Some drivers prefer to spend their winter break relaxing and spending time with their family, but not Lewis Hamilton.
The 38-year-old has spent the off-season living life to the fullest by travelling around the globe and taking part in as many fun activities as possible.
Earlier this month the seven-time world champion celebrated his birthday in Antarctica, showing fans on social media that he was even training in the freezing cold temperatures ahead of the 2023 season.
Now Hamilton has posted to Instagram to show off his new surfboarding skills, looking almost like a natural amongst the crashing waves.
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The Brit is either naturally very talented or has surfed before, as the video he posted shows him catching the wave and managing to stand up on the board, before riding it as it reaches its crest.
The Mercedes official Instagram account commented on the collection of videos and photos, saying that there is “big album cover energy from the last one,” which is a photo of Hamilton underwater with his hair everywhere.
While Hamilton is clearly enjoying his time away from Formula 1, there is certainly some pressing issues for him to address when he returns to Mercedes’ factory in Brackley.
Firstly, there will be negotiations over a new contract with the team, something which has been promised since the end of last season but both parties have admitted that there simply has not been time to speak about.
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Then he will have to tackle the tough issues of the FIA’s new ban against political gestures, something which has been suggested as an effort to silence the Brit to protect some of the sport’s host countries.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained that when Hamilton returns from his off-season adventures, a new contract will be quickly sorted out, as it always has been when the pair have entered negotiations.
The Austrian has also suggested that his driver will wait until he is in the country to address the new FIA rule, having been one of the most outspoke drivers on the grid about important issues in the past.