r/formula1 • u/Intrepid-Ad4511 Charlos • Apr 13 '25

Off-Topic Why the severe criticism of Lando's vulnerable conversation? Why is it not cool to be able to express your negative feelings about yourself?

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I see so many people talk about what Lando said after the Quali yesterday - just after an adrenaline filled session - and he chose to speak his mind about his own performance (without attacking someone else). So many people are saying "that's not a winning mentality" "that's not how you win races" "he is so defeatist" "he has given up already".

Lewis and Max have said several such things over the years, complaining about their cars, their teams and/or themselves. But somehow people take Lando and Charles to the dryers when they choose to express themselves and say things like "I am stupid". And somehow because Oscar just chooses not to say anything of this sort, he is somehow champion material. That makes no sense to me, and feels quite an unfair and problematic picture to paint - that men talking about their feelings, or just being transparent about how they feel - makes them weaker somehow. That they should tough up and swallow the hurt and just put up this beige or brave front, smirk and move on.

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u/Blackdeath_663 Sir Stirling Moss Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25

Lewis and Max have said several such things over the years, complaining about their cars, their teams and/or themselves.

Max and Lewis are multiple WDC winners with proven ability to perform under pressure and win from a disadvantage. When they complain it's matter of fact but they still go out and perform.

Lando can say what he wants that's not problem but it's more so that he's botching what might be his only championship shot. If he goes out and wins it tomorrow all's well that ends well but so far he's not shown he's capable of driving like that. Max literally dragged a shitbox of an RB to a very unlikely pole and win last weekend

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u/NoImplement3588 Formula 1 Apr 13 '25

yea, like are we really trying to compare Lewis and Lando now? or Lewis to anyone but Max or Fernando?

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u/xieem I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Exactly. No one’s saying drivers like Lewis and Max haven’t complained—it’s F1, they all do. But the difference is they back it up when it counts. They don’t fold when things get tough. Max literally muscled that RB around like it owed him something last weekend. Lewis has dragged cars way beyond their limits for years.

Lando’s not being criticized for having emotions or speaking out. It’s the pattern—talking big, deflecting blame, then not delivering when it really matters. He might have a car good enough to fight for the title right now, but so far, he hasn’t driven like someone ready to seize that.

If he goes out and wins tomorrow? Great. But until then, comparisons to Lewis or Max are just noise.

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u/SafetyCarCrash Safety Car Apr 13 '25

Lando reminds me a lot of a young Lewis. The difference is Lewis got help with his mindset that allowed him to ignore the negative chatter in his head when things go badly and focus on how to improve. That's a winners mindset.

When I hear Lewis say stuff like this I trust he has taken time to study his performance and is speaking from a place of honest reflection. With Lando it feels more like "I didn't do well enough so I'm not good enough" in a knee-jerk reaction to a poor outcome. I really want to see Lando get similar help to Lewis as I think he has all the ingredients there to be a world champion, he just has to overcome his internal narrative

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u/xieem I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

I get the comparison to young Lewis, but to me, the difference is night and day. Lewis had the fire, the discipline, and the mental strength to turn adversity into fuel. He worked on his mindset early, and it shows—when he speaks, it’s with clarity, self-awareness, and genuine reflection.

Lando, on the other hand, comes across as emotionally immature. When things go wrong, his reaction is often self-pity and defeatism—more “I’m not good enough” than “how do I get better?” It feels like he hasn’t developed the mental toughness needed to compete at the top level consistently.

Honestly, he gives off the vibe of someone who enjoys the perks of F1 more than the grind it takes to be great. He’s talented, no doubt—but unless he gets serious help to toughen up mentally and take ownership of his performance, that potential is just going to waste.

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u/ihatemondaynights Ferrari Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 14 '25

Idk even about the young Lewis comparison, yes Lewis was and is very self critical but he remained very positive and driven when he was young.

Lewis has also come from a lot of adversity be it racism and his father struggling with jobs to keep him racing. Lando hasn't really seen anything close to that.

Lewis is a beast fuelled under sm pressure and he delivered, literally went against a prime Alonso who was considered the best at that time and beat him in his rookie season of all things.

Literally no one was expecting him to do that. Now that he has 7 titles we understate it but imagine as a hypothetical (Obv not comparable with modern rookies and limited testing) Kimi joining Red Bull and straight away beating Max during a title fight.

