Ex-Formula 1 president Max Mosley dies at 81
Amateur racer and March Engineering founder went on to lead FIA from 1993-2009
Max Mosley, the former head of world motorsport’s governing body and one of the most influential figures in the history of Formula 1, has died at the age of 81.
A former lawyer and amateur racer, Mosley was a co-founder and owner of March Engineering, which entered Formula 1 in 1970 and claimed two race victories. He became the team’s representative as part of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), where he became close allies with then-Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone.
As FOCA’s legal representative, Mosley was a key figure in the organisation’s battle for F1’s commercial rights with the FIA, world motorsport’s governing body. He negotiated the first version of the Concorde Agreement, which settled the dispute and was key in Ecclestone’s transformation of F1 into one of the world’s biggest and most profitable sports.
Mosley later stood for and was elected president of the FIA in 1993, holding the position until 2009. During his time leading the FIA Mosley helped encourage F1’s commercial growth and also saw off several breakaway threats. He also pushed through new legislation to improve safety within the sport.
Through the FIA’s road car interests, Mosley also pioneered using F1 and other motorsports to promote the Euro NCAP crash test scheme and other road safety measures.
Mosley stood down from the FIA in 2009, shortly after revelations about his private life appeared on the front page of the News of the World. Mosley won a court case against the newspaper that he brought under the UK’s privacy laws, and went on to become a leading privacy rights campaigner.
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