#inchidentallyanessay

[inchidentally]

their respective interviews about their relationship and 2025 have me insaneeee over the lore they are cultivating as teammates and their pride in what they've made with the team and the quiet trust and bond they've carefully cultivated between their soft vulnerable kitten paws and I have so many things to sayyyy

I've loved the openness they've been able to have after 2025 about how the healthiness and strength of their relationship is not just something they acknowledge as crucial to their individual success and team's success, but also that it's the deliberate result of their shared effort !! and they take pride in them both being so dedicated to it !! and that it would be so easy to not have that relationship and simply stay focused on their own success while making out in PR that things are still fine (which is the default for most teammates competing at the front). I remember a lot of us theorizing about this in 2023 and part of 2024 that Oscar arrived wanting to focus on the teammate relationship with Lando over the buddy bromance thing (and with their mutual friends and similarities it would've been so easy) and it's been rly interesting to get confirmation that they grew closer as people off track very naturally over time BUT that their priority was every decision to make their relationship as teammates stronger. they locked into each other's success SO early on and formed that level of trust to the point where they both believe none of the championships would've been possible without it and ??? that is so ??? they truly look at each other and say you are why I have achieved what I have and vice versa oh my GODDDDD - and that trust has

carried them through Hungary 2024, and they BOTH say how milestone moments like that or the 2025 title fight could've completely destroyed everything and like ! I do not think they get nearly enough credit in fandom or even the media for the quietly totally unique and rare thing they've cultivated and maintained !!

and admittedly a big part of that is down to them not pushing their non-work relationship publicly and in 2024 asking to dial back on the bromance marketing content McLaren had done for years. you have to serrrrriously pay close attention to know that they do in fact socialize and that all of Lando's closest friends love Oscar and that the dads have been tight from day one etc etc etc. (most people kind of get it now just thru the twinning/mirroring and the warmth they show each other when they're relaxed on camera) and in both these interviews you can hear the way they always bristle when media starts trying to prod them about their relationship off track. and it's something we've heard before from both of them: Oscar never wanting to share much about his non work life and Lando saying the same thing after regretting sharing too much of his non work life. the fact that it's not just the teammate relationship they're protecting but the WHOLE of their relationship I think is one of those things they mention as already being in agreement about. it makes their lives and their jobs so much more comfortable and easy to keep the public and the media at a very stern distance and to simply laugh or easily undermine rumors the way they do.

they both bring up how game playing/hiding things/mind games is an easy default for most teammates in their situation and that it was something they both acknowledged as a pitfall AND consistently agreed never to do. that they choose to own up to anything that's directly their fault or to simply accept that mistakes happen in racing and not to get hung up on it. and the biggest instance of that was when the media speculated that their famous open door policy between garages would be shut for the final three races last year and it still never happened !!

the way they bring up the marketing stuff (and have both said they share a dislike of forced PR content) as a proof that their relationship hadn't degraded due to the title fight - bc otherwise those days would have either been absolutely awful or they'd have had to do things entirely separately. which means that the way they giggled and managed to enjoy them the way they did was absolutely authentic and not just them trying to cover for anything. it's also why I do laugh a bit when ppl think that any content in 2026 is yaoi to compensate for the car being bad bc not only is this a hilariously small amount of PR compared to other teams' marketing but it's also the exact same amount as last season!

I loved Lando saying that the idea of them having some kind of "man to man" locker room talk about AD25 would've had them laughing over how awkward and Not Them that would be - and Oscar saying how they both already knew what they'd be facing at the end of that season and simply didn't make a big deal out of it like… their sense of perspective and not wanting the mythos of Winning and Losing to bleed into their relationship - I truly think that is unique to them ?? they each came in with that ability to balance relationships with competitors as People as well as the childhood dream of wanting to win and be The Best and they simply… understood each other. in so many ways it's never as deep or dark with these two as the media or fans want to think.

