What F1 Drivers Did on Their Summer Break
With the cancellation of the German Grand Prix, the 2015 Formula One calendar contained an unexpected three-week break in July, between the British and Hungarian Grands Prix.
The actual summer break, though, with its mandatory two-week team factory shutdown, started after Hungary and wraps up next week when the teams arrive at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix.
In the meantime, the drivers have been enjoying their summer holidays, if their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds are any indication. So before the serious on-track action resumes, let's take a lighthearted look at some of the drivers' most interesting vacation moments.
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Lewis Hamilton made headlines for partying with Barbadian singer Rihanna, with celebrity news outlets, including Entertainment Tonight, speculating whether the two are dating. Either way, Hamilton looks like he had a great time in Barbados:
Meanwhile, his team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg seemed to have a much quieter vacation. Rosberg and his wife are expecting their first child, and if his Twitter feed is a reliable indicator, the craziest thing he did over the holidays was play a game of backgammon with Maro Engel, a former DTM and Formula Three driver:
Williams' Valtteri Bottas spent time back in Finland over the break, but he and team-mate Felipe Massa didn't step away from racing completely just because there weren't any grands prix.
The Williams team posted a video of their drivers commandeering some soapbox-style cars from some disappointed children:
Daniel Ricciardo also spent some time behind the wheel over the break, driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and you can catch a glimpse of his lip-syncing skills on his Instagram page:
""I do love a good in car jam ☺️ Vegas to LA last month. Had to keep myself amused. 5 hours of beats from the south cali streets
A video posted by Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) on Aug 14, 2015 at 9:26am PDT
He seems to be having more fun driving across the desert than he has driving his Red Bull RB11 this year.
"It's not been easy to be honest," Ricciardo recently said, according to Autosport's Lawrence Barretto and Ian Parkes. "I came into this season on a high from last year and I was really ready to fight for the title. Mentally I was prepared for doing that."
His team-mate, Daniil Kvyat, has gone radio silent over the summer holidays, but you can bet he enjoyed at least a night or two of celebration after scoring his maiden F1 podium in Hungary.
Romain Grosjean had a chance to spend some quality time with family during the break:
Although, and I speak from experience, a vacation with two young kids can often be more tiring—though also more fun—than days spent at work.
Max Verstappen got out on the water during his time off:
At just 17 years old, though, it's difficult to say whether he got to make his own vacation plans, or if he is tagging along with his family.
Jenson Button probably had the worst holiday of any F1 driver this season. While in St. Tropez, according to Button's Facebook page, thieves broke into his rented house and stole some jewelry, including his wife's engagement ring.
Meanwhile, Button's team-mate Fernando Alonso showed up to offer instruction at a karting camp run at his museum in Spain:
""Campus Fernando Alonso. Hoy les enseñamos las mejores trazadas, primero la teoría y luego la práctica. #circuito_museoFernandoAlonso #talentos Today's lesson about racing lines, first theory and then practice in the go kart. #circuito_museoFernandoAlonso #talents
A photo posted by Fernando Alonso (@fernandoalo_oficial) on Jul 29, 2015 at 5:49am PDT
Manor's Roberto Merhi replaced the adrenaline rush of driving an F1 car with the adrenaline rush of rock climbing:
""Ayer nos lo pasamos pipa haciendo un poco de escalada #viaferrata #climbing #TeamMerhi @felixporteiro @nachomer
A photo posted by Roberto Merhi Muntan (@robertomerhi) on Jul 28, 2015 at 8:52am PDT
Finally, like Hamilton, Will Stevens spent some time in New York City:
Stevens, it seems, took advantage of Manor's new sponsorship deal with Airbnb to land a sweet place to stay in the city.
And that concludes your F1 summer vacation round-up.
In case you are wondering what Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was up to, he doesn't use Twitter or Instagram, but his fiancee does have a blog, which features some photos of Raikkonen and their son.
Now, time to get back to the racing.
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