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  Rare press conference highlights

For me the only thing about 24 hours news channels that's worse than hearing the same story over and over again every hour, is when they cut to press conference live. I suppose they think that on the rare occasion that some actual new information is released at a press conference, the only way they can be first with the news is to broadcast the conference live.

The problem with broadcasting press conferences is that they are excruciatingly dull. They are meant for the press to try and extract a vaguely interesting quote from the participants - they are not meant for wider consumption. In the world of Formula 1, press conferences are where drivers repeat the same canned PR-speak over and over as journalists ask the same largely inane questions over and over. As a blogger covering Formula 1, I could be considered a wannabe journalist and I'd certianly like to have press acreditation and be able to travel to Grand Prixs on expenses to interview drivers and team personel. If I did I'd promise not to ask any question that could be satisfied with the canned answers you see in transcripts all the time.

With those complains out of the way, it came as something of a surprise that the Thursday press conference for the Malaysian Grand Prix included a couple of gems. Firstly from David [tt:Coulthard]] who in his post-McLaren days is a regular quote-machine.

Q. (Dan Knutson - National Speedsport News) Talking about the heat, David said you are not looking forward to it. I know it is the same for all, but could you explain a little what it is like out there in the car and when you come into the pits?

DC: It's like having to do some physical exercise in a sauna effectively and unless it was having sex I cannot imagine why anyone would want to do anything in a sauna.

What you get up to in your own time David...

Talk of the heat then turned into a pissing contest over who's car had the biggest water bottle. 

Q. (MC) Have you planned for drinks in the car?

JV: We usually have a big half a litre drinks bottle in the car.

JB: We've got more than theirs. We've got a litre.

RS: We've got less…

DC: 400 mill.

So Jensen is the big winner! Or is he? Surely you're more of a man if you can cope with less water during the race? That would make with Ralf or DC the man.

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