I know that them being the absolute opposite of expectation for perfectly matched teammates who've competed for wins and championships at the same age would be more of a headline if they did more PR or if they developed an on camera 'yes and' image but also I feel like this fits in perfectly with what they both say is important to them and the fact that they're so completely aligned and quietly strong and powerful together. but also I love how they'd both find it corny and funny and weird to try and dramatize their relationship for the general public and that straight up never lose sight of the fact that they're doing a fantasy "job" and while yes it's necessary to be passionate and focus on winning on track it is not worth ruining a relationship or an entire team over. as someone who still fully expects there to be coldness or some open fuming at SOME point between them bc it's just human and normal, like in all fairness they still keep me waiting on that alsfgsajlfgas

and lastly the immense pride they have together in having made this era of McLaren what it is !! from Lando saying he felt so inferior to older experienced Carlos and wondering if he was truly meant for Formula 1 and Oscar knowing he had to win everything leading up to Formula 1 but still not knowing if the money would come through or if he'd even get a seat - both often having been the youngest and smallest in their series - and both having always been capable of staying friends with teammates/competitors even after tensions or battles (including some crucial moments requiring special grace) - and them finding each other as teammates with all those similarities and priorities - and then taking on the mutual burden of an entire team that was in the backmarkers and bringing them to back to back championships like holy shit. I love them SO. MUCH.

AND THEY WANT TO STAY. FOREVER IF THEY CAN. THIS IS THEIR HOME AND THEIR FAMILY.

OH AND the way both Tom and Jake kind of can't believe how solid their relationship is and Jake even gasps about it askfgsajgflas

[inchidentally]

between people looking for PR in the teammates who famously shun PR and people wanting them to fight all the time I feel like the strengths to landoscar’s relationship as teammates and friends - that they themselves talk about and take pride in - gets so lost a lot of the time. and this weekend is such a great example of how Lando’s the heart and the vulnerability that represents himself and Oscar and the team, and Oscar is the one who decides okay! time to shake it off and learn from it what we can

and that’s the perfect balance for each other where Oscar said when left alone after difficulties he can get too stuck in his own head and Lando famously had struggles with getting free of his own self criticism - both of which hugely improved for both of them and they both credit each other with what they’ve become as drivers and what they’ve created with the team. yes ofc they like each other as people and friends but that’s honestly not difficult - they’re both easy going, funny and playing padel or having lunch or sharing a plane ride is smth they do with lots of drivers. but what’s unique to them is that the career they’ve given their lives to and makes up 95% of their lives is something they’ve chosen to build and depend on each other. AND they’ve built into their trust in each other an understanding that they’re going to fight on track at times and the nature of their jobs is to try and win. they’re not in denial and they’ve proven how well prepared they are to deal with that.

but mainly to me is this perfect way their differences interlock and support each other and the team. Lando feels it for everyone including Oscar and Oscar can come alone and make a gentle joke and get him smiling. they’ve had the most dramatic flip from championship winners to now both cars not even making it into the formation lap and they’re managing to smile and stay focused and talk about what they can do next. they’re could very justifiably be angry, doom laden or monosyllabic and curt with the media - they could be openly angry at their team! plenty of drivers would be! - but rather than this whole papaya rules conspiracy it honestly is clear by how relaxed they are that they’re approaching this how they chose to do together. close ranks and deal with it themselves.

and what’s funny is the idea that the yaoi got upped in response to the cars but so far we’ve had the same pretty minimal PR content as the last two years and otherwise what we’re seeing is landoscar sticking even closer than usual and huddling together more bc that’s what they do. close ranks and communicate. close their privacy door on everyone and figure it out. it’s very cute yes and they’re so endlessly fond, but also it’s totally unperformative and disregarding of cameras because they’re not huddling together and talking constantly for anyone but their own benefit (and therefore the teams). they went from easy and chummy before Melbourne to barely being separated in China and barely being a few inches apart in the race buildup.

