Ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, it is understood that the FIA is on the verge of making an announcement that will send reverberations the length and breadth of the Sepang paddock.

According to well placed sources, FIA President Jean Todt is on the verge of announcing his predecessor, Max Mosley, as F1 Commissioner.

As part of his manifesto, Todt promised to appoint an F1 Commissioner, a person whose role would be to effectively improve the sport, looking after its best interests, and working with its main stakeholders.

While Mosley has been associated with the role, others thought that the Englishman's former representative Alan Donnelly might be appointed, even though neither appointment would be particularly welcome when it comes to the teams.

Speaking earlier this month, Todt admitted that his search for the right candidate was taking longer than he had anticipated though he remained confident that an announcement would be shortcoming.

"I am always very ambitious about the profile of the people working with me, and it is not very easy to find the right profile considering that the FIA has limited facilities, limited budgets," said the Frenchman. "We need to find somebody who is willing to give his time, with his capacity, almost free of charge. It is something that makes the choice more difficult.

"I prefer to wait a few months and have the profile I want to find rather than rush to fill the position," he continued. "At the moment it gives us a bit more to do, but we still manage to do what we feel has to be done for the present time. The idea is not forgotten, it is simply a question of time."

Now it appears that decision has been made, though the choice is highly controversial and could possibly lead to a summer of discontent at the very time when relations between the teams and the FIA appeared to be improving.

While Todt has played a low key role since his election, Mosley was known for his highly confrontational approach, the Englishman seemingly causing more problems than he solved. Indeed, his decision not to stand for another term as FIA President was one of the key factors when it came to teams not breaking away from F1 and forming their own series.

Contacted by Pitpass, the FIA was giving nothing away, refusing to confirm or deny the story. However, when pressed further, a source promised that news was forthcoming, declaring that "hopefully, all will be made clear later today".

Meanwhile, a prominent F1 insider admitted that if true, Mosley's appointment as F1 Commissioner would send shockwaves through the sport. "It's a day that would go down in F1 history," said the source, "Without a doubt, Today, April 1st, would be seen as the beginning of the end of F1 as we know it, it just has to be a joke, albeit it a highly unfunny one".