Press conference Abu Dhabi | Final conference for Vettel and Ricciardo
- GPblog.com
The line-up for the press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been announced by the FIA. The press conference kicks off at 15:00 local time on Thursday with the drivers. For the team bosses, the press conference starts at 11:00am UK time on Friday.
Among the drivers, eyes will mainly be on Sebastian Vettel, Nicholas Latifi and Daniel Ricciardo. For all of them, this will most likely be the last press conference of their Formula 1 careers, although Ricciardo is hoping for a comeback in 2024. Mick Schumacher is also in the press conference, which may also be his last. Haas has still not made an official statement about Schumacher's future in the team, although the team has promised to do so before the Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen is in the second round of the press conference. Questions will no doubt follow about his choice to ignore team orders in Brazil. At the same time that Verstappen is in the press conference, his teammate Sergio Perez is in front of the TV cameras. The two drivers' answers will give an important indication of the team dynamics. Both Verstappen and Perez and Red Bull's team management have said that Verstappen will help Perez whenever possible during the Grand Prix.
Attention among team bosses will focus on Binotto
Among team bosses, the most interesting moment is likely to be in the second round. Indeed, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto is scheduled to appear then. Earlier this week, Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport reported that Binotto would be sacked and succeeded by Fred Vasseur, something Ferrari still denies. There is still a lot at stake for Ferrari in the last race: Charles Leclerc is level with Perez in second place in the drivers' standings and, in the constructors' standings, Mercedes is fast pushing Ferrari back to third. So good chance Binotto will face some tough questions. Vasseur is not scheduled for this weekend's press conference.