like yes landoscar obviously makes such good rpf but fr we’ve got to appreciate the reality of them as teammates and friends and just how much they do it entirely for themselves and the people around them and not for us or the media. there’s so much strength to a relationship where there’s that much mutual agreement and trust yk ?? and it just shouldn’t get ignored simply bc ppl either want them to be better at on camera work or assume they barely communicate or like each other. both those things aren’t gonna happen/aren’t true and even if someone is desperate to not believe in anything deeper or more personal for their own reasons (or because they keep expecting to be pandered to and assume an absence of that must mean nothing is there) then what they are as teammates is still HUGELY impressive and unique <3

[inchidentally]

so deeply rpf but Oscar saying how there’s people who enjoy getting adrenaline rushes all the time and then people like him where driving f1 cars is enough of an adrenaline rush and he likes to be chill the rest of the time

and Lando who is a little adrenaline butterfly barely staying still to relax for more than a day or two at a time every four months and everyone close to him in his non f1 life is a steady calming presence

and then Oscar arrives into Lando’s f1 life and suddenly Lando realizes by his example that it’s ok to ask for fewer PR obligations and to arrange the schedule so he can do media filming more efficiently and Oscar who fights for naps and down time and who is known even in wider fandom to gentle parent Lando and accommodate everything from blaring music to their joint eating habits etc

and ofc that Oscar already had watching Lando flit around in his busy energetic colorful life as part of his own life before they even met so ofc he’s the perfect teammate - he slots right in with the quieter steadier reliable and loving people in Lando’s life <3

[inchidentally]

what alllllways gets me is how Oscar has resting blah face no matter what the vibes are around him and he's not at all unhappy !! he's just in slightly powered down introvert social battery saving mode ! and everyone who knows him is fine with that including Lily

but whenever he sees Lando laugh or smile his instinct is to be happy and smile as well as perfectly evidenced here and is also part of the landoscar slightly creepy mirroring they do and also the zendaya laughing bc any time Lando makes a joke Oscar will fold

and my theory is that years of consuming Lando content on his phone and computer where (as we all can appreciate) Lando is always either cute or silly or naughty or all three and it's impossible to watch him without smiling

so even when Oscar's trapped in the tedium of PR work he will always smile or laugh just bc Lando is smiling or laughing bc Lando content was his always one of his happy places

like here Lando is having to lean over just to hear Zak so Oscar truly has no idea what everyone's laughing about, he's just watching Lando laugh and smiling in response

l0veyourselfirst

and it makes me insane how their relationship is found in all the little things and habits particular to them and how all good relationships say it's the small things that make it solid and not any kind of grand gestures and how Lando was so thrown at first by Oscar but we've watched him learn Oscar to the point where they have whole non-verbal debriefs where one of them still has their helmet on (as well as debriefs where they yap nonstop) and that their gentle embrace in parc farme after Lando's WDC win made Cisca weepy as she watched it bc Oscar pulled Lando close to look directly into his open visor to let him know he was proud of him and yes they were going to be okay <3

[inchidentally]

https://www.tumblr.com/ln1op81/806288070072745984/okay-this-might-be-me-overthinking-but-i-need-to?source=share would love to know your opinion on this <3

anon tysm for inviting me to give my thoughts and I'm not moots w them so I won't rb with all of this but !!

I absolutely see what op is feeling and I'm one of the landoscars who is like yea this sport is insane and nothing should be taken for granted - and also that I'm totally fine with teammates arguing and don't consider it to mean the end of the relationship (n0rstappen being the strongest example of clashing at work but remaining among the closest driver friendships on the current grid)

