something?

Thank You, Malaysia

Mmm no. If you think that the country had done anything good to me and my life, no. I still hate them for whatever they did to my nation—but hey! Let’s not talk about that now. Let’s talk about, real goodness that Malaysia did for a particular interest of mine.

Yep, Formula One.

Sorry guys, the topic is not over yet.

I believed I mentioned that this year’s Malaysia Grand Prix is the last one ever, right? I know, it’s really sad. Although this guy inside of me felt a bit happy because if us Indonesians can’t enjoy the race, what makes you Malaysians can? But when I get to think it thoroughly, yea, it’s plain sadness.

Because I just realized that the GP is the cheapest I could get in the world. Singapore may be closer, but the price of the ticket is criminal. They’re so fucking commercialized that people are forced to spend SGD200-300 to get the shittiest spot, for just one day entry –come to think of it, I was so robbed, fuck! I paid less than half of Singapore for Malaysia, and guess what, I got to access all three days of its event! Now that the GP will no longer be there, the cheapest I could get would be China or Japan. But getting my ass up there would cost me the same price for the ticket alone in Singapore last year. Am I screwed?

My heart is broken, for real. I discovered just the most suitable way to fulfill my budding F1 hunger, exactly on its last time running. But who am I kidding? If there are people whose heart break more, it should be those Malaysians.

I mean, seriously. It’s been on for 19 years, and has been an integral part of the country’s annual agenda. Malaysian guys my age grew up watching each and every single races, and Malaysian kids were raised knowing that the GP has always been there. And now, what, it’ll all be gone.

I met an Indian-Malaysian guy while queuing –uselessly– for the drivers’ signing. He was from Johor Bahru, going all the way to Sepang only for the race. When I asked how he felt knowing that this’d be his last race, he said he was okay. Maybe because he just began to like F1 for the last 2 years. But I knew he lied. He liked F1 just as much as I do –as we talked about F1 really a lot, making my useless 2 hours of waiting didn’t seem that long, and if I were him, I would really be devastated.

Because it’s one hell of a pride, hosting an F1 race. It’s such a big brag to see the name of your country lined up with other exclusive nations who are eligible to hold a Grand Prix.

But well, I think that new friend I met wasn’t fully lying. Because when I looked around, I didn’t see even one Malaysian looking all sad and gloomy –one thing I’m pretty sure I’d fail to do, if I were in their shoe.

Everybody seemed to be enjoying their finale. Everybody acted like there would be another race next year, as what they had always feel every year. The whole event was a blast, and I must say, as a customer, I was more than just satisfied. They did great. And ended things up with such awesome dignity.

I wonder how it feels to create the line....

So dear Malaysia,

Personal hatred aside, I feel your sorrow.

And for that first yet last race I had last week,

I thank you

Closer, Closer

So I missed the plan for the second half of 2017.

Damn I've been crazy busy lately you won't ever imagine how it's like to be me -lol who am I again?? But seriously. Juggling with three jobs, two personal projects, and one busy life as an adult at the same time is not quiet like a good idea. I feel like I barely breathe, and have much too limited time to do stuff including to update this blog, and the next thing I know, boom, it's October, and I missed the plan for the second half of 2017.

But no worries. On July, I still had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of the year anyway, so the post will only be full of bullshit. Oh but wait. I knew at least one plan. One, thing, that I did last year so randomly, and I kinda suspected that I'd do again this year. One thing that really matched my "Restart Project".

Formula 1 Race.

Yep. I did it again this year. Was talking to a co-worker about F1, and this little -yet awesome- spontaneous guy inside of me somehow urged me to "buy the ticket for a Grand Prix like right now!" and ta-dah, there I was, in front of my desktop, with my credit card raped.

No, it wasn't Singapore again -man, the price of the ticket was such a ripoff!- so I bought the other one that you might guess. Because as the second GP ever in my entire life, of course I would try the second closest one from home. Yea, it was

Malaysia Grand Prix 2017

Pic's from here.

