F1: What Is The Summer Break And What Does it Mean For Teams?
The summer break is a compulsory closure of every F1 team's factory for 14 days after the last Grand Prix in July. Consequently, the summer break this year is taking place after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Article 21.8 within the sporting regulations states that for 14 days, F1 teams must close their factories. Only those activities and departments are allowed to function that are not connected to the car's development in any way.
Other activities like design, production, and other work directly related to the car's development or production are not permitted to function during the 14-day summer break. For the teams, this is a great time to take time off from work.
And that is exactly why the rule is in place. The staff gets very busy during Christmas and winter to plan their cars' development for the next season. As a result, they are unable to spend quality time with their families or even travel. The rule ensures the staff of Formula 1 teams get enough time off from their hectic schedule so they don't drain out.
This year, the summer break ends right before the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix taking place from August 25-27 at the iconic Zandvoort track.