but I think 2025 actually was in fact the litmus test of Most Difficult for them bc not only did McLaren not at ALL expect to have both drivers in this position this soon, but also in Lando and Oscar's minds it was potentially the last guaranteed opportunity before the change in regs. my uncle is saying 2026 is going to be among the biggest shakeups to F1 and basically be an entirely new era for all the existing teams. so Lando and Oscar's chances 2026 onward will be in a completely new context and one that won't feel settled for years to come - as opposed to 2025 where they knew one of them would inevitably take it. and then for Vegas to happen and the Qatar strategy for Oscar to be what it was and Max !! and coming down to the absolute wire - that confluence of events just will never happen again and will never involve BOTH of them going for their first WDC. Lando is not a Max or a Lewis who lives and breathes the sport and wants to not only be in the history books but loom large and long in them. no he absolutely will not "help" Oscar get his own and he and Oscar have both said they never want that from each other, but having a championship absolutely will take the pressure off for Lando and honestly I think we'll see his most confident and collected racing ever from now on. which will mean that every time Oscar fairly beats him or when strategy gets fucked up and difficult team orders come, Lando will be in the far more enviable position of already having his place in the history books and on that trophy.

so as far as the particular worst case future scenarios, a) I do not think Oscar will ever have the view of "but it's my turn" he's way too reasonable to assume something as complicated as a championship fight should be his and b) Lando won't be any less competitive but he'll be free of that monkey on his back that was first a race win and then a championship win. I just don't think they'd ever suddenly become the kinds of guys who attribute winning and losing so wholly to the other guy enough to fracture the unique bond they're so immensely proud of forming. they're also not the toxic masculinity types who forget that they're doing a pointless sport and getting paid a fortune for it - Oscar and Lando always point out how absurd and lucky it is that they get to call this their "job" when it isn't even that.

and otherwise tbh I think part of the reason they work so well and the many inevitable difficult moments they'll face in being long term teammates - and also ironically why thy've never become corporate yaoi/bromance or satisfying DTS fodder - is bc their relationship isn't at all volatile and they don't have any kind of public image of their relationship to keep up. there's so much kept private between just the two of them even from Andrea and the team - and tbh the way they talk about how it was THEIR decision for their relationship to be what it is and they are already so similar and aligned despite being different in certain ways as personalities... that's so distinct and different from the usual way teammates approach each other of first feeling each other out as people to see if they can be friends/friendly, bc that helps a bit with the non-racing aspect of their jobs. but then kind of having a generic 'I won't be a dick if you won't be a dick but if you're a dick then I'll be a dick back' approach to each other as teammates and sort of figuring that out as they go along. in those cases the cracks start to show as soon as the competition between them tightens and gets more intense and the friendship can't always fix everything.

but landoscar have developed in the complete reverse to that - which is even more significant and deliberate a choice since they had actual people and even a karting team in common before even meeting in person. it would've been so easy for Oscar to just slot right in as a friend to Lando right away but !! he had spent many years observing Lando with two other teammates and hearing what Lando wanted and well ! Oscar showed up to be Lando's teammate for a long time even if that meant having to wait for the friendship <3

so they had rock solid open communication and mutual trust from the start as teammates that's passed honestly the toughest tests that such young teammates could face so early in their relationship. I'm not even convinced that it'll ever be as simple as "what if Lando dominates and gets another WDC before Oscar gets his first" not just bc there is absolutely zero guarantee that that scenario will happen from 2026 onward, but also bc Lando and Oscar have never viewed their own season results as ever being contingent on what the other one did. they'd never try and offload so much of their own responsibility for their racing onto each other for that. the pitwall? the FIA? sure - those can potentially impact an entire season's result (Qatar 2025) but the way Lando and Oscar are so consistent in talking about their trust in each other and allowing that race mindset and real life mindset are two very different things and they always need to return to real life mindset - idk I just can't see that them ever leveling that degree of guilt or responsibility onto each other yk?

