The FIA have just released a statement which announces that they will hold an Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting on the 'earliest practicable date'.
The statement goes on to say that 'the full membership of the FIA will be invited to attend the meeting at which the widespread publicity following an apparently illegal invasion of the FIA President's privacy will be discussed. The FIA has noted that Mr Mosley is preparing legal proceedings against the newspaper in question'.
Whether or not this rather opaquely worded statement means that Mosley retains the support of the organisation over which he presides or not remains unclear. It is entirely possible that this is part of Mosley's strategy to keep the focus on the 'invasion of privacy' angle - as Clive of F1 Insight reckons. However, there are other powers at play in this game. The support of the FIA may not be enough in the face of the apparent discontent amongst the manufacturers. If the teams were to come together and call for Mosley to resign - which remains a possibility - then it is likely that the support of the FIA will be nowhere near enough and that support, if it exists, will crumble quickly.
Whether dragging on this very public washing of dirty linen is appropriate is, of course, open to question. I would suggest that it is perhaps not the best way of maintaining the dignity and credibility of either Formula 1 or world motorsport in general.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Lest we forget
In the middle of all this, it seems that we've almost forgotten that there were some very interesting things to come out of the Motorsport Business Forum in Bahrain this week. Perhaps at some point I'll be able to get round to talking about some of them. Ron Dennis' key-note speech was, I thought, of particular interest, as was the fact that he received a standing ovation for his contribution.
Even more significantly, lost in all the noise surrounding the Max Mosley scandal, let us not forget that the World Championship circus touches down in Bahrain this weekend and that there will, come tomorrow morning, be twenty-two of the world's best racing drivers working the wheels of twenty-two of the fastest cars on earth. Which is, of course, what this is all about, isn't it?
Even more significantly, lost in all the noise surrounding the Max Mosley scandal, let us not forget that the World Championship circus touches down in Bahrain this weekend and that there will, come tomorrow morning, be twenty-two of the world's best racing drivers working the wheels of twenty-two of the fastest cars on earth. Which is, of course, what this is all about, isn't it?
Wise words indeed...
As ever, Joe Saward of grandprix.com, offers further level-headed commentary of the scandal surrounding the FIA President Max Mosley. In his latest article Saward seems to feel, as I do, that the events of this morning will come to be seen as what he calls a 'tipping point'.
As I have just written, regardless of the ethics and morals of the situation, the key question surrounding the tenability of Mosley's hold on the office of FIA President is this: are these allegations damaging the sport?
Saward notes that 'most people in F1 are nervous about speaking out' and especially about stating that Mosley should resign, just in case he doesn't. I often find myself agreeing with Joe, who is never afraid to offer an opinion, and I can't help but agree with him now when he says that:
'F1 in particular, and motorsport in general, must do everything possible to protect itself. It must deal with the situation with as much dignity as is possible'.
If, he concludes, that means that Mosley must resign, then 'so be it'. As I said in my last post, I've always believed that, regardless of whether or not I have agreed with his actions as President, I have always believed that Mosley had the best interests of the sport at heart. If that is the case, and that sport is beginning to suffer serious damage as a result of this, surely, in his heart of hearts, he must know what the right thing to do is.
Meanwhile, all we can do is wait with baited breath and see what happens next.
As I have just written, regardless of the ethics and morals of the situation, the key question surrounding the tenability of Mosley's hold on the office of FIA President is this: are these allegations damaging the sport?
Saward notes that 'most people in F1 are nervous about speaking out' and especially about stating that Mosley should resign, just in case he doesn't. I often find myself agreeing with Joe, who is never afraid to offer an opinion, and I can't help but agree with him now when he says that:
'F1 in particular, and motorsport in general, must do everything possible to protect itself. It must deal with the situation with as much dignity as is possible'.
If, he concludes, that means that Mosley must resign, then 'so be it'. As I said in my last post, I've always believed that, regardless of whether or not I have agreed with his actions as President, I have always believed that Mosley had the best interests of the sport at heart. If that is the case, and that sport is beginning to suffer serious damage as a result of this, surely, in his heart of hearts, he must know what the right thing to do is.
