The Australian GP Press Conference Schedule

The returning Kimi Räikkönen and local heroes Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo will be fielding questions from the media at Albert Park on Thursday

All times are local (Melbourne is GMT +11)

Thursday, March 15 - 15h00:
Jenson Button (McLaren)
Charles Pic (Marussia)
Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus F1 Team)
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Friday, March 16 - 18:30:
Eric Boullier (Lotus)
Ross Brawn (Mercedes)
Paul Hembery (Pirelli)
Adam Parr (Williams)
Luis Perez Sala (HRT)

Saturday, March 17 post qualifying:
Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, March 18 - post race:
First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen: NASCAR schedule prevented full-time switch

Kimi Räikkönen has revealed that despite being offered a multi-million dollar deal last year to make a full-time switch to NASCAR racing, he turned it down due to the intensity of a full NASCAR schedule and his reluctance to move to the US to pursue it.

Räikkönen drove two races in NASCAR’s national series last year, where his first race was in NASCAR’s third-tier Camping World Truck Series in a car prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports. After one Truck race, Raikkonen stepped up a level to compete in a Nationwide Series race with a car prepared by Joe Nemechek. He finished 15th in the Trucks race and 27th at the Nationwide race. It is understood that Räikkönen was keen to try out the top level Sprint Cup Series but decided to return to Europe before he could take part in a Sprint Cup race.

A full Nationwide Series schedule this year consists of 33 races while a full Sprint Cup Series schedule this year consists of 39 races. The Finn was not prepared to move to the US to make a full-time switch to NASCAR, saying in an interview with Autosport: “I had a really good time there. But the biggest thing is that if you want to do it all the time, you have to move to the US. If there were less races, and you could stay in Europe, then I would probably have done it.”

“It’s a completely different way of doing things. The teams are very professional and I enjoyed it. It was something that probably in the future would be nice to do again,” said Raikkonen, leaving the door open for more NASCAR races in the future. The 2007 Formula 1 world champion has also said that he would like to do more rallies in the future, although it remains to be seen whether Lotus will allow him to.

Räikkönen also had many positive things to say regarding his stint of racing around ovals.

“The racing was nice. You don’t really think about the fact that you are just doing ovals because you have so many cars to race against. It looks very simple to drive around and be fast, but it’s the same as in F1; it’s the small details that make a difference. It’s so close time-wise that with one tenth [slower] you are 20 places back, so it’s still hard to be at the front.”

Source: F1Zone

Italian Grand Prix Press Conference Schedule 2011

No surprises that Italian duo Tonio Liuzzi and Jarno Trulli as well as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will face the press at Monza on Thursday

All times are local (Italy is GMT +2)

Thursday, September 08 - 15h00:
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
Tonio Liuzzi (HRT)
Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Jarno Trulli (Lotus)
Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Friday, September 09 - 16h00:
Giorgio Ascanelli (Toro Rosso)
Eric Boullier (Renault)
Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari)
Tim Goss (McLaren)
Peter Sauber (Sauber)

Saturday, September 10 - post qualifying: Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, September 11 - post race: First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

European GP Press Conference schedule

Spaniards Fernando Alonso and Jaime Alguersuari will give a local flavour to Thursday's FIA press conference in Valencia

All times are local (Spain is GMT+2)

Thursday, June 23- 15h00:
Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso)
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT)
Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Friday, June 24 - 16h00:
Ross Brawn (Mercedes)
Mike Gascoyne (Team Lotus)
James Key (Sauber)
Geoff Willis (HRT)
Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)

Saturday, June 25 - post qualifying:
Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, June 26 - post race:
First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Turkish GP Press Conference schedule

Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will be among six drivers to field questions at Thursday's FIA press conference in Istanbul

Istanbul is GMT +3

Thursday, May 5 - 15h00:
Timo Glock (Virgin)
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus)
Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Vitaly Petrov (Renault)
Adrian Sutil (Force India)

Friday, May 6 - 16h00:
Robert Fernley (Force India)
Mike Gascoyne (Lotus)
Norbert Haug (Mercedes)
Christian Horner (Red Bull)
Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)
Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren)

Saturday, May 7 - post qualifying:
Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, May 8 - post race:
First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Chinese GP Press Conference schedule

Championship pacesetter Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher will be among five drivers fielding questions at Thursday's press conference in Shanghai

Thursday, April 14 - 15h00:

Rubens Barrichello (Williams)
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT)
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

Friday, April 15 - 16h00:

Aldo Costa (Ferrari)
James Key (Sauber)
Paddy Lowe (McLaren)
Naoki Takunaga (Renault)
Geoff Willis (HRT)

Saturday, April 16 - post qualifying:
Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, April 17 - post race:
First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Malaysian GP Press Conference schedule

Felipe Massa and Jenson Button will get an early chance to discuss their opposing views on the DRS when they face the press on Thursday

Thursday, April 7 - 15h00:

Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso)
Jenson Button (McLaren)
Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
Jarno Trulli (Lotus)

Friday, April 8 - 16h00:

Eric Boullier (Renault)
Ross Brawn (Mercedes)
Paul Hembery (Pirelli)
Christian Horner (Red Bull)
Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber)
Colin Kolles (HRT)

Saturday, April 9 - post qualifying:

Three fastest drivers from qualifying.

