after seeing people I follow go crazy because of F1, it is now my turn to do the same, which is why I cleaned up this sideblog for this. I do think come January I'll probably shut up about this <- last words uttered by someone that will get consumed by something for longer
any speculation I do here is just meant to be for fun and not taken seriously. I am only but a humble pervert, some posts are nsfw
if ever the slams needed an illustration of how precariously most players are living that story of maja struggling to pay her and her team's hotel rooms for a longer than expected stay in paris certainly provides one. but of course they know about that.
sometimes all of the hullabaloo and “unnecessary anger” comments about George throwing his headrest out of his car in Canada 2026 tick me off because people really don’t seem to know how much George was labeled an angry demon kid on track in karting who threatened to lap people and crash into them. George has consciously worked on his anger management and that should be recognized. exhibits A, B, and C (take with a grain of salt of course):
he has WORKED to be a calm and graceful person who is polite no matter what. he immediately learned from and apologized for the Bottas incident in ‘21, even though that’s used against him to this day, and has talked about how he tries to point the blame more at himself now than others as he used to. hell, he’s also said 1000x that his whiny and angry radio moments (another point used to drag him) are because of the heat of the moment and he has defended other drivers reacting the same. the metaphor of bringing a microphone to your worst day at work makes total sense to me and is something he’s used to explain those moments.
and so this is why also, while I completely understand why people would want him to, I don’t always love comments about how George should “be more evil” or angry or mean. guys, he absolutely can be. but he’s really worked on that and tried for that to not be who he is. I really respect that. in a world where hot takes and lashings drive algorithms, and a sport where aggressiveness is often praised and heavily associated with how “masculine” a driver is or not, it’s a different path to try to be an emotionally regulated and professional person. I think this lends to the “PR Russell” allegations and that he is fake, but I don’t think working on yourself should be construed as “fake”. and a lack of anger in a man doesn’t make him less of one or less of a good athlete.
yes we want him to advocate for himself, on and off track, don’t get me wrong- where ruthlessness and competition may be necessary. I believe George can do that. he’s obviously shown that. but this self-improvement is actually one of the things I like about him the most tbh. it takes a lot of courage to identify how you can improve and try to be that person. not enough people do that honestly. I like to see and admire George trying. so often we tell ourselves that the way we hurt others and ourselves is just “who we are” and something we can’t change. maybe sometimes it isn’t. but shouldn’t we try to treat others well? doesn’t mean George doesn’t fail at this. but I’d rather him try than not
drop the merc ad analysis pretty pretty please? 🥺🙏
Ask and ye shall receive, anon.
Disclaimer: I am analyzing this strictly through an RPF lens. If I imply any kind of agenda by the team to portray the drivers a certain way, I am saying that as a writer of fanfic! Nothing about this is serious. Quite literally an exercise in absurdity.
I feel it is imperative to immediately acknowledge that the music underlying this ad is a cheap knockoff of the Succession soundtrack, which does feel as though they’re inviting this sort of analysis. And who am I to refuse the call?
If you’ve not watched the ad, go do so. If you refuse, for whatever reason: the premise is that the drivers overhear engineers discussing a product that promises to be “self-driving, self-protecting, self-optimising, and self-healing” and become paranoid that they are being replaced with self-driving technology.
The first thing that strikes me about this ad is, right off the bat, Kimi is both the one who first realises the potential threat to both of their careers, and takes the active role in starting the conversation (via text message) with George. This doesn’t, upon first examination, seem terribly significant in and of itself; George is physically present in the room where the discussion about the technology is happening, while Kimi is listening in from another location. However, the framing is interesting.
Kimi, the first driver we see, is the focal point of all shots he’s in. He’s framed like a protagonist.
George, appearing after him, is portrayed among the gaggle of engineers, appearing as merely one cog in the Mercedes machine.
Now, it would be a massive stretch to try and glean anything substantial from these observations, as they’re all fairly unremarkable in and of themselves, easily handwaved as circumstantial; but they do become more interesting when taken alongside the rest of the video.