Meanwhile, all we can do is wait with baited breath and see what happens next.
The Max Mosley Affair
I've refrained from writing about this over the last few days as the story has developed. Since the News of the World published a front page 'scoop' last weekend which reported that the FIA President Max Mosley had been caught on camera, participating in sado-masochistic sexual activities which, it was alleged, involved 'Nazi role-playing', it has been clear that more remained to come out in the wash.
The developing story has been covered comprehensively by other websites and so a blow-by-blow account of each statement and counter-statement is hardly needed here. Publicly, Mosley came out fighting on Tuesday with a defiant statement in which he announced his intention to continue in his role as FIA President and take legal action against the newspaper. Attempting to read between the lines of Mosley's carefully crafted statement, it seemed clear that whilst he would not dispute that the figure in the video-tape was indeed him, he would dispute that there was a 'Nazi' element to the activities. He also seemed to suggest that he would be pursuing an additional line of attack - that of a breach of his privacy. However, it is likely that the paper would mount a defence against such an accusation on the basis that the information contained in the story is 'in the public interest' (there is some interesting commentary on the legal detail in a thread on f1fanatic.co.uk - comment 20).
I have attempted to imagine, on several occasions, the reaction of Max's long time colleague and friend Bernie Ecclestone upon being informed of this story - my morbid curiosity does make me wish that we had that moment on video tape. Ecclestone's public line seems to have been very much that what a man does in his private life is his own business. Whilst much has been of Bernie's advice to not attend the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, his concern seemed to be more that it would take the attention away from the business on the track and focus it on something which, he said, 'honestly and truly, is nobody else’s business anyway'. It seems to me that Bernie's support, for the moment at least, remains largely intact. Of course, what has been said behind closed doors we may only guess.
The first real blow to Mosley's fightback came as The Times revealed that the Crown Prince of Bahrain had written to the FIA President, stating that it would be 'inappropriate' for him to attend the Grand Prix.
Most particularly, the reaction of the major corporations with a stake in the Formula One brand, especially the car manufacturers directly involved in the sport, had yet to be heard. I imagine that public comment from them has waited on the inevitable and necessary board meetings and, perhaps, on the response to any informal representations that may have been made to the FIA over the past few days. Finally, this morning, four of the major car manufacturers involved in Formula 1 have broken their silence and, for Max Mosley at least, the news is not good.
First of all BMW and Mercedes issued a joint statement in which they condemned Mosley's behaviour as 'disgraceful' and 'strongly distanced' themselves from it. Ominously, they also stated that the 'consequences...extend far beyond the motor sport industry' and that they awaited a response from the 'relevant FIA bodies'. It was suspected that the German marques would feel particular discomfort with the nature of the allegations against Mosley.
Before lunchtime today both Toyota and Honda have also released statements of their own on the matter. In Japanese business culture, much is made of the need for integrity in their leaders. Toyota's statement in particular seemed to suggest that, even without the alleged Nazi overtones, they were dismayed by what had happened, stating that they do not approve of 'any behaviour which could be seen to damage F1's image' before making particular reference to 'any behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic'.
As is always the case, I am certain that there is much more to this story than a) meets the eye and b) we will ever know. Perhaps it is a coincidence that it is the News International stable that pursued and broke this story. Much has been made in other quarters of the fact that the corporation also happens to own the Sunday Times, which the FIA are apparently pursuing a libel case against, following comments made by Martin Brundle in a column last year. However, it is also likely that we will never know the motivations and machinations that set this chain of events in order. Perhaps Max Mosley himself will never know.