Sunday, April 10 - post race:

First three finishing drivers.

Source: Planet-F1

Former F1 Champion Räikkönen to Drive Limited Schedule for KBM

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 2, 2011) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that they have signed former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen to drive a limited schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during the 2011 season. Raikkonen is scheduled to make his NASCAR debut as a teammate to owner Kyle Busch in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20.

Räikkönen comes to NASCAR with a resume that includes the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Over his nine year career in Formula 1, the Finnish driver registered 18 wins and 62 podium finishes. The 31-year old is currently competing for a World Rally Car Championship for his own team, ICE 1 Racing.

“We are honored that Kimi Räikkönen, a former Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion and proven winner, has chosen to start his career in NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,” said Busch. “Adding one of the most talented drivers in the world is a continuation of building a team of proven winners and champions at KBM. I look forward to assisting in Kimi’s transition to NASCAR as both an owner and teammate.”

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to start my venture into NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,” said Räikkönen. “Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing. He has put together an experienced team that builds fast race trucks. I look forward to being a part of a team that has proven to be a winner on and off the race track.”

“We are extremely excited to have Kimi Räikkönen begin his transition to NASCAR behind the wheel of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Toyota Tundra’s,” said KBM General Manager Rick Ren. “As NASCAR looks to expand their fan base and generate further interest in certain demographics, having a former Formula 1 Champion with worldwide appeal is a huge deal not just for KBM but for the sport as a whole.”

Details of sponsorship and a schedule of races that Räikkönen will compete in will be released at a later date.

Source: Kylebuschmotorsport
Courtesy: Miezicat

The 2011 Pre-Season Schedule

Although many are counting down to the season-opening Bahrain GP in March, there's plenty going on in the world of F1 before we hit the desert

The 2011 launches kick off on January 28th as Ferrari take the covers off their new challenger in Italy.

The Scuderia will be closely followed by their rivals, the majority of whom will be unveiling their cars on the first day of pre-season testing.

That test starts on February 1st at Valencia in Spain and is the first of four pre-season tests.

Here are the dates for your calendar.

Launch Dates
28 Jan - Ferrari (Maranello, Italy)
31 Jan - Renault (Valencia, Spain)
31 Jan - Sauber (Valencia, Spain)
01 Feb - Mercedes GP (Valencia, Spain)
01 Feb - Red Bull (Valencia, Spain)
01 Feb - Williams (Valencia, Spain)
01 Feb - Toro Rosso (Valencia, Spain)
01 Feb - Team Lotus (Valencia, Spain)
04 Feb - McLaren (Berlin, Germany)
10 Feb - Force India (Jerez, Spain)

Testing Dates
01 Feb - Valencia, Spain
02 Feb - Valencia, Spain
03 Feb - Valencia, Spain
10 Feb - Jerez, Spain
11 Feb - Jerez, Spain
12 Feb - Jerez, Spain
13 Feb - Jerez, Spain
18 Feb - Barcelona, Spain
19 Feb - Barcelona, Spain
20 Feb - Barcelona, Spain
21 Feb - Barcelona, Spain
03 Mar - Bahrain International, Bahrain
04 Mar - Bahrain International, Bahrain
05 Mar - Bahrain International, Bahrain
06 Mar - Bahrain International, Bahrain

Source: Planet-F1

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Abu Dhabi

Following his stunning qualifying performance in Brazil, Williams' Nico Hulkenberg joins the four remaining title contenders to answer questions on thursday in Abu Dhabi. The next day, Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali faces the media alongside colleagues from Red Bull, McLaren and Williams. The line-up in full...

Thursday, November 11, 1500 hours local time (1100 GMT):
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Nico Hulkenberg (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Friday, November 12, 1900 hours local time (1500 GMT):
Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Adam Parr (Williams) and Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren).

The qualifying and post-race with the top three will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

F1 winter testing dates confirmed

The timetable for Formula One's winter testing program has been announced.

The testing season will get underway with the two-day Young Driver's Test in Abu Dhabi on November 16, which will be followed a few days later by the Pirelli Tyre Test.

On-track preparations for next season will begin on February 1 in Valencia before heading to Jerez, Barcelona and finally Bahrain. The final test will end one week before the 2011 season kicks off at the Bahrain International Circuit

Winter testing schedule:
Young Driver Test: November 16-17, 2010 Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
Pirelli Tyre Test: November 19-20, 2010 Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
February 1-3, 2011 Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain
February 10-13, 2011 Jerez, Spain
February 18-21, 2011 Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
March 3-6, 2011 Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain

Source: Planet F1

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Brazil

The grid's four Brazilian drives will answer question on Thursday, while drives and senior team personnel from Virgin, Mercedes and Lotus will face the media on Friday.
The line-up in full...

