Formula 1 have opted to change up the format for driver press conferences on Thursday with teammates no longer appearing with one another.
Starting last year, drivers sat in front of the cameras based on the team's standings from the previous year starting from 10th and moving down to the champions. This format continued at the first race of the season in Bahrain, but things will be different starting with this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
While all the drivers will still appear during the Thursday press conferences, they will no longer sit beside their teammates. This is being done by F1 in order to prevent similar answers from the two drivers when asked a question.
As a result Lewis Hamilton will be sitting next to Sebastian Vettel on Thursday, while Max Verstappen has been paired with Mick Schumacher. Despite the change, both AlphaTauri drivers have been paired with one another.
Team bosses will appear in two groups of three on Friday, with Franz Tost (AlphaTauri), Mattia Binotto (Ferrari) and Guenther Steiner (Haas) making up the first group followed by Frederic Vasseur (Alfa Romeo), Otmar Szafnauer (Aston Martin) and Mario Isola (Pirelli) following.
Check out the full schedule for drivers below.
Driver press conferences for Emilia Romagna GP
| Group | Driver 1 | Driver 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Perez (Red Bull) | Sainz (Ferrari) |
| 2. | Russell (Williams) | Stroll (Aston Martin) |
| 3. | Mazepin (Haas) | Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) |
| 4. | Ocon (Alpine) | Bottas (Mercedes) |
| 5. | Leclerc (Ferrari) | Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) |
| 6. | Schumacher (Haas) | Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| 7. | Alonso (Alpine) | Norris (McLaren) |
| 8. | Latifi (Williams) | Ricciardo (McLaren) |
| 9. | Hamilton (Mercedes) | Vettel (Aston Martin) |
| 10. | Gasly (AlphaTauri) | Tsunoda (AlphaTauri |
The famous RN365 calendar download is back! Add the 2025 F1 calendar to your schedule with one click and don't miss a second of the new F1 season.
Download the F1 calendarMost read
In this article
F1 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix RN365 News dossier
Join the conversation!