Whenever a faint chance of Max Mosley ceasing to be president of the FIA occurs, our thoughts turn to his successor. We have all suggested suitable candidates and my favorite for the job is Alex Wurz. But that is wishful thinking as the electorate consists of the delegates to the FIA and they are extremely unlikely to nominate, let alone elect, anyone who is not currently one of their own.
David Hobbs and Nick Craw
So we can forget about Sir Jackie Stewart, even were he interested, and Ron Dennis is never going to be considered. Jean Todt is equally improbable, as are all those other names that spring to mind. Realistically, we must look inside the FIA if we want to see what the future might hold.
It turns out that there is an eminently suitable candidate waiting in the wings. In November last year, the FIA General Assembly voted in Nick Craw as the Deputy President for Motor Sport and a quick study of his resume reveals him to be just the sort of candidate we are looking for, as well as occupying a position that puts him naturally in line for the presidency.
Nick is the delegate for ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee for the United States) and has a long history in American motor sport and its governing bodies. He is well respected everywhere and was elected unanimously to his present position. Qualified in business, he has been the Director of the US Peace Corps and Executive Director of US Sailing, although he always retained his links to motor sport.
Have a read of Adam Cooper's article on the subject for SpeedTV and the comments and it will become apparent that Nick is an excellent candidate. I particularly like the sound of this comment from Ron Lindensmith:
I raced with Nick and worked with him as anRE in the SCCA. He is a good guy and I like him. And although I think ANYBODY would be better than 'Max the Idiot' I think Nick would be a VERY GOOD choice and it should happen sooner rather than latter!
The fact that Nick is an American delegate is just as important as his impressive credentials. North America has been squeezed from the calendar over the last two years and there is a desperate need for links to be re-established to F1. The American fanbase is small in comparison to NASCAR's but it is still substantial in European terms. We could expect Nick to do everything in his power to effect a return of the sport to the USA and Canada.
Ferrari and FOTA are presently engaged in a struggle that might end Mosley's tenure as FIA President. Even if they lose that battle, the teams should think carefully about the forthcoming election for the post - yes, the election that Max promised not to run for although we all know he will. If Max is ever to be ousted, it will take a strong candidate from within to take him down and it looks as if Nick Craw is the man for the job.
As leader of FOTA, Luca di Montezemolo should be using his considerable political skills to lobby for Nick's election later in the year. That is our best hope for change for the better of the sport.