22/10/2008
NEWS STORY
The Daily Mail's Charles Sale claims that the FIA is far from happy with the BBC's decision to sign Martin Brundle to its commentary team next season when it takes over as F1 broadcaster from ITV.
Indeed, Sale writes: "It is the talk of the F1 paddock that Alan Donnelly, the official representative at races of FIA chairman Max Mosley, has been trying to dissuade BBC executives from employing Brundle, who has been at odds with the governing body since he questioned their handling of last year's McLaren Spygate affair"
As Pitpass exclusively reported last month, Brundle - though he claims not to have yet signed on the dotted line - is to join David Coulthard, Jonathan Legard, Lee McKenzie and Jake Humphrey, at the BBC next season.
It should be remembered that the FIA began legal action after Brundle, writing for The Times, described the FIA's pursuit of McLaren during the 2007 spy saga as a "witchhunt".
The legal case was subsequently dropped, however, there are many who still believe that it was the FIA's threat to The Times, part of Rupert Murdoch's News International, that kick-started the (sister paper) News of the World's investigation into Mosley's private life.