“Traditions”, said Valtteri Bottas as he sipped on a celebratory beer. Out of that came one of F1’s biggest memes. Talking about traditions, everybody has their own (or not) and so does Charles Leclerc. In the winter break of 2023, the Ferrari driver went mountain climbing in the Italian Alps as training prep for the 2023 season. A year later, he is now in the Austrian mountains with a different snow sport.
All F1 drivers have different ways of gearing up for the season. While Alex Albon has gone the conventional route with regular gym training, others take unique ways like Leclerc. And he’s found the most fun way to turn a winter break sport for many F1 drivers, i.e. skiing, into a part of his training for Ferrari’s 2024 season.
The 5 Days and 10 Sessions Adventure
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The Monegasque, along with the Ferrari Development driver, Antonio Fuoco, are being trained by a famous athlete trainer, Thomas Cretot. The group is at the luxurious Kitzbuhel Ski Resort in Austria, taking on the freezing cold, with only 1 goal in mind – performance excellence. It has been 5 days and 10 sessions, as per Cretot’s Instagram story, since they started this training excursion.
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Surprisingly, it’s not only Leclerc who prefers the snow during the winter break. There’s a whole bandwagon of F1 drivers out on the snow in different parts of the world.
F1’s Skiing Bandwagon – Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and more
Skiing seems to have become a staple for F1 drivers during winter break. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have taken to snowy slopes to unwind in a sporty fashion. While the Ferrari talisman is there training, the Red Bull driver is in Switzerland with girlfriend, Kelly Piquet and her daughter, Penelope. And the latest drivers to join them are the Aston Martin boys.
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Fernando Alonso posted a picture of him in the Dolomites (the same Italian Alps where Leclerc went mountain climbing) with the caption – “starting the year on a positive vibe”. His teammate, Lance Stroll, took to snowy slopes as well. In his Instagram post, he can be seen skiing down a mountain as the snow submerges him from time to time.
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Watch This Story: Is Lance Stroll Holding Back Aston Martin F1?
The snow obsession is real. It makes us want to take a vacation and return when the F1 season does.