Formula 1 is in the midst of a rare pit stop during its 2024 calendar with an unprecedented ‘autumn break’ putting motorsport on hold.

Lando Norris dominated the Singapore Grand Prix to cut Max Verstappen’s lead in the championship but the British driver is now unable to press home his advantage.

Hamilton and Norris are on holiday following the Singapore Grand PrixGetty

The Bristol-born racer is 52 points behind the Dutchman, with McLaren already taking the lead in the Constructor’s standings.

However, both Red Bull and their three-time world champion Verstappen have ample time to reset before the next race in Austin.

There is an unusual 28-day gap from the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit to the start of the United States Grand Prix weekend – which is three more than F1’s summer break in August.

The second visit to the USA this season is also unusually the only F1 stop in October, despite three Grands Prix being held then last year.

Why is there an autumn break in F1?

While not officially coined an ‘autumn break’ in the same way the summer hiatus is, F1’s calendar has necessitated another respite.

The 2024 season features a record 24 races, but organisers made a conscious effort to group events based on their geographical locations.

The aim of F1 chiefs was to help reduce logical burdens on teams as well as make the season more sustainable.

Part of those calendar tweaks saw the Japanese Grand Prix switch from September 2023 to April 2024 to preface the Chinese round.

Azerbaijan, two weeks ago, was pushed back five months to put it between the final European leg in Italy and before Singapore.

The key change behind the ‘autumn break’ was caused by the move to install Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi to end the season.

Anthony Joshua has been among the celebrities that were in attendance for the traditional home of the US GP in TexasGetty

Having been held in round 18 at the start of October last year, the Qatar Grand Prix is instead the penultimate race of 2024.

F1 chiefs allowed the finale to be scheduled for December rather than pushing every other race forward to maintain November’s end.

That is because the calendar already finishes on a triple-header in the Americas, before a double-header in the Middle East.

Back-to-back race weekends are an incredible logistical strain on F1 teams, having to get everything operational in just three days.

Larger teams such as Mercedes or Red Bull take around 100 personnel and 50 tonnes of cargo to each race – which include everything from car components to the smallest screwdriver in the garage.

This mini-break will help the grid with that transport planning so that the United States, Mexico, and Brazil triple-header runs smoothly.

It also allows the drivers a mini rest to be at optum levels for five Grands Prix on different continents within a seven week period.