0
Max Verstappen will not attend the FIA's Thursday press conferences at Silverstone despite finishing second in Austria last weekend and dominating the F1 news cycle with McLaren transfer rumours. Six other drivers have been selected for the British Grand Prix media day, with Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and newly promoted drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad taking the official FIA slots. Verstappen will still speak to media on Thursday, but through separate team channels rather than the sport's central press event.
The decision to omit Verstappen comes as the Dutchman remains central to multiple storylines heading into Silverstone. Red Bull introduced a substantial upgrade package in Austria, where Verstappen qualified strongly before crashing heavily at the end of qualifying. He recovered from fifth on the grid to finish second, pushing race winner George Russell throughout the final stint. Off-track, speculation linking Verstappen to a shock McLaren move has intensified, making his absence from the FIA's official media sessions a curious editorial choice.
The FIA will instead spotlight the home contingent for this weekend's sprint format round. Norris, the reigning world champion, headlines the first session alongside Audi driver Bortoleto and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. Hamilton follows in the second slot, joined by Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas and Racing Bulls driver Lindblad. Hamilton chases his tenth British Grand Prix victory this weekend, which would extend his record at a circuit where one straight bears his name. For Lindblad, promoted from the junior ranks this season, Silverstone marks his first home race in F1.
Home bias shapes FIA selection
Russell, who won in Austria and carries momentum into his home event, has also been left out of Thursday's official line-up. The FIA's selection prioritises British drivers further down the order and recent arrivals over the sport's most newsworthy figures. Sprint weekends compress the schedule, meaning Thursday represents the primary opportunity for structured media access before on-track action begins Friday morning.
Team principals will face the media between first practice and sprint qualifying on Friday. Ferrari's Frédéric Vasseur, Alpine's Steve Nielsen, and McLaren CEO Zak Brown are scheduled to appear. Brown can expect repeated questioning about the Verstappen links, which surfaced in multiple outlets over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend and have not been denied by either McLaren or Red Bull.
Sprint format adds media commitments
Silverstone's sprint weekend structure will generate three additional post-session press conferences across Saturday and Sunday. The top three finishers from both the sprint race and main qualifying will attend on Saturday, while Sunday's podium finishers complete the cycle after the Grand Prix. Those sessions are mandatory for the drivers involved, unlike Thursday's pre-event conferences where the FIA holds selection discretion.
Verstappen's exclusion may reflect the governing body's preference to rotate driver availability across the season rather than default to the championship leader. However, with Red Bull's form under scrutiny following Austria's upgrade introduction and the McLaren speculation refusing to fade, the sport's most compelling current narrative will unfold outside the FIA's controlled environment. Brown's Friday appearance may provide the weekend's first formal response to the transfer talk, though team principals have routinely declined to engage with driver market hypotheticals mid-season.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
983 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply