Mosley: Vindicated

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Sir Jackie Stewart believes Max Mosley's desire to see out his mandate as president of the FIA "puts a shadow" over world motorsport's governing body.

The three-times World Champion has renewed his call for Mosley to stand down, an opinion shared by Sir Stirling Moss as well as former team bosses Eddie Jordan and Paul Stoddart.

Their collective call for him to quit came after Mosley was awarded a record £60,000 in compensation after winning a privacy action against the News of the World.

The Sunday tabloid had accused the 68-year-old, son of 1930s Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, of taking part in a "sick Nazi orgy" with five prostitutes.

Mosley contested the claim, with the presiding judge in the case, Mr Justice Eady, stating on Thursday: "I found there was no evidence that the gathering on 28 March 2008 was intended to be an enactment of Nazi behaviour or adoption of any of its attitudes."

Although Mosley has been vindicated in court, there is a feeling that the damage done to his repuation means he should now honourably resign.

However, Mosley won a vote of confidence from the FIA at the start of June and seems likely to remain president through to 2009.

Such a prospect appals Stewart, a noted critic of Mosley, who said: "If Max were president of the Olympic movement, he would have been told to go.

"I don't see how he can justify staying on. The vote of confidence was not a large majority, and there were a number of people who did not vote.

"As for the motorsport community, there were very few people who were prepared to speak out, basically in fear of repercussions.

"That does not speak well of the organisation, and I feel Max should now step down and cut out of it totally."

Of Mosley's apparent desire to carry on, the Scot added: "That's what puts a shadow over the FIA, that it is being allowed to occur when any other federation would not tolerate it.

"The FIA needs to be run by full-time, fully-paid executives, and completely re-structured to provide correct corporate governance that is totally transparent.

"If he were in any organisation, he would undoubtedly have had to leave, with influence from within.

"The FIA should have more knowledge of life than to allow this to continue, and that is what is showing up negatively against them."

'Strong man'

Jordan, who ran his own team between 1991 and 2004, felt Mosley had proven himself "a strong man" by taking on the News of the World.

But he added: "There's still a slur against him and people don't forget that easily.

"If I was Max now having won this case I would say, 'I'm out of here'."

Former Minardi team principal Paul Stoddart believes F1 is "without credibility" while Mosley remains in office.

He commented: "There are big public companies that probably won't want to be associated with an institution that Mosley, having been exposed like this, has been representing and will continue to represent."

Motor racing legend Moss also feels Mosley's position is untenable.

"I can understand how people feel, and therefore he cannot hold the stature he did before," he told the BBC.

"With a number of countries behind him, that must at least be quite gratifying to him, that he has the right to continue.

"But I think he would probably feel a bit untenable, and I would have thought this has hurt him tremendously."