F1 teams to shut down factories next month

(GMM) Formula one will enter a rare two-week period of total inactivity in August, as part of the teams association's efforts to cut costs.

There is an unusual three-weekend gap between the forthcoming Hungarian grand prix and the subsequent race in Valencia, and FOTA has decided to take advantage of the lull so that all the teams can not only take a genuine break but also save some money.

All the teams, including the non-FOTA outfits Williams and Force India, have agreed to completely shut down their factories between August 3 to 16.

The timescale of the two-week shutdown gives the teams a week on either side of the summer calendar break to both recover from and prepare for the adjacent grands prix.

Force India confirmed on Tuesday: "All production, design and build will cease and, aside from security and maintenance, the factory will be shut."

The 10 teams' unanimous agreement to shut down their factories was confirmed with an exchange of letters last month.