What did F1 get up to on its summer holidays?

If you kept up with Formula 1 over the summer break you’ll kno꧋w some huge moves have been announced over ൩the past three weeks making it one of the busier mid-season pauses in recent years.

While driver moves dominated the headlines, with Daniel Ricciardo’s shock Red Bull exit to Renault setting off a dominoes effect, Force India also kept the F1 world busy with the Lawrence Stroꦡll-backed consortium leading the team takeover to secure its future.

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If you kept up with Formula 1 over the summer break you’ll know some huge moves have been announced over the past three wꦐeeks making it one of the busier mid-season pauses in recent years.

While driver moves dominated the h🔯eadlines, with Daniel Ricciardo’s shock Red Bull exit to Renault setting off a do💎minoes effect, Force India also kept the F1 world busy with the Lawrence Stroll-backed consortium leading the team takeover to secure its future.

But F1’s summer shutdown is supposed to be a moment of peace between the frantic 21-round season, both in name and in the rules with teams ordered against any work for two weeks, and for the majority of the grid it has been a time toꦆ rest, refresh and reset ahead of the second half of the campaign.

As ꦐF1 prepares to return to action this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, catch up with what’s happenedꦕ behind the headlines starting with the world champion.

Lewis Hamilton is accustomed to the jetsetter lifestyle but by his own admission the break came at an ideal time to recharge in what he’s described as one of the toughest tꦓitle battles of his career.

A relative slowdown was welcomed by the four-time F1 world champion having revealed he was off on a family holiday following the Hungary race and aside from his commercial posts his social media channels have r🌊emained qui💦et – aside from the time he went on a serious litter pick in the name of going green.

F1’s newest social media star Kimi Raikꦕkonen has been one of the more open drivers sharing family holiday snaps with his two ‘Ice Cubes’ as well as the launch of his first book co-written with Kari Hotakainen.

Fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas has certainly been keepin🌊g in🌳 top condition over the break launching his own duathlon event close to his hometown.

Bottas wasn’t the other fitness fanatic this summer with Romain Grosjean completing his maiden triathlon and Brendon Hartley𝕴 taking on a 100-mile mountain bike race in Colorado alongside familiar F1 fa⛎ce Mark Webber.

 

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Pierre Gasly also enjoyed his holidays in Greece and Southern France, albeit interrupted by phone calls from Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko, but the rising F1 star di♒dn’t mind too much given the second call confirmed his move up to Red Bull.

But in an eye-opening revelation Gasly found out the ‘dream 🔥come true’ news wearing potentially the least amount of clothing an F1 deal has ever been🐬 agreed in.

“When Helmut started the call with me I was i💞n my underwear,” Gasly said. “When the call ended I ran around the house shouting to my ma♌tes and they all jumped in the pool straight away!”

Fellow F1 youngsters Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc also took the chance to go on a friend𝐆s holiday with the Sauber driver continuing to clock up his airlines with a trip to Bali.

The Monegasque, who is strongly linked with a move to Ferrari from next year, kept his motorsport eye in♋ with explorations arou♒nd the Indonesian island on two wheels fulfilling the backpacking experience in the short summer break.

While F1’s busiest driver of 2018 did allow himself a few days of rest and relaxation, Fernando Alonso naturally kept himself occupied with the one thing he loves over anything else: racing. Back on World Endurance Championship commitments with Toyota Gazoo Racing foll🎶owing their Le Mans triumph back in June, Alonso was once again part of a winning team with victo𝐆ry in the Silverstone 6 Hours.

But his success was to become short-live💃d as both of Toyota’s cars were disqualified post-ra🍎ce for a technical infringement. At least the champagne tasted sweet at the time…

With F1 life returning to normal as the paddock convergences on Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgia🐓n Grand Prix it is back to focusing on events on track.

But 😼with a frantic summer break there will be a few interesting answers to the staple ‘did you have a good holiday’ question.

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