Thursday, November 4, 1100 hours local time (1300 GMT):
Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Lucas di Grassi (Virgin), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Bruno Senna(HRT)

Friday, November 5, 1600 hours local time (1800 GMT)
John Booth (Virgin), Ross Brawn (Mercedes), Mike Gascoyne (Lotus), Timo Glock (Virgin), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Jarno Trulli (Lotus).

The qualifying and pos-race conferences with the top three drives will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Korea

The five title rivals will answer questions on Thursday, while Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull’s Christian Horner are amongst the team principals facing the media on Friday. The line-up in full…

Thursday, October 21, 1500 hours local time (0600 GMT):
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Friday, October 22, 1600 hours local time (0700 GMT):
Eric Boullier (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Japan

Local heroes Kamui Kobayashi and Sakon Yamamoto are just two of the drivers facing the media on Thursday, while Toro Rosso’s Franz Tost and Bridgestone’s Hiroshi Yasukawa will answer questions on Friday. The line-up in full…

Thursday, October 7, 1500 hours local time (0600 GMT):
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Kamui Kobayashi (BMW Sauber), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes), Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Sakon Yamamoto (HRT).

Friday, October 8, 1600 hours local time (0700 GMT):
Norbert Haug (Mercedes), Robert Fernley (Force India), Adam Parr (Williams), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso) and Hiroshi Yasukawa (Bridgestone).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Singapore

Formula One returnee Nick Heidfeld joins four other drivers to answer questions in Singapore on Thursday, while Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali and HRT’s Colin Kolles are among those facing the media on Friday. The line-up in full…

Thursday, September 23, 1800 hours local time (1000 GMT):
Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus), Vitaly Petrov (Renault), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Friday, September 24, 2315 hours local time (1515 GMT):
Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Tony Fernandes (Lotus), Colin Kolles (HRT) and Peter Sauber (BMW Sauber).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Italy

Local heroes Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jarno Trulli are just two of the drivers facing the media on Thursday, while Adrian Newey and Sam Michael are among the technical brains taking questions on Friday. The line-up in full…

Thursday, September 09, 1500 hours local time (1300 GMT):
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Jenson Button (McLaren), Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) and Jarno Trulli (Lotus).

Friday, September 10, 1600 hours local time (1400 GMT):
Aldo Costa (Ferrari), James Key (BMW Sauber), Paddy Lowe (McLaren), Sam Michael (Williams) and Adrian Newey (Red Bull).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

FIA press conference schedule - Belgium

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher are among those in the hot seat on Thursday, while four senior team personnel will take to the stage on Friday. The line-up in full…

Thursday, August 26, 1500 hours local time (1300 GMT):
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Pedro de la Rosa (BMW Sauber), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).

Friday, August 27, 1600 hours local time (1400 GMT):
John Booth (Virgin), Ross Brawn (Mercedes), Tony Fernandes (Lotus) and Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

Le Mans will hardly fit into Kimi's schedule

Turun Sanomat 23.8 2010

Last winter Kimi Räikkönen revealed to Turun Sanomat that he would be interested in driving Le Mans 24 hours -race some day.

The rally driver from Espoo is calming down his fans from getting too excited over these plans.

– If I would go to Le Mans I would probably have to drive the whole serie with those cars - or more than just that one race. Very few car manufacturers would go along with me only driving Le Mans and it would at least require at lot of testing. It's difficult to fit it in this schedule.

– And if they want me, I'll only go if I get into the best cars at Peugeot or Audi. It would make no sense to drive some GT2 there, Räikkönen dictates.

Turun Sanomat, Trier

HEIKKI KULTA

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy:Nicole

FIA Press Conference Schedule - Hungary

A year on from his near-fatal accident at the Hungaroring, Felipe Massa is among the drivers facing the media in Thursday’s conference, while on Friday his Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali will be just one of those fielding the questions…

Thursday, July 29, 1500 hours local time (1300 GMT):
Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus), Robert Kubica (Renault), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Sakon Yamamoto (HRT).

Friday, July 30, 1600 hours local time (1400 GMT):
Eric Boullier (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Colin Kolles (HRT).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Source: Formula1.com

Hungarian GP timetable

All times are local (Hungary is GMT +2)

Thursday 29 July
15:00: FIA press conference

Friday 30 July
10:00 - 11:30: First free practice
14:00 - 15:30: Second free practice
16:00: FIA press conference

Saturday 31 July
11:00 - 12:00: Third free practice
14:00 - 15:00: Qualifying
15h00: FIA post qualifying press conference

Sunday 1 August
14:00 - 16:00: Hungarian GP
16:00: FIA post race press conference

Hungarian GP Info
No of Laps: 70
Race Distance: 306.630km
Lap Record: 1:19.071 - M Schumacher (2004)
2009 Winner: L Hamilton (McLaren)

Source: Planet F1