actually I deleted a lot of what I just wrote bc this video of Lando came out and he says exactly what I'm trying to salfgjsalgfl

and one of the points I was trying to make that he said was how they are both so similar in how they approach formula one as a career that they do alongside being normal human beings. that they never lose perspective on it or take anything on track too long off of it into real life - and crucially that they can laugh and relax and feel safe together no matter what they've had to face at work together. I love the "almost forget that you're a formula one driver and have to be on TV" part especially bc it reflects that little secretive huddle and looks they give each other in parc ferme that no one else is allowed fully into but you can just tell they're communicating and re-calibrating and remembering 'it's just racing' <3

those are the times all of us are like ??? bc we fully expected they'd be icy or stand-offish but goddamn if they don't give each other those little smiles and huddle together and put in the work to show respect or share nuggies and play board games - and it not just being some big showy thing that is meant for the cameras. they don't mind showing that sometimes they're both still rattled and raw and that they genuinely want to make sure the other knows that it'll all be okay when the adrenaline wears off.

literally saying WE made the decision to be like this and WE have helped the team do this and WE work toward OUR common and individual goals TOGETHER and will continue to share the same dream TOGETHER

esp the "we treat that (the racing/real life balance) the same and therefore we have a lot of respect for one another - disregarding what everyone else says…. what media says" it both leaves open the fact that they will of course face those awkward and tense moments in the future BUT that they're openly discussing them and their bond is that they trust each other to come together afterward.

of course there'll have been and will be times when they have to do those reassuring smiles and handshakes with a subtext of "we're not fully okay yet but we will be" like I truly see their choice not to jump into a friendship/bromance first thing as them very early on gifting each other the space and freedom to choose how much time and space they need to heal or get over something and come together again.

bc they're not two mates who are kind of hoping the friendship stays solid despite them racing (understandably) for themselves. they're so totally open and honest about the ups and downs and understanding each other as drivers that it completely takes the wind out of the media and DTS' sails bc they're not a pairing that's sitting on a ticking time bomb and everyone including them are just hoping any racing conflict can be resolved or at least forgotten over drinks or a round of golf (which is basically most teammate partnerships)

instead we know for certain that not only will Lando and Oscar probably have anticipated a lot of conflicts before they happen, but they will give each other the space to feel their own way about it until the heat of the moment passes and they shake hands or smile in relief at each other. and that they don't have to agree with each other all the time to the media and they can be honest about their own position and that's seen as part of the strength of their relationship - rather than trying to constantly smooth over the cracks and all the time to feel like friends again, they base the health of their friendship on how safe and comfortable they feel being honest and open.

I've been expecting for like two years now when they struggle to recover from an incident on track (and fully was expecting them to part last season on friendly but possibly uncomfy terms and still haven't processed how it went down like happy ending fic) and I'm still sure that it'll happen eventually and we'll have a week or two of anxiety until they pop up and are totally fine again. but even I have to admit that whenever that happens we rly have to give landoscar the full credit and precedent of it all being okay before much time will have passed yk ?? more than any other pairing, they have the foundation and approach and determination to stay together that I think will weather anything they get thrown into. not even in an rpf way, in the way they both reiterate over and over about how much staying together and what they have built together means to them <3

(charlos is the like hyper emotional equivalent to this in that they both openly agree to sometimes having explosive reactions to each other at work but then jumping on a private plane together and talking about everything except work)

[inchidentally]

because I’m stupidly disorganized I can’t find it but the fanstage where Lando was saying it was nice in a way when McLaren was a back marker and there was less pressure for him and Oscar than when they started competing for race wins - and Oscar was like it wasn’t that fun !!

bc for Oscar he came in totally unlike Carlos or Daniel and he had not only everything to prove as a rookie but he also had to prove wrong all the ppl who were hoping he’d flop. and ofc as we know he’d looked forward to being Lando’s teammate for so long without assuming it would work out that way and overall he was fighting literally to try and stay with McLaren and Lando back when the car was a tractor.

