Just when it appeared that peace had finally broken out in Formula One, FIA president Max Mosley stormed back into the arena yesterday with a threat to Formula One Teams’ Association and the Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo to reconsider his position after what he sees as “deliberate attempts” by Fota to present a misleading interpretation of events.
Doubtless stung by the assessment of Wednesday’s peace initiative as a defeat for him, and by Di Montezemolo calling him a “dictator” to the Italian media, Mosley has written to Di Montezemolo, denouncing his tactics and indicating that he may yet rethink his intention to stand down in October.
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“Given your and Fota’s deliberate attempt to mislead the media, I now consider my options open,” Mosley said in the leaked letter. “At least until October, I am president of the FIA with the full authority of that office. Independent
“After that it is the FIA member clubs, not you or FOTA, who will decide on the future leadership of the FIA.”
Mosley claimed that the FIA and FOTA agreed to present a “positive” account of the reconciliation in Paris on Wednesday.
Instead, Di Montezemolo and other teams declared that they had won the power battle, since Mosley completely scrapped plans for the $65-million budget cap.
FIA president Max Mosley warned that Formula One’s peace deal may collapse unless Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo apologizes for branding him a “dictator.”
Di Montezemolo made the comment after Ferrari and seven other teams claimed a significant victory over Mosley when he abandoned a planned voluntary budget cap on Wednesday to ensure there would be no breakaway series.
With the FIA and Formula One Teams Association united again, Mosley announced he would be stepping down after 16 years in office.
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“If you wish the agreement we made to have any chance of survival, you and FOTA must immediately rectify your actions,” Mosley wrote to Di Montezemolo early Thursday. “You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements.
“You yourself must issue a suitable correction and apology at your press conference (for FOTA) this afternoon.” USA Today
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