So fucking happy honestly. Limiting my time on social media has been so needed.
Normally after races I would scroll on instagram and naturally go to the comments under posts of meme pages and other f1 related accounts. The amount of hate I would see and read was a lot. Scrolling on tumblr after a grand prix was like a game of russian roulette, wondering if the next post would be negative or positive. I started believing in opinions that I never thought of. I started disliking drivers I had no problem with. For the first time in years my mental health started to deteriorate.
That's when I realised I had to take a step back.
After races I avoided comment sections. I'd stick to Mclaren and Lando's posts. I unfollowed meme accounts who posted hate just because it was trendy, just because they knew it was popular and would get engagement. I blocked the "anti" tag on tumblr (e.g. anti lando norris) and other tags i didn't want to see. I started following accounts who genuinely love the sport and rescept all drivers, even if they dislike some, because that is what I believe in. I don't like Leclerc and I am not a fan of Russell but at the end of the day I can still say they drove well while critiquing their mistakes and appreciating their skills. I believe that is how all sports fans should be, have their favourites without feeling the need to being other drivers down by posting their unwanted "opinion" on the internet.
I found a healthy way to air my frustrations with the sport, the drivers and the teams. A penalty that shouldn't have been given, a strategy that fucked with a driver's race, something that should have been penalised. Talking to my sister instead of flocking off to my online friends or spending 30 minutes explaining to my mom why I was so upset about Lando's stop and go penalty in Qatar instead of typing out an amger-filled comment under a random post. Finding what works for me as a fan, is what keeps my mental health good.
Being so negative online has become normalized to a point people don't even realise they are getting affected. If an athlete's mental health gets so affected by the 5% to 10% they see online, imagine the fans who see way more because they are among the other "fans" who post negative content regarding their favourite player or racer.
Seeing Lando smile makes me smile. My mood gets lifted when I see he is happy. Seeing people constantly say negative things about him and praise his teammate in the same sentence made me develop this weird type of disdain for him. And I don't like it. I really do love Oscar, but seeing posts and comments like that started to unconsciously shift my views on him. Pulling back has helped and I am starting to love this sport like I did this time last year.
This is a reminder, you don't have to be online and share your thoughts just because everyone is. It is ok to not be active. It is completely normal. Enjoy the race, scream at your screen in frustration, vent to your poor friend about how unfair the FIA is, but please remember, you are not a true fan of this sport if you cannot respect the people in it, as drivers or even humans. It is ok to dislike, but you can still respect. Hating is not a flex, it just highlights the immaturity in an insecure person.
P1 IN MONACO BABY, YEAH BABYYYYYYYYY