whereas Lando being already so firmly established and who had previously known the car as being midfield and even competing for podiums and wins was looking forward to the usual bromancey low pressure get to know your teammate experience with Oscar. but for all the reasons above, Oscar was a bundle of nerves and hyper focused to the point of seeming much more serious as a person than he really was. and then 2024 launched them into the kind of intense internal competition that many teammates never even face - as Carlos himself has said about him and Lando who never had to face the tough times - and I think those fanstage quotes represent the division of people who either don’t want Lando and Oscar to be friends or who just don’t pay any attention to their media outside the little that McLaren puts out, and then the fact that with no queerbaiting or bromance landoscar as a ship has skyrocketed in interest and fan content etc

if McLaren had stayed firmly in the midfield after 2023 then it’s possible we would’ve had more of the conventional PR and media that convinces fans of how much two teammates are friends (the ones who don’t hate the idea of them as friends ofc) we may have seen Oscar’s real personality and humor come out like it did in Prema and Alpine media and probably he’d have crossed over at least a little with Lando and Max’s streaming and maybe even Quadrant. not saying how much but it was too obvious and easy a thing to not have happened.

but instead McLaren PR was gutted out and it was a good month if there was one challenge video bc Lando and Oscar were swiftly under the immense pressure of not just being front runners but of negotiating their relationship as teammates and friends at the same time in this insane pressure cooker

and that’s why so much flies under the radar of anyone who isn’t specifically looking into landoscar content. for us it’s been like reading slow burn fic how they’ve gradually started hanging out socially but prefer to keep it away from fandom consumption while also showing a bond and a level of trust and involvement in each other as teammates that’s so rare it almost never happens. aligning perfectly, twinning to almost a creepy degree, wide open communication, privately conferring and planning even away from the team.

idk it just struck me as interesting that Lando was like :( about not getting the same teammate experience with Oscar that he did with Carlos and Daniel and that corresponding to so many ppl assuming he isn’t friends with Oscar at all - and Oscar being relieved that he’d proven everyone wrong and succeeded and that his relationship with Lando as a teammate has consistently stood the test of immense pressure and stress and how so many of us have found the whole journey so compelling

like I’ve never wanted to “sell” landoscar as a ship to anyone unless they directly ask questions bc Lando and Oscar aren’t in on the bit with fans the way Carlos and Daniel were as far as rpf etc so yes I partly kind of long for what a lower pressure focus on landoscar as a growing friendship could’ve been - but on the other hand I love that we get such raw and honest content from them that means we see them struggling and having to accept when they’re in extremely different places in each season bc when they go out of their way to be there for each other and inadvertently give glimpses into their dynamic I also know that’s completely genuine and not yaoi mandated yk ?

[inchidentally]

the goldilocks Lando with teammates is so delicious in so many ways not just bc each ship has so much to enjoy

but also the contrast of Carlos and Daniel to Oscar not just as such obviously different people but also therefore in how Lando reacts to them

bc literally all you have to do to get Lando’s affection is show him some - it’s his nature to respond to love and fun and laughter with twice as much!

but in his manyyyy years of Lando observations Oscar of course studied Lando’s two teammates and their dynamic with him. he knows that the strong assertive no hesitation friendship that Carlos and Daniel have had with a lot of teammates works absolute wonders with Lando. and for someone who told his mom his ideal f1 teammate would be Lando bc he’s so good that no one would expect Oscar to keep up with him right away - and who already had plenty of chummy good media friendly friendships with Prema and Renault boys himself already - of course he knew he could do that with Lando and have easy immediate access to the soft sweet place that is Lando’s friendship.

but he didn’t have all these plans for that - and he didn’t tweet OSC4R for that !! he had seen Lando’s tearful little frown at losing both teammates. he knew how much Lando valued consistency and security and that McLaren was as much his home as the one he has with his family and his friends.

he knew that proving his loyalty and value to McLaren is tied into his desire to prove his loyalty to Lando. that as long as he Oscar Jack had any say in it then he’d be the last F1 teammate Lando ever has.

