Mrs Klipp

Okay, for what it's worth, I'd rather talk about Oscar than anything or anyone else right now. Oscar arrived in F1 under circumstances that would have made it very easy for a young driver to become defensive. During the Alpine saga, his character was questioned in public before he had even started a race. Otmar even said that "species that are selfish perish" and was very open about how hard he tried to get other TPs not to work with him. Oscar had every reason to be angry, and yet, when he spoke about leaving, he only spoke about the people at Enstone he was grateful to, and how much it hurt that he hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye. It was very clear that he wanted his results to become louder than anyone else's words in private or any headline a journalist was eager to write about him. So he waited. Four years later, it remains clear that he's carried this same thoughtfulness with him as his career has grown and things have become more competitive. Sure, Oscar does get frustrated and annoyed as every other driver does. And we've all seen a thousand and one interview of him saying he isn't this emotionless robot some people make him out to be. But he's aware that he's competing at the highest level in a sport where every mistake is replayed and every answer can become a headline, and so he keeps trying to be fair to the people around him. He takes responsibility for his own errors and gives others room to make theirs. He rarely gives anyone the reaction they're trying to provoke, either, and that demands an incredible amount of self-control. It's clearly a skill he's worked to develop too and not just something that simply comes naturally to everyone. We're, unfortunately, reminded of that often enough by people who could stand to learn from him. And, importantly, he can drive. I'm aware I'm saying this as a fan, but whatever this season looks like, we've seen how much he can learn, how hard he can race and just how willing he is to come back after a difficult weekend. Over and over. He's proven himself so many times that, in my eyes, it's really a matter of when, not if. It doesn't matter when you became a fan, but Oscar has spent his entire career giving us something compelling to talk about on and off the track. He's shown respect, again, on and off it, even when it asked a lot from him. So I really, sincerely wish the people speaking about his future would show him that same consideration.