Formula 1: race 1- Australia

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

A 4am alarm call marked the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Albert Park in Melbourne took the centre stage, kicking off a season where we see the biggest Formula 1 rule changes for years. Nobody seemed to really know what to expect as the season got underway.

There had been a lot of dissatisfaction from many of the drivers and teams before the race started. With Aston Martin saying that the vibrations in their car were so bad, neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll would be completing anywhere near the full race distance. Max Verstappen had made his views very clear about the new regulations, and how poorly the car drove. So, before the race started, there was already contemplation on whether the racing would be any good. Would it just be a neutered version of the driving all the fans of the sport had come to love?

I woke up just in time for the race, where the teams were all on the grid, setting off for the warm-up lap. As a McLaren fan, I was quick to notice there was no Oscar Piastri on the grid. I was confused. Oscar, the hometown hero, had crashed out on his drive round to the starting grid, before the race had even begun. Oscar seems to have a bit of a curse for his home race. Also missing from the grid was Nico Hulkenberg, who was having communication issues. I understand he did the drive round to the grid, but then went into the pits to try and get his issue sorted. The Audi mechanics couldn’t fix things, so he also did not start.

The race itself, started of okay. With Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having a good battle. Well we say good, when one got ahead, it was like they had no battery power to defend, so the car behind overtook again. It seemed to go back and forth a bit. But a difference in strategy, left Ferrari a step behind of Mercedes

George Russell (image- Silver Arrows Net)

Isack Hadjar seemed to be going very well in the dreaded ‘second seat’ for Red Bull, until he went off track (with a smoking car) causing a virtual safety car. Hadjar’s teammate, Max Verstappen, had an awful qualifying, but worked his way through the field from p20 to p6.

Aston Martin did try, and went further than fans and commentators expected. Both Stroll and Alonso did well, and went into the pits, and then came out for another handful of laps each. The idea that Alonso went out unitially, because he had lost feeling in his hands is absurd. The idea that the AMR26 is actually so undriveable it could injure the drivers is just mind boggling to me. How have they calculated things so bad?

Ultimately, the race was between Mercedes and Ferrari, with Mercedes two drivers finishing 15 seconds in front of Ferrari with Russell and Kimi Antonelli getting a well deserved 1-2. Leclerc finished up the podium places in p3, with teammate Sir Lewis Hamilton in p4. Lando Norris started 5th, finished 5th. Seems fairly uneventful. Verstappen was behind in 6th, with Haas’ Ollie Bearman in 7th. Arvid Linblad for Racing Bulls got p8 in his very first f1 race. What an achievement. Gabriel Bortoleto for Audi got their very first points in p9. And Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded up the point scoring positions in p10.

Full results

  1. George Russell- Mercedes
  2. Kimi Antonelli- Mercedes
  3. Charles Leclerc- Ferrari
  4. Lewis Hamilton- Ferrari
  5. Lando Norris- McLaren
  6. Max Verstappen- Red Bull
  7. Ollie Bearman- Haas
  8. Arvid Linblad- Racing Bulls
  9. Gabriel Bortoleto- Audi
  10. Pierre Gasly- Alpine
  11. Esteban Ocon- Haas
  12. Alex Albon- Williams
  13. Liam Lawson- Racing Bulls
  14. Franco Colapinto- Alpine
  15. Carlos Sainz- Williams
  16. Sergio Perez- Cadillac

DNF- Lance Stroll- Aston Martin

DNF- Fernando Alonso- Aston Martin

DNF- Valtteri Bottas- Cadillac

DNF- Isack Hadjar- Red Bull

DNS- Nico Hulkenberg- Audi

DNS- Oscar Piastri- McLaren

———————————-

So… I wanted to a post-race ramble on here. I like f1 and would love to write about it on here. I really liked doing this, although it’s probably not very good. But it’s a learning experience, and hopefully I can keep it up through the season.

6 Wee Things That Help Me When In A Motivation Slump

~ Sue ~ 2 Comments

I frequently get trapped in a slump, which I have gone into many times on here. Between my rheumatoid arthritis and poor mental health, it becomes all too easy to fall into a slump, and struggle to get out of it. Some things do help though.

