#suzuka gp 2024
Note
hi roro, congrats on your 1k!! you deserve it so much! 💞 if you're still taking requests for ur celebration, can you do prompt 9 🪷 with lando? thank you 🫶
౨ৎ hair dryers and promised mimosas 
﹕─┈ pairings ( Lando norris x female! reader )
°. — summary ( your clingy boyfriend doesn’t want to leave your side so early in the morning )
°. — details ( g; fluff. w; none. I did not proof read soz. wc; 1.8k )
﹕─┈ prompt ~ sitting between their legs as they dry your hair
˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( Ahh tysm lovely! Ur so sweet mwah x i had so much fun writing this ! Tysm for sending in a req !!! I hope you all enjoy it !!! Please don’t be a silent reader )
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There weren't a lot of things that Lando would wake up early for on his days off, it was no secret Lando loved his sleep, and he loved sleeping in your shared bed, especially since he missed it so much while he was off racing. But he loved you more, so when he rolled over in bed, wanting to snuggle into your arms he grumpily sat up in confusion when he saw you weren't sleeping next to him.
The worry that was building up in him disappears when he takes notice of the faint sound of music coming from the bathroom. An annoyed groan leaves his lips as he recollects you telling him yesterday that you were going out for breakfast with a few of your girlfriends, he wanted to spend more time with you in bed. Lando flings the warm blanket off his body and slowly trudges out of the bed and towards the bathroom, his mind coming up with excuses he could use to get you to stay home.
You were so caught up in doing your skincare and quietly singing along to the music playing from your phone, to notice the cracked bathroom door opening wide. Lando stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching as you rubbed some sunscreen on your face, you looked so peaceful. Already dressed in your outfit of choice, a white fluffy towel on your head as it helped dry your hair quicker.
A gasp of surprise leaves your lips when you notice your sleepy boyfriend standing in the doorway, from the corner of your eye through the mirror. You quickly turn to face him, placing your hand over your heart at the fright, a surprised laugh leaving your lips “Lan! Don't do that, you scared me.”
“Consider it revenge for scaring me this morning” your boyfriend sassily replied as he moved towards you. You raise your eyebrows at his sassy mood and turn back around, facing the mirror so you can continue getting ready. You pause the music on your phone, already knowing that you were about to get an earful of your boyfriend's dramatics. “I have no idea what you're talking about darling.”
“I woke up alone, on my day off! Imagine how I felt waking up cold and alone. You claim to have missed me while I was away, but this just proves you didn't. I thought you loved me” he whined dramatically and tiredly as he rested his forehead on your shoulder blade, his eyes fluttering close and his body begging to go back to sleep. You giggled as you looked through one of your makeup bags “Lando you know i love you, and you also know i had to wake up early this morning.”
“If you truly loved me you would get in bed and cuddle me back to sleep” Lando pouted as he lifted his head up from your shoulder blade and rested his chin on your shoulder, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer to him. Lando winced dramatically as he watched you curl your eyelashes.
The two of you made eye contact through the mirror and for a second you wanted to get back in bed with him when you saw how sleepy he looked, but then you remembered the free mimosas you were promised, and you absolutely loved cuddling in bed with lando . . . but you desperately needed some drinks and breakfast with your girlfriends after a long week of stressful work. You moved one of your hands to your waist, setting it on top of his hands and squeezing them softly as you spoke “We can cuddle as soon as i get back, i won't be gone long, promise.”
Lando let out a sigh, he really wanted you to stay with him, but he nodded in agreement nonetheless, he knew how much you were looking forward to it. Lando places a soft kiss on your shoulder before standing straight and moving his hands to hold your hips instead “When do you have to leave?”
“In like 10 minutes, I just have to dry my hair and style it and I'm ready to go” you tell him as you lean forward so you would be closer to the mirror, getting a better look at your eyelashes as you put on your mascara. Lando's eyes followed your movement, his eyes dropping to your back, lingering on your arch before quickly looking back up at you before his mind could get carried away. His body was already aching and missing the way you felt pressed up against him, he quickly stutters out a response, wanting to stay close to you until you had to leave “Can i do it ⸺ dry your hair i mean.”
You pull away the mascara wand from your eye and lock eyes with his sweet and twinkling eyes. Lando always became extra clingy in the morning, not that you complained. You softly smile “Sure darling, plug in the hair dryer while I finish my mascara, would you?”
Lando grins happily and places a quick kiss to your shoulder before crouching down and opening the cabinet under the sink to look for the dryer. The bright morning light shone through the windows of the bathroom; you had put the curtains back so you could get the natural light. You glanced down at your giddy boyfriend; he looked so pretty in the morning. You looked away and focused on your mascara, knowing that if you stared at him any longer you wouldn't be leaving the house in ten minutes.
You pulled the white towel off your head, careful not to tug on your hair, you tossed the towel into the laundry basket and looked towards the bathroom door when you heard an unfamiliar sound.
“Here sit on this” Lando requested sweetly as he pulled in a short and circular stool ottoman into the bathroom for you to sit on. It was made of a soft fabric and decorated your shared room perfectly, it was also a designated place for Lando to set his hats on, too lazy to put them away in the closet. You had just finished putting all of your things away on the counter when he pulled it into the bathroom.
