It's impossible to watch the track action

A report from the front line of Formula One in the Kingdom of Bahrain - a business activity, a den of politicking and conspiracy theorists and last of all a sport. I tell you, it is impossible to watch what is going on on the track today and I am failing in my duty to do that because the whole place is Mosley-obsessed.

If you get five minutes to yourself you are lucky. The jokes, the speculation, the predictions, the conspiracy theories, the jokes, the speculation, the predictions. Just as I was writing this, I have had to stop again for a further bit of speculation from a visiting colleague. Mosley has completely overshadowed this event and I suspect, until he goes, this is going to continue.

I would say he has "lost" the Formula One paddock and he has certainly "lost" the press room. Just have a look at today's papers to check on that. Today the German and Dutch national motoring bodies have come out against Mosley, as has JYS(no surprise there you may think) while Bernie appears to be remaining steadfast alongside his old friend.

The interesting point here is that the German and Dutch bodies send two of the 222 delegates to the FIA General Assembly which will meet to sack Mosley or endorse him. It will be interesting to see how many more come out against him in the coming days. There is a feeling that, above all, Mosley is trying to buy time by resorting to an extraordinary meeting which will not take place for at least a couple of weeks. In the intervening period he will be hoping that the atmosphere will calm down. But matters may never get to that point if the chorus against him continues to build(or if the News of the World comes out with another story on Sunday - something which is expected here).

There is some talk about the cost of Mosley's gamble. We estimated that flying in all the members(first class of course), hotelling them and feeding and watering them could cost in the region of £1 million. That presumably is £1 million of the FIA's money which could have been spent on road safety or drink drive campaigns. Instead it is being spent on Mosley himself and the distasteful business of his refusal to do the decent thing.

The impression I have got of Friday practice is that the Ferraris do have the whip hand(yes, I know...) as was thought likely after their six days of winter testing here. This morning Lewis was four-tenths off Felipe's pace at the head of the field, and looks to be in about the same relative position this afternoon, although as I write, the session hasn't yet finished. The Williams cars seem to like conditions here far more than at Malaysia where they did not prosper on the new surface.

STOP PRESS Lewis just had a biggish shunt at Turn 7 which has caused a lot of damage to the right side and rear of his MP4/23. Pending a report from McLaren on any technical issues, it looked as though he was carrying too much speed through the right-left sequence at 6 and 7, and ran wide on the curbing on the exit of seven and then slewed across the track and sideways into a tyre wall. Lewis climbed out pretty quickly and looked fine. These things almost always affect performance for the rest of the weekend. We shall see.

 

Comments

[Tom Ware]

Ed,

You mention the £1m cost of hotelling, feeding, and watering all 222 members of the FIA.

What about entertainment costs? That's got to be worth mentionning as we know what sort of entertainment Mosley likes to indulge in, and it's not cheap! (although they may be able to get a bulk discount on whips and the like?)

Hopefully it will not come to this and Mosley will be forced out without this ridiculous meeting.

[richdaddyracing]

Any chance of sharing any of the jokes with us Ed?

[IDR]

Ed,

Thank for this short spot about the track.

I imagine how difficult should be for all of you to concentrate yourselves on sport when all of you are in the middle of the biggest news in F1 since a long time.

And congratulations Ed, you have been one of the very few journalists leading this. Now, everybody is there, but you were from Monday, giving us your own and personal opinion.

Finally, It’s nice to see your questions in the yesterday’s press conference, despite I have to read it through other website.

I understand L Hamilton fear when swimming in deep waters… as the rest of the other three!

Brave Nico that finally decided to comment the S&Max issue!

[Carlton Twitchell]

The honorable way out , for any person in such a position of leadership of a governing body ,would be to offer his early retirement resignation ( he was due to leave in October 08)and let the elected members vote in a secret ballot as to whether to accept it.
Not sure when the meeting is or for how long but if they dont lance this fetid boil its going to fester all year and could lead to a terminal case of F1-blood poisoning.If it were down to me Id implore him to look for the advantages in going over the disadvantages of staying .Looking back at his family history I can see why he would consider this a minor frustration when you compare it to the upheavals and stigma his family faced for decades during and after WW2.It is incredible to me that someone with that liability got all the way to the top of the FIA and it speaks volumes for his grit,tenacity and guile. In saying that it is also tragic that all that hard work has been swept aside by one foolish indiscretion.Impeccable no;sordid yes.
Buy a vineyard, grow parsley, make goat cheese,live on the memories ...GO!

[Darren]

Ed, we all know Max loves his 'fax votes', usually when he's attempting to wield a stick against others. Maybe instead of spending £1m on a meeting, the members should just have a fax vote on him?

