LONDON, (Reuters) – Former world rally champion Ari Vatanen is considering standing against Max Mosley if the Briton seeks re-election as president of motorsport’s world governing body.
“At the moment I am consulting the member clubs and am already seeing positive feedback,” the 57-year-old Finn told Reuters by telephone from his home in southern France yesterday.
“I am considering standing. I think the time has come for a change,” added the four-times Dakar Rally winner.
“I would go for it, even if not sure of winning.”
Mosley, 69, said last month that he would not seek a fifth four-year term of office in October as part of a deal with Formula One teams calling for a reform of the sport’s governance and threatening a breakaway series.
The Briton has since accused the teams of “dancing on his grave” and suggested that he was under pressure from members of the Paris-based International Automobile Federation (FIA) to stay on.
“I am under pressure now from all over the world to stand for re-election,” said Mosley.
“I do genuinely want to stop. But if there is going to be a big conflict with the car industry, for example with the FOTA teams, then I won’t stop.”
Vatanen said Mosley had done a lot for motorsport, adding that he enjoyed a good relationship with him, but he felt there was a time when every organisation needed change.
Mosley has been a controversial figure in the FIA, most notably last year when he saw off calls for his resignation over a sado-masochistic sex scandal and then won a high court lawsuit for invasion of privacy.