so he smiles indulgently and kindly supports Lando missing his former teammates bc he has plans to become the permanent teammate Lando has always wanted. he makes it a point to be friendly and open toward all the drivers in particular who have Lando’s affection. he doesn’t plan on being in competition or trying to emulate any of them, he plans on being in his own separate class. instead of being one of many drivers to pass Lando around fondly in their arms he wants Lando to know that he’s always there. that he’ll listen to Lando’s music through the walls or follow Lando’s travels over the winter break or enjoy seeing Lando laughing with the people he loves. he’ll learn Lando’s likes and dislikes so much that he can predict them and he’ll step back a little when it’s time for Lando to be in the spotlight. and if he never gets a single bit of reflected fame or popularity or attention from being Lando’s friend and teammate then so much the better bc Lando will know Oscar’s doing all of those things solely bc he wants to. he won’t for a second have to worry that the young gun arriving with some of the worst fanfare negativity will ever use him to shift it - or try to augment his growing public identity and brand with Lando’s. he hasn’t even used the Max F connection to try and work in some Quadrant fandom.

he doesn’t care what fans think of his relationship with Lando like he doesn’t care to market his relationship with Lily to the public. let them think that not pushing a friendship with Lando toward the media and public means they’re not close. let them either pay attention or not to the fact that they spend time together outside of work. it’s none of our business! that’s not what he’s here to do!

bc watching Lando’s totally open and honest reactions to Oscar change and grow gradually and steadily in interest and fondness and depth over the years while Oscar lets his actions speak where he’s never been a verbal kind of guy is exactly why Lando is the way he is about Oscar now. it’s not the same as his other driver friendships and it’s still not smth that’s being rushed at all. they know they’ve got time! and Oscar is more than happy to show up for Lando in such surprising and pointedly accommodating ways and let him figure out what their relationship is to be.

like obv I know I’m narrativizing this but also when I said similar things in 2023 and was like haha I’m probably just being silly and !!! we got the actual ultimate teammate tests in rapid succession and 2025 ended with them more dedicated than ever and Oscar’s most loved media soundbite is about how they’ll be teammates “for many many more years to come” while Lando moonily waxes about how Oscar’s such a huge part of his championship and how he knows Oscar will have this feeling himself one day and them having a moment all to themselves on the FIA awards stage with feelings only they alone can truly know and !!!!!!!!!!

[inchidentally]

Inchhhh, I’m dying to know your thoughts on this? Please and thank you 😊

https://www.tumblr.com/gattyswriting/802941473212547072/an-article-aboutlando-oscar-and-max-waiting-for

u guys are so nice asking things like this it makes me feel like being stupid and overthinking millionaires who drive fast cars at least has entertainment value <3 <3

this article is exactly like the podium sundays thing where they didn't realize Lando, Oscar and their respective race teams had left the track due to curfew and were continuing debriefs at a restaurant - so these men had literally JUST all seen each other and taken the same cars etc so why would they say "hi" or act like they hadn't seen each other seconds before aslfgsajlfg like why are we looking for performative shit in people who are just living their lives like normal and being normal levels of friendly

bc not only had Lando and Oscar spent almost all that Abu Dhabi Thursday together doing media or debriefing with the team for the weekend and therefore wouldn't make any kind of song and dance about saying hello just for the cameras, they literally pressed together from sides to feet in a huddle and giggled over Lando's phone like this - how is this "tense" or on edge aslfgaljfgal like I can only assume the writer referred to Max showing up bc

like this couldn't be a more landoscar way to deal with cameras and media and the gd Netflix boom than to cuddle up and block them all out and quietly murmur about smth innocuous on Lando's phone and look at each other with that conspiratorial psychic link thing where u can tell they're thinking the same thing but won't tell anyone. they stonewalled the gillion cameras and Netflix boom aimed at them so they could have one tiny bubble of normality together.

and when I see the ppl in fandom who try so hard to pretend two people don't like each other or aren't close (usually it's couples but landoscar apparently get the same treatment) based solely on judging them as if they're watching a fictional scripted show and ??? normal people being normal don't act like fic or movies or shows ?? me and my closest family and friends would be cooooked by those standards bc no we don't go around in life acting like cameras and eyes are on us so that we have to demonstrate how close we are ! bc actually being comfortable with someone means NOT performing or being "on" when you're with them !

