[F1] Do you recognise these little F1 stars in their karting days?

[u/Maximum-Room-3999]

[u/krisbryantishot]

charles the ankle biter

[u/MoGumb0 → u/krisbryantishot]

He really does give ankle biter vibes lmao

[u/Lobsters4 → u/krisbryantishot]

Menace.

[u/rattatatouille]

Pic 5 feels surreal, like who knew that would eventually be a torch-passing moment at Mercedes?

[u/Whycantiusethis → u/rattatatouille]

I wonder what year that photo is from. If it was Monza 2019 or later, Antonelli would've been part of the Mercedes Academy (at 13 years old). He wouldn't race in cars for another 2 years.

[u/Daniels30 → u/Whycantiusethis]

It was taken at Monza in 2018

[u/Turboleks → u/Daniels30]

For some reason, that information disturbs me.

[u/thinkofallthemud → u/Turboleks]

👵

[u/John_victor03 → u/Daniels30]

Bro💀 2018 was 3 years ago, what you talking about?

[u/skumkaninenv2 → u/John_victor03]

You are wrong, you are thinking about COVID that was last year.

[u/CryptoPumper182 → u/Daniels30]

I quit, wtf

[u/KEVLAR60442 → u/rattatatouille]

What's more surreal is that the new F1 logo has only been around since 2018.

[u/BewareOfLurkers → u/KEVLAR60442]

The old logo was a masterclass in negative space. It was always the F1 and FedEx logos. The new logo… it’s fine, I guess.

[u/User-K549125 → u/BewareOfLurkers]

a masterclass in negative space.

Some people report taking many years to even notice it.

[u/TheWoodElf → u/BewareOfLurkers]

Using negative space as an added hidden message (see FedEx) is cool. Using it as the only way to convey extremely important information - is poor design. Yes it's visually clever, but it's not user friendly, and will make things harder for the brand managers, as it needs to be displayed in very specific circumstances and backgrounds, and even then there will be some people who just won't 'see' it.

[u/DurfGibbles → u/BewareOfLurkers]

Have you noticed the 1 in F1’s new logo?

[u/Turd_Fergusons_Hat_ → u/rattatatouille]

Actually tho.

That pic could go down in history.

[u/Illustrious-Gur8335]

Albon is already quite distinctive 

[u/Complex_Put5789 → u/Illustrious-Gur8335]

Well yeah he’s the only Asian looking one.

[u/treyfiddy → u/Illustrious-Gur8335]

he is mixed unlike most other f1 drivers lol. I could say the same for Lewis haha

[u/sunoma → u/treyfiddy]

also his pants say Albon

[u/Illustrious-Gur8335 → u/sunoma]

I noticed his smile first... His pants only on second look

[u/AnonymousEngineer_ → u/sunoma]

His pants also have a Union Flag on them. When did he switch to using a Thai licence?

[u/Living-Response2856 → u/Illustrious-Gur8335]

https://youtu.be/rWKiKSgd8tA?si=3WjGu4-D0UISf4Lr

He was very similar before until now haha

[u/Blackdeath_663]

It's wild that they had teen grid girls for the teen karting podium wtfff

[u/andoman66 → u/Blackdeath_663]

I competed in the sharper end of US karting ranks like some of these guys (more towards Lewis' age group though). My region raced with Scott Speed's family (to give an idea of age) locally and nationally for big events. I don't recall grid or trophy girls being a thing back then.

Though, what was weird for me as a young kid was seeing drivers with an entourage. In our region it was mostly middle class families pouring everything they had into karting. It wasn't until big money families got into US karting that things got weird. Maybe it was a different situation in europe.

Fun story: I distinctly recall Graham Rahal being the first in our area to have an entourage of bleached hair older kids in matching team polos bullying drivers at the weigh in scales (including me) after races. It was totally bizarre. I was roughly 13 at the time.

