Now that the winter break is at its tail end we have a look on what generally happens in these months without cars on track and official sessions.
The chequered flag and the fireworks in Abu Dhabi weren’t the real season’s end, as in the next few days all the teams were testing the new Pirelli tyres for 2026 along with some new features of the new cars (active aero etc.).
Once the tests terminated, the logistic machine of F1 moved in full force and sent all the track facilities back to the factories. Engine customer teams gave back the engines to the suppliers as the lease ends as the season do.
Meanwhile, after months of projects and designs, at the factory starts the literal building of the new car with the assemblage of all the pieces and components.
Immediately after the car is completed, engine reliability tests, wind tunnel runs and crash tests are conducted. All of this is to ensure that the car meets the rules and it’s fit to race, along with the information that engineers want to gather to start drawing a picture on the levels of performance.
Drivers are allowed to take their holidays to reset and restart with training programmes to maintain their physical shape and maybe private tests with other types of cars to practice driving skills.
Across Christmas and the New Year, also the rest of the team is enjoying vacations as the FIA mandates a complete shutdown of all the sporting activities in and around the factories.
In the first days of January everyone is back at work with the final touches to the car and the focus that’s already shifting to the possible tweaks and upgrades that will be brought during the season.
The team’s PR is preparing the car/livery presentation event that will take place between the end of January and the first half of February. This period is also the start of media commitments for drivers and top team members.
This year’s cars need to be ready a bit earlier than normal as there will be an additional test session in Barcelona behind closed doors between 26th and 30th January. The new engines will be tested for the first time on track while all the aerodynamic parts will be ready for the tests in Bahrain.
Once the car touches the track, the teams will start to collect and elaborate new data to send to the development team at the base to have the chance to maybe bring already some adjustments at the first race in Melbourne.