You smiled and sat down on the stool he had moved close to the counter, the hair dryer cord not too long. Your sweet boyfriend stood behind you, a hair dryer and your brush in his hands, you looked at him through the mirror and watched as a look of confusion came over his face as he looked down at the buttons on the dryer, trying to figure out which one turns it on. You turn to face him, ready to help him but you stop when it turns on, your boyfriend flinching at the surprising sound.
You look up at him through the window and he lets out an embarrassed chuckle, a big smile on his lips. You roll your eyes at Lando's silliness and sit up straight when he starts drying your hair. Your eyes flutter close at the soothing feeling of the warmth coming from the dryer and the softness and rhythmic feeling of him brushing through your hair.
You open your eyes when you feel his lips softly kiss your forehead, your eyes catching him leaning up and continuing to dry your hair, a lovesick smile on his lips. You look at him through the mirror, a smile on your lips at the adorable look of concentration that comes across his face as he focuses on your hair, trying to do the same thing he's seen you do countless times before.
There was something so comforting in the way he always wanted to be around you, he never got tired of your presence like your past partners did. He didn't care what the two of you were doing, as long as you guys were together. After another minute or so, your hair was now dry and had a good amount of volume. Who knew Lando was so good at doing your hair? You didn't know . . . last time he tried to braid your hair it got so tangled, and he felt so bad.
“Did I do a good job?” Lando whispered as he watched you stand up and lean closer to the mirror to get a better look at your hair, he set the dryer on the counter and bit his lip as he continued to watch you mess with your hair. You smiled and turned around to face him, putting your hands on Lando's waist and pulling him closer to you. “Darling it's perfect.”
“Mmm just like you” you whispered before you leaned up on your tippy toes, your eyes closing as you took his lips into a kiss. Lando's eyes quickly close as he kisses you back, his hands cupping your cheeks softly as your lips move perfectly together. You reluctantly pull away when your alarm on your phone goes off, letting you know it's time to go.
Lando's hands on your cheeks drop to your waist as you reach back to grab your phone, you turn off your alarm and quickly type out a response to your friend who just pulled up and is waiting for you. You look up from your phone and up at Lando who was already looking at you, a small frown on his lips, he really didn't want you to go.
“I’ll be back soon darling, we can stay in bed for the rest of the day” you promised sweetly, leaning up to place a quick kiss to his cheek before you turn around to quickly spray some of your favorite perfume on before walking into the bedroom to put on your shoes and grab your bag. Lando watches you rush around the bedroom, the scent of your perfume making him feel dizzy but in a good way. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“You better!” You playfully shout as you make your way out of the bedroom, you have your bags and your shoes on, all ready to go. Just as you step out of the bedroom you pause; you are missing one more thing. You turn around and Lando lets out a small chuckle as you rush over to him, cupping his face as you give a quick but passionate kiss, a kiss that he would be thinking about the whole time you were gone. You pull away and whisper breathlessly against his wet lips “I love you.”
“I love you too, have fun” Lando whispered back, giving you a cheeky wink when you turned around to give him a look of feign shock when he smacked your ass as you walked away. You chuckle and roll your eyes, leaving the shared apartment, with a new pep in your step. Now even more excited to come back home to your sweet boyfriend.
Lando smiles as he hears your laughter fade and he soon hears the door open, close and lock. He was now home alone. Lando let out a tired sigh and moved to lay in the messy bed, laying on your side of the bed and breathing in your scent as he laid his head on your pillow. He let out a tired sigh and let himself relax in the warm bed, drifting off into a sleep filled with dreams of you.
˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( ending is kinda rushed :( I haven’t had much time to write so I was quick to finish it !!! Still hope you guys loved it though !!! The rest of my fics for my 1k celly should be out soon )
°. — taglist ( @iloveyou3000morgan @copper-boom @cixrosie @partyinpitlane @toasttt11 @c-losur3 @ophcelia @lovings4turn )
#﹕─┈ 𝜗 roro's 1k celly 𝜚#﹕─┈ roro’s works#formula one imagine#formula 1 imagine#f1 imagine#formula one#formula 1#f1#f1 fanfic#lando norris x reader#lando norris#ln4#lando norris imagine#ln4 imagine#lando norris fluff#lando norris fanfic#lando norris x you#f1 x you#f1 x reader#formula one x reader#formula 1 x reader#formula one fluff#japanese gp 2024#suzuka gp 2024
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Japanese GP '24 // SF Full Access
#like 🤨#the way it's giving rissa's gay chicken fic#carlos trying to get a reaction out of charles but hes just 😌#and then their enamored little smiles#carlos sainz#charles leclerc#charlos#Japanese GP '24#2024#gifs#mine#sf full access#formula one#f1#ferrari#suzuka gp 2024
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Max "dont mention how good charles did in the cool down room" challenge level impossible
#f1#f1 shitpost#f1 memes#f1 live blogging#max verstappen#lestappen#japan gp 2024#suzuka gp 2024#ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ chas op
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through the hardships, show them your worth
#yuki tsunoda#vcarb be kind to him#formula 1#f1 fanart#yt22#illustration#art#japan gp 2024#japanese gp 2024#happy yuki tsunoda race week#suzuka gp 2024#f1#if u can tell the significance of the squares lemme give u a smooch
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P cheering for Max 🥺
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max is so real for having one bad race and immediately getting a bad haircut
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he took the team bowling... one last time 🥺
(peep serving them almave 😭)
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for jules — c.l
pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader
summary: after placing p10 in fp3 at suzuka and then p8 at qualifying, charles has a hard time maintaining his frustrations with the team and coping with it being jules anniversary.. and you’re there wrapped all up in it.