The initial text message exchange between the drivers is as follows:
You hear that? 🫠
I did…I’ll check it out 🫡
Mate…they’re all-in 💀💀
In the conclusion of the “first act” of the ad, Kimi is shown receiving George’s text.
Once again, his framing comes across as that of a central character, as does the fact that the segment both starts and ends with solo shots of him.
As for the next segment?
Kimi again! We jump immediately from Kimi, alone and contemplating George’s observations as they are conveyed via text, to Kimi physically training, distracted by the prospect of being replaced by self-driving tech.
We then cut to a stone-faced Kimi, standing before menagerie of microphones in a press gaggle, before he turns and storms out of frame.
And third, we get this silly shot of a behelmeted Kimi, desultorily twirling pasta in the Merc cafeteria.
Then, the focus turns to George:
We see him lowering his face down onto what I'm fairly certain is a massage chair (though one anon insists it's a sex chair, which is entirely possible and only strengthens my case), before the camera cuts back to Kimi, investigating (in Italian), what some of the unfamiliar terms used to describe the foreboding tech actually mean.
We then flash back to George, at home (or possibly in a hotel room), dozing in bed as text messages from Kimi pile up.
George?
George.
GEORGE!
What about US? 😭😭😭
George doesn't say anything, or even text Kimi back; he just kinda shakes his head and meeps eyelashingly.
Now, you might be saying: "Gosh, 'What about US?' sure does sound awfully mercesty." And to that I say, true, but that's tangential to the main course.
What I find especially interesting about this segment is the contrast, specifically along the active/passive axis.
Despite Kimi's worry and neediness, he's still framed as a far more commanding and dynamic presence; he's training, he's representing the team to the press, he's there in the workplace eating among his colleges. As the end of the video will reveal, both drivers have been wallowing in paranoia, but Kimi is the only one shown taking the initiative to learn more about the technology.
George's framing, by contrast, is wholly passive; he sits in a chair waiting to receive a massage, he doses in bed while receiving text messages. He is no less concerned than Kimi, but seems unwilling or perhaps unable to bring himself to push back against what he fears may be his fate.
Now, you're probably thinking that what I'm describing sounds terribly un-Georgish. And I agree! But this isn't the Merc drivers as their authentic selves; this is the Merc drivers as the team wants their public personas to appear. So what, then, does that say about how they'd like to portray Kimi, versus how they'd prefer to portray George? I'll let you chew on that.
Finally, please take note of the cock shame/cock confidence poses in the final scene. I think that speaks for itself.
Oh, and a postscript: there's a little scene at the end wherein George laments that he wishes they (the drivers) were self-healing, like the technology allegedly is. Kimi, with a shit-eating grin, reminds George that he, unlike pushing-thirties George, still is young enough for that to basically be the truth.
This is the last shot of the video, by the way. It begins and ends on Kimi.
Because of course, beyond all else, we must be sure to remind George that he's no longer Daddy's favorite teenager whenever possible. Birthday video analysis throwback, anyone?
actually got excited with tennis and I usually just catch things here and there casually but like all the players I like are basically out of roland garros
The newest installment of my George/Kimi/Toto-turned-George/Kimi series 'Favecedes' is here!
A Favorite Topic of Discussion (Chapter 1/6)
Pairing: George Russell/Kimi Antonelli
Chapter Word Count: 750; first chapter is the shortest, and finished work will come out to ~8k
Posting Schedule: One chapter per day, from today (Monday 6/1) through Saturday
Summary:
“So. You and Kimi?”
Alex says it casually as he’s driving George to the track in his rental, and George feels his heart stop.
***
Five conversations George has with others over the course of the Canada race weekend about his relationship with Kimi, and one conversation he has with Kimi himself.
Note: This is a direct follow-up to Daddy's Favorite, Playing Favorites, and Favorite Rewards, so may not make much sense if you haven't read those first!