
How did Lando and Oscar spend the winter break?
Catching a tan in Australia and Dubai, skiing with Martin Garrix, and enjoying other sports: How our drivers relaxed during Formula 1's off-season
Everyone at McLaren Racing loves Formula 1 and the fast-paced competition, but with a gruelling calendar of 24 Grands Prix, the off-season is an increasingly important chunk of time in which to switch off, reset, and refresh.
But our aces haven’t been sitting around doing nothing – far from it – so what have Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri been up to since swiping out of the Yas Marina paddock?
Lando
Picking up trophies
The FIA’s annual Prize-Giving Ceremony took place in Rwanda a few days after Lando’s victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which sealed the team’s first Constructors’ title in 26 years.
It was a celebratory evening, with CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella collecting the Constructors’ trophy, and Lando up on stage, too.
Lando was up on stage at the BK Arena in Kigali to collect his trophy for finishing in second place in the Drivers’ Championship, capping off a year in which he won four Grands Prix, in Miami, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, and finished on the podium 13 times overall.
It was then back to the McLaren Technology Centre to continue the celebrations with the entire factory.
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Snowy sensations
As now seems a tradition, Lando headed to the snowy slopes of Val d’Isère, in the French Alps, for some skiing and festive fun in the mountains, with friends including Max Fewtrell and Martin Garrix joining the party.
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Warmer weather
From the icy ridges of the Alps to the blue skies of Dubai, Lando and friends headed across in pursuit of warmer weather.
There was time by the pool, visits to the padel courts and the golf courses – with Lando always keen to improve his swing – and an excursion to the desert to thrash around in some dune buggies, as well as some light training.
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Downtime in Monaco
Lando headed back home to Monaco, where he obliged fans with selfies and autographs, as well as enjoying some downtime in familiar surroundings.
Back to the slopes
It was back to the Alps – though this time for work, not play – with Lando travelling to the World Economic Forum at the Swiss resort of Davos.
Lando sat down with Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the team’s Primary Partner Mastercard, to reflect on last season and his ambitions for the upcoming campaign.
Live with Lando
“Now that we won the Championship, as a team, we want to do it again,” Lando said.
“The team wants even more, and have worked even harder to find new things for this year.”

Sending it sideways
There was still some time to enjoy a winter wonderland elsewhere in Europe, as Lando headed to the beautiful frozen northern Finland, where he took part in some cross-country skiing and karting – on ice!
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Oscar
Celebrating with the team
Oscar also joined Lando, Zak, and Andrea, at the FIA ceremony in Rwanda, to celebrate winning the Constructors’ title in a year in which he claimed his first two victories, in Hungary, and in Azerbaijan, and a further six podiums finishes.
After that, it was back to the MTC to join in the festivities with the team.
Cricket for the ages
Oscar jetted home to his native Melbourne for the festive period with friends and family before heading to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground to take in the traditional men’s Boxing Day Test, where Australia took on India.
Oscar meets the Australian men's cricket team
Cricket aficionado Oscar watched on from pitch side, chatted to some of Australia’s players, and even had a go at driving the remote-control buggy that roves around the pitch.

Holidaying at home
While at McLaren we refer to the off-season as the winter break, with frosty starts and limited sunlight beaming through the MTC’s glass, for Oscar in Australia, it was, in actual fact, a summer break.
Oscar and his girlfriend headed away from Melbourne to soak up some of Australia’s stunning scenery, endless nature, and golden sun-kissed beaches.
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Preparing for 2025
After a much needed getaway, it was back to Melbourne for training sessions, including at the Victorian Institute of Sport, with Oscar put through his paces. It was nonetheless a familiar setting for Oscar, as the building is located just inside of Turn 5 within Albert Park, where the 2025 Formula 1 season will begin in March.
An ace time
As always, Oscar was keen to take in as much sport as possible, and that included a visit to Melbourne Park, for the annual Australian Open tennis tournament.
Oscar watched on courtside at the Rod Laver Arena to take in the semi-final victory of Jannik Sinner, the men’s world number one, who visited us when he paid a trip to the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Oscar also caught up with former women’s number one, and three-time Grand Slam champion, Ash Barty.
#P1astri
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
👋👋👋👋👋, @OscarPiastri!#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/sx8yGPq7bn
Lando and Oscar will be back at base shortly as they ramp up their pre-season preparations, ahead of the F1 75 season launch at The O2 on 18 February and pre-season testing in Bahrain 26-28 February.
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