warnings: sad topic!, mentions of a death, little bit of angst, cursing, venting, and crying
a/n: first fic! pls be nice! also im sorry in advanced for making you sad
—
a part of me had this gut feeling that this would happen to charles, but another part of me really didn’t think this would happen since it’s been almost 10 years since jules bianchis’ crash.
i’m currently seated in the ferrari garage, headphones over my ears listening in to charles’ radio. it’s only q1 and he’s doing good compared to his fp3 hours before. i watch the tv as the cameras follow along with him on the track as he continues to try and beat his fastest lap.
after the 18 minutes are up, i watch as him and carlos both enter into the garage on the tv. i study the pit workers as i watch them work on whatever charles tells them needs to be fixed. before i know it, its already time for them to head out for q2.
charles started out decent but not good enough since he is currently in p9. i can feel myself tense up just at the thought of him being eliminated, especially knowing that’s the last thing he wants since this race is important to him.
i bite on my fingernails as i watch the other drivers speed through the finish line just hoping none of them beat charles’ time.
“what the hell is happening?!” i hear charles say to his engineer. “things will not be good if im eliminated. i don’t want to be below p9 for the race tomorrow!” i can hear the frustration in his voice as he is suddenly bumped down to p10 since fernando alonso made his way up the positions.
i take my headphones off and walk out of the garage trying to calm down for the last qualifying. all i can think about is how frustrated he was with the team after fp3.
i feel someone’s hand touch my shoulder, “y/n it’ll be okay. charles will make his way up, qualifying is one of his strong suits.” fred makes an attempt to comfort me.
“i know it is, im just worried because we all know how important this race is for him.” fred nods his head at me and gives me a weak smile, “cmon, let’s go cheer on our golden boy.” i smile and follow him back into the garage.
once we walk in, fred hands me back my headphones and sends a smile my way as he makes his way over the charles’ car.
apparently q3 has already started and charles has yet to go out. i noticed that carlos was already on the track, so why wasn’t charles? after the next couple of minutes, the time on the clock dwindles down and he finally exists out and speeds onto the track. as he makes he way down the track i find myself inching closer and closer to the tv. he’s up on the last turn and i watch his time clock as he goes through the finish line.
charles was bumped up to p8 and carlos was in p4.
there was only five minutes left of the clock but i couldn’t stop staring at the god damn tv, just hoping none of the drivers below him beat his time.
with less than a minute left on the clock, charles is still out doing his last lap. he comes up on the last turn, “that’s the best that i can do honestly. i don’t get it!” he speaks to his engineer. i sigh and put my headphones down since qualifying is now over. i wait for charles to come back into the garage.
once he and carlos parked their cars in the garage, i stand back as all the pit workers do their thing as charles begins to climb out the car. i watch as he hops down from the car and ignores everyone, even carlos who made he’s way over to speak to him.
i’m stood in the back as charles approaches me. he takes his helmet off as he��s walking towards me and tosses it on the rack near me and rips his balaclava off and throws towards his helmet. i frown as he speed walks right past me, not even making an attempt to look at me.
dumbfounded, i look back over my shoulder as he makes his way to his room, slamming the door behind him.
“don’t take it personal, y/n. he’s just upset with the team and i’m sure he’s blaming himself for it all.” carlos tells me.
“i just don’t get it. i don’t understand why they won’t listen to him sometimes.” i speak out loud not even caring if the team hears me. carlos shakes his head and gives me a pat on the shoulder, “go talk to him. i know he needs you.” taking in carlos’ words, i nod and head toward charles’ room.
when i walk in i wasn’t expecting to see his suit scattered across the floor. stepping over it, i make my way to where charles is sitting and sit down next to him.
“charles, it’s not your fault. don’t blame yourself.” i assure him as i reach out for his hand but i was mistaken as he quickly stands up from the couch.
“no! you don’t get it! no one in the god damn garage understands how important this race is to me and it’s like everyone is just forgetting the reason i still do this sport is for jules!” he grips his hair as he raises his voice.
“charlie, i do understand! me and carlos both know how important this is to you. please don’t take this out on yourself, it’s not your fault.” i try my best to assure him as he paces around the room which was beginning to make me very worried.
“my team can’t even fucking listen to me anymore. it’s like talking to a brick wall sometimes.” i listen as he begins to rant, “it’s like they almost want to humiliate me! sending me and carlos both out for one lap during free practice three instead of two! and now for quali they just don’t give a fuck about what i say with the tryes!” i sigh as i watch him angrily pace over to me.
“i can’t do this anymore, y/n. i’m only going to embarrass myself at the race tomorrow!” i notice tears begin to fall down his distraught face. i feel my heart break in two at the sight. i grab his face in my hands and guide him to sit down on the couch next to me.
“charlie baby, you are not going to embarrass yourself tomorrow. do not let the pole position determine how good you do tomorrow. you’re the most incredible driver out there and i don’t care what anyone says. i heard one of the announcers say that your pace was the fastest of everyone’s, including max. you have the opportunity to redeem yourself tomorrow and i know that you will.” i comfort him as my thumb wipes some of the tears falling from his eyes.