and what's especially funny to me is that if you cold dropped someone into a tarkov stream then you would genuinely not be able to tell that Max and Lando are THE lifelong besties they are bc they're relaxed and not trying to sell it to anyone. my cousin would sometimes watch quadrant and Max/Lando content over my shoulder and she didn't work out that Max and Lando are what they are until one of the videos where they mention their karting days and being friends a long time. and it was actually guys like Carlos (who was literally born into doing PR and was presented as a baby to a press scrum outside the hospital) and PR/media person's dream Daniel who both helped awkward shy nervous Lando develop his PR abilities and how to deal with media etc. you can actually see him mimic both of them and follow their lead in his media with them as he learned. there's a super early Lando interview I think with Nat? where he forgets to hold the mic up and he's speaking so quietly she has to push the mic up for him to be heard. and ofc the Martin Kodrić lore "before [Lando] came into f1 he was extremely introverted, complete opposite of now, he struggled to socialize, he was a bit of a weird guy…that Lando is more stay at home games type of kid but now as he matured a little bit"

so my like wayyyy early 2023 posts where I felt like Oscar fit in more with Lando's quadrant/karting/junior career era buddies who knew his more introverted days than how he is with any of his F1 driver friends has p much all proven to be the case. Oscar doesn't want to do the usual PR that drivers do, for the most part he much prefers quiet hangouts w a few friends or gaming w friends, and he literally had a backup education and plan as an engineer in case the sponsorship didn't come through for F1. he's totally fine not expanding into a big personal brand and basically going into normal mode once F1 is done. he's plopped all his public social media with Sarah and Lily apart from the odd time when he wants to remember his password. and ofc he was already friends and previously streaming buddies with Max and quadrant have basically welcomed him in.

so literally when we see Lando ignoring cameras and staying natural and "unusually" calm around Oscar it's bc that's how they've decided to stay when in public. ever since realizing that Oscar doesn't have a PR mode he's been like oh! cool! I'm going to do that too when I'm with him! similar to how he's a little wind up merchant brat to certain comfort people and knows he can do it with Oscar too.

Lando's adapted to Oscar yes - but Lando this is how Lando still is himself! he has his more social side now but he famously still gets shy around unknown people and his happy safe place is still gaming with his oldest friends!

and in a way, you have to kind of wonder if Oscar sort of giving him permission to revert back to that person while at work has played a small part in Lando feeling more focused and therefore reaching a new level as a driver !!

and side note I feel like the drivers who have more to do with PR are kind of referring to that when they say they can't rly be friends with each other until one or both of them isn't an F1 driver anymore - not just the competitors thing. bc for guys who engage with that PR layer of their friendships with other drivers, there's a lot of pressure to keep up an image of that friendship or else that parlay with media and fans could quickly slip out of their control and be twisted around. fans can also start blurring the lines between rpf and reality and suddenly the jokey good natured queerbaiting with male friends turns into their girlfriends being harassed and hated for existing. it's a game you need to stay on top of at all times if you play it.

that's a game landoscar have just decided not to play. on the one hand it sucks for us bc we don't get the volume of content - but it also means all the content we get is honest and real and not playing into what we want/expect. I enjoy both the friendships who do PR and the ones that don't - or do less - and ultimately it's only enjoyable to me if it feels comfortable for the real people involved. as soon as the PR game feels like it's playing the real people then I don't like it.

and it fits in with how landoscar have been from almost the very start where Andrea said they had private debriefs just the two of them and then their little privacy door they emphasized so much and all the little clues and mentions of them being in each other's private lives.

they have to spend so much time as teammates in front of cameras and being watched and like godddd it is so sweet 2 me that they want to keep everyone out and honestly can anyone argue with 2 WCCs and a WDC and basically runner-up WDC AND that they have reacted to every trauma and drama between them on track by huddling closer and bonding even more and they finish a season that sees one the ultimate winner and one the loser where they want to celebrate together and belly laugh and delicately touch each other and be sweet ????