"We keep hearing what a great job Max has done and yet the evidence is exactly the opposite. We have boring racing, shrinking grids and no Concorde Agreement in place. Max has proved utterly incompetent. His sole achievement is that he made Bernie richer than even he could have imagined."
Steven Roy
Max Mosley
It is true that Max Mosley's tenure as FIA president is constantly lauded for his achievements, particularly in the area of safety. In fact and as Steven Roy has pointed out, his record is patchy to say the least and has resulted in F1 facing some of the worst crises in its history. Even his drive towards safety in the sport is tarnished by the fact that it was not begun before Senna's fatal accident at Imola, several previous accidents in the same place having made the need for change very evident.
There is more to the presidency than just safety standards, anyway. Only this morning, a Grand Prix dot com article discussed a strange email correspondence between FIA delegates, as revealed by the French Figaro newspaper. As GP dot com point out, the timing of the release is a bit suspicious, but I think there are many more conclusions to be drawn from it.
There is tacit admission of the political polarization within the FIA, for instance, it being accepted that some are Mosley appointees and likely to support him whatever happens, therefore, while others are able to act with more freedom. There are even those previously thought to be Mosley men who have lately revealed their own ambitions within the organization; Carlos Gracia's recent statements would indicate that he is one.
We seem to have accepted that the FIA will be a political organization and will contain such power struggles behind the scenes as a result. Yet we should remember that it is an association of motoring clubs set up to oversee motor sport and road safety. Is the degree of politicization encouraged by Mosley really appropriate for such an organization?
It is this politicization that I blame for the pettiness of the email exchange. With all power over important issues concentrated in the hands of one man, there is little for delegates to do but bicker over the hairstyles of drivers. With important issues looming over motor sport, the delegates are left to play with their toys.
The structure and composition of the FIA needs to be looked at closely and a return to the old system of FISA running F1, but overseen by the parent, the FIA, would seem a step in the right direction. And, before that can happen, the present president must move out of the way and allow an untarnished hand to guide motor sport into its future.