No considerations. But no regrets. Especially because the ticket consisted all three days of the Grand Prix -the freaking expensive tix I bought for Singapore, was only for the Race Day. But nothing made it better when they announced that it was going to be the last ever Grand Prix in Malaysia. The image of me being a part of the ending of what had been going on for the last 19 years, and how it matched my coming there, I couldn't be any more grateful of that.

The waiting was extra draining, but it was worth the excitement. As when I saw the drivers arrived one by one in Sepang, knowing that they were only 5000kms away and one hour ahead of me, I INSTANTLY FORGOT ABOUT ALL THE WAITINGS!

Then came the weekend. It was oh another spontaneous trip I haven't done for a fair long time. Only packed one bag, which I brought to the office -yes, I didn't want to lose any dayoff so I still went to the office before my flight, caught a late night flight to Malaysia, arrived early on  Saturday morning, took a quick power nap by the airport lounge before heading straight to the circuit which was only several kilometers away from the airport, and decided to stay at a capsule hotel at the airport, well, I must say, I never know anybody who can plan a trip more effective than myself! HA-HA.

Okay enough talking about the trip.

This is not a post about traveling, Vick.

Okay, day one! Day one, was quiet of a bummer at the beginning. Overall it was unbelievable, of course, to be able to wander around the F1 circuit one more time. Plus, this one was much better as I had more access. But I missed the first session of the drivers interview on the stage. And it was Red Bull, the team I'm supporting! Still I got to see Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, even Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel but, I WAS FLYING THERE FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO OH GOD AND I WAS SO CLOSE IN SEEING HIM!

Alright! Chill.

So I missed the interview, not a big deal. It's not like Daniel talked to the fan one by one -if that's really what happened, I wouldn't forgive myself for missing the interview. I still got to enjoy the whole day by taking photos here and there, getting free 360 and free podium jump celebration photo ops, shopping trinkets, enjoying the Free Practice and hell yeah, the main course of the day, the Qualification. After all I returned to the airport fulfilled and hopeful, because on the following day, there was still the drivers signing thing I could take part of.

And so I woke up earlier on Sunday.

Checked out early from the hostel, had early breakfast, and took the earlier bus to the circuit. But of course, when you thought that you did good, somebody else did better. When I got there, the line was like that of a Justin Bieber concert. And that's only the line entering the circuit. When I reached the stage where the signing would take place, God I swear, I felt like I lost any faith in life. It was too long, the queue. And all the people around me were pretty sure that we didn't stand even a chance. But what the heck I tried anyway. Even if it was only Jolyon Palmer, I wouldn't mind -at least he could tell Daniel that I said "hi" to him.

But I think God still wanted me to try harder.
And so they announced that the signing was over.

I was so pissed. Two hours standing, less than halfway to go. If only I woke up even earlier, and ran even faster, I could at least be close enough to the stage that I could shout to attract Daniel's attention. But well it was just a bonus. The main dish was still the main race, and so I kept my head held high and stepped to the grandstand I was assigned to.

Luckily, the race was damn good.

I was so worried that rain would ruin the whole race, but it only showered until a minute before the lights out! So all my worries about this race would end up so boring-ly like Singapore two weeks earlier, it all washed out along with the rainfall. And the race itself was, I may be biased because I was there and it might sound a bit defensive, but the race was to me one of the best in 2017.

The drama was real. The leader changed from the default Hamilton to Verstappen, who had been a bit underestimated because of all the engine problems he suffered. The slippery track made it even more exciting. But of course, the one I screamed so loud about, was Daniel's attempts to regain his place on Top 3 from the Force Indias and Bottas, and, to defend himself from Vettel who surprisingly accelerated like devil from the bottom to P4.

I swear I was all squeaky like an old lady. It was so tight towards the end, between Daniel and Sebastian -I'm sure if there were one or two extra laps, he's done. Best part was, I was surrounded by Ferrari fans. So being all so loud and cringy while Vettel was trying so hard to reach Ricciardo's ass, I swear people were looking at me. But I don't care because I WAS FLYING THERE FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO OH GOD AND THOSE MANEUVERS WERE SO CLOSE!

