i'm still thinking about this lestappen video... the thumb stroke... the little scoop max did to charles's waist to pull charles closer to him... how he slighty gaze at charles... oh my god.
With the Lestappen-overtaking-Maxiel situation going on: Could you maybe make a little recommendation list of your favourite Lestappen fics (can be yours and/or other people's)?
Hi anon!
I absolutely can, what a fitting celebration!
As I'm still working on a proper fic rec list as I keep reading more and more fics, below you will find a small selection of my all-time favorite fics - both to read and to write!
Full list of my all-time favorite fics that I have read and written below the cut!
My all-time favorite fics that I have read:
Monaco Malaise (part 1 of Temptation's Trajectory) by @cupidskissx
Rated E | 8,037 words | Complete
Using the reflection in the mirror above the vanity, he steals occasional glances into the bedroom as he wets the cloth and cleans himself off. Charles is still on his forearms and knees, face buried in his pillow, he doesn’t look like he’s going to be moving any time soon.
Max and Charles have been hooking up for a few months, casually, no string attached — definitely no feelings involved…
The disaster that was Monaco 2021 sees them in Charles’ apartment, with Max having to deal with the fact that Charles can’t get out of his head.
Azerbaijan Abnegation (part 2 of Temptation's Trajectory) by @cupidskissx
Rated E | 16,972 words | Complete
Charles stares at him intently, “Last time was an anomaly.”
Not for the first time, Max recalls the awkward swell of humiliation after Charles had told him to stop. The hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the memory of everything that followed, “Yeah, that better not happen again.”
After Monaco, Max thought he’d made up his mind about Charles, and their little arrangement.
They’re in Azerbaijan and Charles is everywhere: in his head, in his messages, in his hotel room…
Will Max be able to hold onto his resolve, or will his attempts at self-denial only prolong the inevitable?
Mona's comment: I have read these two fics more times than I can count, and I'm going to keep reading them again and again and again until the day I die. Loz is such an amazingly talented author, and her writing has honestly altered my brain chemistry numerous times.
you and me, just us (and your teammate sergio) by @oscar-fastri
Rated T | 3,377 words | Complete
Checo was fully aware of what he’s walking into. Still, he seriously doubts that anyone could have been prepared for the full force of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc being heads over heels in love with each other and not even trying to hide it.
Or: 5 times Checo thirdwheels Max and Charles + 1 time it's everyone else's turn
Mona's comment: This is the "You, me and your friend Steve" song in perfect fic format, and let me tell you the sound I made when Avery published it was not human.
The Nights Are Long (But It's Easier Together) by @f1writingbyme
Rated E | 43,759 | Complete
“Oh, God, what is it?” Max groans. “It’s Mr. Corvetto, right? I knew it. I’m telling you, never move into an apartment next to elderly people. It’s just– Why does she call me? What the hell can I do? Doesn’t she need to call an ambulance or something? Or, I don’t know, her family, or–”
“Max.” Charles interrupts Max’s ranting. He ends the phone call, cutting off Mrs. Corvetto’s panicked yelling with a simple press of his thumb. He stares at the blue-eyed man in front of him. “Your apartment is on fire.”
Or: The fire in his apartment is only the beginning of a long list of misfortunes that await Max. Fortunately, he has Charles by his side to help him through it. That is until Charles is the one that gets targeted.
Mona's comment: I don't even have words for this, it just needs to be read. WARNING: Prepare for heavy angst.
And That's How I Foksmashed Dad's Championship Trophy by @il-predestinato
Rated T | 6,500 | Complete
All of that would have been forgivable if not for the Green-Eyed Monster’s complete disregard for the pre-contracted occupation rights of Max’s lap. Such rights had long been pre-determined and belonged to Sassy (and occasionally to Jimmy, she admitted begrudgingly). However, no amount of quiet hisses and vicious glares seemed to penetrate the creature’s thick skull, and he would greedily occupy Max’s thigh for more than 95% of any given afternoon. Sometimes with his head, sometimes with his feet, and a few times he even straddled his entire body over Max; the latter could not have been comfortable for Max, as the Green-Eyed Monster was enormously overweight compared to Sassy.
