Bernie Ecclestone has called on Max Mosley to step down as FIA president ahead of next week’s vote of confidence.
Formula One’s commercial rights holder believes it is in Mosley’s best interests not to risk the humilation of losing the crunch vote.
“Since the story broke I have been under enormous pressure from the people who invest in Formula 1, sponsors and manufacturers, over this issue,” Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph. “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.
“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. 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.”
“The big problem is that he can no longer represent the FIA worldwide because of these incidents.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.”