Finally it ended, and Daniel finished third. Never once in my life I felt so manly -or not?- for supporting some sport stuff with all my heart. Well. What a race. If my day ought to end on that exact second, I wouldn't mind.

But I think God still wanted me to try harder.
And so they opened up the gate for us to go down under.

My adrenaline came rushing. This could be my only chance to get closer to Daniel, remembering that I missed both of the first two chances. Plus, he got podium. Along with Verstappen who finished first. There had to be something going on around the main grandstand.

So I pushed whatever was in front of me. I swifted like an antelope, snatched any empty spot like a cat squeezed itself inside a cardbox half its size. I ran like I've always trained myself days before the race, leaving those slow weaklings before me and joined they who had arrived there in front of the main grandstand. The Dutch national anthem finished playing, and the trophies were all distributed when I arrived in front of the podium. I was so close to him...

I took photos like it was my wedding: A LOT. And even after the drivers left, and people got fed up taking pics, I stayed. I didn't know why but I told myself that I needed to stay, just to fulfill my need to be around the atmosphere. After 30 mins I felt like I had enough, so I began to clear away from the podium front, and walked along the garage.

And I saw these people climbing up the fence in front of a garage. I was too tired to do the same, but like a spotlight from heaven, I saw this one empty spot among these people, ONLY ONE AND I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT LIKE A SWEET SERENDIPITY, calling me with such grand bliss, waiting to be climbed.

You wouldn't believe what happened next. Or you would: I climbed, of course. But what you wouldn't believe is what I saw in front of the fence I climbed.

It was Red Bull's garage.

I don't know how else to say how lucky I was. To stand right in front of their garage. Exactly theirs like, theirs only! And the cars were being dragged inside, the mechanics and engineers were working on some parts with such joy, and us here lining up the fence looking at them with pure happiness. It was quiet for a long time, me standing there doing nothing but looking at the garage. But my guts once again told me to stay for at least 15 more minutes, without knowing why.

And he was right.

People from my right started shouting. That kind of shout in a concert where people realize that it's about to start. That kind of atmosphere in a gig where the main star shows a bit of his presence.

Yep, Daniel appeared.

With Max. And the old lady I unleashed earlier during the race, suddenly came back. As a crazy fanboy who seemed ready to jump in and crouch the idol. My brain was blank, and my mouth kept shouting Daniel's name. Only the name, nothing else. I was blinded by excitement I think I forgot other words but his name. No shame at all, because thanks to that restless shouting, he FUCKING WAVED AT ME, WHAT THE HELL WHY AM I SO EXCITING AND TYPING IN ALL CAPS AGAIN? OH YEAH BECAUSE IT WAS DANIEL RICCIARDO WAVING AT ME, AND HELL YEA IT WAS THE CLOSEST I COULD BE TO HIM!

Fuck, chill Vick, that's not even the best part.

No, I lied. Of course it was the best part.

Although what happened after that was also unforgettable to me. They were appearing in front of the garage to do the trophy shots, as they got double podium that race. My camera never once stopped working. Photos, videos, photos, videos, stupid selfies, photos, I didn't want to miss even one second.

Because I was too lucky, and I wanted to keep this forever.

It looks like a photo taken by journalist, eh? But no. IT'S ME!

No considerations.

But no regrets, at all.

Because all my random plans paid off. All my tight, not-staying-in-downtown-not-even-staying-away-from-the-airport schedule succeeded. And most importantly, my wish to get real close to my idol came true -lol it made me sound like a freaky psychopath BUT TO HELL WITH THAT!.

But I think God still wants me to try harder.
Because after all, I still don't have any photo with the honey badger.

Maybe next time, next time for real.

In Japan, China, or maybe his home Australia,

I'll be actually that close