Calm Before the Storm: What Happened in F1 During the Summer Break

The annual summer break in Formula One is almost over, with the Dutch GP just days away. What was the grid up to, and what changed in the driver market?

The Silly Season Heats Up

Aston Martin held a filming day at the Hungaroring to test its brand-new engine before Zandvoort – Honda’s power unit is expected to be 50 hp more powerful, potentially halving its gap to the leading engine. As for the paddock’s “eternal rookie” Fernando Alonso, rumours suggested negotiations with Alpine over a possible return under his manager Flavio Briatore were already underway. Moreover, Briatore was rumoured to have recommended Franco Colapinto start searching for a new seat. Carlos Sainz, dissatisfied with Williams’ disappointing performance, was believed to be the main candidate for Alonso’s seat at Aston Martin if the latter leaves. Franco could then return to Williams. 

It remains unclear, however, why Alonso would choose Alpine if Aston Martin’s upgrades start working, whether Alpine and its new title sponsor Gucci are ready to pay enough to attract Fernando, and whether he would prefer money over results. Later rumours suggested Alonso would either stay at Aston Martin for 2027 or end his career, with the decision depending largely on Honda’s new engine.

Former Sky Sports F1 host Rachel Brookes, however, claimed Alonso would join Alpine, triggering a bigger chain reaction: Colapinto to Williams and Sainz to Audi. She also predicted Verstappen would move to Mercedes, Russell to McLaren, and Piastri to Red Bull.

While Valtteri Bottas was rumoured to have signed a two-year Cadillac contract without an annulment option, Sergio Pérez has reportedly signed a one-year deal and started negotiations with Williams over Sainz’s seat. The Mexican is likely to see the underperforming Cadillac only as a starting point for his F1 return. At 37, he remains in good shape, making him a promising option for Williams, although top teams would likely not be interested. Williams were rumoured to be ready to offer Sainz EUR 30 million for 2027 – twice his current salary.

New rumours, however, may have thrown cold water on some of these scenarios. Alpine has reportedly drafted a 1+1 contract for Colapinto, pending approval – suggesting Briatore may be preparing for another outcome. If the deal goes through, Alonso’s move to Alpine would appear less likely. Meanwhile, Sainz is reportedly close to signing a multi-year Williams extension with an annulment option and a “significant” salary increase, while his teammate Alexander Albon has been confirmed to stay for 2027. In that case, Aston Martin, Alpine and Williams could all keep their current line-ups for 2027 after all.

Elsewhere, the remaining vacancies remained largely unchanged, with some drama surrounding Oscar Piastri, whose manager Mark Webber deleted all his photos with Oscar from Instagram, reportedly over Piastri’s reluctance to move to Red Bull if Verstappen makes the switch. Nothing has been officially confirmed, however. Piastri also received congratulatory messages on the anniversary of his famous Alpine tweet and responded jokingly. 

The driver market was stirred by rumours, but the drivers themselves had a somewhat calmer summer.

Yachts, Puppies, Engagement Rings, and Gravel Bikes

Alongside Alonso, who turned 45, another birthday boy was Arvid Lindblad, celebrating his 19th.

Max Verstappen spent time on a yacht off Sardinia with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet, her daughter Penelope and their daughter Lily, occasionally joined by Toto and Susie Wolff. The same happened last year, fuelling Mercedes transfer rumours, although a move now appears unlikely. Verstappen also said he was considering opening his own museum, following Alonso’s example. Max was later spotted in Portugal, as was Arvid.

Toto then joined the Antonellis on their yacht near Sardinia, where Kimi was vacationing with his father Marco. 

Carlos was rumoured to have proposed to his girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson, although the couple did not confirm it. George Russell, though, definitely proposed to Carmen Montero Mundt on a vacation in Saint Barthélemy.

Lewis Hamilton helped his girlfriend Kim Kardashian buy a golden retriever puppy, named Halo, who now lives in Los Angeles with Kim and her children. Hamilton spent much of the break with them and his own family.

Valtteri Bottas was all sporty, finishing fifth in the UCI Gravel World Series’ “Men 35-39” category in Czechia and qualifying for the Gravel World Championships alongside girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell. Seems like the Finn manages better on a bicycle than in Cadillac’s racing car! 

Charles Leclerc launched a new merchandise collection and spent most of the vacation on a yacht with his family and wife Alexandra.

Lando Norris was partying hard in Ibiza, while Kimi Antonelli was also spotted there. To cut it short, everyone was chilling at sea with their loved ones and families – apart from Lando. But then again, he’s the one with the world title. 

As the drivers were away on vacation, the teams were hardly sitting still, though.

Behind the Scenes: The Paddock Keeps Moving

As for the technical crews, Luciano Nicomede is set to become Ferrari’s senior composite materials constructor, having previously worked at Mercedes. Maranello also gained Spaniard Carlos Sanchez Martinez from Aston Martin, who will handle chassis pressure and reliability calculations. 

Former Audi top executive Jonathan Wheatley, who aspired to become team principal at Aston Martin, will instead take Tom McCullough’s position. McCullough, previously Aston Martin’s performance director, will join Red Bull as head of racing engineering, replacing Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer in 2028. 

Cadillac has a new team principal, Marcin Budkowski, formerly executive director at Alpine, head of the FIA’s F1 technical department, and head of aerodynamics at McLaren, most recently working as a pundit on Polish TV. The team also saw changes in its communications department, with Head of Content Shy Rajdev and Head of Communications Lacey Gannon stepping down following former team principal Graeme Lowdon’s departure. Cadillac has also faced turbulence beyond its staff reshuffling, as the FBI investigates its co-owner and TWG Global CEO Mark Walter over alleged financial fraud.

McLaren, unhappy with its Mercedes power-unit partnership, has established its own department to develop PUs and reduce its dependence on Mercedes. 

So, while the drivers mostly enjoyed some well-deserved time off on yachts, the paddock itself never slept. The next few races may provide some answers to the rumours that have kept the silly season alive all summer.