January usually sees a slow reawakening of Formula 1, but this year feels a bit different. For the first time in more than a decade, pre-season testing is happening in January.
From January 26 - 30, cars will run behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, before the paddock relocates to Bahrain for two more sessions in February.
There are radical changes to the 2026 regulations and a 24-race calendar waiting, and the early test laps will massively impact team performance as well as betting markets. Fans are already trying to predict lap times, with many turning to Bitcoin sportsbooks where odds and wagers are often determined by pre-season form. A clean test can see a title favourite shorten from 4/1 to 3/1 before the season even kicks off in Melbourne.
Against the pressure of the coming season, the festive season break was not so much about completely switching off, but instead about balancing rest and training before the next campaign. The drivers’ holidays showed what F1 stars really do in their limited downtime.
Here’s How The Grid Spent Their Holidays
The 2025 season wrapped in early December, and the drivers didn’t waste any time going traveling or working on passion projects.
Oscar Piastri, after a tough season, headed home to Australia, where he attended the Ashes and met the national cricket team. He was joined by Valterri Bottas, sporting a fresh mullet, as Australia celebrated retaining the urn.
Others couldn’t let go of the rush of adrenaline. Max Verstappen swapped his Red Bull car for a Mercedes GT3 car in Portugal, where his newly adopted race number 3 got its first proper outing. Fernando Alonso showed off his dirt track skills in his XC Cross car. Estaban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto both returned to their karting roots for some nostalgic laps at their home tracks.
The young Mercedes sensation, Kimi Antonelli, entered the Daytona Milton Keynes using a fake name and set impressive wet-weather times.
Family and personal time were also enjoyed. Carlos Sainz supported his legendary father, Carlos Sainz Sr, as he prepared for another Dakar Rally campaign. Several of the drivers, including George Russel, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, and Lance Stroll, went skiing. The social media feeds of Russel, Liam Lawson, Bortoleto, and Antonelli also showed quiet moments at home, with Christmas spent with family after months on the road.
As always, travel remained popular with most of the grid. Lewis Hamilton went to his “favorite city”, New York, while Alex Albon spent time in Thailand and Bhutan. Russell was not only on the slopes, but also went on a Kenyan safari. Ocon enjoyed a Marvel-themed Christmas at Disneyland Paris. New addition to Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad, enjoyed a trip to Mumbai.
The winter break is also considered the Awards Season. Newly crowned World Champion Lando Norris celebrated his title at the FIA Prize Giving, describing it on social media as “the night I’d waited for my whole life.” Gasly attended the Make-A-Wish France gala, where one of his helmets was auctioned for charity.
Despite these marvelous holiday moments, the break was shorter than what many needed. Alex Albon spoke about the reality of the modern F1 calendar after Abu Dhabi, saying, “It’s brutal to be honest with you. I don’t think it’s enough. I think I have seven days off… and then on 27 December, I start my training camp.”
Albon believes that energy management for the 2026 season will be important for the drivers. Ocon also spoke about the new regulations for 2026: “It’s like if you jump from an F1 car to a rally car next year, it’s that different.”
The pressure is on for the next season, and hopefully, the drivers and teams are feeling rested after their festive season break.
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