Mosley on warpath, FOTA breakaway back on menu
06/26/09 (GMM) Far from peace in our time, furious Max Mosley on Friday suggested FOTA's plans for a breakaway series may be back on.
On Wednesday in Paris, FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo sat with the FIA president as well as Bernie Ecclestone as they announced an agreement had been reached to move on after weeks and months of bitter feuding.
But Mosley interpreted the subsequent media coverage of the agreement as manipulated by Montezemolo and the eight rebel teams, keen to portray the deal as a successful coup that had resulted in victory as well as his head.
The 69-year-old wrote a letter to Ferrari's Montezemolo demanding a retraction and apology, but on Thursday the Italian instead issued a backhanded compliment by thanking Mosley "for his decision to leave the FIA in October".
Mosley, now openly rethinking his retirement, is reportedly also furious at FOTA vice-chairman John Howett's appeal to the World Motor Sport Council that it elect an "independent" president to succeed the incumbent.
He has now written another letter to the FIA member clubs, in which Mosley alludes to Howett's comments that "concern me greatly" and to Montezemolo who "did not keep his part of the bargain".
"We must continue to defend the independence of the FIA, even if this leads to difficulties in the sport," Mosley wrote.
He said the aftermath of the agreement had become "intolerable" and warns that, despite this week's declaration of peace, formula one now faces another "difficult period".
"This may well result in short-term problems in formula one," added Mosley. "It is possible FOTA will set up an independent series. The championship has had difficult times in the past, and no doubt will again in the future."
He accuses FOTA as being a body with "no sporting ethics" and "under the control" of the car manufacturing industry "we have constantly to monitor".
Even more provocatively, Mosley revealed that one manufacturer team lobbied him to ignore the processes of the Court of Appeal and simply declare 'double diffusers' illegal earlier this year.
He also said that when the FIA championed the road car safety standards system Euro NCAP, "one of the major manufacturers threatened to quit formula one" in protest.
[Editor's Note: Like we said this all makes for great F1 theater and the free PR F1 gets from it is priceless.]
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| "Mad Max" Mosley |
06/26/09 (GMM) With F1's peace deal less than two days old, a resumption of the dispute is now a possibility, furious FIA president Max Mosley wrote in a letter on Thursday.
The 69-year-old Briton is angry at the letter's recipient, Luca di Montezemolo, after the Ferrari and FOTA chief made allegedly "false statements" about their Paris agreement on Wednesday.
Montezemolo had described Mosley, now reconsidering his decision to step down in October, as a "dictator", and briefed the media about Michel Boeri now taking over all responsibility for the FIA's F1 relations.
Mosley also clearly suspects Montezemolo guided the media interpretation of the agreement, with Italian titles including Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport and La Repubblica declaring that Ferrari "won" the Mosley battle.
Corriere della Sera went as far as to praise Montezemolo for finding "peace" and "receiving Mosley's head".
Mosley believes Montezemolo has reneged on their peace deal.
"A fundamental part of this (deal) was that we would both present a positive and truthful account. You've suggested I was a dictator, an accusation grossly insulting," he wrote.
"If you wish the agreement we made to have any chance of survival, you and FOTA must immediately rectify your actions. You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements."
Mosley contradicted the Boeri suggestion, insisting he retains "full authority at least until October", and said FOTA's "deliberate attempt to mislead the media" means he now considers "my options open".
Montezemolo and FOTA did not apologize at their Bologna press conference, the former issuing only a questionable thanks for Mosley's promise to leave his post.
"We are pleased to thank the president of the FIA for his decision to leave the FIA in October, for the work that he has done -– particularly for safety because this was, and still is, a big priority in formula one and the sport," the Italian said.
He also risked further raising Mosley's temper by not referring to a mutual agreement but by thanking the FIA for "approving and accepting FOTA's proposals".
Montezemolo's clarification was then put in the form of an official statement, pointing out that Mosley "said that he had thought about leaving already some time ago and that his staff knew about it".
"Therefore I have to say, in a moment when Mosley is leaving, that I have to thank him, beyond the points of controversy we had, because he has been working very well, especially as far as safety is concerned," the Ferrari president added.
It is believed Montezemolo also replied in writing to Mosley, arguing that the events had been misunderstood by sections of the media.
Niki Lauda, meanwhile, believes Mosley has a point, insisting that the FIA president was not ousted but vowed simply to "no longer stand as a (election) candidate".
"There is a big difference," the former triple world champion said.
06/25/09
Just when it appeared that peace had finally broken out in Formula One, FIA president Max Mosley stormed back into the arena yesterday with a threat to Formula One Teams' Association and the Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo to reconsider his position after what he sees as "deliberate attempts" by FOTA to present a misleading interpretation of events.
Doubtless stung by the assessment of Wednesday's peace initiative as a defeat for him, and by Di Montezemolo calling him a "dictator" to the Italian media, Mosley has written to Di Montezemolo, denouncing his tactics and indicating that he may yet rethink his intention to stand down in October.
"Given your and FOTA's deliberate attempt to mislead the media, I now consider my options open," Mosley said in the leaked letter. "At least until October, I am president of the FIA with the full authority of that office.
"After that it is the FIA member clubs, not you or FOTA, who will decide on the future leadership of the FIA."
He also threatened that Wednesday's peace deal could be negated if Di Montezemolo did not apologize at a press conference in the Italian city of Bologna yesterday, which followed FOTA's latest meeting.
"You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements. You yourself must issue a suitable correction and apology at your press conference this afternoon," demanded Mosley. No such apology was forthcoming.
"Furthermore, you have suggested to the media that I was a 'dictator', an accusation which is grossly insulting to the 26 members of the World Motor Sport Council who have discussed and voted all the rules and procedures of Formula One since the 1980s, not to mention the representatives of the FIA's 122 countries who have democratically endorsed everything I and my World Motor Sport Council colleagues have done during the last 18 years."
It remains to be seen whether this is the final thrashing of a wounded beast, or that Mosley intends to ride roughshod over Wednesday's peace initiative to salve his bruised ego. The Independent