Lando Norris’s win in the Hungarian Grand Prix sent another jolt through the FOrmula 1 world, as he closed to within just nine points of teammate Oscar Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship race.
But before that battle is renewed, the grid will go silent for a few weeks.
The next race on the 2025 F1 schedule is the Dutch Grand Prix, slated for August 31, 2025. Until then the sport will be on an extended break, mandated by the rules.
It’s time to explain the F1 Summer Shutdown.
What is the F1 Summer Shutdown?
However, what is the reason for this extended break?
First, the rules. Under FIA’s Sporting Regulations, the break is written into the rules for F1. Under the most recent version of the Sporting Regulations Article 24 carves out the regulations for the summer shutdown.
Titled “Competitor Factory Shutdown Period,” Article 24 begins as follows:
All Competitors must observe two shutdown periods: The first period of fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days during the months of July and/or August. If two consecutive Competitions during this period are separated by only seventeen (17) days a shutdown period of thirteen (13) consecutive calendar days must be observed. In either case Competitors should notify the FIA of their intended shutdown period within thirty (30) days of the start of the Championship. (Note: The second required shutdown comes after the season, starting on Christmas Eve).
The Sporting Regulations continue to describe exactly what activities are prohibited during the shutdown period. Those include:
- Wind tunnel usage, unless it follows under an exception
- Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations, unless done under an exception
- Production or development of wind tunnel parts, car parts, test parts, or tools
- Assembly and/or sub-assembly of cars
- Any work activity by employees, consultants, contractors, and/or subcontractors engaged in car design, development, or production
As for the permitted exceptions to the above, FIA’s Sporting Regulations allow teams to carry out repairs to cars damaged in the “[c]ompetition preceding the shutdown period.” In this case, any cars damaged during the Hungarian Grand Prix can be repaired. Teams can also use wind tunnels and/or CFD simulations for non-F1 activities. However, this may become a point of contention given grumblings in recent years within F1 about teams using non-F1 activities as a means of avoiding cost-cap penalties.
Teams can also assemble and/or service show cars.
In addition, the shutdown period applies to “Power Unit Manufacturers.” Under Article 25 of FIA’s Sporting Regulations, these manufacturers also must observe a shutdown period:
All Power Unit Manufacturers or affiliate to a PU Manufacturer must also observe the shutdown periods described in Article 24.1 with an exception for factories based in countries where law and/or unions impose a different closing week. In this case, these factories may replace one week out of two weeks of the shutdown period specified in Article 24.1a) by the locally imposed week and have their second shutdown period specified in Article 24.1b) starting no later than 31 December. Power Unit Manufacturers affected by this must make a declaration to the FIA that the staff concerned will not be permitted to transfer to work in the country that isn’t shutdown during these periods. In any case Power Unit Manufacturers should notify the FIA of their intended shutdown periods within thirty (30) days of the start of the Championship.
Exceptions are carved out for these manufacturers as well, similar to the above.
How detailed are these restrictions?
Consider this from Williams: “Put simply, any activity that could contribute to making a better or faster car is strictly forbidden in this window. It is even prohibited to send emails, make calls or hold meetings about any such topics.”
Why does F1 impose the Summer Shutdown?
Having gone through the rules, we can talk about the why. Why does the sport simply turn almost everything off right in the middle of the season?
One reason? Costs. The summer shutdown period offers teams a chance to bring costs down, even in the middle of the season. Given the recent implementation of the cost-cap, it gives teams a chance to avoid overspending in a given season.
Another reason for the shutdown? It gives team members a much-needed break. When you consider that the December holiday season is an extremely busy time for F1 teams, are they are right in the middle of developing their car for the upcoming season, the summer break gives team members a well-deserved respite from the rigors of an F1 season. Employees have basically been “full go” since the end of their December holiday breaks.
Mercedes Chief Operating Officer Rob Thomas had this to say about the shutdown: “During the season you are on this treadmill of working so hard, and as the shutdown approaches you do start to notice that the team are starting to think about the break.
“You do not really notice how tired you are until you have that time off.
“When the team returns to work, you can tell they are refreshed, you can feel a renewed energy across the whole factory.”
Putting that break in the rules, and requiring that all teams must hit the pause button, allows the sport to give those team members a break while ensuring that teams cannot exploit the period for a competitive advantage.
Are there potential penalties?
That naturally leads to this question: How is the summer shutdown enforced? Does the FIA have roving officials visiting each factory?
While those enforcement mechanics might not seem outlandish given reports that the FIA has been performing “ruthless” raids as they leave no stone unturned in their investigation of potential cost-cap penalties, things are more relaxed when it comes to policing the summer shutdown. Teams are expected to self-police the shutdown, and they will not hesitate to flag potential violations by their competitors.
In addition, employees are allowed to flag potential violations under FIA’s Ethics and Compliance Hotline. The platform for such reports is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Any team found to be in violation of the summer shutdown rules would be subject to sporting penalties, such as a points deduction.
