NOVEMBER 17, 2008

Radovan Novak says

The Czech Republic's garrulous FIA member Radovan Novak, who hit the headlines in the summer by suggesting that Max Mosley's sex scandal had been caused by McLaren (a statement he later had to retract), has been holding forth again.

Novak says that he does not believe that Jean Todt is the right person to succeed Max Mosley as FIA President. And says that he wants Mosley to stay on for another term because there is no-one else capable of doing the job. This view is widely held amongst Mosley supporters, although there are others in the federation who supported Mosley in the summer but only on the understanding that he would stand down at the end of his mandate. If Mosley cannot get the support to win the election he will not stand, as he will have no desire to be publicly defeated.

Novak says that Todt will not make it because he "definitely does not have the support of Bernie Ecclestone", which is something that he believes to be "very important".

The news will go down well in Formula 1 circles where no-one seems to be keen to see Todt in the position. He is seen as having the wrong style of management. In F1 he earned a reputation as being a creator of discord and it is clear that the FIA is looking for a compromiser. Mosley seems to now understand that backing Todt was a bad idea and the choice of Nick Craw is seen in F1 circles as a very good sign.