04/07/2005
NEWS STORY
In what is unlikely to be seen as the biggest shock in motor racing history, Ferrari boss, Jean Todt, has spoken out in support of FIA president, Max Mosley, currently under fire for his handling of recent events - or non-events at Indianapolis.
"It's become a very political situation," said the Frenchman. "Lots of people don't like Max Mosley that's clear. I like Max Mosley, so that's the first fundamental difference. I like him, I rate him, I appreciate what he does, I respect what he does.
"They don't like him, they don't rate what he does and they don't want him to stand again for the FIA," he continued. "So everything that they can try to do to avoid that, they are trying to do. So we are not on safety, we are not on tyres, we are on politics.
"Politically I support him," Todt continued. "Politically I feel he's a great president for the FIA, even if I don't always share his opinion, his decisions. But you know when you have this position you have to have an opinion, you have to make decisions. Sometimes it's good.
"You know it's exactly that: political. In countries you have 50 percent or 52 on one side and 48 and sometimes less on the other side. It is part of life. So at the moment you have seven teams, probably more than seven teams who are trying to go against him. So for me, that's why we are not talking about safety or about anything else."
Todt also took the opportunity to praise Mosley's work in the field of safety, a field with the Englishman feels is his true legacy, both to motor sport and the ordinary motorist.
"You know the reason I feel it's so unfair is that he did so much for safety," said Todt. "When you see now the unbelievable accidents that happen, if you take this kind of accident ten years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, most of the people would not be there to explain the accident to you or to us. Now they are still there.
"So the guy deserves respect. For me it's just fundamental, what he has been doing. Saying that, again, I don't share his views on everything."
Returning to the current issue, the apparent move to oust Mosley, Todt continued: "In my fair opinion I think that is the wrong strategy. Because the best way to push somebody to stand for a position is to try to push them not to do it."