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How did Lando and Oscar spend the winter break?

Skiing, a trip to Bali and an Australian cruise: The wholesome activities our drivers did in December

Reading Time: 6.4 minutes

Whether you spent your holidays on the beach in the sunshine somewhere exotic, in a log cabin in the snowy mountains with an open fire, or playing games at home with your family, we hope you had a relaxing time off and have returned rejuvenated and refreshed ready for another big season of F1.

Just like the rest of us, Lando and Oscar need a break between seasons. The winter break is a crucial period of the year for them: they switch off their phones, go a little quiet on social media and spend time with their loved ones before returning to the factory, primed to hit the ground running.

But we know how much you miss them at this time of year, so here’s what they’ve been up to over the last few weeks (although, it feels like so much longer).

Lando

A silver Christmas

Lando was able to add to his silverware collection even after the season had finished, picking up the British Competition of the Year Award at the Autosport Awards and the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in a ceremony in Italy. And ahead of leaving the UK for the winter break, he stopped off in London, where he posed for photos with fans.

Ski ya later

Lando’s first stop after leaving London was the French Alps with friends including Max Fewtrell and Martin Garrix. The group spent their time relaxing on the snowy slopes, dog walking, having snowball fights, and of course, skiing in the mountains.

Ballin’ in Paris

While in France, Lando swapped the asphalt for grass when he took a day trip to Paris to meet up with the Paris Saint-Germain football team at their home stadium, the Parc Des Princes. Kitted out in his own personalised PSG home shirt, Lando was given a run out onto the pitch, juggled the ball, and took some shots on goal. We’re not sure how successful his attempts were, but he did manage three assists… or so he claims.

Winter break with Lando

Home sweet home

His next stop was a trip back to Monaco, where he caught up with local fans for selfies and signatures, did a bit of training, and relaxed at home.

Twitching for the season to start

During his first few F1 seasons, Lando was a regular streamer on Twitch, along with the likes of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, but as his schedule grew busier, both at the circuit and the MTC, he’s not been seen on his channel quite so frequently. However, he was back online over the winter break playing Fortnite with fellow Twitch streamer Morgan (angryginge13).

Life’s a beach

Lando capped off 2023 with a trip to Bali, Indonesia with family and friends, where he caught some rays in the sunshine, swam in the sea, explored the country’s rich culture, and celebrated the New Year.

Oscar

Does anyone know a good carpenter?

We’re hoping that Oscar dedicated part of his break to building a larger trophy cabinet because he’ll need the extra room following a trophy-laden rookie season, and he capped the year off by collecting even more. During the off-season, he won the BRDC Bruce McLaren Trophy - named after our founder - the Autosport Rookie of the Year award, and the FIA Rookie of The Year.

A wise move

Not many people look forward to visiting the dentists, especially if it means they’ve got to miss an awards ceremony where they’re being honoured. Oscar, unfortunately, had to miss the BRDC Awards Ceremony due to having three wisdom teeth removed. It was a wise move, though, as it gave him time to recover before he began his pre-season training programme.

Signing off

Eight months on from scoring his F1 points at the Albert Park Circuit, Oscar was back at his home track in Melbourne for a meet and greet with Australian supporters. Oscar spoke to the crowd and spent time taking photographs with fans and signing merchandise.

A sunny break for Oscar

Cruise control

Oscar switched DRS for cruise control with a staycation in Noosa on the Southern Queensland Coastline. Although, it’s not quite the local staycation some of our British fans might be used to, with Noosa located an incredible 1,936km from his hometown of Brighton, a suburb in Melbourne. During the luxury boat trip, Oscar got out onto the water with his girlfriend, where they were shown around the Noosa waterways.

There’s no place like home

Outside of the above, Oscar spent his off-season in the same way many of us did, by going home and enjoying time with his family, friends, partner, and pets – his dogs, two Havaneses’ called Rosie and Basil. He also made sure to keep up with all of the cricket on TV, watching Australia vs Pakistan and the Twenty20 Big Bash League.

Back on track

After recovering from having his teeth removed, Oscar was spotted on a different type of track. The Australian kept fit by running with compatriot Jo Weston, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning netballer, who plays for the Australian Diamonds and Melbourne Vixens.

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