(Jimmy had insisted that it was not nice to shame another living creature about their weight, but she was not wrong. With her compact size and considerably more reasonable mass, Sassy was confident that she was much more comfortable for Max to have on his lap than that horrendously oversized creature.)
Mona's comment: I have never read anything as great as this, and I don't think I'll ever read anything as great as this ever again. I want to move into Elle's brain and live there forever.
set my midnight sorrow free (part 1 of this is our place, we make the rules) by @il-predestinato
Rated T | 13,439 words | Complete
He doesn’t blame Max, not really.
If he could have Charles for one night, he would never let him go either.
Maybe he isn’t the one who is losing; Max is also playing a losing game.
You can’t open yourself to Charles and try to exist in his charmed life without becoming irrevocably enamoured.
When Max let Charles walk into his motorhome, when he let Charles slip into his existence, Max didn’t know it then but the battle was already lost.
we don't know how to rhyme, but damn, we try (part 2 of this is our place, we make the rules) by @il-predestinato
Rated M | 4,862 | Complete
He pulls back reluctantly and misses the warm mouth almost immediately. Stars, he was doomed.
“I want this too,” he tells Charles.
“I don’t believe you.”
He can be so infuriating sometimes, so contrarian. Some day, he might actually make Max lose his mind.
even the sun sets in paradise (part 3 of this is our place, we make the rules) by @il-predestinato
Rated T | 27,774 words | Complete
If he had to name the place where the story of Max and Charles began, if there was a moment that divided them into Before and
After, there would be a few candidates.
But there was only one correct answer. He would never forget the name.
The place is called Val d’Argenton. Stories are still being written there.
Charles likes to tell the story of the incident - turn by turn, infused with poetic drama, detailing every single emotion: frustration, anger, pure spite. Every time he tells it, his smile grows along with the laughter in his eyes, even as his words recount a tale of opposing emotions.
“I never want to go back to Val d’Argenton,” Charles once confessed.
“We’ll never go back there,” he promised, and Charles knew what he meant.
Mona's comment: This series is such a rollercoaster of emotion, and I don't think I'm still fully recovered from reading it the first time. Elle is a true genius in every way.
p19 by @sennaverstappen
Rated E | 5,619 words | Complete
“Charles,” it comes out soft, worried, upset. Charles will light himself on fire. He hears Max take a few steps towards him, feels two warm, winning, arms wrap around his fast-breathing chest. He’s still wearing those golden shoes. Max snuggle into his neck.
“I’m here for you.”
And Max had won, and he’s winning the season, and he’s P19, and losing this season. And Max is winning, and he’s not even talking about it – choosing to comfort his Charles instead.
Every little thought converges into a single, red-hot one.
He’s going to fuck the pole sitter so hard he’ll be sore tomorrow.
“Max,” he whimpers, trying to find his voice, find his grip, find his footing in this world. Max tightens his grip around his waist. “Yes, angel?” And he can feel Max frown against his nape, soft breath against his earlobe. It turns his body white-hot.
“Get on the fucking bed.”
Mona's comment: This one is just *chef's kiss*. Mindblowing. Incredible. Just like its author.
My all-time favorite fics that I've written:
Devil's Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes) (part 1 of Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes)
Rated E | 55,362 words | Complete
It all started with a crash.
Well, technically, it started with a blue-eyed boy with blonde hair getting screamed at in a language he couldn’t understand when he was only 12 years old. He remembered looking at the boy, who couldn’t be much older than himself - (two weeks older, to be exact, he’d learn later) - and watching the spark disappear right out of those icy blue eyes.
That was the first memory Charles Leclerc had of Max Verstappen: Watching Jos Verstappen, Max’s own father, scream at this 12 year old child with an intensity that turned his face red and made every blood vessel in his neck look dangerously close to bursting.
But if anyone ever were to ask Charles when he started to realize that his feelings towards that same Max Verstappen he had known since childhood had begun to change into something else, something bigger, something terrifying he couldn’t - or wouldn’t - quite put his finger on, he would say that it all started with a crash.
Because of fucking course it did.
OR:
The slow-burn story of Lestappen that has brought me back from the dead, which starts with Max's crash at Silverstone in 2021.
