How To Survive The Formula 1 Winter Break

Posted on December 3, 2023 | by Charley Williams Congratulations, you’ve made it to the first Sunday without F1. If you’re like us, we already have severe F1WS (F1 withdrawal symptoms), and just like a bad cold, it’s something we suffer from every single year during the winter break. But don’t worry, there are some ways to cure it. Or, you can cry into a pillow and count the days until Bahrain in 2024. Up to you. READ A BOOK A motorsport-themed book, of course. There are literally thousands of F1 books to choose from, including autobiographies from Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Niki Lauda and even Adrian Newey. Take it from us – we’ve read them, and they are ???? Guenther Steiner’s book ‘Surviving To Drive’ was released earlier this year and offers insight into the 2022 season from the eyes of a team principal. Also highly comical, as you can imagine! WATCH A FILM OR DOCUMENTARY There are SO many motorsport films out there, and nothing is better than cosying up on the sofa with some popcorn and getting stuck into a good film. Here are some of our personal favourites: Brawn  – The Impossible Formula 1 Story: Newly released, it covers one of the most unbelievable and heart-warming stories in F1 history. A team that was bought for £1 amid a financial crisis won both championships. It’s your classic story of zero to hero and something that we will never get in Formula 1 again. Rush: It perfectly captures the famous battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt and is a faithful recreation of the 1976 season. It will make you laugh, cry and go through a whole rollercoaster of emotions. Senna: Do we need to say any more? This documentary covers his life from 1984 to his unfortunate death in 1994. It is a deeply moving film and provides an incredible insight into a legend of the sport. Williams and Mansell – Red 5: A feature-length documentary charting the rise of racing driver Nigel Mansell, the Williams F1 racing team and how they came together to fight for the F1 drivers’ championship in 1992 DISCOVER NEW MOTORSPORT We all love Formula 1, of course. That’s why we’re here! But there are also plenty of other motorsports out there to explore. Especially when some of them help fill the gaps in the F1 winter break. You will still have to wait a few more weeks, but in January, season 10 of the all-electric racing series, Formula E, kicks off in Mexico. There are also some big events, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, which is on the 27th of January, and if you can hang on just a little longer, NASCAR begins at the start of February! WATCH OLD RACES This is probably one of our favourite pastimes. If you have F1TV, it’s time to dive deep into the archives and rewatch and entire season of F1 before heading into 2024. Or make it fun – explore what we suggest are “must see” classic races, write them all down on pieces of paper, pop them in a jar and randomly pull one out to watch every Sunday! If you don’t have F1TV, don’t worry! So many of the old, classic races have race highlights on YouTube, which takes us nicely to our next point… YOUTUBE  We may be slightly biased, but YouTube is a great place to go and fill up on Formula 1 content throughought the winter break. There are so many incredible creators out there, including from our own WTF1 Talent pool, or you can deep dive into F1’s official account. The teams often upload so much content throughout the year, it’s impossible to stay up to date, so now is the perfect time!