The FIA have come under fire for delaying plans to double the number of sprint races from 2023.
The 10 teams unanimously backed the proposal to hold six sprints next year put forward by the commercial rights holders F1.
However an FIA statement following a Formula One Commission meeting on Tuesday said they were “still evaluating the impact of the proposal on its trackside operations and personnel.”
Sky Sports’ Craig Slater has said that the teams are “shocked that the FIA has taken this position.”
It has led to a split at the highest level of Formula One with some calling into question the direction in which FIA President, Mohammed bin Sulayem sees Formula One heading over the next few years.
The FIA has defended itself saying that the organisational requirements for a Sprint weekend are signifcantly higher and it is much more difficult than a simple swap for a Free Practice Session.
The associated checks, parc ferme requests and monitoring required also means it is similar to adding another race to the weekend.
It is only prepared to proceed with the increase in sprint races if it is adequately resourced.
The sprint format has helped boost TV audience with the chaotic racing proving a hit with casual fans rather than the qualifying format on a Saturday.
The doubling of the number of sprint events in 2023 is seen as an opportunity to launch a ‘bigger revenue stream’ in the future.
This is seen as an opportunity
To pass into the 2023 regulations, the new sprint race format needed 25 out of 30 votes.
The F1 teams and Formula One Management (FOM) only make up 20 votes with the other 10 held by the FIA.