Australian's may be sweltering through a very hot summer, but for Formula One teams and most drivers, Daniel Ricciardo being the exception, they are shivering through some of the coldest and wettest months of their year as they prepare for the rapidly approaching 2017 Formula One Championship season.
Despite the winter chills, you can rest assured that they are braving the conditions to make sure everything is ready in time.
Launch season will be on us before we know it with most teams choosing to reveal their new cars at the opening pre-season test later this month and drivers are busy making sure they are in top condition to combat the added pressures they will be presented with due to changes to this year's cars.
For Force India's new signing, Esteban Ocon, part of his off season duties include getting to know his new team, getting a seat fitting, working out in the Pyrenees where he has been undergoing a gruelling training regime and spending a lot of time at the team's Silverstone based factory.
“Much is said about the relationship between driver and race engineer – one of the most crucial in the paddock, designed to get the driver in his comfort zone and to get the best out of him, both in terms of performance and feedback,” the team explained on their official website. “For a young gun aiming to hit the ground running in a new team, this relationship means being able to express his talent from the first occasion, so for Esteban these days have been increasingly about getting to know Brad Joyce, the man who will be at the other end of the radio during every race weekend.”