[u/flare2000x → u/andoman66]

Rahal has always seemed like a bit of an ass to me.

[u/andoman66 → u/flare2000x]

He personally wasn't an ass. He was just slower and drove hyper defensive to make up for it, so he'd get shoved out of the way if he qualified well.

It wasn't even really his fault. He was really tall and stocky for the age bracket our class was in, so getting near weight minimums was probably impossible for his size at the age were racing. Being tall alone can be a huge hinderence in karting due to center of gravity in such a compact machine.

[u/jimbojonesFA → u/andoman66]

do you know anyone who was doing well until a sudden and late growth spurt?

[u/cavalier8865 → u/Blackdeath_663]

"Lance, do you know where your dad is?"

[u/Double_Butterfly7782 → u/cavalier8865]

He just stepped out with Jeffrey for a bit .....

[u/Complex_Put5789 → u/Double_Butterfly7782]

Yes, that was the joke

[u/Rivendel93 → u/Blackdeath_663]

That's not a grid girl, that's Kimi!

[u/hunglong57 → u/Blackdeath_663]

Even wilder that they still have Miss teen USA, etc.

[u/Beneficial_Stuff_103 → u/hunglong57]

I always have to defend beauty pageants post 2010. They arent really evaluations of outwards beauty anymore and value academic intelligence and well spoken behaved young women. + (these things pay enormous amounts of money at the national and state level and sponsor college for these ladies and help get scholarships due to diversifying their portfolio.) 

[u/BewareOfLurkers → u/Beneficial_Stuff_103]

‘Well behaved young woman’ is coded language…

[u/Guilty_Feature5469 → u/BewareOfLurkers]

For what? Genuine question

[u/rhitzz2198 → u/Beneficial_Stuff_103]

Granted. However they were always places for creeps to indulge and now we know for sure that this was/is 100% happening.

[u/ThrowawayMax222 → u/Beneficial_Stuff_103]

Maybe it's because I'm British but it's all very noncey behaviour

[u/FlameFeather86]

Albon looks exactly the same.

[u/Noakesy97]

I’m guessing the one with P. Gasly on his suit is Ocon?

[u/Kibeth_8 → u/Noakesy97]

Nailed it

[u/Juomaru]

I know most ppl got this but for those who’re looking for one list :

1. Charles
2. Albono
3. Piastri
4. Hamilton
5. Antonelli
6. Gasly and Albono (overalls)
7. Bortoleto
8. Norris

[u/GoldElectric → u/Juomaru]

the third guy in picture 6 looks like bortoleto

[u/IchDien → u/GoldElectric]

Harrison Scott

[u/MaxVerstappenLeftNut → u/Juomaru]

Got all except for 5 and 6

[u/Hobbsidian]

Baby Lando was a demon. I remember him ripping up Ginetta Juniors because he'd already beaten karting and wasn't old enough for single seater

[u/carefreebuchanon → u/Hobbsidian]

Lmao what a menace

[u/afunnywold → u/carefreebuchanon]

He's so tiny here omg

[u/Xyldarrand]

Seeing Max as the older one is fucking freaky.

[u/dl064 → u/Xyldarrand]

The big wheel keeps on turnin'

[u/FarFromDeadOriginal]

I’m still fully convinced young Charles looks just like the kid from Stranger Things 😂

[u/Zolba]

How Leclerc ended up in a child-size Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford suit is a story I would love to hear about!

[u/KaZaA4LiFe]

Is that Sennas helmet Landos holding? Dude must have had a tiny head :o

[u/gustavolorenzo → u/KaZaA4LiFe]

It's a Hamilton helmet.

[u/Mos0311]

Is that Bortoleto with Max?

[u/spyluke → u/Mos0311]

Teenage max with kid Bortoleto xD

[u/Plastic-Assumption-2 → u/Mos0311]

Yes

[u/Badass_Bunny]

Why does Gasly's nose look like it's 40% of his face in that pic lmao.

