FEBRUARY 9, 2001

Voting drivers in is wrong says Mosley

MAX MOSLEY, president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, has spoken out against the voting system that saw inexperienced driver Kimi Raikkonen granted a superlicence.

MAX MOSLEY, president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, has spoken out against the voting system that saw inexperienced driver Kimi Raikkonen granted a superlicence.

Mosley was the only person not to vote the young Finn into Formula One, and he believes that the question should never have been put up for vote.

Raikkonen, who has not achieved the success required in the major racing categories to receive a superlicence, obtained one through the use of an exception rule that Mosley said should not have been allowed and must now be reviewed.

"That rule was tended for when, for example, let's say Schumacher were to retire, stay out for a year - when he could no longer be qualified - and then wanted to come back, you would obviously give him a superlicence," Mosley explained.

"That was the reason for the exception, and now it's being used in Raikkonen's case to give him a licence.

"I would say that, speaking purely personally, probably our superlicence system is in need of an overhaul because there are very clear rules about how you get a superlicence - it's all very clear."