Like Snow At The Beach (Weird But Fucking Beautiful) (part 2 of Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes)
Rated E | 17,064 words | Completed
The wedding of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen was always going to be a grand affair. Not necessarily because it had been either man’s dream to make a big deal out of getting married, but simply because they knew so many fucking people.
And because Charles had mentioned once — in passing, ages ago, long before Max went down on one knee and proposed — that he had driven past a property in Italy he’d found so beautiful that he’d had to stop the car in order to have a proper look, and that upon walking through the grounds of the property, he’d found himself thinking it would have been the perfect venue for a wedding.
Max had been hellbent on finding out which property that was ever since.
OR: The lavish wedding sequel to "Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes)" that you've all been (hopefully) waiting for.
Stop (You're Losing Me) (part 3 of Devils Roll The Dice (Angels Roll Their Eyes)
Rated E | 6,399 words | Completed
And now, here they are, with Charles feeling like he’s the only one making any sort of effort to keep their marriage healthy and happy outside of race weekends.
He never would have imagined being married to Max could end up feeling so lonely.
Another two hours pass before Max comes out into the living room, where Charles is sitting on the couch with a bowl of Andrea-and-Brad approved pad thai from their favorite takeout place just down the street, rewatching Money Heist for what has to be the tenth time.
Max stops at the end of the couch, frowning down at the Monégasque. “I thought we were going out for dinner?”
Charles looks up at him, face expressionless. “We were.”
Max points at the bowl. “But you ordered takeout?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because our reservation was two hours ago, babe, and I was hungry.”
OR: Max and Charles have been married for 3 years, and it turns out marriage isn't always beautiful. Sometimes, it's ugly and tiring and painful.
Mona's comment: This series is what got me back into writing after a 7-year long hiatus from fic writing, and I treasure this series so much because it's what got me to make a Tumblr blog again and fully embrace the F1 fandom after being into F1 for 20 years.
19 Times The Grid Saved Lestappen (And One Time They Didn't Need To) (part 1 of Lestappen + The Grid) co-written with @f1writingbyme
Rated M | 16,107 words | Complete
In that exact moment, all Charles wants to do is grab a hold of the front of Max’s stupid Red Bull polo and pull him into a kiss. He’s just about to do it, too, when a pen comes flying out of fucking nowhere, hitting Max smack dab in the face.
It brings them both out of their little bubble, and Charles turns to see Lando standing a good distance away from them, already in the process of yeeting another pen in their direction. Charles reaches out to catch it before it can hit Max again, putting his reflexes to good use. Next to Lando, Carlos nods his approval at the catch.
“Lando, what the hell?”
OR: Keeping Charles and Max from accidentally outing themselves to the whole world is becoming a full-time job. and Lando decides to enlist the entire grid to help him out.
18 Times Lestappen Tried To Hide Their Relationship (And One Time They Failed) (part 2 of Lestappen + The Grid) co-written with @f1writingbyme
Charles is pretty sure he is going to die of a heart attack at the age of only twenty-six because of all the sneaking around and almost getting caught every time.
The only positive thing they have going for them is that they haven't been caught yet. How that's possible, Charles isn't sure, but he thinks it might have something to do with the fact that their friends either aren't paying much attention or are just plain stupid.
Charles secretly hopes it's the last one.
But of course, luck is not on Charles’ side, as one Mr. Lando Norris, tucked away in the safety of his driver's room on the other side of the paddock, is typing away on his phone.
How (Not) To Third Wheel Lestappen co-written with @f1writingbyme
Rated T | 10,344 words | Complete (for now)
Lance doesn’t know which of his emotions is more overpowering; the secondhand embarrassment he feels at how blatantly obvious they’re being, or the fact that watching Max and Charles in their own little world is actually kind of cute.
He realizes it’s the secondhand embarrassment as he watches Max shamelessly grin at James and proudly explain that he was just talking to Charles.
Lance has to resist the urge to roll his eyes, especially when he notices how Charles is quite literally the embodiment of the heart eyes emoji where he’s standing next to Max for his entire interview. And the beeline Charles makes for Max as soon as he hands the microphone to Lance after his P2 interview is even worse than the heart eyes.
He definitely should have been paying attention to that group chat, Jesus fucking Christ.
