Having previously warned that Max Mosley was endangering Formula One and should therefore stand down, Bernie Ecclestone has now changed tack and is urging the sport to forgive and forget.

As the sex scandal unfolded, Ecclestone initially remained silent, however, as further details emerged and teams began to express their unease, so the F1 supremo spoke out, urging his former ally to stand down for the good of the sport.

Having warned that the scandal could rip the sport apart, as manufacturers and sponsors sought to distance themselves, Ecclestone even warned that the accusations of Mosley indulging in Nazi role-play would damage Jewish investment in the sport.

On the eve of the all-important FIA confidence vote, Ecclestone, who publicly denied any involvement in exposing his friend's private life in the first place, sent out a last minute warning to the FIA member clubs, telling them that if they supported Mosley they'd be stuck with him for a further six years.

Having previously warned Mosley that if he wanted war, that is what he would get, Ecclestone followed up by telling the FIA member clubs that the Englishman didn't care how the scandal affected the sport.

"The people I deal with are commercial people, manufacturers, sponsors and teams," he told The Times. "They want peace and they want to get on with the business and the sport. Max doesn't care - he's not commercial - he hasn't got one single dollar invested, so he doesn't give a stuff."

Formula One is legendary for sweeping its (real) muck under the carpet, but even Ecclestone must realise that it is a little early to be saying; 'move along, nothing to see hear', so soon after the event, yet that is precisely what he is now saying.

In just over two weeks, at Monza, Mosley will make his first visit to an F1 paddock since his landmark victory against the News of the World. Ecclestone is asking the paddock to forgive and forget, to welcome the FIA President back into the fold.

Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Ecclestone claims that the sport didn't suffer as much as he thought: "I thought, and I was told, that it would," he said.

"But I think like all these things, people have now really come to the conclusion that whatever happened with Max was Max and nothing to do with anybody else and I don't think they really care any more, people forget all these things," he added.

"It was a shock at the time it happened, to everybody," he admitted. "If it had happened to other people, it probably wouldn't have been a shock. But because it was Max, and what with that about his dad, it was all blown up a little bit."

Referring to his calls on Mosley to resign, Ecclestone said: "For a short period I said he should resign because I had so much pressure from people to say he should," he admitted. "In a lot of ways, at the time, I wished he had done but now I don't see why he should."

In addition to the threats from the manufacturers, sponsors and Jewish investors, there was the fact that at the height of the scandal, Mosley was seen as a pariah, with few wanting to associate with him, at least publicly. This was a particular embarrassment for the sport when it came to a number of Grands Prix where it was made clear that the FIA President would not be welcome.

Again, Ecclestone thinks this is a thing of the past. "Max works and does the best he can for the sport, for sure 100 percent," he said. "All these people say they don't want to meet Max and don't want to do this or that... that's all going to disappear."

Looking ahead to Monza, Ecclestone is in no doubt: "I will welcome him back," he said. "He should come back and he should carry on like he's normally carried on," he added, no doubt prompting a few titters from those amongst us who remember the long-line of scandalous double-entendre driven British comedy films of the 60s and 70s.

Despite Mosley's denial that he will go back on his pledge and remain in office for a further term, Ecclestone isn't so sure, however, now, just a few months after his stark warning, the F1 supremo appears far more amenable to the idea. Then again, they do go back a long way.

"He's said he is going to stand down before and hasn't," said Ecclestone. "So I don't know. The problem really is, if we are really selfish and think of the sport as it is, it's difficult to know who is going to replace him to do the things he does."

As we said, nothing to see here, move along.