Many people have been quick to pass their judgement on Mosley's time in office in the past few days. It would be fair to say that he has not been the most overwhelmingly popular FIA President. Balanced commentary on his achievements and failures is hard to come by as he has been, over time, a figure that has divided opinion sharply, and these events will only serve to increase that division. I don't think that it is yet the time or the place to offer an 'obituary' on Mosley's reign, as he remains, for the time being in office. Whilst I have strongly disagreed with the positions he has taken on a number of issues, I have also long believed that Mosley had the sport's best interests at heart - that he is a racer, even if his vision for the sport has sometimes been, in my view, misguided. Beyond all of these shenanigans, we must also ask ourselves the question - who will replace him? The repercussions of the last few days and the days to come will have far-reaching effects on the structure and future direction of the sport we love and whilst many will be glad to see the back of Mosley it is impossible to know whether we will be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I'm not going to comment here on the rights and wrongs of Mosley's actions (or, for that matter, of those of the News of the World) or on the 'morality' or 'immorality' of them. That's firstly because I am convinced that we don't have all the facts at our disposal, secondly because consideration of these issues would require far more complex philosophical, psychological, ethical and sociological argumentation than I've space for, and thirdly because what I'm more interested in right now is the hard reality of the situation. The realpolitik of it all has, I think, become abundantly clear this morning with the statements that have been released by the manufacturers.
The truth of the matter seems to be - as Clive Allen of F1 Insight points out on f1fanatic.co.uk (comment 30) - that the only realistic way for Mosley to leave office is for him to resign. However, he may soon find his position untenable. Regardless of whether we believe that Mosley is 'right' or 'wrong' to engage in the alleged acts, whether we believe the full extent of the News of the World allegations or not, whether we believe that they were justified and acting in the public interest to 'invade his privacy' or not, and whatever the ins and outs of the legal proceedings to come may be, these things tend to develop a critical mass that sees them move beyond any one individual's control.
The manufacturer's statements have seen this story finally become headline news on BBC News 24 and its prominence in broadsheets other than The Times is growing. My feeling is that it has moved past the point of no return for Mosley and that it is only a matter of time until he has no alternative but to stand down. The FIA President is holed below the waterline and whether he chooses to scuttle the ship now and throw himself overboard or to man the pumps and try to remain afloat for as long as possible, there are no lifeboats on the horizon as far as I can see and he will, ultimately, sink beneath the weight of all this.
If that is the case, like him or loathe him, it will be a sorry and undignified end to a career that has made an indelible imprint on the face of modern Formula 1.
The developing story has been covered comprehensively by other websites and so a blow-by-blow account of each statement and counter-statement is hardly needed here. Publicly, Mosley came out fighting on Tuesday with a defiant statement in which he announced his intention to continue in his role as FIA President and take legal action against the newspaper. Attempting to read between the lines of Mosley's carefully crafted statement, it seemed clear that whilst he would not dispute that the figure in the video-tape was indeed him, he would dispute that there was a 'Nazi' element to the activities. He also seemed to suggest that he would be pursuing an additional line of attack - that of a breach of his privacy. However, it is likely that the paper would mount a defence against such an accusation on the basis that the information contained in the story is 'in the public interest' (there is some interesting commentary on the legal detail in a thread on f1fanatic.co.uk - comment 20).
I have attempted to imagine, on several occasions, the reaction of Max's long time colleague and friend Bernie Ecclestone upon being informed of this story - my morbid curiosity does make me wish that we had that moment on video tape. Ecclestone's public line seems to have been very much that what a man does in his private life is his own business. Whilst much has been of Bernie's advice to not attend the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, his concern seemed to be more that it would take the attention away from the business on the track and focus it on something which, he said, 'honestly and truly, is nobody else’s business anyway'. It seems to me that Bernie's support, for the moment at least, remains largely intact. Of course, what has been said behind closed doors we may only guess.
The first real blow to Mosley's fightback came as The Times revealed that the Crown Prince of Bahrain had written to the FIA President, stating that it would be 'inappropriate' for him to attend the Grand Prix.
