What is the reason for the long break between races?

[Jericoke]

I know there have always been breaks in the F1 calendar.  The backbone of the sport is logistics, getting all the people and equipment from race to race to race across 5 continents.  They've really solved that though, having multiple versions of the 'big stuff' that gets shipped by ship, and planes to carry the cars themselves and team personnel.  F1 can easily have back to back races on the opposite sides of the globe.

There's a summer break, so team personnel with families can enjoy time during school breaks.  I don't like it (what about those of us who want to go to an F1 race during a school break?!), but I get it.  We're asking a lot of F1 teams, and if they need the break, that's fine. 

Then we come back for two races and... off for a longer break?

Is it just the way the schedule is?  There's no tracks available right now?  Is there holidays to consider?  Traditional weather patterns to avoid? With the longest ever schedule, it feels weird having a long late season break.  The early season break makes sense, give teams a chance to catch their breath and fix everything they got wrong with their cars.  Is this break so that the top teams have a chance to 'reload' and finish the championship with the proverbial guns blazing?

[rmassart]

I also find this second long break quite strange, but I wonder if it's just that they couldn't find a race to put in the gap. Maybe a location pulled out at the last minute?

Would have made more sense to pull the last part of the calendar forward a week or two and have a longer winter break...

[cosworth151]

Doesn't the summer break have something to due with E.U. labor regulations?

The only reasons I can think of for this break:

Here in the States, Monday is either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, depending on who you talk to. It's one of those Monday holidays that most people don't know is happening until they try to go to a bank or post office.

The Fairfield County Fair here in Lancaster is this week. How could COTA even hope to compete with a Combine Demo Derby? (I went to the truck & tractor pull last night    )

Next weekend is Ohio AMVETS Fall Conference. That means all of the on-track action at one of the few races on regular TV and not at the crack of dawn will be while I'm in some boring meeting.