“i don’t want to let jules down.” he whispers to me. “baby, you’re not letting him down,” i coo to him. “jules is proud of you no matter what. he doesn’t care what place you get. i know he’s so proud of how far you’ve come and the impact you’ve made on people’s lives.”
charles sighs and grabs me by the waist, pulling me into his side, “i’m sorry cherie. i’m so sorry for yelling at you and ignoring you. i shouldn’t have. i was just so upset with myself and i didn’t want you to see me like that-“ i cut him off, “charles, hush. i want you in every way. i want the good and the bad sides of you. i want to be there for you during times like this so i can reassure you and comfort you. that’s what im here for.” i tell him as i stroke his damp face with my thumb.
he grabs my face and tells me, “you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know that right?” i shake my head no and giggle as he begins to smother me in kisses all over my face.
“well clearly i’m not doing a good enough job showing you, i need to step up my game.” he says and i giggle again at his words as my cheeks flush.
“i think you’re perfect the way you are, charlie. you’re going to kill the race tomorrow, no matter what happens, me and jules will be proud of you.” i assure him and he gives me a heart melting smile and grabs my chin to pull me in for a kiss.
—
i guess charles’ breakdown was supposed to happen yesterday considering i am currently cheering for him with the biggest smile on my face as he stands on the first place podium, holding up the trophy and pointing up to the sky, “this is for you, jules!” he yells into the microphone and the whole crowd goes crazy as they all cheer for him.
fred walks up besides me with a smile on his face, “what did i say? no one else deserves it more than that boy.” i smile back and say, “you would be right. jules is proud of him.” fred agrees with me as we watch charles doing the champagne spray with max and lando.
after the celebration was over, i watch charles sprint down into the crowd as security chases after him, but little do they know he is really only coming for me.
“mon amour, we did it! we did it!” he yells as he jogs towards me and sweeps me up into his arms and kisses me passionately in front of everyone. both smiling into the kiss, we break apart, “i love you more than you’ll ever know, baby.” he tells me, champagne sticky hands cupping my face as he pulls me in for another kiss.
and nothing else mattered because it was such a life changing moment in charles career.
#f1 x reader#charles leclerc#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fluff#f1#charles leclerc 16#formula 1#fluff#angst#jules bianchi#japan gp 2024#suzuka gp 2024
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look at him, LOOK. AT. HIM.
#your honor i love him#im obsessed#oscar piastri#op81#formula one#formula 1#f1#suzuka gp 2024#japan gp 2024#japan grand prix#japanese gp 2024
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max verstappen is the ultimate lecfosi because he’s willing to both go to war against charles (on track) and go to war for charles (off track) & that’s exactly the duality i like to see
#‼️‼️‼️‼️#help I saw the piece of cake quote#I hate them#my favorite meow meows getting along is too much for me#winning and winning again#charles leclerc#max verstappen#lestappen#f1#suzuka gp 2024#media#now give me Ollie in ferrari and I will cry tears of pure joy
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It’s hard to be at a party, when I feel like an open wound
Part 15 of the Lando x fakegirlfriend!reader social media au
Previous
A/N: Guys don’t hate me! This weekend was just NOT giving on real life content and I have places to get to with this plot before a specific race so this seemed like the best time. I’m sorry!!! I hope you at least partially enjoy this 😭🫶😬🤍
Tag list
@s0meth1ngs @mcmuppet @bborra @elliefindlater @stan-josie @ivegotparticulartaste @tildaharoldsegna @nikfigueiredo @cixrosie @bored-brunette2 @lovewithmary @painfromblues @buckybarnex @sainzluvrr @92spcy @ninifee1802 @mineandneveryours @mv1-hoe-era @friday5thapril @sltwins @rd14 @freakfromnorth @nikolaros22 @lanando4 @nichmeddar @leptitlu @biitch-with-wifi @leireggsworld @dreamingofautopia @satellitelh @formulaal @belennasif @woozarts @cherry-piee @saintchxx4 @kave18 @holy-macncheese-balls @dreamsarebig @shiftingtomydrs @k-pevensie28 @ssararuffoni @f1-is-lovely-33 @amalialeclerc @bellewintersroe @haydenisdumbpdf @be-your-coffee-pot @tall-tanned-tattoo @lilipiggytails @booksandflowrs @basicchelsea @localwhoore @loaves4me @seraferina @abysshaven
#f1#formula 1#lando norris#lando norris x you#lando norris fanfic#lando norris x reader#lando norris imagine#f1 x reader#f1 social media au#f1 fanfiction#suzuka gp 2024
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yuh
#lestappen#1633#f1#formula 1#formula one#charles leclerc#max verstappen#charles and max#suzuka gp 2024#japan gp 2024
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Japanese GP '24 // P3 Finish
"It was a very strong race...very strategic...a lot of things going on with tyre degradation... At one point, I thought it was not going to happen, the podium. But then in the last stint, when I put on the new hard, the tyre gave me a really good feeling and I could push..."
#pov: he's blinking kisses at you...#carlos sainz#Japanese GP '24#2024#gifs#mine#formula one#f1#ferrari#suzuka gp 2024
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again- *gunshots* *screaming* *more gunshots* *explosions* *more screaming* *even more gunshots* *even more screaming* *more explosions* **even more explosions*
#formula 1#f1#aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA#charles leclerc#carlos sainz jr#carlos sainz#charlos#scuderia ferrari#ferrari#🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#suzuka gp 2024
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2024 Japan Grand Prix Race Analysis
My analysis of the 2024 Japan Grand Prix. Table of contents below detailing the order of the post. We have a lot to cover as this was an eventful race so I am not going to waste time making introductions.
