From skiing in Colorado to breakfast-in-bed at the home of a four-time champion, a rundown of what some of F1's famous names are up to during F1's on-track shutdown
Saturday 12 December 2015 13:43, UK
Just what do's F1 stars get up to during the winter?
Although the off-season has seemingly got shorter and shorter over recent years, the 2015-2016 break has a twist this winter with on-track preparations for the new season put back to February 22 at Barcelona.
Even if there is no on-track action, the F1 world rarely stops completely, of course, with work on building next year's cars ongoing right into the New Year. But the drivers at least have a little more time on their hands this winter...
Established as F1's most jet-setting driver, world champion Lewis Hamilton is rarely in one place for too long - and his world travels have continued at a remarkable rate since the chequered flag dropped on the 2015 season in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.
Flying immediately to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a Petronas sponsor event, Hamilton returned to Europe last week for a round of TV and radio interviews in London, before heading across to Paris and the FIA's prizegiving gala. While his no-show at Sunday night's Autosport Awards, where he won two more trophies, provoked debate, Hamilton was already Stateside by then and Washington DC at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony where legendary filmmaker George Lucas - who presented the Briton with his race-winning trophy in Italy back in September - was among those honoured for his contribution to American culture.
From there, Hamilton travelled the 500km to the Canadian city of Toronto, where he was courtside for a basketball game between the Raptors and Lakers, before flying back down to Los Angeles for appearances on two American talkshows, Jimmy Kimmel Live and James Corden's The Late Late Show, where he showed off his skills on a unicycle.
And he hasn't stopped yet.
Mercedes commitments come calling again this weekend as Hamilton returns to Europe, and Stuttgart, for the world champions' Stars and Cars event. The Race of Champions-style format sees Mercedes-affiliated drivers, and guests, racing against each other in a stadium in a knockout competition. A fan vote has seen Hamilton drawn against two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen in the opening round, with a rematch with Nico Rosberg then one possibility if both drivers progress through the stages.
After the breathless schedule, Hamilton's winter then finally seems set to adopt a more leisurely pace as he heads to his usual winter retreat in Colorado for Christmas.
"I have work until December 17 and then I'll be in the mountains," he said. "Every year l spend in the mountains, in the snow and with a floor-to-ceiling 15-foot Christmas tree with the family. I've got a bunch of friends coming out. We're going skiing for a week and then I've got some other family with me."
If Hamilton is by far F1's most prominent driver away from the track, then Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel is probably the sport's most reclusive.
After staying on in Abu Dhabi for some laps in the post-race Pirelli tyre test, Vettel appears to have headed straight home to his young family. Speaking before the season finale, the four-time champion outlined his rather simple plans for the winter.
"Maybe it sounds very boring but I think by spending so much time on the road, you're always longing for something you don't have," Vettel told the Daily Mail. "When you're at home or work all year you are longing for a holiday; to go on a plane, to sleep in the hotel, to have a buffet for breakfast, with everything ready.
"I enjoy the opposite; my own bed, making breakfast myself."
Over at Red Bull, and their two drivers are also seeking some rare home comforts.
"Plans for the winter? I'll be back home in Oz for Christmas," said Daniel Ricciardo. "I haven't been back in Perth since January so the plan is to have a bit of down time.
"I've got an event pretty much straight after I get home then it will be feet up for a while. January, it's back into training and then next year hopefully try and get those wins back."
Russian team-mate Daniil Kvyat, who took time out from simulator duties in Milton Keynes to make his debut on The F1 Show at Sky Studios last week, put it more simply: "I think wherever my friends go I will just try to be a weight on their shoulder."
But while the drivers may not be back on track until the designated wet-weather tyre test in Paul Ricard in late January at the earliest, the work hasn't quite finished for many of them quite yet.
Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa have both been at Grove in recent days on the team's simulator, although the latter has also had time to get in the Christmas spirit with his young son Felipinho.
After 10 months on the road, it's certainly home time which is also the key consideration for Haas-bound Romain Grosjean: "Firstly, and most importantly, I'm looking forward to spending as much time as possible with my loved ones.
"Recent events [in Paris] really bring home how important it is to cherish life, your family and your friends. My family is very young so I'm spending some magical time with them, even if I do get more sleep sometimes when I'm on the road! It's important to get as much mental and physical rest as you can when the season is over and for me there's the additional challenge that I'll be working in a very different environment for 2016."
