Questions, Questions, Questions! How to make F1 press conferences interesting

No, no! Nothing about ‘tyregate’ here. Something totally different. Many of us might have wanted to be a part of the official FIA press conferences as that provides the best opportunity to ask questions to the drivers. Never else during the weekend can the drivers be found to be patient to questions for so long – 30 odd minutes is definitely a long time in Formula 1.

Let’s come to the point – we don’t see many interesting and catchy questions being put to the drivers; most of them are the current race and season-related. So why not make it a bit more fascinating for all present there and those watching on the TV?

Here are a few questions that can be asked (common to all, if not specifically mentioned):-

• To Ferrari drivers:- Would you be under more pressure to perform if the Ingegnere would have been with the team today?
• Which do you feel is better? The current complex steering wheel or like in the past when the steering wheel just turned the car and there was a separate shifting lever?
• How many of you would encourage your son/daughter if they want to make it into Formula 1 as a driver?
• If you had not been a race driver, what career path would you have chosen?
• Do you really think that a driver doesn’t need a coach like in other sports?
• If you had been given an opportunity to work with one legendary F1 car designer e.g. Newey, Chapman, Murray etc., whom would you choose?
• Do you have any superstitions you follow before the start of the race?
• Which era would you have preferred to race in? 50′s, 60′s etc.?
• To Kimi Raikkonen:- We have heard that you once took a nap under a table before the start of the race. How are you able to totally ignore the tension?
• Sometimes the liquid supply inside the cockpit doesn’t work. How do you maintain your concentration in those circumstances?
• To the drivers in slower cars:- When blue flags are waved no doubt your race is compromised. After you are lapped, do you try to push very hard to make up the lost time or run your normal race because even the car in front might have to slow down due to blue flags?
• What do you generally do after the race ends? Go to the hotel, take a bath and after some time go to the airport in case it’s not your home grand prix? Or something different?
• How many times do you visit the team factory in a month? What is your main job there?
• During a race weekend, are you able to visit the city or is the schedule too tight?
• When and where did you first catch the ‘bug’ that is Formula 1?

These questions will definitely make for some intriguing answers and we look forward to questions of these sort being asked so as to make the sessions more lively and relieve the tension which hangs around the room, to some extent.