Ecclestone advises Mosley to step down

With just three days to go before members of the FIA cast a vote of confidence on their President, Max Mosley, in regard to the Nazi orgy that came to light prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this season, FOM chief and long time friend of Mosley’s, Bernie Ecclestone, has added his voice to many others on the subject and called for Mosley to step down voluntarily from his role as head of the FIA before he is officially made to do so.

"The last thing most people involved in the sport, including the clubs, would want to see is Max in a position where he could be forced to stand down. I don't want to see that. I've been a friend of Max for 40 years. I would hate to see him go in this way after all he has done for the sport," Ecclestone said in the telegraph. “Since the story broke I have been under enormous pressure from the people who invest in Formula One, sponsors and manufacturers, over this issue. They point out that as a chief executive or chief operating officer of a major company they would have gone either immediately, or within 24 hours, in the same circumstances. They cannot understand why Max has not done the same."

Mosley has rejected all calls to step down from his current role and has even attempted to stop the video proof of his five hour love fest with five prostitutes. He is now currently suing the tabloid, News of the World, for publishing details of his private life. However, he believes his work at the FIA is far from finished but Ecclestone feels there is still a way out…

"Max is a strong man. Once he makes a decision he sticks to it. He feels that there is still important work to do at the FIA," he added. “But in my view there is a way to accomplish this and retire at the end of the year at the FIA general assembly in November. I would be happy to sit at his side to help him to achieve that. He should stand down out of responsibility for the institution he represents, including F1. Everyone who I speak to in a position of authority across F1 rings me to say he should leave. It is regretful that he has not made that decision."

Despite saying this, Ecclestone has not abandoned his friend and has admitted that he is being punished for all the wrong reasons. His private life has nothing to do with the job he has done and is still doing as head of the FIA but…

“…the big problem is that he can no longer represent the FIA worldwide because of these incidents. The general feeling is that people would no longer be comfortable speaking to him in the same way. I have spoken to Max about this and advised him to stand down in November and not to go to the vote next Tuesday. Max is being punished for the wrong reasons. He has done a first-class job as president. Like all of us he has made some mistakes but 90 per cent of the decisions he has taken have been to the benefit of all. He deserves to be remembered for all the positive work he has done, not for an expose in a tabloid newspaper. That is why he should announce his decision to resign now and not go through with a vote of confidence. That is not in his best interests, the FIA's or the sport's."