Jean Todt held a media briefing at Istanbul Park on Sunday so low-key most journalists were not aware it had taken place.
In a rare meeting for the Frenchman with the press at a grand prix, his minders reportedly posted a notice in the media centre that was not seen by most journalists after qualifying.
Snippets of the press conference have however emerged, including those posted by BBC pitlane correspondent Ted Kravitz saying Todt called the total in-season testing ban "stupid".
Todt reportedly wants to allow teams to do a few tests next season, and if they do not agree he said the rule will definitely be introduced in 2013.
The Telegraph’s Tom Cary, who was one of many reporters to miss the briefing, described Todt’s media aproach as "poor".
The Times’ Kevin Eason said the meeting had been "so low key, key media missed it, including top agency staff".