Most particularly, the reaction of the major corporations with a stake in the Formula One brand, especially the car manufacturers directly involved in the sport, had yet to be heard. I imagine that public comment from them has waited on the inevitable and necessary board meetings and, perhaps, on the response to any informal representations that may have been made to the FIA over the past few days. Finally, this morning, four of the major car manufacturers involved in Formula 1 have broken their silence and, for Max Mosley at least, the news is not good.
First of all BMW and Mercedes issued a joint statement in which they condemned Mosley's behaviour as 'disgraceful' and 'strongly distanced' themselves from it. Ominously, they also stated that the 'consequences...extend far beyond the motor sport industry' and that they awaited a response from the 'relevant FIA bodies'. It was suspected that the German marques would feel particular discomfort with the nature of the allegations against Mosley.
Before lunchtime today both Toyota and Honda have also released statements of their own on the matter. In Japanese business culture, much is made of the need for integrity in their leaders. Toyota's statement in particular seemed to suggest that, even without the alleged Nazi overtones, they were dismayed by what had happened, stating that they do not approve of 'any behaviour which could be seen to damage F1's image' before making particular reference to 'any behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic'.
As is always the case, I am certain that there is much more to this story than a) meets the eye and b) we will ever know. Perhaps it is a coincidence that it is the News International stable that pursued and broke this story. Much has been made in other quarters of the fact that the corporation also happens to own the Sunday Times, which the FIA are apparently pursuing a libel case against, following comments made by Martin Brundle in a column last year. However, it is also likely that we will never know the motivations and machinations that set this chain of events in order. Perhaps Max Mosley himself will never know.
Many people have been quick to pass their judgement on Mosley's time in office in the past few days. It would be fair to say that he has not been the most overwhelmingly popular FIA President. Balanced commentary on his achievements and failures is hard to come by as he has been, over time, a figure that has divided opinion sharply, and these events will only serve to increase that division. I don't think that it is yet the time or the place to offer an 'obituary' on Mosley's reign, as he remains, for the time being in office. Whilst I have strongly disagreed with the positions he has taken on a number of issues, I have also long believed that Mosley had the sport's best interests at heart - that he is a racer, even if his vision for the sport has sometimes been, in my view, misguided. Beyond all of these shenanigans, we must also ask ourselves the question - who will replace him? The repercussions of the last few days and the days to come will have far-reaching effects on the structure and future direction of the sport we love and whilst many will be glad to see the back of Mosley it is impossible to know whether we will be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I'm not going to comment here on the rights and wrongs of Mosley's actions (or, for that matter, of those of the News of the World) or on the 'morality' or 'immorality' of them. That's firstly because I am convinced that we don't have all the facts at our disposal, secondly because consideration of these issues would require far more complex philosophical, psychological, ethical and sociological argumentation than I've space for, and thirdly because what I'm more interested in right now is the hard reality of the situation. The realpolitik of it all has, I think, become abundantly clear this morning with the statements that have been released by the manufacturers.
The truth of the matter seems to be - as Clive Allen of F1 Insight points out on f1fanatic.co.uk (comment 30) - that the only realistic way for Mosley to leave office is for him to resign. However, he may soon find his position untenable. Regardless of whether we believe that Mosley is 'right' or 'wrong' to engage in the alleged acts, whether we believe the full extent of the News of the World allegations or not, whether we believe that they were justified and acting in the public interest to 'invade his privacy' or not, and whatever the ins and outs of the legal proceedings to come may be, these things tend to develop a critical mass that sees them move beyond any one individual's control.
The manufacturer's statements have seen this story finally become headline news on BBC News 24 and its prominence in broadsheets other than The Times is growing. My feeling is that it has moved past the point of no return for Mosley and that it is only a matter of time until he has no alternative but to stand down. The FIA President is holed below the waterline and whether he chooses to scuttle the ship now and throw himself overboard or to man the pumps and try to remain afloat for as long as possible, there are no lifeboats on the horizon as far as I can see and he will, ultimately, sink beneath the weight of all this.
