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Lando and Oscar were put through their paces on their first days back at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as they ramped up their pre-season preparations.

Speaking for the first time since being back in the cars, both drivers said it felt good to blow off the cobwebs in the 2023 McLaren MCL60 for a Pirelli Tyre Test. Getting back up to speed on the tarmac marks a significant step towards official pre-season testing.

Six seasons into his F1 career, Lando knows what his mind and body need to switch off after a demanding campaign and says he’s put this into practice over the winter break, having enjoyed what he believes has been his most productive off-season to date.

“After the winter break, I feel good,” Lando said. “It’s been a good winter, probably one of the busiest I've had in terms of training and preparation. I feel like it's been utilised well, and more efficiently than last year, so I'm happy about that. If anything, I’m just more excited to get back going again.

“I’m back in the car and it feels good. Obviously, this isn’t our race car for the year, so this isn’t as exciting as when I will jump into this year’s car, but it’s always nice to get back in the car and get that feeling of being behind the wheel again. But this has got nothing on getting back into the race car for the year and going to the first race.”

Lando enjoyed a busy off-season, which included skiing trips in France and Finland and a warmer-weather holiday in Dubai. He also spent plenty of time at home and undertook a carefully planned training programme.

Oscar, meanwhile, was swapping the sandy sun-kissed beaches of the Australian coastline for a wet and windy Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having spent his break back home with family and friends.

While at home, Oscar spent time at the beach, watched Australia take on India in the men’s Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and saw men’s tennis world number one Jannik Sinner beat Ben Shelton in the semi-final of the Australian Open.

“It’s good to have a week or two where you can be at home and do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it,” Oscar said. “Coming from Australia, that is one of the harder things about racing, in that I don’t get home very often.

“For me, being at home is a big part of the off-season, so it was nice to go back to Australia for a decent amount of time and get an Aussie summer in. It was good to see my friends and family and just enjoy being home for a bit. I am feeling refreshed.

“I got some good training in, but it has been nice to get back into the car. The first week was very cold and wet, but it was nice to get back out there. It all felt pretty familiar, which is always nice. And when it is quite wet, that’s when you need your reactions the most - so it was good to get back into a tricky set of conditions and put myself to the test. The first lap or two felt pretty quick, but after that, it all felt normal. I think we learnt a lot, and I felt like I got back into the swing of things easily.”

After a long and intense season in which both drivers experienced an F1 Championship challenge for the first time, it was more important than ever for them to switch off and relax. Speaking on their return to the track, both said they were already reaping the rewards of a full reset.

“It is very important to have a bit of a break,” Oscar says. “The seasons are very, very long now, so it is important for everyone in the team – not just us as drivers – to have a break and to spend time with families and friends. Obviously, we love driving race cars, but too much of anything can become damaging at a certain point.”

Lando agreed, adding: “I love not thinking of Formula 1, sometimes. Going home and seeing my friends, being alone, and doing other things with my life, rather than just driving. It is needed and I am sure everyone would say the same thing.”

Lando enjoyed his strongest season to date in 2024, winning four races and battling Max Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship, finishing second. As he bids to fight for the Championship again in 2025, the 25-year-old says he’s refined his training programme and made sure to maximise the period away from racing.

 

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“I’ve done many different things, in many different countries, just making sure, in every aspect, that I can be more prepared than last year,” Lando said.

Oscar is entering his third Formula 1 season and will be looking to build on two hugely impressive campaigns. Having won twice in 2024 to finish fourth, he’ll be aiming to improve again and join the title fight this season.

Linking up with a new Performance Coach this off-season, Oscar believes he’s adjusted well to a different regime, while using the experience and knowledge he’s gained from the past two seasons to influence and improve upon his training programme.

“I've been in F1 for a couple of years now, so I'm starting to understand better what parts of my body I need to train more and what things I need to work on,” he continues.

“I’ve got a new trainer this year, so we’ve been spending some time getting to know each other and our different ways of working and training. It’s been quite fun getting used to some different things. Otherwise, it’s just improving on my general level of fitness, keeping my muscular level of fitness going and trying to prepare my neck.”

Having driven their first laps of the season, Lando and Oscar will now head back to the factory in Woking, ahead of the F1 75 all-team season launch on 18 February and official pre-season testing on 26-28 February.

Oscar said: “We’re now getting into it all – we’ve got all of the usual pre-season marketing and comms work, the graphics you see on TV, the content for fans and partners, and of course, the launch we’re doing at The O2, which will be interesting. It will be good to see everyone at the factory, to get properly back to work and to get into the seat of the 2025 car and see what that is like.”

Lando added: “Next up, more training – getting back to the factory for a lot of simulator time, and just getting back to work.”