Not all racers spend their summer vacation the same way…

      Almost all of August in Formula 1 is marked by a traditional lull – teams and drivers are on mandatory holidays, as stipulated in the relevant regulations. For two weeks, team bases are closed, wind tunnels and CFD systems are not operational, and simulators and computers are turned off.

      Here’s what Elina Haukipuro, a sports psychology specialist who has worked with teams like Mercedes and Williams, says about the summer break and its implications:

      “It’s important to understand that drivers belong to a category of people who have to work under maximum loads, which means they are always in a state of full readiness. A driver’s brain is always active – when the person is piloting the car, when they are training on the simulator, and this continues during the breaks between races.

      I know from experience that when you are juggling many different tasks, the hardest part is when you suddenly have to switch off and stop doing all of it. By inertia, on a psychological level, you are still participating in the races.

      Moreover, usually, how your season has gone, whether it has been successful or challenging, affects how hard it is for you to disconnect from everything. Therefore, during the summer break, it is primarily necessary to do just that and try to redirect your attention to other things, to stop thinking about the season, the results, etc.

      This can also be learned, because not everyone can do it without preparation.”

      The general public is always interested in how drivers spend their time during the summer break – and not less than the results of the Grand Prix, perhaps even more.

      Recently, paparazzi managed to catch one of the most charming couples in modern Formula 1 – Charles Leclerc and his young wife – on camera. A series of photos published in the British tabloid Daily Mail quickly gathered thousands of views and likes, especially since it is clear from Alexandra's rounded silhouette that she is expecting, although the couple has not announced it.

      Charles and Alexandra are currently enjoying their summer vacation aboard Sedici, their new luxurious Riva 102' Corsaro Super yacht, docked off the coast of Sardinia.

      Lewis Hamilton, his teammate at Ferrari, is spending his vacation in America not only in the company of Kim Kardashian but also with Heylo, his new Labrador retriever puppy, as evidenced by a collection of photos shared by the seven-time world champion on social media. However, he hasn’t forgotten to train and posted a short video taken during his usual morning run.

      Kimi Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton in the Mercedes lineup and is confidently ahead of him in the world championship, also prefers a seaside vacation and is also off the coast of Sardinia. Unlike Charles, the superyacht he is relaxing on does not belong to him, but that is not so important.

      Judging by the video shared by Kimi, the new star of Formula 1 is happily relaxing, swimming, skillfully cutting through the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea on a jet ski, and having fun at a disco in a local club – much to the delight of other attendees.

      By the way, Toto Wolff, the head of the Mercedes team, is also vacationing in Sardinia, and Max Verstappen has been seen with him more than once.

      However, this year the press is not rushing to draw any hasty conclusions or to link the four-time world champion to the factory team of the Stuttgart concern.

      George Russell, during the Hungarian weekend, honestly stated that he simply needed to rest after all the twists and turns of the first half of the season, and he is also somewhere in the Mediterranean – in a video that appeared on his pages, there is the same azure water surface and a very nice yacht.

      George also demonstrates excellent jet ski handling skills, and his mood is indirectly evidenced by the fact that all this is happening to the famous overture by John Barry from the James Bond films. Apparently, Russell is determined to show all his competitors what he is worth in the second half of the season.

      However, the vacation of Franco Colapinto, the Argentine driver for Alpine F1, was marred by an unpleasant incident: he decided to relax in Italy at Lake Como, but some unscrupulous people cleaned out his car. Franco was left without a suitcase of clothes and his favorite set for brewing South American mate tea.

      After this, he shared the following comment on social media: “Who would have thought that Italians would steal literally everything from a South American? They didn’t even leave my tea set, although I’m sure the villains won’t even appreciate this drink.”

      However, Colapinto quickly realized that if he was robbed in Italy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was done by citizens of that country. As Gazetta dello Sport reports, he edited his remark and wrote “Europeans,” but this did not save him from a multitude of angry comments from the public. He even tried to respond to someone, saying that such an incident was a real shock for him, and that even in his native Argentina, nothing was ever stolen from his car.

      It’s hard to say how this story will end, but Franco added several more photos to his pages taken during his Italian vacation and accompanied them with the following phrase: “These are the last shots of me in this outfit, and in them, I’m still drinking mate… I hope those people will still like it!”