Mosley Makes Return To F1 Circle

Scandal-hit FIA president Max Mosley has made his first public appearance in F1 but refused to answer any media questions during practice rounds for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Monaco race, a social highlight of the F1 season, is the first GP that the Monaco-based Mosley has attended this year but the governing FIA has already said he will not perform official functions.

The 68-year old is under immense pressure to resign after newspaper allegations in March that he engaged in a ‘Nazi-style orgy’ with prostitutes. Whilst Mosley has apologised for the embarrassment caused from the reports, he denies the Nazi connotations and is suing the News of the World for breach of privacy in what he regards as a media sting.

Mosley faces a vote of confidence from the FIA Council on 3rd June regarding his future as president.

Last week he sent a letter to the presidents of the FIA’s member clubs claiming F1’s future could be jeopardised if he is ousted.
 
The FIA is renegotiating the commercial rights to F1 and Mosley says any instability in the presidency would give Formula One Management, which is owned by Bernie Ecclestone, the chance ‘to take over Formula One completely’.

It drew a stinging response from Ecclestone, who said: ‘He is just lashing out at anything he can. If he wants me to be the enemy he should be very careful because if he makes me an enemy I could make sure he never whips anybody again.

‘What he says in the letter is wrong. What Max is saying to the clubs is they are idiots, that not one of them could do the job.’