Hell of a way to start a Monday morning if you’re Max Mosley - finding out that you’re the subject of a sex scandal involving Nazi-themed escapades and several professional ‘ladies.’ Not exactly how the President of the FIA probably expected his week to start.

Of the legions of public figures who one might think of when discussing sex scandals, Max is not at the top of my list. Still, the UK based tabloid, News of the World is claiming just such a thing and they seem to have photographic proof. Stills of the event can be found on their website for those with inquiring minds.

There are serious consequences if this story has any legs to it and there are three things that will make surviving this situation even more difficult for Mosley: Nazis, political enemies and the FIA anti-racism campaign.

First, Max is the son of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Fascist Union before World War 2. Given this, he should know that not only is dressing up as a Nazi and humiliating women ‘prisoners’ in grossly poor taste, it’s going to bring his family past straight to the forefront. The perception will be that, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” or something to that effect. Mosley has already stated that his family’s political past has prevented him from entering British politics. Surely he would know to steer clear of anything that could be associated with it.

Second, like any politician good at his game, Mosley has enemies aplenty. Present and former team owners, national sporting (ASN) presidents and European Union politicians all come to mind. They can all smell the blood in the water from a wounded political foe and will start circling for the kill. The demands for Max’s resignation will start within weeks, if not days, and they will be joined by others who will simply take advantage of a political opportunity. With reelection in October, Mosley is especially vulnerable.

Finally, Mosley’s own over-zealous reaction to racist behavior in Spain against McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton will certainly come back to haunt him. How hypocritical - The FIA President threatens Spain with the loss of one or both of it’s races because of racism from fans at the tracks and then he allegedly dons a Nazi uniform for a sexual romp with prostitutes masquerading as concentration camp prisoners. If true, the audacity is unbelievable!

The coming days and weeks will prove interesting for those who delight in watching a politician in survival mode. Mosley has an uphill struggle and he has shackled himself with imagery that is not easily forgivable. Should he survive, it might well be his biggest political achievement which is a shame given some of the good work he has done in the areas of road and racing safety.

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It is often said that perception is more important than reality in F1. What irony then, that at a time when Formula 1 is struggling to reinvent itself as an environmentally responsible sport that the organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix have chosen Earth Hour to debut megawatt using streetlights that will be used to illuminate F1’s first night race later this year.

The lights (300 times more powerful than normal street lights) are being tested today when much of the world is turning their lights off for one hour to symbolically bring attention to the growing environmental crisis. The lights (only a fraction of the 1500 that will be used in the race) will be left in place and turned on each evening at 7 PM along with the regular street lights in Singapore for a week.

Formula 1 has an enormously difficult task in trying to convince that world that it is anything other than a gross display of excess. Thanks to the organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix (incidentally that’s the Singapore Government) that task is now even more difficult.

F1 and the companies associated with it need to be smarter than this.

The Singapore Grand Prix will run until September 28.

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People have an inherent need to compare, rate and evaluate things. Best vacation spot, best new car, best movie - we rate everything. Nowhere is this practice more prevalent than in sports, whether it’s baseball, boxing or yes, Formula 1. We love to rate our heroes. We place them, according to their achievements, in our own mental index which we use to judge the worthiness of all future stars.

The problem is, the process is completely subjective - based more on personal bias than fact. Every list put forward, whether by a school boy or a respected scribe, is instantly subjected to questioning and dismissal, or worse ridicule, because the author’s personal bias becomes so clear. Alan Henry, a long time scribe for The Guardian and a veteran F1 journalist recently put out his list of the ‘Top 100 F1 Drivers of All Time.’ Despite his vast experience, he too falls into the trap. His list reflects a very British perspective on F1 and one deeply influenced by the driver’s he has known and befriended over the years.

I’m not sure what the reason was for his attempt (the book costs $30.00 so perhaps it’s a nice retirement fund) because the list never truly achieves anything other than stirring debate amongst fans. In fact, his list doesn’t even limit itself strictly to F1 drivers which just muddies the waters even more. A definitive list will never be written because people, being people, can seldom agree on simple things, like what kind of wine to order with dinner, let alone who was the best driver of all time.

Still, as I review Henry’s list one more time, my instinct is to egotistically reject his top 10 for my own. I have no choice but to dismiss his because it’s so very clearly wrong! I suppose that’s the attraction of a list like this, everyone has their own and everyone believes in their heart of hearts that theirs is right.

Without fanfare or a price tag, here is my own Top 10 Greatest Drivers list. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

1. Jim Clark

2. Juan Manuel Fangio

3. Jackie Stewart

4. Ayrton Senna

5. Michael Schumacher

6. Alain Prost

7. Stirling Moss

8. Nikki Lauda

9. Gilles Villeneuve

10. Mario Andretti

Special thanks to Norris MacDonald of the Toronto Star for inspiring this article.

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Most people by now know of the sudden and unexpected decision by ITV to cut short it’s F1 broadcasting contract. Understandably, the ITV staff in front of the cameras are dismayed and concerned about their futures. However, while ITV have consistently improved the show over the past 12 years, there has been one really standout personality and yet his fate remains in doubt for reasons that may have nothing to do with TV contracts.

Martin Brundle, the driver’s driver who provides commentary with the oft hysterical James Allen could be out of a job because of political pressure being applied by the FIA. To understand the reasons why a top commentator who has continually been recognized for his broadcasting excellence (six Royal Television Awards) could be pushed out of the broadcast booth, you have to go back to September 2007 and the political scandal that was casting a shadow over Formula 1.

Brundle, as a member of the press, wrote in his Sunday Times column that the investigation of McLaren by the FIA, ‘had the feel of a witch hunt.’ The FIA, with all the indignant self righteousness of the Spanish Inquisition chose to take legal action against the Sunday Times and Brundle for libel. The suit has been seen as a warning to Brundle and other journalists to consider carefully their criticism of the FIA and it’s decisions less their credentials be revoked - no small threat to most journalists’ careers.

One must wonder if the new BBC contract will come with any strings concerning Brundle. Of course, there is no obligation for the BBC to hire Brundle - they are well within their rights to use BBC veterans but why not have one of the sharpest and capable men in the commentary box. Hiring Brundle would be a move supported by his legions of fans in the UK and abroad and provide continuity for viewers. In short, it would be a sensible decision.

But, given the political machinations that FIA President Max Mosley has orchestrated in the past, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to believe that the early exit of ITV has presented Mosley with an opportunity to get rid of a nagging thorn in his ass. How difficult would it be for the FIA to insist that the BBC specifically exclude Brundle? Mosley has increasingly resented criticism of his governance and attacked no less an icon than Sir Jackie Stewart for similar views on the McLaren inquiry.

As a fan of F1 who, like most, watches the majority of the races on television, I would like to see Martin Brundle picked up by the BBC. He has shown a depth of knowledge shared by few (just watch a Speed broadcast) and the brass knockers to question the powerbrokers of the sport on live TV.

In fact, I feel so strongly that the BBC should approach Martin that I have become politically active and created an online petition to that effect. If you feel that Martin Brundle is the ideal candidate to join the BBC to cover F1 next season please join me by signing an online petition here.

Take that Max Mosley!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/martinbrundle

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WilliamsF1 sponsor Air Asia generated a bit of publicity just head of the Malaysian Grand Prix last week by unveiling a new Airbus A320 painted in the same livery as the FW30. The airline even went so far as to include adding driver Nico Rosberg’s helmet design to the nose of the plane.

Rosberg could have used the A320’s 27,000 pounds of thrust on the straightaways of the Sepang circuit. The German driver finished a disappointing 14th.

For the full story on the unveiling, you can go here.

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