What is F1's summer break, how long is it, and when will racing return?

Following an enthralling Hungarian Grand Prix, F1 is ready to take a breather.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's drivers' championship battle has encapsulated audiences as McLaren have dominated the first 14 races of the 2025 season.

While the Woking-based outfit have all but sealed the constructors' title with four consecutive one-two finishes, there is still no telling which way the drivers' title will go.

After victory in Hungary, Norris is now just nine points behind Piastri, and it will be all to play for in the final 10 races of the season.

First, however, the drivers need to go and take a well-deserved holiday, to recharge their batteries for the rest of the season.

What is the F1 summer break?

Enforced by the sporting regulations, the summer break is a mandatory 14-day shutdown period for all F1 teams and their factories. It normally falls between the last race in July and the first race in August, but this year it has fallen slightly differently.

The Hungarian GP took place last weekend (August 1-3), and the next race is at the end of this month, meaning just a three-week break from competition.

It allows drivers and team personnel to have a proper holiday midway through the season, with no sim time nor factory work being allowed to take place for 14 consecutive days during the break.

Why does F1 have a summer break?

Article 21.8 of the sporting regulations reads: "All competitors must observe a shutdown period of fourteen (14) consecutive days."

F1 operates on a demanding, year-round schedule, which makes it essential to have a dedicated period for the well-being of the thousands of people working in the sport - from engineers and mechanics to drivers and team principals.

After the Christmas break, teams engage in intense car development in preparation for the upcoming year. Pre-season testing kicks off in February, followed by the season opener in March, and the season continues through to December.

Therefore, this break serves as a proper time off for F1 personnel to recharge physically and mentally, and also spend some quality time with their loved ones.

Considering the joint-record 24-race season in 2025, this respite is crucial for everyone to return to the second half of the season feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the remaining races.

The 14-day shutdown also helps teams keep costs in check, as development, research, and other costly operations are completely halted.

During the 14 days, teams are prohibited from carrying out any work related to car performance - from development, design, and research to the production of new parts and activities in the wind tunnel and the simulator. However, a team may obtain FIA permission to repair a damaged car in the event of a crash.

Teams are also not allowed to hold meetings and even send emails, and can only carry out essential operations such as servicing and maintenance.

These rules are in place to prevent teams from gaining a competitive advantage during this period, and teams who do not adhere to the rules will be penalised.

However, certain departments such as marketing, finance, and legal are exempt and are allowed to continue their activities during this period as they do not directly impact car performance.

When is the next F1 race?

The next race takes place on Sunday August 31 at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen will be hoping to bounce back from a series of disappointing results in front of his home crowd, and claim his first race win since May.

It will be the penultimate edition of the Dutch GP, with it being set to fall off the calendar after the 2026 race.

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