Autoblog

Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire brain behind the commercial side of Formula 1, has for the first time publicly called for Max Mosley's resignation. When the Mosley scandal broke, Ecclestone, who has known Mosley for 40 years, did not take a stand on Mosley's resignation. All Ecclestone would say is, "It doesn't look good, does it?"

On June 3, Mosley faces a vote of confidence among his colleagues at the FIA. Mosley said he would not resign, and as he appeared to weather the worst of it, he then turned to defending his position in a letter to constituent FIA clubs. But the letter didn't merely attempt to defend his position; it essentially claimed that Formula 1 is in a major crisis, and using the logic that you don't switch horses midstream, Max should be the one to finish righting the ship. It also asserted that the commercial rights holders -- Ecclestone and friends -- were basically trying to do away with the FIA.

That letter made Ecclestone question whether Mosley "wants a war with" him. Ecclestone put out a response letter saying that there was no crisis, he had nothing to say against the FIA, and he looked forward to the next Concorde Agreement governing F1. And now he's called for Max's resignation. Max is expected to survive tomorrow's vote, and if he does, there'll probably be at least one more person who isn't happy about it.

[Source: AFP]

In a letter to members of various FIA constituent bodies, president Max Mosley apologized for the embarrassment caused to the organization by the tabloid report of his erstwhile private exploits. In the same letter, however, Mosley pledged to fight the allegations and remain in his position despite mounting calls for his resignation.

Mosley dismissed the claim that his now-infamous sexual activities had any Nazi connections and pointed to a "covert" operation to discredit him undertaken by persons as yet unidentified through a private investigation firm. The big question is in whose interest would it have been to embarrass Mosley in such a public manner, and the list is long as the FIA president remains a highly controversial character. Follow the link to read more of Mosley's letter to the presidents of the national motorsport clubs, members of the FIA Senate, the World Motor Sport Council and the World Council for Mobility and the Automobile.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]