The FIA has been given the full support of the World Motor Sport Council over its actions regarding a private settlement with Ferrari.
This week has seen tensions rise between the governing body and the seven Formula 1 teams not associated with Ferrari over the arrangement regarding the legality of their engine from last season.
After those teams had called for “full and proper disclosure” of the settlement, the FIA responded by clarifying it had been done fully in line with permitted regulations and was reached because a technical investigation couldn’t definitively conclude whether Ferrari had breached the rules or not.
Meeting in Geneva on Friday, the WMSC, the body responsible for finalising all regulations and other legal matters, issued a stern rebuke of those teams questioning the ability of the FIA to govern with legitimacy.
“The Council expressed unanimous support for the FIA President and the FIA Technical Department in regard to the overall management of the case,” read a statement.
“And strongly opposed any comments that undermine the reputation and image of the FIA and the Formula One World Championship.”
The matter though is still thought to be a long way from over with Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul outlining what the seven other teams want.
“I don’t think we want this to become a legal matter,” he said speaking to Autocar.
“What we’d like is to get to a place where both the FIA and F1, for the reputation of the championship, appreciate that they need to provide light on this story to put this matter behind us.
“We want to put this matter behind us, but we need a bit of reassurance before we do that.
“Clearly, the statement last Friday came as a surprise, and what’s important for us is to try to understand the governance that led to it,” Abiteboul added.
“Also, while complaining [about] that arrangement between the FIA and Ferrari, not necessarily to change it, we’d like to understand if it is something that would be available for everyone.
“Also, because it refers to some extra measures that are being taken to police what is going on from the teams’ side, we’d like to make sure we comply. Regulations and access to them should be the same for all participants.”