What did this shirt say that he had to have it???

Fan Forum | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

Not sure what is happening on the Ferrari app...

Bottom 4 of Q1 a.k.a. Misery Loves Company:

Broken wing (ZHO)

Deleted lap (RIC)

Incoming grid penalty (GAS)

A Haas (HUL)

Awww. Poor Sauber Charles.

Fan Forum | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

Charles clearly likes what it says, but we only see the back of it!

Also someone gave him flowers again! 🥰

Fan Forum | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

📸 nyoomf1

The other side of the shirt and the crocheted flowers 🥰🥰🥰

📸 Marty_Bb_

Fan Forum | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

Charles tries his hand at cricket!

And is that Ollie standing in for Carlos? Or is he just there to watch Charles?

Melbourne Walk | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

📸 William West

This is so precious!

Fan Forum | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

🎥 Scuderia Ferrari

Charles always the first to beat himself up (where is that video of Idreau talking about the self-flogging?!)

Charles's Post-Quali Comments | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

🎥 Scuderia Ferrari

One thing cl and team need to work on : settle for the lesser result and not try crazy stuff. I don’t think p5 is that bad and I’m sure he’ll be careful knowing p2 in the WCC can be for so little points.

I always worry about Charles at race start, so the further the front he can start, the better. Now that my disappointment about quali has settled, I can be a little more reasonable about his P5 (now P4 actually).

We may have been all excited about how well we were doing in practice, but it was clear that the Red Bulls were not pushing at 100%. I commend Charles and his team for always trying to push to get just a little more out of the car, to not be satisfied with a P3, to try whatever they can to have a chance at pole.

Just saw Fred said about the same after quali:

My kind of déjà vu: FP3 top 3 is a carbon copy of FP2

FP3 | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

📸 Sky Sports, F1, ausgrandprix

Charles's post-quali comments | Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

📸 Scuderia Ferrari

Charles answering questions during the Fan Forum. This is his face in response to "How many podiums does Carlos have?"

Australian GP Qualifying Day | 23 March 2024

📸 Qian Jun

Ngl, I'm a little disappointed in Charles. Usually, I am all for him being aggressive with his setup and all-or-nothing attitude, but my brother-in-Christ, did you forget the bowling-for-racecars (re-)starts from last year? Being in P3 here puts you in less danger of having a turn 1 crash. Maybe not something he cares about, but I don't particularly care to watch him potentially crash out again in the first lap.

Anyway, going to sleep now, and then I will still have a full day to mull this over before we race...

i’m feeling pretty down after this quali. i’ve been saying since 2019 that charles will smooth out his wrinkles and learn when he needs to accept something other than p1, but it still hasn’t happened. he lacks the consistency and the mentality to be wdc. different situations, but this reminds me so much of imola 2022; charles didn’t want to settle for p3, so he got aggressive, spun, and lost valuable points. again today he decided to be aggressive and likely lost himself points.

he also doesn’t seem to have the ability to communicate his set up needs, which is not ideal. it’s concerning that he’s more comfortable in this car, but still doesn’t understand it. carlos has come to grips much quicker, and he missed a weekend for major abdominal surgery.

First of all, I want to say hats off to Carlos. To even get in an F1 car and drive it so soon after surgery is a feat in itself. To then be able to perform that well in quali is incredible. Mind you, I am not in favor at all of athletes ignoring their injuries because they just have to compete. I also don't think it is wise of him to return to the track as soon as he did, and I am still concerned he may end up regretting his decision tomorrow.

Anyway. Charles does tend to take more risks with setups than Carlos, which sometimes is the better strategy, and sometimes it isn't. When it is, there's a lot of finger pointing at Charles for binning/bottling it, for taking too many risks, blah blah blah. When it isn't, he is everyone's hero (see Baku, Vegas last year).

I agree he does tend to not want to settle when sometimes it would be better (for the points, for the stats, for his reputation). Which is why I was so disappointed right after quali. Felt like he could've been a little less aggressive in his setup, and been able to pull off a better lap.

But I disagree on him not having the consistency/mentality to be a wdc. The inconsistency comes a lot from him driving a car that is so very obviously not at the same level as the Red Bull. The poles (and recent front rows) he's been able to pull out of his car are a testament to his phenomenal driving skills, and willingness to risk it all for P1.

And that is exactly the mentality you need to be a wdc: you have to want to win so bad, you will not be happy with anything less. Ask Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel what it's like driving a car that does not allow you to perform at your best when all you want is to be fighting at the front, and they'll tell you the same, I'm sure. The difference is they all had a championship-winning car at some point, and they have already proven themselves.

pretty sure those flowers are crochet, so not temporary :)

I can't tell from the pictures, but if they are crochet, I feel even worse for the fan who spent all that time making them for all the drivers and only one of them picking them up! 🥺

But yay for Charles, and what a lovely gift to him.