With testing complete and the clock ticking down to lights out in Australia, February has been a busy month for Formula 1 drivers. While team duties and pre-season preparations have ramped up, the drivers have still found time to squeeze in downtime and have a little fun out of the cockpit!
From birthday and Valentines’ celebrations to pre-season prep and epic helmet reveals, February kept the drivers busy. There were golf days and padel matches, sporting crossovers and – of course – squeezing in a little extra time behind the wheel wherever possible…
Carlos Alcaraz heads into the paddock
The crossover between F1 and tennis has become stronger than ever – the drivers and players can’t seem to get enough of each other’s arenas. This time round, it was the newest member of the Career Grand Slam club, Carlos Alcaraz, who ventured into the paddock.
Whilst in the region for a tournament, the Spaniard dropped by the Bahrain International Circuit during testing and caught up with fellow countrymen Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.
Sporting ventures
It seems the drivers can’t get enough of each other, even in the off-season. Alongside his HAB (husband and boyfriend) duties on the golf course with his fiancée Lily Muni He, Alex Albon also teed up with Williams team mate Sainz and Norris for an almost certainly competitive round – we wonder who came out on top…
Meanwhile, over on the padel courts, the Cadillac boys were back in sync as Valtteri Bottas and reserve driver Zhou Guanyu squeezed in some team mate bonding. Safe to say the “dream team” reunion for 2026 is already back and in full swing!
Love is in the air
Even with pre-season testing in full swing in Bahrain, the drivers didn’t let Valentine’s Day pass them by. Between long days in the garage and countless laps on track, there was still time for date nights and to make sure their better halves felt the love!
Final days to relax
February may be intense for drivers, with livery reveals, testing and training ramping up, but there’s still a little time left to slow things down before heading to Australia to kick off the 2026 season.
Arvid Lindblad squeezed in a trip to London, while Charles Leclerc made the most of some time on the water for a short reset. Gasly spent some time with the charity Make-A-Wish France, showing some of the kids his Alpine car in Enstone – a priceless moment! Lawson picked up his guitar for a jam session – another driver with a taste for music. A paddock concert pending?!
With only a handful of days left until lights out for the season, training seems to have properly stepped up a gear – be it cardio, strength and conditioning, or neck strengthening! Ahead of his rookie season, Lindblad has left no stone unturned when it comes to preparation.
Sainz has been clocking up the miles on two wheels alongside his father, while Lance Stroll has been deep into strength work in the gym. Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, has been putting in some serious reps to handle the brutal g-forces that await.
Bonus wheel action (Sainz, Max, Audi)
When it comes to time behind the wheel, the drivers will take it wherever they can get – even outside of the season! Sainz has been heading back to his roots with some karting laps, and the Audi duo Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg have been showing off their superior drifting skills in GT cars, along with some karting of their own!
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s journey into endurance racing has continued to be in the spotlight. The four-time World Champion hasn’t slowed down at all, as he has been documenting his journey competing across multiple racing disciplines, so not even the off-season is enough to keep him away from the cockpit.
Testing, testing, testing
For the teams, February has meant one thing: testing. With only a limited window for each constructor to fine-tune their 2026 challengers, every lap at the Bahrain International Circuit has been crucial. By the end of it, drivers shared their excitement for what’s to come…
While Williams weren’t ready for the January shakedown in Barcelona, they wasted no time getting up to speed with running at Silverstone Circuit. Albon summed it up best — just happy to be back on track and building towards the new season.
Helmet reveals
And with a new season, there are the new helmets! Many of the drivers have taken to social media to show off their new lids. Bottas’ helmet was expertly designed by his partner Tiffany Crownwell, Albon showed off his white lid, while Oscar Piastri got creative in his helmet’s reveal.
The Haas boys Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon went bold and bright for their 2026 designs, whilst veterans of the grid Alonso and Hulkenberg are keeping their helmets fresh! Meanwhile, World Champion Norris made a subtle addition to his usual helmet – a small star to commemorate his 2025 accomplishment!
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