Max Mosley’s Reign of Terror Comes to an End

Max Mosley will not run for re-election as president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), European racing’s governing body.  The longtime English federation manager, and notorious Nazi-dressing sex freak, will be stepping down after a rebellion by the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA).

Mosley, now age sixty-nine, has an extensive history in European motorsports.  He started his career as an amateur racer in the 1960s.  Mosley allied himself with famed entrepreneur Bernie Ecclestone in the 1970s, leading the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) in a protracted standoff with the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).  In an ironic twist, Mosley went on to lead FISA in the 1980s, followed by his ascent to the FIA presidency in the early 1990s.

Mosley’s tenure has presided over much turmoil.  While Grand Prix racing has continued to be a vastly profitable enterprise in Europe, his tenure saw constant litigation, conflict with team owners, a hilarious sex scandal, and the abandonment of the US series.  The final straw came with Mosley’s decision to impose budgetary caps on Formula One racing teams in order to reduce costs.  The caps were to be accompanied by a broad series of measures to further promote resource equality–to be handled by Mosley personally.

The move infuriated team owners.  Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president, led a campaign against Mosley and his close ally, Ecclestone.  Montezemolo organized the formation of FOTA in July of 2008 to create a united front against Mosley and the FIA mandate.  Among the FOTA members were McLaren, BMW-Sauber, Brawn, Williams, Renault, and Toyota.  The FOTA resistance was given added weight by the Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles, the European manufacturers’ group.

Mosley stood firm, but finally caved in amid FOTA’s threat to create its own “rebel” racing series.  With the lucrative Formula One series in jeopardy, Mosley agreed to call it quits.

So ends a long and troubled chapter in European racing.