  1. Admitting I was in a slump– One of the things I am bad at is burying my head in the sand, pretending things aren’t as bad as they actually are. Recognising a struggle, is the first step to getting things moving again.
  2. Doing one embarrassingly small task- Make the bed, have some breakfast, do the laundry, read a chapter of a book… Doing anything, and recognising that tiny thing, is a step forward.
  3. Messaging someone you haven’t spoken to in a while- I am awful at texting people back. So doing a quick ‘how are you’, can be great. I also have a lot of friends I chat to on social media, and chatting away with them also can help.
  4. Letting myself do nothing- sometimes, when you are exhausted and have had a hard time, you may need a break. When these times come, forcing yourself to do something, may end up just making you feel worse. So, be kind to yourself.
  5. Noticing a good moment– I am really bad at recognising the good stuff in life. It doesn’t have to be anything momentous, but can be having something for dinner you really like, or watching a TikTok that made you laugh. Anything that adds a bit of light to your day is good, so take time to recognise and enjoy it.
  6. Writing down your feelings- it can be hard to speak about your struggles, so sometimes it is beneficial to write things down. It may be in the note app on your phone. A notebook. A private online journal. It is always good to get the nonsense that’s in your head out.

What helps you with motivation? What kind of things make you feel better, when life gets hard?

Dropping Things Instead of Juggling Them

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

So, things kind of got worse before they got any better. On Tuesday, I had a complete meltdown over my University work. It just felt like everything that I was attempting to do, was useless. I am currently studying database management using SQL, and I just seem to have a complete incapacity to preform anything to do with it. I was so frustrated that I just wanted to erase everything and start again. Which, is something that ends up being more hinderance than a help.

I did manage to email my Tutor, after being too embarssed to post anything on the class forum. Which was something I pondered on for a while. I always feel embarrassed when I struggle to do something. I have this idea where ‘everyone else’ is managing things fine, and I am the only one who is stupid enough to be struggling. Logically, I know that this line of thinking is just unreasonable and incorrect, but when one is panicking, logic isn’t a factor. Fortunately, my Tutor emailed me back, and informed me that I wasn’t the only person struggling with the SQL part of the process. Which was a relief.

I am now taking my time going through things, and trying to get stuff to function properly. Doing it in hourly sessions at a time, because I find that helps my productivity most. That way, if I am struggling, I can just stop, and I can always go back after a break. That is why I am writing this post. Maybe delaying the inevitable of having to do something difficult. But circumstances aside, it is always good to write something.

I think I often underestimate how much work it is to work full-time, as well as study. Because, you need to put time in to recover. You need to have time for hobbies and interests. You need to have time to socialise with people. And then you need to do the functional stuff like eat, sleep, do housework, and other boring, but essential stuff. It feels like there isn’t enough hours in a day to fit everything in. Which can feel worse when I am faced with fatigue, which is a common symptom of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Something that is causing me awful bother at the moment, but that is a story for another day.

Pressurised

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I made a plan in November last year, where I would have 12 months to change my life. Every day I would do something positive, something that will move me towards my goals. Sounds admirable, and I thought that if I started at the tail end of the year, there would maybe be more chance of me keeping up with what I hope to do.

Unfortunately, it coincided with the winter. With compulsory overtime at work. And the hardest, most personally challenging part of my university course. A bit of a mental health crisis. Physical health problems. Just, one thing after another. I has left me with about 5 weeks of complete loss. Of uselessness. Where there has been no energy to push through the imaginary barrier that has formed.

Today, this has continued for most of the day. I have eaten, I cried over work I couldn’t understand. I didn’t talk to anyone. It took till about 3.30pm for me to attempt to write a list. One that has 4 items, 2 of which are studying, and the other is eating dinner, and writing this very blog. A list that looks laughable, but still feels like progress.

My head feels like a constant fuzz. Like TV static. The kind that makes it so hard to focus on anything productive. So things have to be done in small bits. I just hope the small bits are achievable in some way. So that I am able to pull myself out of this feeling of uselessness.

Falling Backwards

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I have been trying to get myself organised, get new habits done, and do things for the better. But last week, my ‘new routine’ fell apart. I wasn’t doing any self-care. I wasn’t making lunches. I was rolling out of bed, going to work, and falling asleep on the couch when I got back home. Whilst, hooray, I went to work, and was on time, but that’s the bare minimum. And I feel so shit about it.

I am trying to not let it get to me. But that is easier said than done. I feel like I am in a rut. That I am useless. What is the point in doing anything, because I always fail. It’s all rather pathetic. And I fall, once again, down that spiral of hating myself.

I guess the hardest thing to do, is to get myself out of that habit of berating myself about every failure. Which is hard. I’ve spent large sections of my life being attacked to being overweight, or being a bit socially awkward and saying the wrong thing. I have been made to feel abnormal, hated because of things I haven’t been able to help. I berate myself, because others berate me for my failures. And my life is filled with failure and missed opportunities. It can be so hard to see past it all. It’s easier to give up.

