World of F1 now closed for business

Formula one is officially on holiday.

A gentleman’s agreement between the 12 competing teams means every factory has closed its doors and sent home its staff for a full 14 day period.

"What can you do during this period? Nothing, absolutely nothing," Autosprint’s Alberto Antonini wrote.

McLaren was the first to shut down, closing its doors at Woking on midnight after the Hungarian grand prix.

Red Bull went home on Friday, and will re-open next Friday.

Ferrari, Mercedes, Force India, Lotus, Williams, Sauber, Caterham, HRT and Marussia have all chosen to close between August 6 - Monday - until the 20th, while Toro Rosso’s shutdown began on Sunday.

"Formula one is making a pitstop," Peter Sauber wrote in his Blick column, "and I think it’s been a good system since 2009."

Williams’ Bruno Senna, currently back in his native Brazil, said the F1 shutdown is his first "real vacation" in "several years".

"The engineers can’t even take their laptops home," he is quoted by Globo.

"I will not see a sponsor, I will not see the team, I will not see a journalist — I’m staying home and will sleep in my bed and enjoy the sun," said Senna.