Following a barrage of criticism aimed at the FIA about alleged conflicts of interest over its approval for the sale of Formula 1's commercial rights by CVC Capital Partners to Liberty Media, and the championship's inequitable revenue structures, F1's governing body last week took the extraordinary step of issuing a clarification.
Refuting what it called "certain declarations and comments, clearly inaccurately informed or made maliciously", the FIA stated it had "no knowledge" of "bilateral agreements that exist between each team and the Commercial Rights Holder".
The sale had been approved by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council by "taking into account exclusively the terms of the existing agreements", and in "the best interest of the championship", with the statement adding the FIA "would naturally be happy to demonstrate the absence of any conflict of interest to any competent authority that may so request".