From Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement to George Russell’s confirmation of that Mercedes seat alongside Lewis Hamilton, September was the most jaw-dropping if not controversial month of the season.
The news of Alex Albon, self-proclaimed Asian Tom Cruise, securing his seat back in Formula 1 with Williams stimulated some memories among Formula 1 fans as they revisited the time when the three rookies (Albon, Russell, and Norris) caused a sensation on the internet with their banter on who’s the real rookie of the season. The clip of Alex rapping/dissing George and Lando is a testament itself of just how much was missing in Formula 1 since the absence of the driver.
Moving on to another spectacle of the month: the weekend in Zandvoort, Netherlands.
I want to file a petition for there to be the color orange in Netherlands’ flag, but I believe officials are already considering it after watching the race in Zandvoort. It was the kind of race where even if you lost, you would still be grateful to just drive on the track. It’s safe to say that the crowd was wild for one man and one man alone: Max Verstappen.
From chanting “Super Max” to flaring orange in the air every time his car went by, the crowd donned orange t-shirts like it symbolized something more than support. It was unity and love for the homeboy. Wearing his flashy new orange helmet, Max won the race with great ease, from the start till the end. It’s what Red Bull described as the “perfect” weekend. Max’s nemesis, Lewis Hamilton himself thanked the fans for coming out in such large numbers and pouring support, even if all of it was for Max. I believe the electric crowd acted more as a power booster and less as a crutch. Max toasted his champagne to the fans in orange as they cheered him on for the world to see.
Max’s luck run out for the next race in Monza, Italy as it was someone else’s time to shine in the light or rather his win was long overdue.
Daniel Riccardo left his friend Max behind as he started from Pole and secured the lead quick in the race. I believe Max didn’t put up much of a fight rather he defended so that Mercedes didn’t hijack the front row.
It’s funny how that turned out as Max and Hamilton crashed into themselves while sliding off track, clearing the way for middle fielders to have their shot at winning. This was not the first time they were severely crashing into each other and I believe it won’t be the last. The views on the crash are divided among the fans on the internet with no clear winner there as well.
However, the thunder was soon stolen by Daniel as he, his team at Maclaren and his teammate Lando, joined forces to place the drivers in the front row.
There is something about Riccardo that everyone, fans and non-fans, know: the shooey. It’s when he pours champagne in his shoe and drinks from it like a proud conqueror. It had been a long time since Riccardo fans saw that and cheered still without feeling an ounce of gross or disgust.
Maybe that was not so true for Norris, who finished P2 alongside his teammate and tasted Daniel’s shooey for the first time. Debutant in ways, he was close to throwing up as he gulped down a mouthful of Dan’s shoe drink while Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes driver who shared the podium with them as he finished P3, steered clear of the drink.
Last but not the least, Lewis Hamilton broke all records as he completed his 100th win in style in Sochi, Russia. Surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins, Hamilton’s name is engraved in history as one of the many Kings on track.
If September alone could embody the energy of the entire season so far, it will not come as a surprise if the rest of the season is as unpredictable, dangerous, and cut-throat. As Formula 1 fans expect no less.