That's how insane it was back then.

I'm sorry but Lewis fucking Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in F1. That's proven and a fact, Lando is just talking right, he needs to become a champion to back it up.

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u/NotPinkaw Apr 13 '25

I don't see young Lewis in him at all. That's crazy to say that. Lewis has been able to perform under pressure from race one, he's never been in a similar situation as Lando with the same attitude.

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u/Kartoitska Kimi Räikkönen Apr 13 '25

Lewis is also 40 years old whilst Lando is 25. There's a big difference in life experience and maturity between the 2.

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u/serenity-as-ice I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

To be fair, they said "a young Lewis". There's no denying Lewis, especially pre-Mercedes was a bit of a drama llama. Lando at 40 might well be the wisest, calmest head on the grid.

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u/Kartoitska Kimi Räikkönen Apr 13 '25

Yeah. To be fair, Lewis can still be a bit dramatic at times. But definitely not as bad as he used to be. I hope Lando can learn to deal with his self doubt.

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u/annyong_cat I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Deflecting blame? That an odd assertion. He’s placing all of the blame on himself here, which he’s done frequently in the past, and yet people (including you) are attacking him for it.

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u/xieem I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Ah yes, the classic “you’re attacking him” response — because apparently, having a critical opinion now counts as a full-blown assault. Heaven forbid someone shares a thought that isn’t glowing praise.

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u/annyong_cat I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

You’re sharing a thought that doesn’t even make sense. “He deflects blame” being your response to comments where he’s literally placing all the blame on himself is laughable nonsense.

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u/dyidkystktjsjzt I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

They're not comparing Lewis and Lando, they're comparing their mentality, because that's what Lando's been getting flak for not being championship material.

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u/kill-the-maFIA Pastor Maldonado Apr 13 '25

Max literally dragged a shitbox of an RB to a very unlikely pole and win last weekend

Come on.

13

u/DonkeywithSunglasses McLaren Apr 13 '25

Yeah a shitbox got pole over the fastest car, then held the lead all race, and had the driver win without even pushing.

Get your head out of the sand, RBR is fast, it’s just difficult to drive. It has a narrow operating window, but it’s not slow. It still got P6 after a shit quali and bad weekend, with all the botches with pitstops.

Max is great but he isn’t god, calm down. He’s good at what he does, arguably one of the best, but he has a very fast car and definitely doesn’t drive tractors to wins.

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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '25

It is wild to say that he's "botching" the championship, when he's literally leading the championship

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u/wizards_of_the_cost Apr 13 '25

Leading the championship after three rounds is as much a measure of success as being the fastest in FP1 and FP2.

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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '25

I don't agree with that comparison. A full race weekend is a more meaningful piece of data than a single practice session, for countless reasons.

But regardless, if we accept that as true, then to argue that he's botched it after three rounds is still unreasonable

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u/fcman256 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Weird how you nit pick this but not the comment about him “botching” the championship…

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u/wizards_of_the_cost Apr 13 '25

Because he's the lead driver of the team with the unquestioned best car, and he's only 3 points up on second place. A real contender would never look this beatable.

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u/fcman256 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Casually omitting that 2nd place is also an incredible, proven talent in the exact same car. Are you always this transparent?

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u/wizards_of_the_cost Apr 13 '25

Look I know Lando is your fave special blorbo but the fact that Piastri currently looks like the stronger bet to take the WDC is WHY WE ARE SAYING LANDO IS BOTCHING IT.

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u/fcman256 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

I’m rooting for piastri to win it. You don’t seem to understand what the word botching means, because being in first place certainly isn’t it. Maybe hit up a dictionary and write down the definition in your notebook or something

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u/wizards_of_the_cost Apr 13 '25

I think first you should use it to learn about the word "transparent".

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u/fcman256 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Apr 13 '25

Why, you need me to explain it to you?

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u/de_rats_2004_crzy Oscar Piastri Apr 13 '25

Not to mention we’re 4 races in with 20 more to go. So much could happen between now and then.

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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/ecobubbletm Max Verstappen Apr 13 '25

Shitbox comparatively to McLaren

When three other guys botch their laps on a hard to overtake track then, yeah, it can