The world of Formula 1 mourns Max Mosley. The historic president of the International Automobile Federation has died at the age of 81. Considered one of the most important executives in motorsport, he has managed to make modern Formula 1 grow, especially from the point of view of safety, also thanks to the collaboration with the former patron of the Circus Bernie Ecclestone.
Mosley, the youngest son of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British fascist movement in the 1930s, was a racing driver and lawyer before becoming president of the Fédération International de l’Automobile, the governing body of Formula One. in 1993.
On March 30, 2008 he is involved in a sensational sex scandal unleashed by the English newspaper News of the World who is the first to publish some frames taken from a 5-hour video in which Mosley is seen taking part in a sadomasochistic orgy with some prostitutes in Nazi uniforms and in uniforms that mimic those worn by inmates in concentration camps.
Due to the controversy that arose from the affair, Mosley was forced to postpone the decision on whether to remain at the head of the FIA at the general assembly of the federation, which on 3 June pronounced itself in favor of maintaining his position: with 103 votes in favor, 55 against, 7 abstentions and 4 null.
Despite a previous ruling by the British judicial court in favor of publishing the video online, on 24 July 2008 a British court sentenced the newspaper News of the World to pay 60,000 pounds in compensation for the violation of the privacy of the persons involved (causing an even greater huge outlay of nearly a million pounds by the publisher). Meanwhile, Mosley still engages in a legal battle against Google to remove traces of Chelsea’s images and videos.
On 24 June 2009 he announced that he would not reapply in the following elections as president of the FIA, this to avoid the diaspora with the FOTA Formula 1 teams. He will be succeeded by the former team manager and CEO of Ferrari, Jean Todt, from Mosley himself strongly sustained.