Zoom Mosley spells out the bigger picture

Even if Max Mosley wins the forthcoming confidence vote on June 3, he intends to step into the background as the FIA President and then quit as scheduled next October.

In a letter to FIA club Presidents on Friday, a copy of which has been seen by this publication, the embattled 68-year-old Briton said he expects to be strongly supported at the crucial senate meeting early next month.

Mosley revealed that, of the 85 letters from voting member clubs, at least 62 want him to stay.

But he added that even if the formal vote turns out a victory, "I will continue until October 2009, leaving almost all public representation of the FIA to the two Deputy Presidents."

Mosley said the intervening year and a half as FIA President will give him time not only to pursue the sex scandal perpetrators legally, but to handle 'complex negotiations' that are crucial to the future of Formula One.

He explained that if he is forced to stand down, the negotiations - such as with commercial rights holder - could 'slow or even cease'.

"A new President would then take over with no knowledge of the background and, worse, might perhaps have been elected with the support of the very people with whom we are negotiating," he warned.

Mosley revealed that F1's commercial rights holder, represented by Bernie Ecclestone, is currently trying to renegotiate its 100 year agreement so that it has "control over the Formula One regulations and the right to sell the business to anyone."

"I do not believe the FIA should agree to this," Mosley said, adding that handing over complete control of F1 to Ecclestone could put traditional Grand Prix, and the very "viability of the FIA", at risk.

Mosley said Ecclestone and the teams want a new Concorde Agreement that will give them more say about rule making, and he also suspects that many paddock figures "would like nothing better than to remove the FIA from the championship entirely."

"Again, however, I do not believe we should concede," he wrote, explaining that he believes F1's sporting and commercial elements should be kept apart.

"(It) must be the FIA, not the (commercial rights holder) or the teams, which decides the regulations," Mosley argued, adding that a poor Concorde Agreement would put F1 at risk of 'losing more teams' due to an imminent 'major financial crisis.'

Source: GMM
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