The governing body’s unexpected release of the new schedule took place without warning and without the teams’ approval of a triple-header for next season, ramping up the increasingly fractious relationship at the heart of the sport. Sources within the sport believe it has only compounded the sense of fatigue and disconnect the teams feel with the FIA which became clear after the Italian Grand Prix. One team member said the FIA’s attitude was “unacceptable”. However after a meeting of the world motor sport council on Tuesday the FIA unilaterally released it. The governing body has insisted it retains a good working relationship with the teams but an already fraught atmosphere has now only intensified as the teams consider the longest, most gruelling season in the sport’s history.

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