[Mark]

I am sure that the FIA will find some reason to fine McLaren a couple of million in order to fund the Extraordinary Meeting. But just like spygate, I really would like this situation over and done with so we can get on with racing. It really is time for new leadership in the FIA to stop the slide towards a spec series.

[Kat]

Maybe the FIA should have a whipround to cover the cost of the extraordinary meeting?

[jordi]

Perhaps if you got a minute, between moral standards and sharks worries, you could tell us something about the legality of the flexible front wing that Mclaren is using.

Regards

[Kate C-J]

Can you imagine how quickly Mosley would have jumped at any of the drivers if one of them had been caught with their pants down in the way he has? How arrogant is this man to remain in place and let the speculation, the sleaze, and, yes, the jokes, go on mounting while he practices his German in his bedroom....or someone elses. Not just arrogant, but stupid too given his parentage. Does he have no humility? It must be horrendous for his family.

[Alistair]

Must read for all!
http://www.sportspromedia.com/mosley.htm

[Matt]

Well congratulations on hitting the big 10 (consecutive posts about Mosely.)

You said it's impossible for you to discuss F1 while everything is going on about Mosely, is this because things at Sakhir are as bad as you describe, or is this because Newscorp - the company leading the crusade against Mosely - are the ones who write your cheques?

I've always been saddened that you're close on bi-polar regarding your journalism (the tone and opinion of your newspaper articles often differ greatly to what you post here) but have accepted that this is part of the game and you're pretty much told what to write in the newspaper. But now that seems to have spilled over to this blog. What a shame.

[marie]

I actually have misgivings with Mosley's scandal because it is broken by the News of the World---known for its entrapment schemes. And I personally do not want to condone their ways of getting a story that utterly destroys lives and careers. So even though I want Mosley to step down---I want him to resign because I feel that new management in FIA is about time because motorsport is moving too fast for him (and I admit because of some of his biases) and not because of the scandal. And I firmly believe that the courts would side with him on this one---its law school 101 right to privacy. I also believe that the News of the World published its story with malicious intent---I know its the right to free speech and all that but when it crosses over the line it seems wrong to me somehow.

[adam]

It's always darkest before the dawn but if Max does pull through I'm sure Ed's postion is perilous. Max's list of Journalists to be"disciplined" is long but Ed is surely near the top due to his suburban curtain twitching morality.Mr outraged of Tunbridge Wells should get some lead lined pants at the ready !

[graham fudger]

NewsFlash: In a surprise move that has shocked the Motorsporting World, Graham Fudger - spokesperson for the Campaign to Clean Up Motorsport - has quit his post after it was revealed that he had attended S&M clubs during his time at University.
Fudger is quoted as saying: “Obviously these revelations are incompatible with my high moral position, and there’s nothing I can do about it except be a man and take it on the chin.”
He went on to add: “For anybody who’s interested, I had a great time, and I’ve no regrets. I’m now looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends.”

[Jason B]

@ Jordi

looking at their practice times it doesn't seem to be helping them much.

[jordi]

here's a giggle:

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2008/04/04/mosley-exposed/

[Becken]

This guys from Spain are very funny. What if we read the regulations and let the nonsense aside? Let´s try:

3.15 Aerodynamic influence:

With the exception of the cover described in Article 6.5.2 (when
used in the pit lane) and the ducts described in Article 11.4, any
specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance :

- Must comply with the rules relating to bodywork.

- Must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car
(Rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom).

- Must remain IMMOBILE in relation to the sprung part of the car.
Any device or construction that is designed to bridge the gap
between the sprung part of the car and the ground is prohibited
under all circumstances.

No part having an aerodynamic influence and no part of the
bodywork, with the exception of the skid block in 3.13 above, may
under any circumstances be located below the reference plane.

………………………………………………………………………..

There´s a huge difference between MOVABLE and FLEXIBLE… Right?

Leave Ron Dennis and Mclaren alone!

[Kostas, Canada]

Wow! I can't believe Max is sueing News of the World. He must truely be mad. Sure they invaded you're privacy by releasing the video. But it still doesn't hide the facts. You were in an room with 5 hookers doing some kinky role play. ITS ALL TRUE. So sueing and winning will do nothing to fix the damage.

I guess since its already to late to resign gracefully and say he's going to spend time his family to repair the damage. You might as well go down in a blaze of glory of some sort. Max, if you win the case, Good For You. Dragging this further and wasting FIA's time and money will only cause you to have more enemies and tarnish your otherwise spotness career. Time to leave stage left.

[Gordon Cook]

I see that Max is invoking the European Convention on Human Rights to sue the NOTW. They exposed him suposedly engaging in a sick, perverted act which dramatised violating the human rights of WW2 Jewish prisoners. I hope he loses his case and gets a legal bill of millions. £50 million would be a good figure.

