As president of the FIA from 1993 until 2009, Max Mosley presided over some of the most momentous and controversial times in the history of F1.
A trained lawyer, Mosley first turned to motorsport as a driver, eventually reaching Formula 2, before becoming one of the founding members and owners of the highly successful March team.
He represented March in the Formula One Constructors Association before eventually becoming President of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile in 1991 and then President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile itself in 1993.
A huge facilitator of change for F1 both on and off the track, Mosley was also an enthusiastic advocate for cost reductions whilst in charge. So, six years after his tenure ended, it seems fitting that his autobiography is being released at a time when F1 is back in apparent crisis mode amidst spiralling costs.
As fingers are pointed at those in charge of F1, it’s telling that Mosley is being linked with a return to the sport in an advisory capacity to help alleviate some of the issues currently plaguing the sport for teams and fans alike.
So what can we learn about the man who spent 40 years immersed in the top level of motor-racing from his autobiography?
As opposed to a full chronological autobiography from birth to current day, Mosley has broken his book up into easily digestible sections, so whilst the timelines of events shift back and forth, it means anyone can read the most pertinent or appealing chapters in the order they wish.
At a quick glance, the motorsport fans amongst us could be tempted to head straight to the chapters on “Imola 1994: Senna’s death and its effect” and “cheating” and certainly the section on “Bernie builds his business” which details how Ecclestone has attained his current powerful position.
However, whilst the book is predominantly about motorsport, it would also hold appeal to non-racing fans, featuring chapters on his well-documented personal and private life and his unique upbringing as the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, then leader of the British Union of Fascists.
For those, like me, who only really knew of Mosley for his later role in life, one of the joys of this book is reading about his first foray into motorsport as a driver, having got the bug for racing after watching his first ever F1 event at Silverstone in 1961. The race featured the heavyweight names of Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren – no wonder Mosley was hooked from the start!
“It was an extraordinary moment. I knew instantly this was something I absolutely had to do,” he writes.
In those halcyon days where rules and restrictions were less stringent than today, Mosley was able to finance himself and started competing in Clubmans Sportscars series events, eventually going up against some of the same F1 drivers who inspired him to drive in the first place.
The step up to driving in F2 events featuring F1 drivers, however, proved rather sobering…
“The most intriguing lesson came from observing the big names doing most of their braking in the entrance to the corner, putting the brakes on at the point where I was thinking about taking them off,” he states.
Sadly, in Mosley’s first ever international F2 race in Germany, tragedy struck. Two-time world champion Jim Clark veered off the track and died before reaching the hospital.
It becomes all too clear throughout the book that this is one of the many fatalities that Mosley would bear witness to during his career in motor-racing.
His time as team-owner meant he was present when Roger Williamson died. Trapped in his upturned March car following a collision, he couldn’t escape the vehicle as the flames enguled him. Friend and fellow driver David Purley stopped his own car and tried in vain to get him out, even waving down fellow drivers to stop and help, but sadly Williamson died. Mosley was the one to tell Williamson’s father the terrible news:
“Roger’s father was with me in the pits, asking him if his son was all right. Having watched the terrible scene unfold on a television monitor in a broadcast van behind our pit, I had the awful job of saying I didn’t think he was.”
These events along with the high-profile nature of Ayrton Senna’s death understandably led Mosley to expedite improved safety measures - and the success of the changes implemented mean there hasn’t been a fatality on an F1 track since 1994. The improvement of safety standards will undoubtedly be one of Mosley’s greatest lasting legacies.
Mosley’s book covers a lot of ground ranging from the creation of March’s lesser known six-wheeler to the historic event of Lella Lombardi becoming the only female to have scored a point in F1 whilst driving one of Mosley’s March cars.
It was also interesting to find out how technology utilised in the sport has since been applied further afield. Having an interest in military history, I was fascinated to find out that the British army approached Formula 1 to help them speed up the process of refuelling Apache helicopters in enemy territory, something which F1 was successful in doing, reducing the time considerably.
Max’s autobiography is littered with tales of his political debates, battles and feuds as a FOCA member and from his subsequent roles as FISA and FIA President. Mosley obviously can’t include all details of his extraordinary life and every word said as one of the most powerful men in sport, but what he does reveal is done so with humorous and intelligent prose that makes for easy compelling reading.
For any motorsport fan, it’s a must read.
Don’t miss the F1 Midweek Report for all the analysis of the British GP. Former FIA president Max Mosley and F1 correspondent for The Times Kevin Eason join Natalie Pinkham in the studio. Catch it at 8:30pm on Wednesday July 8 on Sky Sports F1.