FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[McLaren Fan]

From: autosport.com:

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, May 21st 2008, 08:26 GMT

Max Mosley and Bernie EcclestoneFormula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he will defend his corner in the battle for the future of the sport if FIA president Max Mosley wants a fight over it.

Reacting to a letter Mosley wrote to national automobile clubs last week, ahead of the FIA Extraordinary General Assembly meeting on June 3 to decide his future, the Briton warned that the governing body risked losing control of F1 to commercial rights holders Ecclestone and CVC partners if he was forced from office.

Ecclestone has said he was taken aback by those suggestions and has revealed that CVC is to follow up Mosley's letter with their own explanation of the situation.

"I sincerely hope that it isn't a declaration of war because, if that's what the message should be, then we'll have to defend ourselves," Ecclestone told The Times.

"That is what anyone would do. I don't believe that's what Max wanted the letter to say. I don't want to have a war with Max. I hope he doesn't want one with me.

"This whole business is really about what was printed in the News of the World and whether this in any way damaged the FIA clubs or the FIA - that's all.

"It's nothing to do with anything else and I don't quite know why he's come out and said these things. I am sorry if the press have reported things which he doesn't like, but we certainly don't have any influence over the FIA."

Ecclestone revealed that CVC had held a meeting to discuss Mosley's stance and agreed to write a letter to the automobile clubs themselves to set the record straight.

"We have decided we are going to contact all the clubs who Max wrote to, with a reply to the matters raised in his letter," Ecclestone said.

"I think the General Assembly of the FIA was called for one reason only - to decide whether or not they think Max is the right person to be their president. The vote will be on that, not about the Concorde Agreement."

Mosley is to attend this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, which will be his first time in the paddock since the News of the World made allegations about his private life.

[Jensonb]

I thought the Monaco royal family said he wasn't welcome..?

[McLaren Fan]

I thought the Monaco royal family said he wasn't welcome..?

He's attending the Grand Prix, but teams and sponsors are basically playing dodge ball, with Mosley being the ball. Nobody wants to associate with him. One of many reasons why he should no longer by the FIA President.

[Jensonb]

I thought the Monaco royal family said he wasn't welcome..?

He's attending the Grand Prix, but teams and sponsors are basically playing dodge ball, with Mosley being the ball. Nobody wants to associate with him. One of many reasons why he should no longer by the FIA President.

Ah, cheers for clearing that up.

Yeah, I agree. if the people involved in the sport which is the FIA's most prominent link to the outside world want nothing to do with him, he's no good as President.

[deMuRe]

Time for Mosely to realise who really butters his bread...

First time I've ever heard Bernie speak out like that against Max, now I know for sure his days are numbered...

[McLaren Fan]

Time for Mosely to realise who really butters his bread...

First time I've ever heard Bernie speak out like that against Max, now I know for sure his days are numbered...

True. In Formula One, Ecclestone's auctoritas is so powerful, it only needs to be subtly articulated for people to get the message.

[Rivelution]

I think Mosley shot himself in the foot by speaking out against Bernie.

[bud]

F1 doesnt need the FIA anyway! infact it would probably be a god send to rid the corrupt old stench from F1.
Though i can see Ferrari being loyal to the FIA, as they were with the GPMA break away series was afoot. smart why be rid of your cash cow

[Denthúl]

F1 doesnt need the FIA anyway! infact it would probably be a god send to rid the corrupt old stench from F1.
Though i can see Ferrari being loyal to the FIA, as they were with the GPMA break away series was afoot. smart why be rid of your cash cow

F1 needs the FIA, just not the FIA as it is at the moment.

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes FIA president Max Mosley is using concerns about the future of the sport as a 'smokescreen' to divert attention away from talk about his own position.

Mosley wrote to the presidents of national automobile clubs last week telling them that the FIA risked losing control of F1 if he was forced out of office at the June 3 General Assembly meeting.

He claimed that he was locked in hard negotiations with F1's commercial rights holders, Bernie Ecclestone and financial backers CVC Capital Partners, to prevent the FIA losing control of F1's regulations and a veto to any potential future sale.

But Ecclestone has moved to play down talk of a feud between himself and Mosley, and suggested that the talking up of the issue is purely to shift the focus away from the controversy about Mosley's private life.

"Max is at the moment is blowing a bit of a smokescreen to stop all the other nonsense," said Ecclestone. "He is going to say whatever he thinks is the right thing to say.

"The bottom line is simple: if this incident had not happened to him, which is totally private, would he have informed the clubs in the way that he has informed them?"

When asked if he was at war with Mosley, Ecclestone said: "No, I don't think so."

Ecclestone has claimed that there is no need for discussions about the future of F1 - even though Mosley claims that the commercial rights holders have asked for a renegotiation of the 100-year commercial rights deal.

"Well we know what the future of F1 is, there is nothing that needs to be discussed," he said.

Ecclestone said earlier this week that CVC were set to write their own letter to the national automobile clubs explaining their version of what was going on.

He explained on Thursday, however, that that letter had not been written yet. When asked if was going to happen this weekend, Ecclestone said: "We will see."

CVC's managing partner Donald McKenzie is due to attend this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, where he is likely to shed more light on his view of the situation.

[bud]

F1 needs the FIA, just not the FIA as it is at the moment.

they could very easily create their own rule making/governing body i think that F1 is old enough to move out of home on its own