[Alfredo Nieto]

Big shunt yeah, but dear Lewis forgot to drop by the medical services which is mandatory after a crash. Did he get a sanction? Nope! This guy's used to getting away with murder...

[chris bannister]

Mosley is a condemned man. It must be clear by now that he cannot hang on for much longer. However, a smattering of respect for his FIA work could still be retained if he did the decent thing sooner rather than later. And while you have to admire Bernie's loyalty, on this occasion he must be straining at the seams of his integrity. The 'SS Mosley' is sinking fast.. jump off Bernie before you get your feet wet!

Just a thought.. I wonder what Ron and Matt are making of all this! Probably lost the key to the life jacket store, shame!

[D]

^
Hmm. That no-hoper Kovalainen quicker than Hamilton again, eh.

And Lewis went off, trying to beat him. Not what we're used to seeing.

Could he be finding Heikki more difficult to out-pace than Fernando?

Surely not.

[Lucy]

From Autosport
'..the marshal who brought Hamilton back to the paddock on a motorbike was also not told about the need to take Hamilton to the medical centre, so he returned him to the pits.

As soon as Hamilton arrived back at the team, he was informed about the mix-up and he was dispatched to the medical centre.
He was subsequently given the all-clear by medical, and the stewards, after looking into the matter, felt that no action was necessary.'

There it was a mix up. Hamilton haters must be constantly on the look out for something to make him look bad.

Alfredo Nieto you really need to get a life.

[JamesC]

We need a bit of soap opera in Formula One - it's exactly what makes it more than just a spec series!

At the very least Max Mosley's been revealed as a very stupid man. He should have been very, very careful after deciding to take on the Murdoch press and freedom of speech in suing Martin Brundle merely for expressing the opinion that his treatment of McLaren might have been slanted by his personal feelings towards Ron Dennis.

Of course the rest of the world's media would go after him - they tend to gang up on perceived threats to freedom of expression.

The moment he reacted legally to the Brundle piece, Mosley should have known to reign in the filth a bit. We've seen these kind of set-ups before, and will again.

Let's face it, Mosley should have gone and will go eventually. Good riddance. He's been a disgrace to the sport even before his privacy was apparently breached.

He's got half a point legally if he can persuade a jury that the whole Nazi thing was merely the wrongful interpretation of the newspaper. He might also get something out of having his privacy breached, unless there's some kind of hilarious public interest in showing him as having some kind of fascist sentiments (was there really any doubt?).

But still, his reputation is hardly what all those suits within this multi-billion dollar sport will want to continue to work with. He might get a bit of a pay-off, but he won't be around for much longer in the sport.

[J S]

No doubt the MM jokes will come round to all our mobile phones in text messages, give it time!!! Hope you can get back to concentrating on the racing.

[graham fudger]

Here's an interesting question ... what if Max had been:

1) Speaking in Chinese whilst indulging in a sadomasochistic sex orgy with a woman dressed in a Tibbetan flag.
or
2) Speaking in arabic whilst indulging in a sadomasochistic sex orgy with a woman dressed in a burqa.

Would it have been:

a) a whole lot worse
b) a whole lot better
c) don't know ...

[Yvonne]

Hi Ed, many thanks for keeping us up with what is happening at Sakhir, both on and off track. Looking forward to quallifying starting now!

Meanwhile, a question about the Mosley affair - I understand his approach of suing for breach of privacy, though I suspect he has quite a weak case, but why when he is claiming the 'Nazi' claims are a total fabrication, is he not suing for libel? All sounds odd to me.

However, that aside, keep the reports coming

Y

[colin grayson]

for once football has got it correct , there is an offence called ....bringing the game into disrepute

guilty as charged max

hope you get a nice pay out from newscorp

[graham fudger]

Safe sex ? ... when all this macho banter has finally died down, perhaps it would be useful if a journalist somewhere took a moment to talk to their readers about some of the health issues surrounding sadomasochistic sex.
S&M activity between consenting adults carries a risk of transmission of HIV and hepatitis-C on account of the increased probability of breaking the skin during role-plays, either through physical abuse – the use of ‘punishment’ devices - or as a result of chaffing by ropes or restraints.
S&M activity between multiple partners increases this risk, and when partners are casual, or not known to one-another, the use of a condom is always advised.
Resorting to sex workers increases this risk of disease transmission further, as the participants are effectively engaging with their partner’s entire sexual history.
Obviously, engaging with numerous sex workers in any one session increases the chance of infection yet again, and such encounters are ill-advised.
People whose preferences lead them to seek out this sort of sexual gratification should take the time to be screened for both HIV and hepatitis-C at regular intervals.

[D]

^
Jordi >

I loved your

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2008/04/04/mosley-exposed/

link - especially the photograph! (I've printed it out!)

Thank you so much for sharing it with us all.

(And, actually and seriously, it made it very clear why Mosley has to go.)