BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 19: Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF1000 on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 19, 2020 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
After a gruelling run of 13 races in 20 weeks, the Formula 1 paddock heads into a summer break in August immediately after the Hungarian GP
The F1 summer break is the period between the final race in July – for 2022 this is the Hungarian GP on 29-31 July – until the first race back in late August or early September. This year that’s the Belgian GP on 26-28 August. There will be no official F1 track action for an entire month, with the teams reconvening at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on the 26-28 August.
The F1 summer break implies over three weeks off from the grind of the F1 circus and travelling the world, and while all involved will get to enjoy some well-deserved time off, it doesn’t mean everything shuts down for the entire period.
The F1 summer break is so vital to each season that it is written into the sporting regulations, with penalties for teams who do not adhere to the rules. This rule is implemented by Article 21.8 of the FIA F1 sporting regulations: “All competitors must observe a shutdown period of fourteen (14) consecutive days during the months of July and / or August.”
The F1 summer break of 2022 begins immediately after the Hungarian GP and lasts until the Belgian GP on 26 August. For the teams, when they have no races or official tests to attend or prepare for until the F1 summer break ends, there is also a mandatory team factory shutdown where work is severally restricted to just the basic functions to ensure the team ticks over.
In this period, teams cannot work on car design, development or parts production, including planning or hold meeting. Windtunnels or machining parts are also not allowed to be run at any time during the 14-day period, but essential work like service and maintenance is permitted.
F1 teams are allowed to activate its 14-day shutdown period at any time within the summer break, with the majority of teams opting for a middle two weeks to provide time to unpack from the previous race and prepare for the next race after the shutdown.
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