Summer Break: What Teams Are Allowed and Not Allowed

      After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Formula 1 went into the summer break, during which all teams are required to close their bases and suspend all work on cars for two weeks. Former Aston Martin chief strategist Bernie Collins shed light on what actually happens during the summer break, what teams are allowed to do, and what is strictly prohibited during the rare quiet period on the track.

      "We talk about the break as if it begins after the race in Budapest, but in reality, the next week is a working week for all teams," Bernie explained in the Sky Sports podcast. "All teams continue working at their bases. Some employees take vacation, but for most, that week is still a workweek. For example, some conduct tire tests in Budapest."

      During these two weeks, any work on current cars and projects is strictly forbidden. Employees usually take leave during this time, and the FIA has the opportunity to monitor teams' activities to prevent any rule violations.

      "In essence, everyone is on a forced two-week pause," Bernie continued. "The FIA oversees this. They can track or request evidence from teams, such as email correspondence or laptop usage time – now everything is monitored online. All work by technical departments, engineers, and anyone directly involved in manufacturing and assembling cars, working in wind tunnels, CFD, or simulators, is prohibited. This applies to both current Formula 1 cars and any other projects related to Formula 1."

      However, some work is still permitted, such as equipment maintenance or IT system updates.

      "You can, for example, carry out maintenance on the wind tunnel," Collins said. "During these two weeks, regular maintenance tasks are allowed. The IT department also works during the break. Major software updates usually happen during this time."

      In the past, I liked that during the summer break, you could turn off your work phone on Friday evening, leave your laptop at the office, return after two weeks, and not have to sift through hundreds of emails—maybe just one or two from the IT department confirming the system was updated and that your passwords no longer work.

      Basically, the summer break is a pause during which most employees stop working. If you leave for two weeks at any other time, you come back to around 300 emails, but after the summer break, there’s none of that. You don’t feel like you missed anything. Everything essentially goes on hold for two weeks."

      When asked about when the first employees will return to work, Bernie said, "On Monday of the week before Zandvoort. Those who need to prepare equipment for the garages, motorhomes, and load them into trailers will return to the base on Saturday or Sunday. That’s essentially when the break ends."