Max Mosley’s election threat causes uproar

Max Mosley, the president of world motor sport's governing body, the FIA, appears to have suggested member clubs voting for Ari Vatanen in next month's presidential election can expect to be marginalised under a Jean Todt regime.
In an astonishing letter to HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, the Jordan Motorsport chairman and one of Vatanen's nominations for vice-president, Mosley also states categorically that the Finn "will lose the election and lose badly".
The letter, seen by Telegraph Sport, caused an uproar when it was circulated among FIA member clubs attending Thursday's extraordinary motoring conference in Amman, which was hosted by Prince Feisal and attended by Vatanen.
Mosley's tone was said to have caused offence to Prince Feisal, and was described as akin to International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge writing to the Princess Royal to question how she votes for his successor.
Mosley, who was writing to explain why he would not be attending the conference, warned that Vatanen's fierce criticism of FIA governance, which the Finn has described as "stagnant", would have serious repercussions for those who back him.
"Any thought that, after the election, everyone can unite and work together can now be forgotten," Mosley said. "It is not possible to make statements like Vatanen's and then expect the victims of insults and untruths to forget what has been said.
"Vatanen will lose the election and lose badly, not least because he chose to denigrate the FIA and those currently in office rather than run a constructive and civilised campaign."
It is believed the Middle Eastern voting bloc, comprising 44 of the 182 total votes, may now request that the FIA employs an independent body to monitor the election on Oct 23.
Prince Feisal, the brother of the ruling King Abdullah, is understood to be particularly offended since he handed Mosley the chance to make his first public appearance following last year's tabloid sex scandal by making him the guest of honour at the inaugural WRC Rally Jordan. That was after Bahrain's crown prince had shunned the FIA president.
He said in his welcome address on Thursday: "Jordan has always maintained a strong relationship with our president, so I am deeply disappointed by the content and the insinuations of his letter which have raised serious questions as to the credibility of the forthcoming and future elections."
Mosley's tone may indicate that the election race is closer than previously imagined. Three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who made a speech at yesterday’s conference, described Mosley's missive as “a letter of fear”. It is certainly indicative of a wider struggle for votes in the Middle East.
Todt's nomination of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the Automobile and Touring Club for United Arab Emirates, as one of his vice-presidents has gone down badly with some Arab nations and it is believed ben Sulayem has received calls from sheikhs in Abu Dhabi asking him to withdraw from the presidential race rather than shame the Arab community by going up against Prince Feisal, a member of a ruling royal family.
Ben Sulayem was at Thursday's conference, where he became involved in a heated discussion after he claimed that the FIA "would know which way" motoring clubs voted on Oct 23.
Mishaal Al Sudairy, chairman of the Saudi Arabia Motor Federation, told Telegraph Sport that he believes Vatanen now has the support of 80 per cent of Arabic countries while the Finn's camp also believe they have strong support in the Eastern European voting bloc.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/6252376/Max-Mosleys-election-threat-causes-uproar.html