If that is the case, like him or loathe him, it will be a sorry and undignified end to a career that has made an indelible imprint on the face of modern Formula 1.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
An interesting deal
It has been announced today that the Tata Group has completed a £1.15 billion (US$2.3 billion) purchase of the Jaguar Land Rover group from the Ford Motor Company. I'm just speculating here, quickly and on the spur of the moment, but given the current growth in F1 investment from the Indian sub-continent and given Tata's track record of involvement in the sport as a team sponsor and technology partner, could they be another potential buyer for the Toro Rosso team now that they have a premium sports-car brand to promote?
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Perhaps I spoke too soon on Saturday. Following a majestic run to pole position, Felipe Massa made yet another elementary error whilst attempting to peg the gap back to his team-mate Kimi Raikonnen, who took the lead at the first round of pit-stops with a blistering series of laps - at the time the fastest of the race. Perhaps he let his frustration get to him. Perhaps, as Martin Brundle rather neatly pointed out, he simply let 'ambition get the better of adhesion'. Whatever the case, it seems apparent that there was no mechanical problem on which Massa could pin the blame and that this was another high-profile pressure error. He now faces a 14 point mountain two championship leader Hamilton after two races. Psychologically, the climb he faces could be even tougher than that.
Despite that, Massa remains defiant and sanguine about his prospects for the rest of the season, as reported by autosport.com. At the same time as admitting that the absence of electronic driver aids have made the cars more critical and difficult to drive on the limit he maintains that his race-ending spin was down to 'different problems, not linked to traction control'. Whatever the truth of the matter, Massa now faces an uphill battle. Not only to get himself back into contention for the 2008 title, but also to ensure that the Ferrari team does not begin to gravitate around Raikonnen. And, attempt to pour cold water on the rumours that have begun to circulate though they may - see here - the speculation that Massa is driving to save his Ferrari seat from perhaps Sebastian Vettel (unlikely though this maybe due to the complexity of his contractual situation) or, more plausibly, Fernando Alonso, will only continue to grow if the little Brazillian cannot post some big results in the next few races.
Interestingly, Alonso has signally refused to defuse any rumours regarding for whom he will drive in 2009. What impact any continued refusal to dedicate himself to Renault's cause for the long-haul will have on the morale of his team remains to be seen. With regard to their current lack of pace, one might be tempted - mischievously and perhaps uncharitably - to wonder how slow their car might be this year if Alonso really has brought the same, infamous 'six tenths' to the team that took to McLaren.
Despite that, Massa remains defiant and sanguine about his prospects for the rest of the season, as reported by autosport.com. At the same time as admitting that the absence of electronic driver aids have made the cars more critical and difficult to drive on the limit he maintains that his race-ending spin was down to 'different problems, not linked to traction control'. Whatever the truth of the matter, Massa now faces an uphill battle. Not only to get himself back into contention for the 2008 title, but also to ensure that the Ferrari team does not begin to gravitate around Raikonnen. And, attempt to pour cold water on the rumours that have begun to circulate though they may - see here - the speculation that Massa is driving to save his Ferrari seat from perhaps Sebastian Vettel (unlikely though this maybe due to the complexity of his contractual situation) or, more plausibly, Fernando Alonso, will only continue to grow if the little Brazillian cannot post some big results in the next few races.
Interestingly, Alonso has signally refused to defuse any rumours regarding for whom he will drive in 2009. What impact any continued refusal to dedicate himself to Renault's cause for the long-haul will have on the morale of his team remains to be seen. With regard to their current lack of pace, one might be tempted - mischievously and perhaps uncharitably - to wonder how slow their car might be this year if Alonso really has brought the same, infamous 'six tenths' to the team that took to McLaren.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
What a difference a week makes...
Having visibly struggled to get to grips with both the car and the track and succumbing to two pressure errors in wheel-to-wheel combat in Australia, Felipe Massa has, it seems, brought his 'A' game with him to Malaysia.