OR: There is a WhatsApp support group chat on how to deal with being top 3 with Max and Charles. Lance hasn't been paying attention to it at all, and lives to regret it. And then others suffer at the hands of Lestappen as well.
Mona's comment: Writing fics with Ilse is one of my favorite things in the world to do, and I can't even begin to describe how much fun it is to write all our Lestappen + the grid fics.
The Wonders of Valentine's Day (Or Whatever)
Rated E | 9,933 words | Complete
Max, having completely lost the ability to speak, just stares at the sight before him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
What the actual fuck?
“Hi?” Max phrases it like a question.
Charles grins at him.
“Hello,” he greets, and Max watches as the grin fades away as Charles’ gaze moves down Max’s body, one eyebrow lifting.
It’s only then Max realizes that he never put on pants after his shower, and is standing there in his bright orange Netherlands jersey and black boxers.
It takes every ounce of his willpower not to let the internal panic he’s currently experiencing show on his face.
OR: Max isn't a fan of Valentine's Day. Charles is a menace on a mission to change that. Naturally.
Mona's comment: This was just a self-indulgant fic I wrote due to my own dislike towards Valentine's Day, but let me tell you, I had a blast from start to finish while writing this.
The Seasons of Heartbreak co-written with @f1writingbyme
Rated T | 14,075 words | Complete
As the ‘I can’t do this anymore’ slipped from his lips, Charles missed his exit and continued straight ahead, unable to fully see the exit sign through his tears.
The tears fill his eyes as quickly now as they had done in his car that day, and Charles finds himself realizing that he hasn’t felt happiness since. Not even once.
OR:
When two men are hurting from a break-up, they can only use each other to make it right again. But they have to realize that first.
OR:
The seasons of heartbreak, seen through the eyes of both Max and Charles.
Mona's comment: The sheer amount of tears shed while writing this, my God.
Max acted all gossipy and blabbed to the press that Charles spilled the beans to Pierre Gasly about Hamilton moving to Ferrari, but hey, who spilled to Max that Pierre knew Lewis was heading to Ferrari?
Max when Charles is top three and stands in the wrong position for photos: *Doesn’t care, happily holds the chaist from wherever Charles stands and positions himself accordingly*
Max when anyone else is top three and they stand in the wrong positions for photos: YOU TWO ARE NOT WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, FUCKING MOVE OR I SWEAR TO GOD —
omg there are so many good ones, i don’t know what you’re into, but here are some of my faves (mostly lestappen tbh)
epiphanies by makeamends (lestappen, one of the tags is ‘my love letter to charles leclerc’)
nobody gets me like you do by lovingstark (lestappen, charles leclerc 2025 wdc, focuses on 2026, social media)
all this happened, more or less by multi21 (lestappen, charles as a hannah montana figure, social media, conspiracy theories)
Would you take the wheel. (If I lose control?) by MillsW (lestappen, exes to lovers, perhaps the most brutal/heartbreaking/beautiful depiction of chronic illness)
no brakes on by linearity (lestappen, actor!charles x prdisaster!max)
objects in mirror [series] by linearity (lestappen, rbr!charles)
The Blessing of Victoria by astranne (lestappen, time-travel fix-it, merc!charles)
you could call me babe for the weekend by actparci (lestappen, the inchident, ‘enemies to friends to idiots to lovers’)
you’re gonna go far [series] by dalsy (lestappen, 2024 season through their eyes, rbr!charles)
my thoughts will echo your name by witchee_writer (lestappen, future fic, the boys take on le mans)
Solar Flare by Tianvette (vettel/button, one of the loveliest, comprehensive fic worlds, like i want to exist in this story with them and their family. there’s not a ton of sebson (?) fic out there, but i feel like this one is the definitive one)
Racing Hearts by szerelem (russell/albon, driver!george x singer!alex, social media, secret relationship)
on the faultline by limabima (brocedes, through the years, canon compliant, ‘no fluff here’)
F1 fics are the main reason I got into this fandom and I figured I should share some (or so so many) fics that I like. While I do primarily follow Lando/Oscar and Charles/Carlos, I do read fics from other ships especially if they're from an author I like or the concept is interesting.
