With 2023 coming to an end, Formula One is nearly at the halfway point of its winter break. The winter break began on 28th November and will conclude on 21st February when the 2024 pre-season testing begins.
As much as it is a ‘break’, there is still work that needs to be done. Cars still need to be tested, others developed, whilst teams and drivers have their own responsibilities to carry out.
What happens to the 2023 cars?
After the season finale in Abu Dhabi a month ago on 26th November, it was not over for the 2023 cars. Even those that had seasons to forget such as Mercedes, couldn’t finally put their cars away and move on to 2024. There were still tests that needed to be run.
On November 28th this year, the drivers took the cars out for one last spin. After the chequered flag was waved for the last time in 2023, the cars remained at the Yas Marina Circuit for the annual post-season test.
Each team is required to assign one of the cars to an up-and-coming driver who has no more than two Grand Prix starts. These tests offer current and rookie drivers one final outing for the year. Considering how much testing is limited in modern F1, it is a valuable experience for inexperienced drivers. The other car is for Pirelli tyre testing to benefit both F1 and the teams. It helps give F1 greater insight into the tyre compounds to help with adjustments for the next season.
Once testing is complete, a comprehensive service to ensure the longevity of the car is carried out. The teams then pull apart every single component keeping only the chassis. Customer teams return the engine to the manufacturers, as the lease ends at the end of the season. After that, the cars go into storage signaling the beginning of the winter break. The 2023 cars cannot be fired up again for at least the next two years. The cars will then be seen again in future test runs, demo runs/show events, museums, and even auctions.
What do the drivers do during the winter break?
Just like any other person in the workforce, the drivers get to take time off of work. The F1 winter break is when the drivers get to spend time with friends and families and take a deserved break.
However, F1 drivers are athletes, therefore they need to maintain fitness levels whilst on the break. Fitness programmes, sim racing and go-karting are some of the items on the itinerary lists of drivers while on holiday.
The drivers also typically work with the team to check on the progress of the next season’s cars, offering their input where necessary.
What do F1 teams do during the winter break?
Interestingly, some F1 teams would have started the development of their 2024 challengers in January of 2023. And, it is no secret that throughout the 2023 season, all the teams were developing their 2024 cars.
With Red Bull having secured both titles early in the 2023 season, it is believed that they had started putting 100% focus on their 2024 car as early as August. So typically, how well a season goes for a team determines how much focus they can give to their next season’s car.
Following the post-season tests, all the teams can focus entirely on the car for 2024. The months during the F1 winter break are typically meant for the final phase of putting the car together. This is when reliability issues are tested and sorted out. Marketing responsibilities leased with livery designing and budgeting are also carried out at this time along with other responsibilities. The teams go through multiple tests to ensure that the cars fit within the regulations and are fit to race.
When pre-season testing begins on 21st February, the teams will be able to see on a better scale, what they have produced. Appropriate changes can then be made ahead of the first free practice session in Bahrain on the 29th of February 2024.