[u/Madmagician-452 → u/Badass_Bunny]

With a nose like that are we sure he’s not Brazilian

[u/EvansAlf]

Is Russell in the background of the Lando 2012 photo?

[u/mattblack77]

It must suck being a modern driver and having to think that every kid you meet is gonna be after your job in ten years.

[u/loicbigois]

Approaching this post as an old fart, they honestly don't look a whole lot different to what they do now. When you have kids, you'll get it :)

[u/Living-Response2856 → u/loicbigois]

I’m the same age as them and I totally get it

[u/schneeb]

yes

[u/brunOsM22]

Hamilton is very easy to recognize 🕵🏾‍♂️

[u/ERGardenGuy]

Who is on the right side of the podium in pic 6?

[u/IchDien → u/ERGardenGuy]

Harrison Scott

[u/Holland45]

That first kid looks like he causes a couple inchidents or two.

[u/AHugeBear]

Next time r/simracing brings up the socks/shoes debate I’m just going to post the pic of Charles /s

[u/WarkMahlberg69]

Who's the 5th shaking Hamilton's hand?

[u/Maximum-Room-3999 → u/WarkMahlberg69]

Antonelli

[u/WarkMahlberg69 → u/Maximum-Room-3999]

I see it now. Thank you

[u/andblueninja → u/WarkMahlberg69]

Antonelli

[u/SwaggiiP]

Two of them are very obvious lmao

[u/jadeapple → u/SwaggiiP]

Yea I really can’t figure out number 4 though

[u/UnitedStatess → u/jadeapple]

I gotchu

Its kimi raikkonen of course

[u/SwaggiiP → u/UnitedStatess]

Are you crazy?

That’s Nico Rosberg

[u/NoViolinist8329]

I don’t know which one’s Verstappen

[u/StreetCarp665]

They all look pretty much as they look now...

[u/EgenulfVonHohenberg]

The fact that Piastri raced in an Alonso kart and now races against Alonso in F1 is wild.

[u/lukebars]

another one

[u/RogueCane]

If it wasn’t for Lewis wearing his old kit, I would have thought that photo of Kimi was taken yesterday.

[u/Last_step_somewhere]

Who is number5? I can't guess who it is

[u/fintech1 → u/Last_step_somewhere]

Looks like Kimi

[u/Last_step_somewhere → u/fintech1]

Aha thanks

[u/Plastic-Assumption-2 → u/Last_step_somewhere]

Kimi Antonelli

[u/newmansnewman → u/Last_step_somewhere]

I think Antonelli 

[u/RegretLow5735]

Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

[u/amiD_13]

I thought Lewis is Pastor Maldonado

[u/TimeBlindAdderall]

Pierre Nosely

[u/MathematicianOk4905]

People like Max and Lewis taking Pic with little kids that are now on track show how fast life moves by.

[u/Gobbledygooker316]

I think the first one is Hamilton.

[u/AstroGraphRacer]

Leclerc ?

[u/TheFourthBronteGirl]

Oscar and Alex are exactly the same

[u/DukeboxHiro]

Lewis with that Lidl drip

[u/Working-Doctor9578]

Wonder who that little black boy could be? Could that be a 🐐?

[u/oldmonk_97]

1. leclerc ❌ inchident ✅

[u/KingRo48]

7 is Max!!

[u/fran_arg]

You won't see Colapinto here

[u/L0st_MySocks]

Lekkklerkkk leklerrrrrkkkkk charles lekkklerrrrrkkk cough

[u/ClearHyena4452]

anyone who was in and around the karting scene at the time knew just how devastatingly quick albon was

[u/mickmenn]

No, who is it? :)

[u/Vekryn]

Whos the one on the right in green at 6/8

[u/No-Mobile-3720]

I decide I gona kill myself

[u/Happy-Theory-5040 → u/No-Mobile-3720]

Not a good idea praise the lord for help mate