It looks like there could be a fascinating battle for the Presidency of the FIA. You and I will have no say in the matter, but most of the world has no vote in American elections which does not mean we are indifferent to the campaigns and the outcome.

Max has nominated Jean Todt as his favoured successor and there is no question that Todt is an outstanding manager. He is also an accomplished politician, albeit at the level that every F1 team boss has to be. Todt has been a superb negotiator, but on behalf of the interests of one team.

This may make him unpopular with other teams, but that doesn't matter because they do not have a vote. On the other hand, peace appears to have broken out among members of FOTA, though for how long nobody can say.

Mosley claims to have had a huge number of pledges of support should he stand for re-election. I do not doubt him, but suspect that there may be a difference between support for him while he is in office, and support when he no longer wields power. The Presidency carries no salary, but the President enjoys enormous power of patronage. As the date of the election to appoint a successor approaches, so that influence wanes.

Towards the end of last year, there was more interest in Michelle Obama's wardrobe than in anything Dubya thought even though he remained the world's most powerful man.

Max's endorsement of Jean Todt, itself an unusual move, may not be to Todt's advantage. Many delegates felt that Mosley should have stepped down last year when revelations about his private life were published. I believe that what consenting adults do in private is their business, but some beg to differ. My gut feeling is that Mosley was allowed to stay in office because delegates did not want to be stampeded into action when there was no outstanding candidate to succeed him. Now there are two, and it is possible that others may throw their hats into the ring.

Ari Vatanen is one of the greatest of all rally drivers and when he won the 1981 World Championship, his co-driver was David Richards, now of Prodrive and Aston Martin. They must still get on well because Richards sat in the passenger seat when Vatanen competed in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally only last year. That is a connection not without interest.

Vatanen has also been a member of the European Parliament both for Finland, his native country, and France where he has lived since 1993. His politics are conservative, but then you do not expect to find Trots in motor sport.

Vatanen was present at the German GP stating his case to any number of media crews. When speaking to the BBC, he came across as articulate and thoughtful, but that was only a snap shot. We have yet to see substance behind his headline, which is that it is time for a change. That is a slogan we have heard before.

Ari claims to have the support of many leading delegates so you may be sure that his campaign has been under way for some time without it being public knowledge.

Jean Todt meanwhile has assembled a team which includes men from America, Britain and New Zealand. Richard Woods, the former head of communications at the FIA, is now in the Todt camp. It would be surprising if Vatanen has not done the same, after all he does know how electoral systems operate, whereas Todt has always been an employee.