The marble game x F1 drivers
which driver would win?
a/n: little something because I saw this idea on tiktok. This was a game in the Netflix series Squid Game (season 1), They had to make pairs, and players chose their friends, thinking they’d have to fight other players (spoiler: they had to fight each other… so yeah, one of them died).
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Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris
They choose each other without even checking the board. It feels obvious.
Lando starts talking immediately, anything to keep things light. Carlos smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He’s already reading the room, already sensing the turn.
When the rules are explained, Lando laughs. Carlos doesn’t.
They sit on the floor with the marbles between them, and for a moment it feels like McLaren again. Carlos suggests a simple game. Lando agrees, still thinking there’s a way around it.
Carlos loses on purpose. He knows exactly when to do it.
Lando realizes only when the marbles are in his hands. His voice cracks when he says Carlos’ name.
Carlos just smiles softly. “You did well, mate.”
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen
They don’t hug. They don’t joke. They just stand there, facing each other like they have their whole careers.
Choosing each other feels less like affection and more like inevitability. If it has to be someone, it was always going to be this way.
They agree on a fair game. Something clean. No tricks. Charles insists on it.
Max wins. Of course he does.
Charles exhales, like he’s been holding his breath for years. He looks relieved, almost peaceful. Max can’t meet his eyes. He never learned how to handle this part of winning.
When Charles smiles at him, it hurts more than losing ever could.
“Thank you... for playing with me.”
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
They’re laughing when they sit down. Loud, familiar laughter that echoes too much in the room.
Daniel keeps the energy up, cracking jokes, nudging Max’s shoulder, pretending this is just another stupid challenge. Max laughs with him — at first — because that’s what he’s always done with Daniel.
But the rules don’t care about nostalgia.
Daniel slows down as the game goes on. Max doesn’t. He can’t. He’s wired to finish things.
When it ends, Daniel looks at him for a long second, then grins. “Well done mate, I'm proud. Win for us, eh?”
Max feels sick.
George Russell and Alex Albon
They sit close, instinctively, shoulders brushing.
Alex offers to throw the game almost immediately. George shuts it down just as fast. His voice is too sharp, too scared. He can’t accept that kind of kindness — not again.
They argue in whispers, years of shared history slipping through the cracks: junior formulas, lost seats, survival.
Alex chooses a slower game, always so gentle. George wins before he realizes what Alex has done.
The relief hits first. Then the understanding.
George looks at Alex, horrified.
“No! What are you doing?”
Alex just gives him a small nod, like this was always the plan.
Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant
They pick each other because no one else feels right.
Neither of them talks much. They sit in silence, rolling marbles back and forth, thinking about how close they came to not being here at all.
Logan loses fair and square. No tricks. No sacrifices.
Oscar apologizes anyway. Over and over. Logan tells him to stop.
“You earned it Oscar, go make me proud” he says, trying not to cry.
Oscar walks away carrying the weight of a win that feels far too heavy for someone so young. That night he has his first nightmare.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris
Lando acts like he’s fine. He always does. He reads the rules first and goes very still. Oscar doesn’t notice at first. He’s still talking, still trying to understand how the game works, how they’re supposed to win together.
Lando suggests the game. Something simple. Something he’s good at. Oscar agrees without question. He always does.
Halfway through, Oscar realizes something’s off — the math doesn’t add up. He looks up, confused. “Lando…?”
Lando won’t meet his eyes.
The last marble clicks into Lando’s palm and the room goes quiet. Oscar stares at the empty bag in his hands.
“You knew” Oscar says softly. Not angry. Just hurt.
Lando finally looks at him. His eyes are wet, red. “I didn’t think I’d go through with it.”
Oscar nods, swallowing hard.
When the guards step forward, Oscar doesn’t fight it. He only looks back once.
Lando doesn’t move. He can’t tell if staying is worse than leaving.
Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson
They don’t hesitate when it’s time to choose.
Liam reads the rules carefully. Isack watches him while he does — the way his jaw tightens.
They agree on a fast game. No stalling. No mercy. That’s the kind of respect they’ve always shared.
The air between them sharpens as the marbles change hands. Neither talks much. Every point feels personal.
Near the end, Liam hesitates. Just for a second. Isack doesn’t.
He takes the last marble cleanly, decisive, final.
Liam exhales slowly, like he’s been holding his breath for years. He gives Isack a crooked smile. “Figures it’d be you.”
Isack nods, jaw clenched, eyes burning.
Winning has never felt this heavy. When the guards step in, Liam doesn’t resist.
Isack stays frozen on the floor, marbles clenched in his fist, realizing that some victories don’t leave room to celebrate as Liam's blood stains his clothes.
Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli
They sit cross-legged on the floor, too young for this room, too familiar with each other.
They keep changing the rules, restarting the game, trying to outsmart something that can’t be outsmarted. They laugh nervously, pretending it’s ok, everything is okey.
Time runs out.
Kimi wins. Ollie realizes first.
Ollie pulls him into a quick, fierce hug. “Go win, brother” he says.
Kimi cries after. Not before.
