28/04/2022
NEWS STORY
As the FIA stalls plans to increase the number of Sprint events in 2023, the sport's governing body is accused of greed.
Speaking at the weekend, having branded Saturday's Sprint a "great success", F1 MD, Ross Brawn announced that Tuesday's meeting of the F1 Commission would see the approval of six Sprints for the 2023 season.
Of course, six was the aim for this season, with Brawn having said that "a third" of the Grands Prix would feature Sprints, but that was until the bigger teams put the damper on things in a row over the amount of compensation that would be paid in the event of incidents... the bigger teams seeking a raising of the budget cap.
However, while Tuesday's meeting saw the teams agree on six Sprints for next season, it was the FIA that threw a spanner in the works.
"While supporting the principle of an increased number of Sprint events, the FIA is still evaluating the impact of this proposal on its trackside operations and personnel, and will provide its feedback to the Commission," said the governing body in a statement.
According to Sky Sports, sources claim that "unjustifiable financial requests" are at the root of the FIA's prevarication.
"The word 'greed' was actually used to me," Sky Sports Craig Slater told Sky Sports News. "And a couple of teams said that, in their view, the FIA do not incur significant extra costs by replacing a practice session with a sprint event.
"They're shocked that the FIA has taken this position," he added. "What we've had at this meeting is a very significant split at the very highest level of Formula One.
"Among the subjects discussed was increasing the number of sprints to six next year - the sport's commercial rights holder, was in favour of that, there was unanimity among the 10 teams in favour of that as well, but it has not happened because the FIA cannot support it at this point.
"F1 and the teams have seen how the sprint increased TV audiences and view it attractive to younger fans. They hope it could gain independent sponsorship and become an even bigger revenue stream.
"A number of senior figures at the meeting also told me they were bemused at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's general attitude. They felt he was more interested in talking about issues like drivers wearing jewellery than some of the major concerns confronting F1. There is growing concern he is not aligned with F1's direction of travel."