There was no evidence at all of the brittle, tense body language at the wheel that was so evident only a few days ago - the Massa that has just taken pole position for tomorrow's race was smooth, fluid, relaxed and visibly very quick indeed. The onboard camera footage showed a driver putting far less energy into his steering inputs than last weekend - his light grip on the wheel and loose arms and shoulders a stark contrast to the shots from Melbourne. Not even Raikonnen had an answer to him today and whilst a difference in fuel loads between the two Ferrari drivers could explain away the time between them, Rob Smedley, Massa's race engineer, seemed very confident that his boy had simply produced a stunning lap when quizzed by ITV as the dust settled.
Massa's performance today was from the top-drawer and gave a firm retort to the criticisms and doubts that have been thrown in his direction by commentators - including myself - after his less than convincing display in Australia. Less than seven days later he has demonstrated once again his enormous strength of character. He may appear boyish, almost cherubic at times, but make no mistake about it, the Brazillian is a tough competitor. One of the most impressive facets in his make-up is his ability to learn and learn quickly. This is what turned him from a ragged, accident-prone rookie, to the smooth, quick and confident race-winner that we saw emerge last season. And, I am quite sure that it is this, coupled with an enormous reserve of quiet determination, that has seen him bounce back from the disappointments of a few days ago.
As for his team, well, it was clear that Ferrari had simply failed to 'extract the maximum potential from their package' - as the saying goes - last weekend. This weekend, so far, they have demonstrated the formidable pace they showed throughout the winter and seem to have a definite edge over the McLarens. The silver cars not only lacked a little for pace today, but seem less stable at the rear than their main opposition. This is a definite disadvantage at Sepang, which calls for so many rapid changes of direction in quick succession. Lewis Hamilton seemed slightly less at ease than his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and much less confident in the car, not only since last weekend, but since Friday afternoon when he topped the timesheets. In the aftermath of qualifying he mused that perhaps they had gone the wrong way on set-up on his side of the garage today. He must hope that they can overcome this tomorrow. What a difference a week makes...
There was no evidence at all of the brittle, tense body language at the wheel that was so evident only a few days ago - the Massa that has just taken pole position for tomorrow's race was smooth, fluid, relaxed and visibly very quick indeed. The onboard camera footage showed a driver putting far less energy into his steering inputs than last weekend - his light grip on the wheel and loose arms and shoulders a stark contrast to the shots from Melbourne. Not even Raikonnen had an answer to him today and whilst a difference in fuel loads between the two Ferrari drivers could explain away the time between them, Rob Smedley, Massa's race engineer, seemed very confident that his boy had simply produced a stunning lap when quizzed by ITV as the dust settled.
Massa's performance today was from the top-drawer and gave a firm retort to the criticisms and doubts that have been thrown in his direction by commentators - including myself - after his less than convincing display in Australia. Less than seven days later he has demonstrated once again his enormous strength of character. He may appear boyish, almost cherubic at times, but make no mistake about it, the Brazillian is a tough competitor. One of the most impressive facets in his make-up is his ability to learn and learn quickly. This is what turned him from a ragged, accident-prone rookie, to the smooth, quick and confident race-winner that we saw emerge last season. And, I am quite sure that it is this, coupled with an enormous reserve of quiet determination, that has seen him bounce back from the disappointments of a few days ago.
As for his team, well, it was clear that Ferrari had simply failed to 'extract the maximum potential from their package' - as the saying goes - last weekend. This weekend, so far, they have demonstrated the formidable pace they showed throughout the winter and seem to have a definite edge over the McLarens. The silver cars not only lacked a little for pace today, but seem less stable at the rear than their main opposition. This is a definite disadvantage at Sepang, which calls for so many rapid changes of direction in quick succession. Lewis Hamilton seemed slightly less at ease than his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and much less confident in the car, not only since last weekend, but since Friday afternoon when he topped the timesheets. In the aftermath of qualifying he mused that perhaps they had gone the wrong way on set-up on his side of the garage today. He must hope that they can overcome this tomorrow. What a difference a week makes...
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