Exclusive: FIA Set for Major Overhaul

Mosley's success in getting support for the radical changes means it is now virtually certain that he will stand again for a fourth term as president - although he has yet to officially confirm his intentions.

After calling an Extraordinary General Assembly meeting of the FIA earlier this week to discuss his plans, Mosley subsequently got the support he wanted for the presidency to be run in a way more similar to governments - with candidates now putting themselves forward with a cabinet of deputies.

The idea is to have cabinet members with specific roles throughout motoring and motor racing.

In a letter to FIA's senior representatives worldwide written prior to the meeting, which Autosport-Atlas has seen, Mosley outlined his vision for such changes after believing that the role of president had got too large for one man.

"The FIA has become a complex organisation," wrote Mosley. "Not only is it (as it has always been) the world governing body of all forms of motor sport, but it has in recent years become an important world-wide influence for all aspects of everyday motoring.

"Quite clearly all of this can no longer be managed adequately by just the FIA president assisted by a secretariat. What is needed is a team, almost a government."

Mosley believes that the switch to a government cabinet system will ensure that the FIA are more effective in ruling the sport and motoring aspects, and it would provide greater transparency because presidential candidates would have to go public with their cabinet team prior to an election - rather than simply picking them after being voted in.

The majority of the FIA Senate supported Mosley's plans at Thursday's meeting, despite a planned coup attempt by American Bob Darbelnet to try and turn the issue into a vote of confidence about Mosley's presidency as a whole.

Darbelnet, who has been widely mentioned as a possible rival to Mosley in the forthcoming election, delivered a critical speech about the current president at the meeting, but it appears his comments fell on deaf ears.

Autosport-Atlas understands that Mosley's radical overhaul subsequently secured a 99-27 vote of support - which effectively gives him enough of a gauge to know that if he does choose to stand then he should win the election.

More crucially it appears that Darbelnet's outburst and attempt to use the legislative overhaul as a vote of confidence may have damaged his own chances of beating Mosley.

One FIA insider said: "If Max does stand the indications are that it would be a landslide victory for him. As for Darbelnet, he could be best described as an ex-parrot."

The implications of FIA Presidential candidates now needing a team of candidates behind them also means that Mosley is in a stronger position than he was previously - because it effectively rules out the chances of wild-card candidates coming forward and hoping to capitalise on a negative vote.

As Mosley wrote in his letter: "In order to be successful, a candidate for the presidency would need the open support and backing of major participants in the FIA.

"This would mean that the presidency would tend to go to someone with a team and a programme, both of which had broad support throughout the FIA rather than the backing of any particular interest group."

There have been suggestions this year that F1 teams have been trying to throw their weight behind a rival candidate to Mosley in the election, although the changes will now make their plight incredibly difficult.