(greetings from chihuahua, mexico, any Ferrarists down here?) Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has called FIA president Max Mosley to step down from his position voluntarily by the end of this year, saying Mosley can no longer continue in his role after the sexual allegations made against him by the News of the World. Mosley faces a vote of confidence at the FIA's General Assembly next Tuesday, and he is adamant that he should not be required to stand down despite embarrassing revelations about his sexual habits in the British tabloids. And Ecclestone believes Mosley now risks being humiliated once more if he does not step down on his own accord - and the F1 supremo has called his friend of 40 years to make the inevitable sacrifice. "The last thing most people involved in the sport, including the clubs, would want to see is Max in a position where he could be forced to stand down," Ecclestone told the Telegraph. "I don't want to see that. I've been a friend of Max for 40 years. I would hate to see him go in this way after all he has done for the sport." Ecclestone revealed there is a growing discontent among those involved in F1 by the fact that Mosley has not resigned immediately after the story appeared in the News of the World almost two months ago. "Since the story broke I have been under enormous pressure from the people who invest in Formula One, sponsors and manufacturers, over this issue," Ecclestone told the newspaper. "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." Ecclestone emphasized that Mosley will not be able to carry his job any further because his reputation has been tarnished. And the Briton revealed even among friends, Mosley is being shunned. "The big problem is that he can no longer represent the FIA worldwide because of these incidents," Ecclestone said. "The general feeling is that people would no longer be comfortable speaking to him in the same way. "My wife had invited Max to her birthday party, (but) she was told to ask Max not to appear because of the embarrassment it might cause to a number of corporate guests. She was extremely upset about that, but she accepted she had to speak to him. It was very difficult for her to do that. "Max is being punished for the wrong reasons. He has done a first-class job as president. Like all of us he has made some mistakes but 90 per cent of the decisions he has taken have been to the benefit of all. He deserves to be remembered for all the positive work he has done, not for an expose in a tabloid newspaper. "That is why he should announce his decision to resign now and not go through with a vote of confidence. That is not in his best interests, the FIA's or the sport's."
With Bernie telling him to step down I can't imagine him staying on beyond June 3rd, but he is a power-hungry monster and I'm amazed that he has stayed in charge this long.
I am not quite sure what Bernie is proposing. From the headlines in the F1 rags, they make it sound like Bernie is telling Max to step down ASAP. But when you read the above, it sounds like he's saying to *announce* his resignation now, but only effective in November... is that right? If so, I am not in favor of that - Max needs to step down right away. Or is Bernie proposing a situation whereby Max resigns from daily duties as President of the FIA (like announces a leave of absence and nominates a replacement?) but is still "technically" an FIA official, in the hopes that such an agreement will satisfy the clubs and negate the need for a vote, then Max officially steps down in November, presumably after the heat has died down? The headlines make it sound like Bernie has jumped on the bandwagon to axe Max, but the text of the article makes it sound like he's not actually as forcefully coming out against Max as the headlines suggest.
How does everyone feel about David Coulthard taking his place? David is at the end of his F1 career, and he's a bit opinionated over everything. He would be a recent driver, with a very in touch perspective on the racing and fans perspective. Anyone agree?
Of all the recent name's being thrown around to replace Max my choice would be Alain Prost. f1live: "Former quadruple World Champion Alain Prost has put himself forward as a potential part of Formula One's governance in a post-Max Mosley world. But the 53-year-old Frenchman, who after Michael Schumacher is the sport's most successful driver, insists that he would not simply want to replace the scandal-ridden Mosley as FIA president. Instead, he encourages the Paris-based federation to split the role into separate "sporting" and general motoring sides. "If they did, then I may consider that I could be supporting the FIA on the sports (side)," newspapers, including the New Straits Times, quoted Prost as saying last weekend at Monaco. "If there was only the sporting side, then I could see my job," said Prost, who ran the failed Prost Grand Prix team between 1997 and 2001. He added: "I know what the FIA is, I know all about the World Motor Sport Council and the Formula One Commission." Prost said he had spoken out because of the "danger" of the apparently looming power struggle between the embattled Mosley and F1's chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone. "I would be worried because when you need to make the right decision in the next few weeks, there will be a big problem if there's a big war," he warned."
Although Bernie is a snake, I think he is trying to get a an agreement between opposing parties to reach a settlement in which each gives some ground, rather than continue the dispute. However when dealing with a pig-headed control freak, it's a waste of time.
