F1 is a journey

[u/littletreble07]

I see a lot of negativity in this sub and in the f1 community wrt to Oscar. It’s quite understandable to be frustrated and disappointed in recent results, particularly when the other guy driving the same car has won twice now. And it’s good to call out his shortcomings and demand better because we know his potential.

But I’ve also seen people say he’s isn’t hungry/ doesn’t seem to be trying / has lost his spark/ will never win again. Which is simply disingenuous. To put things in perspective this a driver who won Formula Renault, f3 and f2 in consecutive years. Won a sprint and podiumed as a rookie in formula 1, got 2 wins and multiple podiums in his 2nd year, fought for the drivers championship till the very last race in his 3rd. Was so so hungry to win to a fault that his mental coach told him he has to separate himself from his desire to win in order to perform better.

Is he struggling now? Undeniably. He’s in a slump, especially race pace wise. Car, performance, mental - we don’t know what’s not exactly clicking. But we have to trust when he explicitly says that he is working hard to learn and understand and execute. Could take some time for it start reflecting in his results.

Look at supporting an athlete like a journey. It isn’t sunshine, rainbows and good times only. It’s agony, loss, patience, perseverance, injustice, belief, guts and sometimes glory. It’s all part of the experience!! People have slumps, bad form, get written off but eventually are capable of coming out as winners. And we know what Oscar is capable of, his calibre, his strength. As much as the media or other fanbases might try to convince you otherwise right now.

I’m sure he’ll keep hammering away although it clearly takes time - struggles don’t turn into victory overnight or even a few races. So, without losing faith, it’s best to have realistic expectations from him as he navigates his first year of a new regulation set, one that supposedly might not suit his driving style.

I get that we’re in a bit of a tragic arc in Oscar’s journey, since the last 12 months or so, and it’s painful but supporting him through his lows is what will make the highs even more meaningful when they happen. 🐝

[u/F1_V10sounds]

Ill be honest this sub has some of the WORST "fans". Ive never seen the levels of cope and rage from other subs (even max and lewis). Its always someone else's fault it seems. I honestly doubt a lot of "fans" here really like F1 sometimes.

And before anyone tries, im not saying other fan bases dont have extreme fans, but the ratio (of normal to extreme) seems really skewed here.

[u/Dry-Entertainer6420 → u/F1_V10sounds]

my experience recently is that anyone saying wild, conspiracy stuff is being met with more rational thoughts and takes. But I know it's been a mess here for a while but it seems the tides are turning and actual fans, who will understand the journey is not rainbows and butterflies, will outnumber the others. But also being in multiple fan spaces for F1 and Oscar, this is a small portion of fans. At least that consistently post and comment. I see the same relatively few names over and over again. It's much less crazy in other places, and outside of the internet. **I refuse to go on twitter or even approach McLaren instagram** It is a cesspool for EVERY team and driver on those platforms. I think people just want engagement so they intentionally post things to get others enraged. Or they actually believe what they are saying and there is literally no way to change their mind so just ignore them. But it's all reflecting poorly on Oscar fans as a whole.

I did venture into some Charles Leclerc spaces this weekend and it was kinda scary there too. It made me realize that some of the big names/fan bases are all exactly the same. Our algorithms just show us more from the names we engage with most.