I have been trying to read and consume more inspirational content. Stories of people who overcome difficult situations, situations far more difficult than my own. One of the biggest ideas that keeps being repeated is that the only people who don’t fail, are those who never tried in the first place. Which is supposed to be comforting, but I am not really sure if it is.

At the moment, my aim is to make today better than yesterday. Find reasons to enjoy my day. Whether it’s jobs ticked off my to-do list, or actually doing my habits that I need to do. It might even be going somewhere and being social. It might be reading my book, and actually silencing the constant narrative in my head. I have to have the energy to do that though, and sometimes, I am out of all energy. I can’t fathom doing anything other than function on a basic level.

It’s all about changing my mindset. And that is something that there is a quick fix for. It’s a lifetime of work that is required. And… when you look at it that way, 1 week of not functioning well, isn’t really that big a deal.

Routinely

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

It is busy time for me. Work is at the busiest period of the year, so I am working 5 days a week (50 hours instead of my normal 40). It is okay, the extra money is handy, but it can be so tiring working an extra 10 hours. Needs must. 2026 is going to be an expensive year, as there are lots of plans and aims, so it is good that I have some extra money coming in.

I usually leave the house at 6am, to bus my way to work, which I start at 7.30am. One of my things I wanted to do this year, is finally get a morning routine sorted out. I have been good at just rolling out of bed at the latest possible time, without being late for work. So, I have started waking up at 4.30am. Yes, I know that sounds like the middle of the night. My routine includes doing some pilates for 10 minutes, making my bed, brush my teeth, and then make my lunch for the day ahead.

I know that it doesn’t sound much, but you have to start from somewhere. And, if you don’t try then you don’t get anywhere. It is better to try, and then fail, rather than sit by and do nothing. And, I am finding that I find doing small bits, makes it easier to get moving, as it means that I have already achieved something before the day even gets started.

As well as working all day, I also still have to study, for at least 10 hours a week. I am going to see if I can start a post-work routine, where I can study for a few hours, then still have time to read/journal/watch TV. It means that the is pretty full on. But, it should see progress in everything that I want. It feels exhausting, but they do say that anything worth doing, requires some effort.

So let’s put some effort in and see what happens

2026?

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I can’t be the only one sitting wondering how it is 2026? It feels like the last few years have flown in, and I’ve lost all concept of time. They say that is a sign of getting older, which is just great.

2025 was one of my worst personal years to a very long time. I just did a really poor job of looking after myself. Both mentally and physically. And it lead to me being very unproductive, and my hobbies falling at the wayside. I think I posted 20 posts on here last year, which is really not good.

It’s not that I don’t like writing, it’s that I didn’t see the point. I struggled with everything that needed any kind of effort. Now, whilst hobbies may seem surface level, it was bigger than that. I wasn’t keeping in contact with friends, because I felt so worthless, that I would just drag them down. Just shit on the lives of people around me. Calling the doctors, and getting medications sorted was spending I was bad at. Because I had no energy to spend effort in anything, I wasn’t calling the doctors, I wasn’t chasing up unfilled prescriptions, getting blood tests. To get a lot of medical problems resolved, a person needs to be pro-active. And I simply didn’t care enough. Why bother?

I’ve been trying to garner the energy to get back up to date with things. I’m not doing so well, so far. It doesn’t help when I get motivated during the holidays, when everything is closed.

In previous years, I have attempted to change lots of things at once, and then acted surprised when it failed. This year, I have a lot of hopes, but I am going to do steps gradually. See if that helps. And maybe I can find a bit of drive for the year ahead.

Christmas Eve’s Eve

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

Every December I seem to be surprised at how quick the month comes in. I always start with the best in between intentions, like this years plan, where I bought 1 gift in November, and thought I had it sussed. I was going to be so prepared for once. I was so proud of myself. But, I then didn’t buy anything else till last week. Good job, me.

I like this time of year. Christmas decorations everywhere, dark nights, crap telly, lots of food, and spending time with the people that matter. It is nice, and it feels like people are a bit happier.

This week, I did buy the rest of the gifts for people. Between shopping in Livingston, and Amazon. And today, I sat and wrapped everything. So, I feel very accomplished.

