From 2022 F1 race weekends have been shortened for the teams and drivers with the FIA press conference no longer taking place on Thursdays. However, this will be reversed and the old format will be used again from this coming race.
FIA to come up with shorter F1 weekend in 2022
It was supposed to be a solution to the high pressure on teams and drivers during successive race weekends. By moving the press obligations from Thursday to Friday, a full day could be gained in the F1 teams' schedules. In practice, this did not seem to be the case. The drivers were just as busy on Thursdays with all sorts of obligations and the Fridays were already jam-packed with free practice and media obligations.
FIA experiment reversed already
For the media, the change was not beneficial either. All comments, predictions and observations made by the drivers during Friday's press briefing were often invalidated immediately two hours later after the first practice session. The Spanish branch of Motorsport.com reports that the FIA has therefore decided to move the press time back to Thursday with effect from the forthcoming race at Silverstone in England.
Furthermore, nothing will change in the press schedule. On Thursdays, there will be two conferences with five drivers each taking place in front of the microphones. The other ten drivers then speak to television or have individual appointments. Motorsport reports that the change in format still needs to be approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, but this seems to be just a formality.