Table of Contents
Ferrari
– Race strategy: qualifying and tyre management
– Charles: his qualifying and his race
– Carlos: his race
– In depth data and pace analysis
Mclaren
– Race strategy
– Tyre management/Charles
– Pace
VCARB
– Yuki: his race
– Daniel: his crash with Alex
Red Bull
Mercedes
Williams
– Logan: his race
– Team car problems
Stake
Concluding Thoughts
Ferrari
Ferrari had Carlos start in P4 and finish P3. Charles started P8 and finished P4. They both further secured Ferrari's lead for second in the constructors as well as keeping the WDC and WCC still competitive against Red Bull.
This race highlighted some areas that need to be improved on the SF-24 but more importantly it also showed some of the massive improvements that Ferrari has made in development and that is what made this race very exciting for Ferrari fans.
Once again the Ferrari strategy was great. It would have actually been good to mid if it were not for Charles having the skill and confidence to go for the one-stop strategy. But this is another race where I don't think they could have done anything better.
As it was with the starting grid positions Charles was looking at maybe getting P7 or P6 with a 2 stop strategy. And that strategy was most likely given the track and how much deg there usually is at Suzuka.
The reason Charles made it to P4 was because of his superior driving and tyre management, and Ferrari listening to him when he said he wanted to go for the one-stop strategy. They listened and it was 100% the right call on Charles’ part.
Charles outperformed what should have been possible. If you don’t believe me just look at what Max, Lando, Oscar, Checo, Mclaren, and Red Bull are saying about his tyre management. Charles in the SF-24 was the only one who could have pulled that one-stop off. Seriously, the fact that Max didn’t think he could have done it is really all you need to know. They saw that and were genuinely impressed not only by the car but by Charles, because we saw that with Carlos he was struggling more with tyre deg and that was with a two-stop approach.
So not only was this the best strategy to maximize points for Charles this race given his starting grid position, it was also just a truly phenomenal drive from Charles himself.
And once again we are seeing incredible strides being made at the Ferrari pit wall in terms of timing and strategy. The pit stops for both drivers were on point. They listened to Charles and went with the strategy he wanted and it worked!
Everything I saw this race was so promising for the trajectory of Ferrari and Charles’ season, and beyond into 2025 and 2026.
Charles: Race, Qualifying, and Free Practice
Charles ran a truly insane race. The only reason he gained all of the positions he did was because of his choice to do the one-stop and not only that but making it work! He gained every position it was possible for him to take and then some. His tyre management on this high degredation track was borderline supernatural.
Charles pulled off zero to negative tyre degradation on both sets of his tyres. (Negative deg is when faster laps are set as the tyres age) This was without question the best tyre management performance we have seen from a driver in 2024. It is something that no other driver could pull off (either due to skill, driving style, or machinery) and that is why Charles is Ferrari.
Have I waxed on long enough about Charles and his tyres? Just wait till you get to the Mclaren section.
I also have a lot more to say about his pace and tyres in the data section.
For now let's move on to some of the questions people might have about what happened to Charles in qualifying and FP3.
Charles qualifying position was decided in free practice. I want to try to be brief, so here is a quick timeline of why Charles’ didn’t have the optimal setup for qualifying (this also applies to Carlos because both Ferrari’s underperformed in qualifying, there was a difference of 1/10th between them so it really was just a matter of the field being so tight)
Suzuka is colder during the day than any race we’ve had so far this year. With the SF-24 being so good with tyre deg that is actually a problem because it means that getting the tyres to warm up takes longer.
The loss of all of FP2 due to rain was a big blow to Ferrari and especially Charles.
Charles has been having more issues getting his qualifying settings right to manage the tyre warming issue. This is due to his personal setup choices and driving style. Being gentler on the tyres in a car with less deg is leading to him underperforming in qualifying.
So we lost valuable time when Ferrari really needed to understand the SF-24 behavior in the colder Suzuka temps.
FP3: Charles and Carlos both got in some race sim laps, but only got to squeeze in 1 or 2 flying lap tests at the very end. Charles especially was frustrated by this. I believe that this came from not having the time to complete all of the program they had outlined to prep for qualifying and the race.
Going into qualifying Charles didn’t have enough data to guide his settings for Q1. They went with a certain setup they hadn’t gotten to fully test and it didn’t work. Which led to them having to send Charles out again in Q1 with a different setup on another set of softs to try to set a better lap in Q1.
In Q3 Charles only had 1 set of softs remaining to set his best lap. It was okay but not enough. I do think that over qualifying he did get settings better on the car and if he’d had another set of softs he might have made it up to P6 (possibly P5) the middle of the field was very close so I don’t think this qualifying placement and time was as bad as it looks. It certainly isn’t great, but compared to his teammate and the rest of the top teams it wasn’t so concerning.
So the lack of enough free practice to figure out the best qualifying setup for Charles in the colder temps is really what cost them here. I think this is why we saw Charles very frustrated at not having the time to do more flying laps during FP3 and Fred also not happy with the program they ran during all free practice sessions.
All of this does apply to Carlos as well. We’ve seen him qualify better in 2024 too so this was just a matter of the SF-24 settings on flying laps given the colder temps and the track.
