After Hungary, the holidays

Rest for men and machines.

The tension accumulated during the first half of the championship creates a need among the Grand Prix participants to take a break. Thus, the drivers, engineers, and technicians, who constantly travel from one race to another around the globe at the whim of the F1 circus, can, for once, stop completely and catch their breath.

While some drivers dedicate their vacations to sports, like Nico Rosberg or Jenson Button, in order to maintain their peak physical condition or for charitable causes, others indulge in relaxation and return to their families, like Vitaly Petrov or Rubens Barrichello, the latter finding in this break the perfect opportunity to satisfy his passion for golf…

However, this summer break is not primarily intended to give drivers and teams a vacation: it originates from the principle of cost reduction in Formula 1, initially desired by the teams and then somewhat institutionalized by the FIA. Thus, during this three-week period, the factories completely shut down, and the computers are turned off. No research or development. All of this is under the supervision of the federation, which ensures that the rule is strictly adhered to by all the teams.

In fact, only the marketing and communication departments of the teams remain active during the enforced break…

Mixed reviews

However, not all the protagonists of the Grand Prix necessarily view this somewhat… forced break favorably.

This is particularly the case for Norbert Haug from Mercedes and Martin Whitmarsh from McLaren, for whom this summer break constitutes a negative interruption, especially mid-season, which is a crossroads in the year and a crucial moment for the remainder of the world championship.

Indeed, the major teams aim to constantly progress, to chase the last tenth, which inevitably leads to the continuous development of new parts or new configurations on the cars. However, during this break, and as explained above, all development has become impossible.

In the end, despite the relaxed atmosphere and the heat that prevails at this time on the Hungaroring, the Hungarian Grand Prix and the subsequent break are a key period in the F1 season, especially since it is at this time of year that contracts are signed, potential transfers take shape…