Like A Community, But Not…

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t been mentally great the last few months, and have been burying myself in my interests. Or, the ones I have focus for. Formula 1 is one of the things I throughly enjoy, I have done since I was little. Like, one of my favourite computer games from my childhood was Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing for the Game Boy. I remember watching Nigel Mansell on the TV, and thought he was so cool. I have been a fan of formula 1 since then. As, I got older, I went from being a general fan, to supporting all the drivers, but liking McLaren as a team. And, after watching some of the feeder series in the mid-to-late 2010s, I started following Lando Norris. And was thrilled when he joined the McLaren junior driver program. Never really thought I’d be here in October 2025, where McLaren have won the F1 championship, and Lando, and his team-mate Oscar Piastri, are close to winning the driver’s championship.

I am from an era where social media was MySpace and Bebo. Where special interests were discussed at great lengths on web forums, with deep dives of particular tracks, teams or drivers. Yes, there were arguments, but if things became too intense, members would get warnings off admins. If a user got repeat warnings, they would end up banned from the forum. The admins were just forum users who had shown good behaviour towards other members, and showed good behaviour. A bit like mods on twitch streams. It was basically the members keeping each other in-line, and making sure that there was no abusive behaviour. It worked really well, mostly. There were always people who would cry about the FIA favouring certain drivers, and teams. But, usually these chats would be argumentative, but nothing too severe.

Now, it feels like every fan space is the same. They exist on pre-existing social media services. Stuff like TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Twitter (X), there is quite a few. The big issue, I find, is that there has been a big shift in how content is moderated. There is has been a shift away from community self-moderation, towards the social media companies doing it instead, relying on AI to enforce the rules. What this has lead to is something rather inefficient. Where social media companies remove posts, and even accounts, because of something like improper word use (e.g. the word ‘gross’), whereas actual threatening behaviour is reported, and nothing is done.

It is like any existing rules are not enforced fairly, which I think leads to quite horrific behaviour. Where fans are sending co-ordinated threats to drivers, family members, team members, and even other fans. And, these threats seem to be over nothing. Someone shares their opinion, abuse. Someone tries to share facts that they know of, which can help understanding of a particular rule or event, abuse. It’s all a bit odd. And every little incident that happens on track, or in the paddock, can be ammunition to hate other drivers and their fans. Sites like TikTok have lots of deepfakes, some with drivers dancing, but others have AI generated videos of a driver hugging and kissing them, the fan. It is beyond disturbing.

There are also ‘news sites’, where people (and AI) create articles based on nothing. Not even rumours. A lot of the time they are opinion pieces, often based on rumours they start themselves. They are often based on whatever conspiracy theories are gaining traction on social media, and often just spread the lies out to a wider audience. The fans, who are already agitated over conspiracy theories, get even more angry. And, they take it out on other people who are often just calling out the bullshit.

I am finding that it is tearing the heart out of whatever community is trying to exist. Where people are attacked for saying anything. There isn’t a sense of enjoyment brought from a joint experience of something great. It becomes stressful. It has left me wondering, recently, is it worth it? Probably not. I have found friends, who I value, and love chatting to every race weekend. And, I don’t want to leave that. But, as the 2025 season drifts along towards the latter stages, I am left wondering if reconnecting with the F1 community that I had been missing for years, is something worth the worry? Is it still something worth stressing over?

Struggle Party For 1

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I have recently been posting prompt posts. Partially because I have had a completely lack of creative motivation, but also because I just feel stuck in a rut. So, I have to retain myself, hold back, so that I am not simply whining all the time. Which is something very easy for me to do.

I am currently ambling along, just keeping myself to myself. Work, come home, do nothing, eat crap, not meet up with people, ignore texts, just sit and wallow. It’s one of the these things where I just feel like a burden to myself, so why push myself onto anyone else. I just feel useless. Like, if the world was a giant swimming pool, I’d be the person in the corner, struggling to keep my head above water, as I doggy paddle in a shallow edge.

There is this idea, which I’ve seen posted around social media, which states that to make a positive change in your life, you need to start by making small daily changes. One positive thing a day. That positive thing may not be something huge, it could be making your bed when you get up in the morning, putting some laundry on, or even remembering to brush your teeth. The idea is that the more you do these ‘small things’ the easier it is to get yourself moving and those ‘big goals’ can seem more reachable.

It also means, that if you start off by doing these small things, your mindset changes. You achieve something before you even get started on your day. Which, if you are someone like me, who struggles to do anything when the routine of work is not present, it is super helpful.

So what did I do today? I made my bed, and opened my curtains. And jogged to the bus stop this morning. I am actually feeling better for it. I just need to keep going.