RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe summer break is often viewed as a chance for Formula 1 teams and drivers to reset, but history shows it can also be a turning point in a championship battle.
While some drivers return from the shutdown with renewed momentum and find another level of performance, others struggle to maintain their early-season form. From title contenders and regular podium finishers to championship challenges falling apart and car performance dropping, the post-summer stretch has produced some dramatic swings in recent F1 history.
GPblog looks back at some drivers who improved after the summer break and others who saw their form disappear.
Drivers who improved after the summer break
Max Verstappen – 2025
Verstappen's title hopes looked dead and buried going into the summer break of 2025, as after a ninth place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he sat 97 points off the championship lead. However, the Dutchman found another level after the summer break, finishing on the podium in each of the 10 remaining races.
He won six of the final races and ultimately only lost out on the title by two points to Lando Norris. His consistency, qualifying pace and ability to maximise difficult weekends helped somehow revive his championship hopes, and he came close to achieving the greatest comeback in Formula 1 history.
Charles Leclerc – 2024
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz celebrating their one-two finish at the Uited States Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz celebrating their one-two finish at the Uited States Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures
The Monegasque was by no means a championship challenger in 2024, but if his post summer break form had been reflected before the break, then he likely would have been in contention to win his first drivers' championship.
After the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc was 100 points behind championship leader Verstappen, having taken just six podium finishes from the first 14 races of the campaign.
From the summer break until the end of the season, no driver scored more points than Leclerc, who took wins in Italy and the USA, and finished on the podium seven times in the final 10 races.
Lewis Hamilton – 2014
Photo: Race Pictures
Photo: Race Pictures
Hamilton used the second half of the 2014 season to seize control of the championship battle with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
After trailing Rosberg earlier in the campaign, Hamilton returned from the summer break in dominant form, winning six of the final seven races and turning the title fight in his favour. His run after the shutdown proved decisive as he secured his second world championship and his first for Mercedes.
Drivers who dropped back after the summer break
Oscar Piastri – 2025
Piastri appeared to be in a strong position heading into the second half of 2025, but his form dropped after the summer break as teammate Lando Norris and Verstappen began to apply pressure.
The Australian did win the Dutch Grand Prix after the break, but then failed to win any of the remaining nine races, only stepping on the podium three times.
Piastri's form and confidence fell apart as he struggled to maintain the consistency that had put him firmly in the championship fight, and he ultimately dropped to third place in the standings. He has struggled to recover that form in 2026, and retired at the Hungarian Grand Prix after being significantly outpaced by his teammate Lando Norris.
Fernando Alonso – 2023
Photo: Race Pictures
Photo: Race Pictures
After years of misfortune and underwhelming cars, few drivers enjoyed a better start to 2023 than Fernando Alonso , who delivered a remarkable opening half of the season with Aston Martin. The Spaniard stepped on the podium six times in the opening eight races, and likely would have won the Monaco Grand Prix if he had held off Verstappen for pole position.
However, after the summer break, both Alonso and the team slipped backwards as rivals improved. Aston Martin's early-season advantage disappeared, with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren all making progress and leaving Alonso fighting for fewer opportunities at the front.
After scoring 149 points before the summer break - only bettered by the dominant Red Bulls - he only scored 57 points in the final 10 races, which would have only been ninth in the championship for that timeframe.
Sebastian Vettel – 2017 and 2018
Vettel provides two examples of how quickly a championship challenge can change after the summer break.
In 2017, Vettel went into the summer break 14 points ahead of Hamilton. However, his title hopes faded as Ferrari struggled to match Mercedes' late-season pace. Hamilton won five of the next six races, while Vettel suffered two DNFs in that time, effectively ending his title hopes.
A year later, Vettel won four races in the opening half of the season. Despite a dramatic retirement from the lead in Germany, Vettel was still in contention going into the summer break - 24 points behind Hamilton after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, again, Vettel and Ferrari could not compete with the relentless pace set by Hamilton and Mercedes, with the German finishing the season 88 points behind the Brit.
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