What happens at an F1 Factory over winter?

The 2024 campaign may be over, but that doesn’t mean the work has stopped at Grove.

Preparations for 2025 are already under way, with just a couple of months to go until pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Team Principal James Vowles confirmed as much on our festive edition of Team Torque.

“It’s worth reminding everyone that our ‘25 season started on Tuesday,” he said, when speaking prior to Christmas.

“That’s when it kicked off. We’re already testing next year’s tyres.”

Plenty of work will already have gone into the 2025 cars throughout last season, of course, but the winter break offers an opportunity to fully focus on next year’s vehicles.

This period will typically be when the final parts of the cars are put together and when any reliability issues are tested and ironed out.

The 'fire-up' is a key moment here, as the new engine’s first sounds mark the culmination of months of effort from the team.

The focus then shifts to building up quantities of the structural components like the chassis and transmission carriers, as well as adding the aerodynamic elements.

A series of tests are then scheduled, to ensure the various regulations and requirements for racing in Formula 1 are met — and to ensure maximum safety for the drivers.

Talking of which, Alex and Carlos are likely to have some involvement in the process, too, though their primary focus will be on rest and relaxation, as well as maintaining their fitness during the off-season.

And there’s also the marketing and design to think about, before the team’s new livery is publicly revealed in 2025.

An awful lot is going on behind the scenes, then, before the cars make their first on-track appearances in February next year.