From the point of view of Formula One, I couldn’t care less what Max Mosley gets up to in the privacy of his own bedroom – or which historical costume his multiple partners choose to dress up in.
Indeed, aside from some laughs in the paddock, and the stagnation of Mosley’s Air Miles account over the next few months, the allegations of what the British tabloid media delights in calling a romp will make no difference to the prosperity of the world’s leading motorsport.
None of this alters the fact that Mosley needs to step down from the leadership of the FIA immediately. In fact I’m astonished that a) Max still thinks his position as FIA President is tenable and b) that most people seem to have absolutely no idea what the FIA does beyond fining Ron Dennis a few million quid.
I have in front of me the 2007 Review of the FIA Foundation: it’s the bit of the FIA responsible for ‘the Automobile and Society’. It helps administrate EuroNCAP, it runs and supports road safety and greenness campaigns like Make Roads Safe and ChooseESC, and it successfully petitioned the UN for the creation of a Global Road Safety Week. The FIA, then, represents every single one of us.
It has some campaigning heavyweights on its side, too. Pictured in the 2007 Review supporting its programmes are Tony Blair, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o, Michael Schumacher, the prime ministers of Peru, Jamaica and Japan, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the European commissioner Viviane Reding, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Emeritus Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu. Mosley is pictured – not in a News of the World pose, I needn’t add – with many of them.
Now, I think it’s fair to say that some of these, if not all, take a dim view of romps with hookers, however high-class. Imagine, if you will, asking some of those FIA-supporting luminaries to pop outside for a photo-op with Mosley tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or asking them to sign-up to the latest campaign.
However noble the FIA’s cause – and many of them are – I think there’d be the odd double-take; perhaps even the odd refusal. Mosley’s continued involvement with the FIA might not lastingly damage the world of fast cars going round in small circles, but it will certainly do the FIA’s other work no favours. And it’s here, rather than in F1, where I can’t see how he can continue.
I’m sorry Max, but I'm afraid it’s over. I’ll put the kettle on.