September 30 – October 6, 2026
Because apparently the F1 paddock has enough going on even when nobody is racing.
The Boys’ Trip Nobody Asked For
Before the grid landed in Malaysia, a surprisingly large chunk of it decided that going home between Baku and Sepang was apparently unnecessary.
George Russell, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto shared a flight to Malaysia, while the group expanded into a seven-driver tropical getaway. Russell was also generous enough to give the internet a glimpse of what was going on through Instagram.
Honestly, if you told me seven F1 drivers had spontaneously decided to have a boys’ holiday between races, I would probably expect exactly this level of chaos.
F1 drivers: We need to stay focused on the championship.
Also F1 drivers: 🌴🍹
Kimi Antonelli Chose Violence Against a Waterpark
While some drivers were apparently enjoying a much more relaxed version of Malaysia, Kimi Antonelli decided that the appropriate way to acclimatise was to throw himself down water slides.
The Mercedes driver visited SplashMania in Malaysia with friends, documenting some of the trip on Instagram.
And honestly, after watching him spend an entire race weekend fighting for the win, seeing Kimi casually launch himself down a water slide might be the most normal thing he has done all year.
Adrenaline is adrenaline, I guess.
Lewis Hamilton: Seven-Time World Champion, Part-Time Petrol Attendant
There is something incredibly funny about seeing Lewis Hamilton — seven-time World Champion, Ferrari driver, global celebrity — casually standing at a Malaysian petrol station filling up his own car.
Hamilton was spotted pumping petrol in Kuala Lumpur while fans immediately turned the completely ordinary moment into an F1 sighting.
Imagine going to fill up your car and realising the guy at the next pump has seven World Championships.
Only in F1.
Fred Vasseur Wasn’t Going Anywhere
Ferrari had another difficult weekend, and once again the question around Fred Vasseur’s future started floating around the paddock.
But Ferrari made its position pretty clear: the team backed its team principal.
Then Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc publicly backed Vasseur as well.
So, for now, the rumours can go back into the drawer.
At least until Ferrari has another bad Sunday.
Bottas Said “I’ll Just Cycle There”
And then there is Valtteri Bottas.
After retiring from the Sepang race, most drivers had one simple objective:
Get to Singapore.
Bottas apparently looked at a plane and thought:
No.
Instead, he decided to cycle roughly 350 kilometres from Sepang to Singapore, taking gravel roads and documenting the journey along the way.
Because apparently an F1 race weekend isn’t physically demanding enough.
The trip took several days and included night rides, dirt roads, Malaysian countryside, monkeys and local food. Bottas even travelled alongside his partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.
Honestly, this might be the most Valtteri Bottas thing imaginable.
And Then The Internet Lost Its Mind
Of course, we cannot talk about Sepang without mentioning the incident.
Several cars lost power before the race even properly got underway because of the FIA’s software issue. The result?
Drivers sitting in their cars.
Teams waiting.
The race delayed.
And the internet absolutely cooked Formula 1.
Memes comparing F1 to IT support, jokes about restarting cars and endless comments questioning how the pinnacle of motorsport ended up needing a software update quickly flooded social media
At least the paddock had something to talk about.
THE OFF-TRACK VERDICT
Between tropical holidays, waterparks, petrol stations, Ferrari rumours and one very determined cyclist, the F1 paddock was arguably more entertaining off the track than on it this week.
And honestly?
We wouldn’t have it any other way.
See you next week for another dose of Off Track Files — because apparently racing isn’t enough drama for Formula 1.