This is a current issue for the SF-24, but it is something that can be developed and I think there are certain upgrades that will address this. It is better to have a car base that is too gentle on the tyres than the other way around. The SF-24 tyre treatment is a good base to work with. This weekend just highlighted areas where improvements need to be made. The unfortunate part was the loss of FP2 because that was going to be important for colder temp data gathering.
I want to once again now take the time to shut down some narratives about Ferrari's race specifically relating to Carlos' lap 46 pass on Charles:
The reason Charles and Ferrari let Carlos pass was because Carlos was on newer tyres and thus had overall faster lap times.
It’s insane to expect a team to keep the car that has faster pace behind. I could see it if it was a difference of 1/10th or something or if it was the last lap of the race, then it’s up for debate. That wasn’t the case here, Carlos with the tyres that were 10 laps newer was almost 1 second faster. Keeping him behind would have not only compromised his race but also possibly Charles’. We don’t want a car just hovering behind the other. As we heard on the radio the main concern was keeping Lando behind. As far as gaining significant placement this race goes we always knew Lando was going to be Charles' competition. If the cars were fighting over pace with this big of a discrepancy in the pace we would have seen disastrous results.
Charles knew this and this is why he let Carlos by. He was never intending to race Carlos(he literally said this in interviews after). With the way they started on the grid it was not going to be in the cards this race. Charles said as much and he isn’t upset about it.
“Carlos overtook Charles”: No, Charles let him pass because that was strategically optimal for both Ferrari drivers.
“Carlos’ pace was better”: No, he was on a completely different tyre strategy, the only reason he was faster is because he did two stints on mediums and then finished on newer hards. Charles overall race pace and tyre management was better. This is just a result of 1. Different starting positions and 2. Different tyre strategies. It’s very hard to do a driver-to driver comparison with blanket statements when they are on different strategies.
“Ferrari gave the order to switch with Sainz”: No, they just didn’t do that, I don’t know what race you were watching.
“They should have told Carlos to defend”: That would have been a bad strategy choice for both drivers. There is a lot more than current track position that goes into strategy calls.
"Ferrari strategy screwed Charles over again": No, Charles chose his strategy(and it was the right call). Ferrari did great in supporting him.
I don't understand why people want to run this narrative that we keep getting Silverstone 22' level strategy calls when that is just not happening.
Now Charles radio after the race may have sounded disappointed and in the heat of the moment he probably was. However in interviews after the race he was very happy with the car (I think he realized just what a good performance he put in) but also I think his big takeaway from this race was that Ferrari have given him a strong base to work with(finally) and he has been only saying more positive things since then.
Ferrari did amazing supporting both drivers. Especially Charles because it was his call to do the one-stop and they listened to him and supported him perfectly throughout running that strategy.
Carlos
Carlos ran a clean race. He gained the one position which is about what we'd expect from the car he was in and his starting position. His performance also gave us really good baseline data for the SF-24.
His race was mostly decided in qualifying and also the fact that Mclaren struggled far more than expected on this track. Ferrari initially thought he might have to fight Lando more for that position but Mclaren's struggle was Carlos' gain.
I also think that just this race in general from him and his driving style was really good data for the SF-24 to inform development and that is awesome!
I don't have a ton to add, it was good, got those WCC points for Ferrari and that's exactly what we want to see from him.
In Depth Data Analysis
The name of the game here is tyre wear. The SF-24 (especially in Charles' hands) has had phenomenal race pace and that is due to the fact that this car is so easy on the tyres. However Charles is the driver who has been able to pull this feature out of the car due to his driving style and tyre management skills.
We are going to look at a comparison of Charles' and Carlos' data to highlight exactly what was so interesting about Charles' pace. And then also adding in Max, because as the driver to beat he is a good benchmark(as well as showing the top performance of the RB-20)
Here is a comparison of lap times between Charles and Carlos, corrected for tyre age(because they were on different strategies)
For the medium tyre I used both their first medium stints. Carlos did two stints on mediums, I used his first stint for comparison because it means both tyres were subject to the same time of day and track temps and conditions.
Now the lap times themselves here aren’t as important. Carlos and Charles were in different spots on the track and Carlos was in much cleaner air even on that first stint. The real thing to look at is the way Charles lap time stays consistent, and even gets faster as the age of the tyres progresses, while Carlos starts off with his best speed and then gradually gets slower. Carlos’ pace here is an example of what we expect to see - as tyres age they get slower so his pace on these tyres is perfectly normal, by the time he got to lap 14 before he pitted he’d lost more than a second of pace on those tyres (which is normal and expected). Then we can then look at Charles who is getting almost the exact same lap time out of his 11 lap old mediums as the first lap. Where Carlos has lost more than a second, Charles has lost nothing. Furthermore you can see multiple instances of an increased speed on his previous laps, which indicates negative tyre degradation. This goes against general tyre wear behavior and can only be attributed to Charles’ skill in extending the pace of his tyres.
I want to add that both driver’s pace was excellent and that both their performances would not have been possible without the massive leap Ferrari has made with the SF-24 and race pace tyre degradation.
Again looking at the hards the actual lap time is not important here, Charles and Carlos were running very different strategies at this point. Charles was racing to extend the life of the tyres to pull off a one-stop and Carlos was trying to regain position near the front. What we are looking at is once again the way the lap times increase for Carlos steadily, and just don’t for Charles.
