The Paris Olympics, sunshine and cuddles with dogs – How F1 drivers have spent the summer break

After an enthralling first half of the season, the F1 drivers have been enjoying a well-earned breather over the past three weeks. We’ve been taking a scan through social media to check out exactly what they’ve been up to during the summer break – with some interesting results…

Max Verstappen

As he looks to build on his championship lead in the second half of the season and secure a fourth consecutive drivers’ title, rest is understandably important for Verstappen right now. The Dutchman told his followers that he was “recharging” as he took a dip with a rubber duck for company.

Lando Norris

Norris shared some heart-warming footage as he spent time with a group of new – and very cute – friends from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, with the animal rescue centre bringing some canine residents to the McLaren Technology Centre to meet the Briton. “Hands down best day of my life,” Norris commented.

Charles Leclerc

Another driver spending his summer holidays with some animal company was Leclerc. The Monegasque shared a number of snaps featuring his dog, Leo, as they took a swim.

Oscar Piastri

Piastri has been quiet on social media during the break, but later shared a selection of photos taken during his summer vacation.

Prior to that, he also issued fans with an update as he reflected on the first half of the campaign – in which he also revealed that he had suffered a broken rib.

Carlos Sainz

Like Piastri, Sainz kept a low profile over the summer. We can forgive him for this, though, given that he dropped some huge news on the first day of the holidays by announcing his move to Williams in 2025.

However, the Spaniard went on to let his followers know that he is "fully recharged and ready" for the second half of the season as he posted several pictures from his time off, seemingly spent in the sun.

Lewis Hamilton

It has been a busy few weeks for Hamilton. The seven-time world champion headed to Paris to soak up the action at the Olympic Games – something that he hailed as an “amazing experience” – before going on to travel through Africa.

During this time, Hamilton visited Senegal as well as meeting with refugees in Mozambique.

Sergio Perez

The summer break perhaps came at a particularly welcome time for Perez, who has faced increased scrutiny over his position at Red Bull during recent weeks. This does not seem to have deterred the Mexican, however, who told his followers that he was already missing being on track as he reflected on his first DHL Fastest Lap Award of the year in Belgium.

George Russell

Russell looked to have bounced back from the disappointment of his lost win at Spa-Francorchamps as he embarked on a sunshine-filled holiday with his loved ones.

Fernando Alonso

While others have been enjoying a break from racing, it’s been business as usual for Alonso. The Spaniard shared footage of himself behind the wheel of a go-kart at his track in Asturias.

Nico Hulkenberg

After a strong first half of the season for Haas, Hulkenberg headed to southern Germany to spend quality time with his family. Any fans of the dog content from Norris and Leclerc should look out for the Hulk’s pet, Zeus.

Yuki Tsunoda

While others have been soaking up the sun, Tsunoda took the opportunity to indulge in one of his passions – food – as he spent time with friends during the break.

The RB driver also looks to have been working hard on his training.

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo was giving fans Wes Anderson vibes as he posted a short film showcasing the ‘summer break’ collection from his own clothing brand.

Esteban Ocon

Much like Russell, Ocon’s summer break has featured plenty of sunshine and time at sea. “Out of office,” the Frenchman captioned a montage of holiday snaps.

Alex Albon

Not everybody heads to the beach for their vacation. Albon, and his partner Lily Muni, opted to visit Switzerland’s scenic Alps, with the Thai driver adding the message to his Instagram post: “High altitude, high serotonin.”

Zhou Guanyu

Following a busy first half of the year, Zhou took the opportunity to enjoy some downtime at home with his cat, Sweetcorn.

Logan Sargeant

Another driver to head out to sea during the break, Sargeant looked to be having a good time on his holiday.

Valtteri Bottas

Bottas can always be relied upon for some entertaining social media content and the summer break has been no exception. The Finn shared plenty of photos from his travels with partner Tiffany Cromwell, which has included a visit to Norway as well as lots of cycling.