Why the F1 summer break matters

Working in Formula 1 means living at full speed. We measure time in tenths of a second, race weekends blur together and before you know it, half the season is gone and you’re still running on adrenaline and airport coffee. And honestly? I sometimes catch myself thinking: Wait… what month is it? One thing I’ve noticed in chats with colleagues – we measure time in races. “That was three races ago,” or “We’ll sort it after Monza.” Not exactly a healthy unit of measurement… but hey, that’s what we do.

So when the F1 summer break finally arrives – when the paddock goes quiet and the emails slow down – it’s not just a break. It’s a necessity.

What the F1 summer break really feels like

People from the outside might imagine that the summer break is a luxury. But inside this sport, it’s survival mode in reverse. The travel, the time zones, the pressure to get it right – whether you’re in engineering, comms, logistics, or anything in between – it’s relentless.

This is the one stretch of the year when everything actually stops. No races. No last-minute briefs. No Microsoft Teams notifications pinging while you’re pretending to “relax.” (Okay, maybe a few pings… 👀).

It’s weird at first. You spend so long in fight-or-flight mode that slowing down feels unnatural. But that’s the point.

My Plan: From trackside to mountains and the Bosphorus

This year, I’m using the break to actually switch off. First up: Switzerland. I’ve been craving space – real, quiet, wide-open space. I want fresh air, still lakes, long walks and to go a few days without thinking about work. Nothing more ambitious than reading a book or ordering a second cinnamon roll with zero guilt. Also the fact that I have just recently moved to Switzerland makes me want to discover more of the country, now that I have the chance.

Next stop: Italy – Lake Como! I absolutely love this place. Dreamy as ever, especially in summer ✨

Finally, I’m heading to Istanbul for a wedding – no phone in hand, no mind half at work. Just there, view set on the Bosphorus. I visited once before and fell in love with the city – it’s the perfect finale to this break.

Why this pause actually matters

It’s easy to underestimate how much this break gives us – not just physically, but mentally. In a sport where every decision can impact performance and the team, being mentally sharp is everything. That only happens when you’ve had space to reset.

F1 is about pushing limits. But even high performance has its rhythm. The break is part of that rhythm. Without it, burnout creeps in. You start running on fumes. I want to come back with clarity, energy and perspective – not just because the second half of the season demands it, but because the people around me deserve it, too.

Slowing down to show up better

This F1 summer break is about reconnecting – with myself, with people I care about, with parts of life that don’t revolve around a race calendar.

When we come back, the pressure ramps up fast. That’s the nature of this sport. But for now, I’m stepping away. And honestly? That’s the only way I know how to come back stronger, especially mentally.

If you’re in F1 (or any high-pressure world), I hope you get a real break too – whatever that looks like for you.

Last thoughts on my concept of rest

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about: how often do we read “Enjoy your well-deserved break” in emails this time of year?
I get the sentiment, but I don’t love it. Because we shouldn’t have to earn rest. For me, this is a wrong concept. Working, especially in F1, means constantly being surrounded by performance culture – fast decisions, fast turnarounds, fast everything. It’s cool, but it’s also easy to forget that we’re not machines. We’re people and people need pauses. Not because we’ve earned them, but because they are part of a sustainable rhythm. If we want to show up creatively, effectively and with purpose, we need rest built in, not just squeezed in.

This F1 summer break matters. Not because we’ve “worked hard enough.” But because we exist. And that’s reason enough.

See you on the other side of summer – recharged, refocused and maybe just a little more sun-kissed than when I left ☺️

Because in the end, the best way to go full throttle is to know when to lift.