Charles once again was pulling essentially the same lap time on 11 lap old hards, while Carlos had lost a full second. The sheer consistency here is what is scaring the other teams.
I want to note here that none of this is meant to make Carlos look bad. I think his runs and tyre treatment were pretty good overall, but when your teammate is defying the laws of physics in the same car it can even make a good drive look not as great. But I have no issues with how Carlos managed, he gave a good example of what I would say is the base deg for the SF-24.
Now I want to compare Charles’ pace to Max’s, again correcting for tyre age.
This is helpful because this is where we can get a look at match-ups for the future, the strengths of the SF-24 compared to the RB20.
Here is where it gets interesting. Max on the hards was managing degradation amazingly, right on par with Charles.
The big difference is on the mediums. After 11 laps Max had lost over a full second of pace on the mediums and Charles had not.
This gap is where we are going to see big results come in from the SF-24 in the future. If I were Red Bull I’d be worried about this. And this is why they are also specifically worried about Charles, because we see that the SF-24 in Carlos hands is behaving as expected as far as tyre deg goes, the real threat based on the data is the combination of Charles Leclerc and the SF-24.
Deltas Δ
Now let's take a look at what the change in pace lap to lap looks like for Charles, Max and Carlos. Again using those first 11 laps on the mediums.
Lap deltas are the change in lap time lap-to-lap, and this is a metric that shows if a driver is keeping pace, gaining pace or losing pace. Positive numbers mean a loss of pace, negative numbers are a gain. This is calculated by the equation of (Lap time B - Lap time A = change in pace or the delta Δ) So it's just the time difference lap to lap. This is how we can take a look at the actual pace and correct for lap times (which are not important here)
On it's own this doesn't look like much, yes Charles is managing best, but Carlos is also ahead of Max. This is showing where the SF-24 is better than the RB-20. The fact that of these three drivers Max is the worst on this metric is notable.
However the impressive part of Charles' tyre deg is not in these first 11 laps. Because after these laps Max and Carlos had to pit because they were losing time and their tyres were done.
Charles kept going.
Here is what Charles' full stint on the mediums looked like.
Charles continued to achieve faster laps and negative deltas well into the life of the tyres, and that is what is setting him apart from Carlos and Max.
Not only was Charles achieving negative deltas, he was doing it more consistently as the tyres aged.
For comparison here is Carlos' and Max's data overlayed on Charles full medium stint.
While the first graph on the mediums shows that both Ferrari's were outperforming the RB20 in terms of deg(or at the very least Carlos was on a very similar delta to Max), this is where you see the difference in the drivers. Because Max and Carlos had to pit because they were rapidly losing performance on those tyres(see above time sheets) Charles was not, and he only improved. He more than doubled the life of his tyres in comparison to the other two.
This is the graph that really matters because it shows what each driver was able to do with one set of mediums. And as you can see it's not even close.
This is where you can see the impact of the negative deg over time. Compared to the normal deg we see with Max and Carlos it serves to highlight exactly how outside of the norm Charles was operating.
Charles only continued to improve well beyond the other two. That's what was insane about his tyre management.
Neither Carlos or Max were going to be able to continue their pace (hence the pit)
I feel like the data really speaks for itself. Max and Carlos are good comparisons here, Carlos is a good driver in the same car as Charles, and Max is the current top driver on the grid and is known for his tyre management.
I want to finish this section with the sentence that is chilling the blood of every other driver and TP on the grid: Charles set his fastest lap of his race on 25 lap old hards.
Mclaren
So what happened to Mclaren?
A lot of people were expecting Mclaren to be the second strongest team on this track. And qualifying certainly made it look like that might be the case. With Lando being ahead of Carlos in P3 and Oscar being ahead of Charles in P6 on the starting grid.
So why did both Mclarens get easily defeated by the Ferraris?
I think there are 2 main reasons.
The Mclaren car is not even close to the SF-24 when it comes to tyre deg, that car loses pace much faster so it just cannot fight when a Ferrari comes up behind it.
Charles 1 stop strategy really messed up the team's pit strategy with Lando.
In Mclaren’s defense no one thought anyone would be crazy enough to try a 1 stop around Suzuka, let alone have zero tyre deg on a high deg track.
They seemed to be managing their pit strategy with Lando under the assumption that Charles was going to pit twice, and I think they were very worried about an undercut in the pits (after they didn’t get away with it in Australia I think they were very keen to make sure they kept their position)
But Charles didn’t do a 2 stop strategy. He stayed out and his pace on the hards was unbelievable.
There was really no way for them to see that coming. It’s kind of hard when your main competition decides this is the weekend he’s going to challenge the laws of physics.
(And you thought I was done talking about Charles’ tyre strategy)
Here is a graph of Lando vs Carlos. That was the spot he lost, and you can see that the pit strategy is really what cost Lando the spot. Carlos came behind him on much fresher tyres and by then he'd lost the pace. He pitted too early, and that was due to Mclaren not understanding that Charles is on another level.
His pace was okay on newer tyres, but once they age the drop off was pretty bad. So the Mclaren car needs to improve in the tyre deg department if they want to see either of their drivers beat a Ferrari any time this year.
Furthermore Oscar once again struggled more because he is still the weaker of the two Mclarens when it comes to tyre deg, and on this track that really showed.
But I think the fact that Mclaren kept trying to figure out when Charles was going to pit for his second stint and then he just didn’t really threw them off and had them making some weird pit calls.
