Don't make a habit of reading the News of the World, but must say I had to check that it wasn't 1 April when I saw its coverage yesterday of a man, which the newspaper purports was FIA president Max Mosley, in what might best be described as a bewildering pose.
It will, I suspect, be down to some very expensive lawyers to fight Mr Mosley's corner for whatever vindication he seeks, but putting aside the charitable observation that it looks like one deeply troubled guy, the question the motor racing community is now asking is 'How long can he survive as the boss of international motor sport?"
In the real world, a politician who was caught doing the Hitler hokey-cokey would, within minutes, be 'spending more time with his family' but F1 has unfortunately all-too-often shown that it has an arrogant and self-absorbed streak which, given time, can justify just about anything.
Mosley, the consummate politician, knows that very well. He knows that if he adopts his steely gaze, deploys his self-deprecatory sense of humour - which he's used on many previous occasions to get himself and the FIA off the hook - then there's a fair chance he will weather the storm. Even so, Max's finely tuned antennae will probably have judged that, sooner or later, he will have to stand down.
His dilemma reminds me of that facing the captain of the Titanic on being confronted by the designer with the news that the bottom had been ripped out of his super-liner by an iceberg. "But it can't sink," said the captain in horror. "Well, it certainly can't float," replied the designer pragmatically.
Neither can Mr Mosley.