The motorsport off-season is an ever-shrinking phenomenon.
While we’ve all enjoyed our fill of food and drink over the holiday period and enjoyed the other festivities that come with this time of year, those involved in racing will have been conscious that the new season is just around the corner.
And by ‘just around the corner’, I actually mean ‘next week’.
It doesn’t really feel like we’ve had much of a break from racing. The Formula 1 season came to a close in Abu Dhabi at the end of November, with the two weeks that followed then being consumed by the fallout from Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement.
Mercedes was then good enough to confirm that there would be no announcement until the new year, giving the media some respite over the holidays by removing the worry of Valtteri Bottas being named as Rosberg’s replacement while we were tucking into turkey.
But news has still been filing through in the meantime. Ferrari is already planning for 2017 by signing Antonio Giovinazzi as a third driver and confirming a date for its new car launch. Pirelli also got in on the act by confirming its tire picks for Australia and China.
Throw in announcements for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, more drivers signing up for the Race of Champions and even an IndyCar baby arriving, and you can see that December has still been a busy month for racing despite there being nothing of note on-track.
And so with January comes the start of another racing campaign, starting on January 2 with the fearsome Dakar Rally. Taking place in South America over a 12-day period, this battle of endurance will kickstart 2017 in motorsport.
Speaking of endurance, next weekend also marks the start of the American racing season with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The traditional three-day test ahead of the Rolex 24 will allow the field to dial in ahead of the twice-around-the-clock classic at the end of January.
Formula E also breaks from its winter slumber next weekend with the inaugural Vegas eRace, a unique event that will see the 20 regular drivers from the series go up against 10 of the world’s best sim racers for a prize pool totaling $1 million.
Besides the Rolex 24, the end of January will also see the Race of Champions take place in Miami, with drivers from a variety of disciplines going up against each other in a number of challenges for both individual and national honors.
Last year saw Sebastian Vettel take the drivers’ title in London, while Team GB was victorious in the team event. However, with a strong American presence from IndyCar, NASCAR and even rallycross in Miami, expect to see the star-spangled banner somewhere on the podium, if not the top step.
The European racing season may not truly burst into life until April, given the chilly climate, but the first major event takes place on the January 21-22 weekend with Rally Monte-Carlo, the curtain-raiser for the FIA World Rally Championship.
Following Volkswagen’s shock exit from the series, World Champion Sebastien Ogier has jumped ship to Ford’s M-Sport team. With new regulations and a number of rising stars in the series, the Frenchman will have a serious fight on his hands in his bid for a fifth title in 2017.
So as you can see, the off-season isn’t really ‘off’ at all. There’s always something going on - but would we have it any other way?