VCARB
Yuki
Yuki ran what was in my opinion the second most impressive drive of the race. He qualified P10 and finished P10. However to keep that position he pulled of some truly perfect overtakes. He was fighting to finally get that home race point. I was so excited seeing him put on that good of a show for his home fans.
In this race he became the first Japanese driver to score home race points since 2012, and that is just so exciting for Yuki and his fans. It really made that single point mean a lot. I don't think I have ever been more excited for a P10!
Yuki has really been showing what the VCARB car is capable of and it looks really promising. He seems comfortable and I think we will be seeing a lot more points from him this season.
Daniel: Crash with Albon and DNF
Going to be covering Alex and Daniel's crash this section.
On lap 1, Daniel and Alex made contact going into turn 3, resulting in both cars going off the track and ending up in the barriers. Both drivers had to retire from the race.
To me this looked like a result of crowding into that turn in the mid field with neither driver at significant fault. I don't think Daniel was trying to push Alex wide, and I also don't think that Alex mistook that corner. The FIA and stewards agree and Alex and Daniel's story of what happened make sense.
Going into the turn Daniel had the outside line, and he was trying to give room to the Aston Martin(Lance) on his inside. He didn't see Alex on his outside and his wheel made contact with Alex's front wing, causing his car to spin and pushing Alex of the line and into the gravel.
Alex thought he had the outside line to overtake and was in the process of attempting that when Daniel went to give space on the inside, this resulted in the contact and Daniel forcing him wide.
This crash really just was a result of crowding in that corner, Daniel was trying to give space to one driver and inadvertently crowded out another. There wasn't space so he was kind of in a lose-lose situation there.
I agree with the stewards that no penalty for either driver was warranted and that this was the result of midfield crowding, and some bad luck for both drivers. It wasn't a result of bad driving on either Daniel or Alex's part. Even if Daniel had seen Alex I am not sure what he could have done if he also needed to give room to Lance.
Ultimately I am glad both drivers are uninjured. Hopefully they have some better luck in future races.
Red Bull
I don't have a ton to say about Red Bull. My comparison in the Ferrari data section is what was most interesting about this race from the data standpoint.
They didn't do much, the Red Bulls started ahead and finished ahead as expected. Max and Checo both ran a really clean race. Again showing the power of the RB-20.
I will add that this was a really good race for Checo(probably his best this year), and it was nice to see him have redemption after Suzuka 2023.
Nothing terribly exciting to add. Max won again, well done Max!
Mercedes
Mercedes didn't have a great race, but considering that both their drivers DNFed in Australia it was good for the team to get some points. Lewis started in P7 and finished P9, while George started P9 and finished P7. So they swapped positions.
It seems that the Mercedes car might be better on those qualifying laps than the race pace (and even then it's qualifying has been inconsistent)
The most notable thing about Mercedes' race was when Lewis asked if he should let George pass when George came up behind him, and George did in fact make the pass. This was done simply because George's pace was better. Lewis knew this so it was best for the team.
I think that so far we have seen that the W15 is struggling in a lot of areas, and as far as drivers go George has been more comfortable in the car(could be driving style, setup, a combo of the two) than Lewis.
Both are solid drivers, and hopefully they can guide Mercedes into making improvements to the car to get them closer to top points. At this point the car Mercedes has made seems to have fallen short of expectations. Make no mistake though, Lewis and George are both drivers who are much better than the car they are in at the moment.
Williams
I covered Alex's crash with Daniel already so we are going to talk about Logan.
Logan honestly did about the best he could do in the car he had. After damaging both his front and rear wing in free practice and still using the repaired chassis from Australia his car was not in the best shape already going into the race. Additionally the Williams really struggled with grip in the rears and has been all over the place. Suzuka especially seems to have not been suited to it.
Yes on lap 41 Logan went off track into a gravel trap, but that was on a corner that had given more skilled and experienced drivers trouble this weekend so I am not going to fault him too much for that in the car he had. Better cars were having problems there too.
He did have a really strong first stint and was pulling some overtakes. Most of his positions were lost when he did get undercut by some pit stops, and then of course losing time to the gravel trap.
The win is that he finished the race and the car is intact. That may not seem like much, but given the state of things at Williams it's important.
There were some highlights for his race and I will say in terms of raw performance he has not been far off Alex this year. That car of Williams is really hindering both drivers.
Stake
Stake actually had pretty good pace overall. The car is not as bad as it has looked on paper. The main issues has been their slow pit stops (caused by incompatibility between the bolters and the tyre covers apparently) Zhou and Valtteri both showed some pretty good pace and were in positions for overtakes.
Zhou unfortunately had to retire his car due to gearbox issues.
Stake has really been a mess and we have not seen what that car can actually do in terms of performance overall, or what what their drivers are capable of in that car.
They are making attempts to address the pit stop issue and I think if they do that, then we will see both drivers picking up some P10 points at the very least.
Final Thoughts
I think we can all agree that Suzuka was the best race of the year so far from a pure racing standpoint!
Whew, that’s all I got on this race, so I will leave you with this final thought.
This race was a warning shot from Ferrari.
#lucis race analysis#japan gp 2024#suzuka gp 2024#formula 1#f1#scuderia ferrari#charles leclerc#long post#I am so serious this is a long post you've been warned#lot of good data though if you are into that <3#thank you for reading <3
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