Testing, launches, and training – Why January could be the busiest month for F1 drivers

At the end of a long season, F1 drivers are quick to escape from the hectic world of racing to recharge in December. Some of them jet off to dream destinations, while others catch up on family time they’ve missed out on throughout the year. Relaxation is a non-negotiable, because despite January featuring little to no track time, it may be the busiest month of them all for the grid.

Preparation for Melbourne’s season opener in early March starts far earlier than you might think, with events, camps, and media commitments, along with this year’s Barcelona Shakedown culminating in a hectic schedule for the paddock. Let’s break down the drivers’ January agenda...

Training camps

Whilst drivers train consistently throughout the year, January is the perfect time for a training camp. The programmes are structured and intensive to sharpen their fitness and get them race-ready after the off-season, with drivers often opting to head somewhere remote for focused preparation ahead of the new season.

Colder climates are a common choice for drivers, with camps consisting of cross-country skiing sessions – a brutal but highly effective way to build endurance while also mixing it up from their usual in-season training routines. Others seek out the heat, or facilities with heat chambers, helping their body adapt and prepare for some of the season’s hotter races. However, some prefer to keep things closer to home, setting up camp around family and friends to help balance out the toughest days of training.

Whatever they choose, it’s fair to say they’re a lot more prepared for the season after being pushed to their limits!

Brand commitments

F1 teams and drivers are backed by a wide network of sponsors – with some drivers even running their own brands. Their food, fashion and lifestyle businesses are a fun passion project for the grid, but with this privilege comes a lot of responsibility too. January often sees these brand commitments ramp up, filling up the free time that comes without racing.

Whether it’s creative work like photoshoots, filming adverts or brainstorming new collaborations with the team, or more corporate commitments such as panel talks and boardroom meetings, this is a lesser-seen, time-consuming part of a driver’s year, particularly in January.

Media/filming days

A new season brings new cars and liveries, fresh kit and merchandise – and sometimes even new team mates! January is the ideal moment for teams to get drivers in front of the cameras, creating content for social media that helps build excitement before the season gets underway.

Behind the scenes, those media days double as a chance for a bit of unofficial team bonding too. After spending weeks apart following the season finale in Abu Dhabi, driver pairings are often reunited for the first time – and judging by the off-camera clips, they certainly seem to enjoy their time in front of the camera (well, some more than others...!)

Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a new role for Ferrari – photographer! The Briton hijacked a Scuderia shoot to get some shots of team mate Charles Leclerc himself, even helping get some videos of the Monegasque man on track around Fiorano. George Russell is already up to speed with the social media trends, as the teams get back into content creation, while Racing Bulls have already started to test the patience of Liam Lawson!

Awards

Swapping race suits for tailored suits, January brings awards season to the forefront for F1’s stars. With no races on the calendar, drivers have more time to attend ceremonies, something that’s harder to fit in during the frantic months of racing and travelling.

And it’s not just about picking up trophies – they do enough of that during the season! Drivers might well be up for an award themselves, but they often appear as a guest of honour, stepping into the role of promotion or presenting awards to others. From FIA prize-givings and national sports awards, to team celebrations and sponsor galas, these events are a wonderful opportunity for the grid to celebrate the past year.

Shakedown

There may be no racing in January, but drivers are getting a taste of life back on track and earlier than usual this year. With major regulation changes in 2026, a shakedown in Barcelona during January gives teams the chance to run their new cars in private for the first time, ahead of official pre-season testing in Bahrain in February.

Over five days packed with plenty of laps, new cars, and unfamiliar procedures, any time not spent on track will be reserved for diving headfirst into a mountain of data. Learning how best to operate their brand-new machines ahead of the first race in March is vital, so the grid have plenty of hours in the simulator to look forward to. It’s a busy welcome back to F1, but one that sets the foundations perfectly for Bahrain.

Kit and livery launches

One of the most anticipated moments of the off-season – for fans and drivers alike – is finally seeing the design of the car and kit for the coming season. With this season’s Barcelona Shakedown added to the already busy January schedules, many teams have already unveiled liveries, race suits, team kits and fan merchandise in January, while a handful are still holding off until February. We’ve even seen some special Shakedown-only liveries!

Some teams release their liveries, race suits and team kits all in one go, whereas others prefer to hold separate events – and while some reveals take place online, other teams really do go all out.

This year Alpine unveiled their A526 livery on a cruise ship in Barcelona, while Ferrari stuck to tradition by sending the SF-26 out around Fiorano for its first public outing. These events are more time-intensive, often involving panel sessions with audiences – but they’re exciting days too, not least because the drivers themselves often see the final look for the very first time!

Holidays and down time

And of course, in between events, testing and sponsor commitments, drivers still carve out time to enjoy a little down time ahead of another long season. Whilst January isn’t quite as relaxed as the few weeks immediately following Abu Dhabi, managing fatigue after the gruelling 2025 campaign is still important.

Whether it’s spending quality time with family, indulging personal interests, or squeezing in a short getaway, the grid really does make the most of these quieter moments – especially knowing they’re unlikely to come around again until the summer break!

We saw the likes of Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll head up to the mountains for some snow sports, Hamilton, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz all flew abroad with friends and family for vacations, while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen hopped online to stream some games and catch up with fans.