I have to admit that the BBC interview of former FIA President Max Mosley is a bit odd. Then many things MR. Mosley said struck me as odd or egocentric in nature. This interview is no different so why am I surprised? I’m surprised at the narcissistic nature of of this man even as he stands at the rudder of the good ship HMS Retirement.
Mosley was the velvet glove to F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone’s iron fist. He was the politician and lawyer who navigated the series with a stiff backhand couched in the platitudes of legalese. He stepped down, upon threat of mutiny of the united teams organization FOTA, in 2009 and endorsed current president Jean Todt’s candidacy against former rally star Ari Vatanen.
Ecclestone made a comment to BBC 5 Live that he wished Mosely was back in F1 and while Mosley categorically denies that he is planning a return, he does still think himself as a central figure in its running.
“I pushed very strongly for Jean and I think he’ll get the job done, and I want him to succeed because I’m responsible in part for him being there,” said Mosley.
“He must be given a chance to run it in his own way, which obviously will be different to my way and might be better.”
I am responsible and Todt’s way “might†be better? Uh, okay. There is more. I know it won’t be easy to hear but you must persevere and listen. Ecclestone said of a Mosley return:
“I suppose we could go back and Max could be president of the FIA and Jean could be president of Fisa (Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile), running the sporting side,” said Ecclestone.
“I don’t think the teams would mind. If you asked anyone now if Max coming back as president of the FIA, if they would complain, I think they’d say ‘no’.”
I can’t imagine that as Mosley was the reason folks like Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo and FOTA threatened a breakaway series. Alright, let’s be fair…it was one of the reasons the threatened a breakaway. I doubt very much the teams would be jolly fine at the site of Mosley back in the saddle as Todt has been working just fine with them and even if Todt were the head of FISA, Mosley would still have some involvement in the organization. Ferrari, I assume, would have major issues with this.
Perhaps it is Ecclestone ruminating on his birthday but it does make me wonder just what the working relationship is like with Todt and how different it may be with Mosley at the helm.
