Lewis Hamilton swaps one daredevil sport for another, competition continues between Esteban Ocon and Zhou Guanyu… and Nico Hulkenberg heads home to cuddle his dog! How Formula One drivers are celebrating the end of the season

• The 2023 F1 season reached its climax with last Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Drivers have 90 days before they’re back in action for start of 2024 season 
• While Hulkenberg and Russell relaxed, there was no rest for Hamilton and Bottas 

After a tumultuous 2023 season, eager Formula One fans are already looking at their calendars and hoping the 90 days until next year’s Bahrain Grand Prix – and the start of the 2024 calendar – pass swiftly. 

The last race of the season in Abu Dhabi on Sunday saw Max Verstappen win a record-extending 15th race in 2023 months after the Dutchman was crowned for the third season in a row. 

But as the dust settled after the 23rd and final grand prix, exhausted drivers and their constructors must have thought that the end of the season couldn’t come soon enough, and after the checkered flag, they waved goodbye to their teams, enjoyed a final group dinner, and scattered for some much needed rest and relaxation. 

Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg was quick to hotfoot it back home rather than jetting off to an exotic locale, with the German driver seemingly delighted to be reunited with his beloved pets. 

‘Back with the real boss after six weeks (wink emoji, hearts emoji),’ Hulkenberg shared with his Instagram followers, tagging his dog Zeus in the tender snap. 

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg was reunited with his beloved dog Zeus after the Abu Dhabi GP

George Russell poked fun at his hydrofoil skills in a video shared with his Instagram followers

The British driver is enjoying a superyacht holiday with his girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt

The former Renault driver owns another dog, Duke, with his wife of two years Egle Ruskyte, and the pair also share a daughter, Noemi Sky, who was born three months after the pair married in June 2021. 

But other drivers opted to take advantage of the break and travel, with Mercedes driver George Russell sharing a video of himself attempting to ride a hydrofoil around a yacht just off the coastline. 

After an intense season which saw the British driver finish eighth in the drivers standings, Russell is holidaying on the lavish superyacht with his girlfriend of nearly four years, Carmen Montero Mundt. 

Mundt, an investment broker, shared snaps of the boat’s decadent setting against the backdrop of a cloudless blue sky as the pair decompressed with friends after Mercedes narrowly claimed second in the contructors’ championship. 

Team-mate and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton had no such time for relaxation, instead opting to continue chasing adrenaline highs – albeit in a different setting. 

The seven-time world champion prolonged his stay in the United Arab Emirates after last weekend’s grand prix and plumped for some thrill-seeking as he spent an afternoon sky diving with friends. 

Lewis Hamilton (top right) tested his nerve with an exhilirating sky diving adventure this week

The seven-time world champion glided through the air alongside trained sky diving coaches

Hamilton posed for pictures inside the light aircraft, before showing off his daredevil streak in a picture that saw him pose in mid-air as he undertook the impressive feat. 

The 38-year-old was joined by sky diving experts including Naila Nazar, who is based in the region, and sky diving and wind tunnel coach Zemi Abreu, a former freestyle gold medallist. 

Esteban Ocon of Alpine and Zhou Guanyu also opted to spend a few days in Abu Dhabi before jetting out, and took time to enjoy a competitive game of padel tennis with friends. 

The Frenchman’s interest in the fast-paced racquet sport has been well-documented, having previously faced off against Oscar Piastri, but padel has a number of devoted fans across the paddock. 

Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Russell, and Lando Norris have all been spotted wielding the carbon fibre bats in their precious downtime, and Verstappen has been known to blow off steam on the padel court, doing so after a dismal Singapore Grand Prix in September. 

‘He took his frustration out on the padel tennis courts with his engineers, beating GP (Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s chief engineer), which didn’t go down well!’ Christian Horner shared of his driver days before the world champion cruised to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. 

Esteban Ocon (centre left) played padel against his on-grid rival Zhou Guanyu before leaving the UAE after raceday

Valtteri Bottas swapped vehicles to try out his limited edition bike in the principality of Monaco

Valtteri Bottas also chose not to let the grass grow under his feet, as he took to Instagram to announce the commencement of a new challenge after his 15th-place finish in the championship. 

‘The (bike emoji) season,’ the Finnish driver captioned a photograph of himself taking a rest break on the side of a picturesque Monaco road, before tagging his limited edition Canyon bike, the Grail CF SL VB77 created in collaboration with the Calfornia bike company. 

The end of the month also saw Bottas launch a charitable initiative – with a twist – as with the creation of a cheeky nude calendar to raise funds for Movember. 

Just days after its launch, the calendar quickly raised £43,000 (€50,000), and the driver is hopeful of reaching the £86,000 (€100,000) target.  

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