Former Formula 1 president Max Mosley dies at 81 Car News

Max Mosley, former head of the governing body of world motorsport and one of the most influential figures in Formula 1 history, has died at the age of 81.

Mosley played a key role in helping to transform Grand Prix racing into the multi-million pound sport it is today, and later in leading through a series of safety innovations.

Former F1 business tsar Bernie Ecclestone, who worked closely with Mosley, told BBC Sport: “It’s like losing a family, like losing a brother, Max and me. [car] industry. He was very good at making sure people built safe cars. “

Born in 1940 as the youngest son of Oswald Mosley – the former leader of the British Union of Fascists – and Diana Mitford, Mosley became a lawyer and amateur runner, before co-founding March Engineering in 1969.

The team entered F1 in 1970 and achieved two race victories. He became the team’s representative within the framework of the Formula 1 Manufacturers Association (FOCA), where he became a close ally with Ecclestone, then boss of the Brabham team.

Mosley sold his shares in March 1977 to concentrate full time on his work for OFAC. As the legal representative of the organization, he has become a key figure in the organization’s battle for commercial rights to F1 with the FIA, the governing body of world motorsport.

Mosley’s negotiating skills and politics complemented Ecclestone’s blunt business acumen, and he was instrumental in negotiating the first version of the Concorde Agreement, which settled the dispute and played a key role. in transforming Ecclestone from F1 into one of the world’s largest and most profitable sports.

After a short time away from the sport, Mosley returned as chairman of the FISA Builders’ Commission, later running for office and being elected FIA President in 1993.

During his time at the helm of the organization, Mosley was instrumental in further encouraging F1’s business growth – although he had a series of clashes with former ally Ecclestone. in his later years.

After the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend in 1994, Mosley played a pivotal role in driving through a series of changes that helped significantly increase driver safety in the sport.

Thanks to the FIA’s interest in road cars, Mosley has also pioneered the use of F1 and other motorsports to promote the Euro NCAP crash test program and other safety measures. road.

Mosley resigned from the FIA ​​in 2009, shortly after revelations about his private life appeared on the front page of News of the World.

He won a lawsuit against the newspaper which he brought under UK privacy laws and has become a leading privacy rights activist.

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