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In one corner, one monosyllabic Finn who won the 2007 World Championship and has been re-signed with Ferrari for another season.

In another corner, the up-and-coming Finn who is 10 years his junior, who scored his first ever World Championship points at Austin two years ago, and who was previously – incorrectly – linked to Ferrari earlier this summer.

OK, so it’s unlikely Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas will actually have a war of words during Thursday’s driver press conference at Austin ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

But if there is any aftermath of the pair’s collision in the Russian Grand Prix, when Raikkonen speared Bottas in a battle for third on the final lap, this could be the place where it happens.

Raikkonen and Bottas have each blamed the other for the contact, which ultimately cost Raikkonen fifth place and secured the Constructor’s Championship for Mercedes.

The others in the driver press conference are Lewis Hamilton, defending Austin race winner who stands on the brink of his third World Championship, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who came third last year, American Alexander Rossi of Manor in his home Grand Prix, and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson, who makes his Austin debut.

Full times and participants for both the driver press conference and Friday’s team manager press conference are linked below, via Jennie Gow of BBC 5 Live.

Already looking forward to Kimi v Valtteri… It's the presser schedule for #F1 Thursday and Friday! pic.twitter.com/opDu9h9Hq0 — Jennie Gow (@JennieGow) October 20, 2015

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