I have way too many fics (100+ though not all are completed) bookmarked so I'll just share my absolute favorites on this post and link posts of individual ships on their own posts. Also, I will continually keep updating this post and the other ones as fics complete and I read more.
If any of the authors of the fics mentioned here or are tagged and don't want their fics to be here, please let me know and I'll remove it!
❤️ = favorite
⭐️ = I love fics by this author in general
❌ = triggering themes
🔥 = explicit
Absolute Favorite Fics:
the trials of 2022 - 33k - Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz Jr - ❤️ ⭐️ 🔥
A partial summary of the 2022 season, as told by Charles or Carlos, following each race.
This would be my all-time favorite F1 fic if I had to choose, only rivaled by its currently unfinished sequel and the second fic here. Charles's and Carlos's relationship in this fic is so organic and realistic and the chemistry is incredibly tangible. The angst, tension, the emotion in this fic is delectable, beautiful writing by @/f1-stuff. Even if you aren't into this ship, I implore you to try this fic out.
the end of the strain - 19k - Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel - ❤️
They didn't end up together in the end, which he had already prepared for in his heart.
Lewis, in seven parts.
For the first time ever reading any fic of any fandom, I had to lie on the floor for a couple minutes to process the emotional damage this fic gave me. The characterizations of all the people are on point and the relationships are heartbreaking and devastating in all the right ways. If you want to cry or lie on the floor and contemplate love like I did, this is the fic for you.
So officially, Oscar Piastri, pretty good steepler and pretty bad pacer, was now a professional runner.
They wanted him to steeple, mostly, though he’d be doing cross country in the fall, and Lando had pinky promised him, mid-distance guy to mid-distance guy, that if he wanted to get into the 3k flat indoor then he would get him in.
Oscar didn’t really want to ask how he planned on doing that. Felt safer not to ask.
@/ocontraire is the queen of Sports AU's for the F1 boys (go check out her other fics too! They're also incredible). As an athlete myself, the mentalities of both Lando and Oscar are relatable to me, though I'm also fascinated by the differences in various sports. This fic is certainly on the more lighthearted side (emotionally at least) and I thoroughly enjoy Lando and Oscar's friendship/relationship and its development.
In which Charles is sick, Pierre is desperate, and he wishes he didn't have to do what he's doing to pay for Charles to have a chance.
Piarles is certainly not a ship that I read often, but this fic caught my eye and I'm certainly glad that I read it. Pierre's and Charles's relationship is quite cute, though I mainly love Pierre's desperation to save Charles no matter what. He is willing to do anything, the world could burn for all he cares, to make sure Charles is healthy again and it got me heavily in the feels.
glitch - 26k - Max Verstappen/Charles Leclerc - ❤️ ⭐️
Max hums. “Well, at least that means I won’t bump into Charles Leclerc again.”
“Bummer, really,” Daniel says, moving back to his own seat and drinking the little bit of coffee that was still in the cup. “Could’ve been the start of a great love story.”
Lando snorts. “Kids, it all started when I told your father, who had won two World Driver Championships at that point, that he sucked at driving.”
Max sticks his middle finger up at them, and pulls his noise canceling headphones back over his ears. Only two hours left to go, he thinks, wistfully, and goes back to work.
I mainly read @/nyoomfruits's fics because of Landoscar, though this Lestappen fic took me completely by surprise. I adore the romcom vibes of this whole fic and Daniel and Lando are so hilarious and chaotic. Max's personality fits so well in this fic as an unbothered IT guy, but completely loses his composure when he meets Charles, his favorite F1 driver.
Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the parc ferme after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.
unpopular opinion, but bahrain 2024 was actually a great race from charles but people are too blind to see it because they only see the ferrari social media graphics post-race with 'p4' as his result.
MY GUY, with 100 degree brake imbalance was second fastest in sector 2, the most driver-dependent and technical of all sectors with heavy braking. key words; driver-dependent and heavy braking.
most would have considered retiring with a brake imbalance that extreme, but Charles LECUNT managed to bring the car home with p4 and was second fastest behind that rb rocketship in a sector that was the most difficult, skill-dependent, and heavy on the braking.
gamechangershow
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind
stormborns
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
theartofmadeline
tangentwithtanner
vaporwave
