PPC2Britain: “Live. Love. Lando!”

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British born, battle torn,

Crown gained, fast laned

neon blaze, neon rave 

Cult of Lando raise

As McLaren ascends 

In its glory days

Max Verstappen stole the pole place

But Piastri’s pumps stole his race

Rain, shine, conditions foul or sublime

always making time, Qualified P3 and only climbed

Ended not at three, may have time at 2

But the reigning players champ stands atop the crew

Piastri ten second delayed behind

And Nico Hulkenberg through 239 races had a gem to find

The goat at fourth, Hamilton’s shot not yet thrown away

Mad Max closes with P5 much to his dismay

Safety car saving cars, not the winning chance though

Live. Love. Lando!!!!

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The British poster child of Formula 1 as well as recent F1 player’s champion, Lando Norris, capitalized in every facet.

The neon shine of his followers within the Lando Norris village easily caught the eye. //yes I said village. An entire stretch of track was dedicated to him and his fan club #cultofLando

The McLaren racers, Norris and Oscar Piastri, have leveraged their elite driving with McLaren’s renown engineering. They have become the crux of every conversation this year in Formula 1. They each stood atop the rankings for the player championship. McLaren’s team has accrued double the points of second place Ferrari due to their heroic efforts.

The truth of this 52 lap fury was found in the roar of the rain. The safety car had become so regular that many in our group questioned if they would stop the race altogether. 

The original positioning featured Max Verstappen at pole position followed by Piastri and Norris respectively. Piastri soon overtook Verstappen in lap 9. He sped off to leave Norris and Verstappen jostling for position despite the incoming and outgoing rain. However, it was a fateful lap 22 as Piastri followed the safety car that changed the entire outlook.

The rain puddles spewed like fountains into the air. Those who retained warmed tires often were better than those with colder would fare. Verstappen, eager and hungry, edged beyond Piastri as they followed behind the safety car. He slowed, attempting to maintain position as mandated. A keen Piastri sought to take advantage. He pumped his brakes abruptly. Verstappen struggled to properly react amidst the blurred vision of the track. The safety car opened the path. Racers resumed their speedy pursuits. However, Verstappen’s ordeal had cooled his tires. He spun out from second onto the track. He managed to regain his bearings… to realize he had fallen to tenth place. //Mad Max was officially activated 

This set the stage for the remarkable. Norris took up an immediate place into second. His time would be second to his teammate, however, Norris would not be. The reigning players champion would claim the first place finish amidst the exuberant screeches of his hometown fans. 

Piastri was penalized a 10-second addition to his time for the ordeal involving Verstappen. Piastri would finish nearly four seconds before Norris would cross the finish line. This penalty drove him into second place. Piastri was certainly pissed. Yet, the true story lay another 20 seconds after the two finished. 

Nico Hulkenberg had completed 239 races. He had begun at position 19. This was his first podium. This was the largest deficit a racer had overcome to place at the podium. This was certainly a stellar victory in style for Hulkenberg. 

Hamilton and a severely agitated Verstappen rounded out the top 5 places for the race. The safety car had saved many despite the more than 5 DNF’s in this ordeal. However, this safety proved to favor some over others.

Regardless, we celebrate. Live. Love. Lando!!!!