Despite F1's latest crisis seeming to meet a happy ending last week, there is still a chance of Max Mosley choosing to stand for re-election as FIA president again, according to the head of Spanish motorsport.
Carlos Gracia, who is the top man of the Spanish motorsport federation, believes that Mosley may well choose to put himself forward for another term as the president of the FIA, after he was angered by the members of the Formula One Teams' Association declaring victory following last week's agreement to keep F1 in one piece next year.
The threat of a breakaway series was nullified when the eight FOTA members signed up unconditionally for the 2010 season and beyond, in return for Mosley standing down as FIA chief and the governing body adopting less strict, and largely useless, cost-cutting measures in place of the proposed budget cap.
But Mosley reacted angrily to comments from FOTA after the agreement, asking for an apology from the FOTA members, and Gracia said that he understood Mosley's position.
"I don't support Max Mosley to the death, but I do support respecting institutions, and what Luca di Montezemolo has done was show a lack of respect to the FIA and the World Council," Gracia shouted on Spanish radio, "It wouldn't surprise me if Max Mosley runs for re-election. The worst thing you can do with an animal is leave him wounded, and what Luca di Montezemolo has achieved is to re-activate Max. You can't dance on someone's grave before he's dead."
FOTA have so far refused to issue an apology, ostensibly because they are currently far too busy finalising plans for the 2010 rules and a new Concorde Agreement, details of which will be announced over the coming month, but also because they probably don't really want to.
Mosley has already said that he is keeping his "options open" in terms of running for another term as FIA boss after his current one ends in October, after he described FOTA's reaction to the deal as being "deliberate attempts" to mislead the media in the way that they portrayed the outcome.
"Given your and FOTA's deliberate attempt to mislead the media, I now consider my options open," Mosley stated in a less-than-polite letter sent to the FOTA teams, "At least until October, I am president of the FIA with the full authority of that office. After that it is the FIA member clubs, not you or FOTA, who will decide on the future leadership of the FIA."
The main issue Mosley has taken umbrage with is FOTA's claim that the FIA Senate president Michel Boeri is now effectively in charge of F1, rather than Mosley. The teams also alluded to Max being "forced out of office" and that he would be left with no role within the FIA after October.
"We made a deal yesterday in Paris to end the recent difficulties in Formula 1," the letter continued, "A fundamental part of this was that we would both present a positive and truthful account to the media.
"I was therefore astonished to learn that FOTA has been briefing the press that Mr Boeri has taken charge of Formula 1, something which you know is completely untrue; that I had been forced out of office, also false; and, apparently, that I would have no role in the FIA after October, something which is plain nonsense, if only because of the FIA statutes.
"Furthermore, you have suggested to the media that I was a 'dictator', an accusation which is grossly insulting to the 26 members of the World Motor Sport Council who have discussed and voted all the rules and procedures of Formula 1 since the 1980s, not to mention the representatives of the FIA's 122 countries who have democratically endorsed everything I and my World Motor Sport Council colleagues have done during the last 18 years."
Mosley made it clear that the deal from last week was at risk if FOTA failed to clarify his long and dreary list of complaints. "If you wish the agreement we made to have any chance of survival, you and FOTA must immediately rectify your actions. You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements.
"You yourself must issue a suitable correction and apology at your press conference this afternoon.
"Formula 1 is run entirely by our 25-strong team without any help from me or any other outsider. There was no need for me to involve myself further in Formula 1 once we had a settlement. Equally, I had a long-standing plan not to seek re-election in October. It was therefore possible for me to confirm both points to you yesterday."
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