F1 News

Verstappen is first to join renewed press conferences

17 March 2022 at 10:30
Last update 17 March 2022 at 12:06
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  • GPblog.com

The format for the press conference in Bahrain has been announced. The FIA seems to be moving away from interview sessions with two drivers, in order to get through all the press moments within a shorter time. Max Verstappen takes his seat at the first session.

In 2022, drivers' press times will no longer be on Thursday but on Friday. Formula 1 has shifted this in an attempt to slightly shorten the race weekends. This way drivers and teams do not have to be ready for the media sessions on Thursday. This also affects the content of the press conferences.

Verstappen can start

In recent years F1 had abandoned the model with multiple drivers in one press conference. In the past, F1 selected six drivers and they were asked questions by the journalists for half an hour. However, some drivers were better off staying at home, as they didn't get a single question.

Although the proportions with two drivers in 2021 were also sometimes lost, in recent years you did get to hear much more from the drivers. Now the FIA has to abandon that model again, because it simply takes up too much time. Because the practice sessions are also scheduled on Friday, the FIA has to shorten the press moments somewhat.

Horner and Wolff separated

The FIA has created four groups of five drivers, each of which will be available to the media for half an hour in Bahrain. At 9:30 AM Dutch time, the first session will start with Verstappen. The Dutchman is in the same group as Guanyu Zhou, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Lando Norris.

The press conference for the teams' management members, which was normally held between the first and second free practice on Friday, has been moved to Saturday. For the third free practice, there are two groups of three, where Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, among others, can have their say with the press.