Beaches, yachts and bikes: How F1 drivers spent the summer break

Red Bull's Isack Hadjar is set to miss this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a wrist injury in training, according ‌to media reports.

Hadjar had been spending the one-month summer break with “the usual suspects” in Spain, where games of UNO, dinners and plenty of sunshine were on the agenda. He could not escape the gym entirely, though, squeezing in a training session as the return to racing edged closer.

The reports said the 21-year-old French driver suffered the injury during a routine gym session and is unlikely to be fit for the Formula One race at Zandvoort. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson is expected to replace Hadjar, according to the reports.

The summer break saw the petrolheads indulge in their favourite leisure activities, but with the Dutch GP coming up this weekend, most drivers have returned to the pre-race routines, swapping beaches, yachts and bikes for training sessions and race preparations.

But before the paddock reconvened, the grid made sure their time away was well spent.

For Mercedes driver George Russell, who announced his engagement to long-time partner Carmen Montero Mundt, it was a particularly memorable summer.

The Silver Arrows man popped the question during an intimate candlelit dinner on the beach, with the couple sharing the happy news on Instagram shortly afterwards. Together since 2020, the pair was quickly met with well wishes from across the F1 paddock.

Charles Leclerc had been enjoying some quality time with partner Alexandra, his family and, naturally, Leo. Between picturesque views, days by the water and plenty of time to relax, the Ferrari driver looked to have fully embraced life away from the paddock, according to formula1.com.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, meanwhile, had been living the Sardinian life with friends. Yacht trips, surfing and diving filled his days before the teenager swapped time on the water for nights accompanied by music and DJs. Not a bad way to spend a few weeks away from racing!

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, though, appeared to have been in work mode for some time already.

The seven-time world champion has been sharing glimpses of his preparations for the return to racing, putting himself through sessions featuring core work, upper-body exercises and plenty of demanding bodyweight drills.

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri too had been enjoying a classic European summer, sharing his “annual European summer dump” filled with sunset views, seaside dinners and sometimes exploring on two wheels – although a mid-ride mechanical issue appeared to provide an unexpected pit stop.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad had also been embracing “summa”, as he put it, with the rookie celebrating his 19th birthday during the break before sharing a holiday dump filled with cooking attempts, time on the water and dinners with friends by the sea. He even offered up some summer wisdom along the way: “Life is better when nobody knows what you are doing.”

His Racing Bulls teammate Lawson appeared to have taken a rather different approach to switching off. Captioning his summer update simply “Touch grass”, the New Zealander packed in everything from motocross riding and uncle duties to a dinner with Lindblad – before somehow ending up behind the controls of a digger in the middle of the night.

And apparently spending almost every Grand Prix weekend together still is not enough for Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. The Audi teammates extended their time together into the summer break, joining friends for pool days, group lunches and a trip surrounded by some spectacular mountain scenery.

They say, you can take the drivers out of the paddock, but separating the teammates is apparently another matter.

As the summer break drew to a close, there was an added significance to the return to racing for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion unveiled a special helmet for his final home Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with the Dutch race set to leave the calendar after 2026. The striking blue-and-white design features plenty of nods to his home country.