Dennis Responds to Mosley with Apology

McLaren chief Ron Dennis moved to quell a row with FIA president Max Mosley on Saturday, issuing a letter of apology.

Dennis was responding to a letter from Mosley, made public earlier on Saturday, in which the FIA president had accused him of damaging Formula One with his criticisms.

On the eve of the season-ending Malaysian Grand Prix, Mosley had given the media a copy of his four-page letter to Dennis in which he lambasted him for criticising the FIA, the ruling body of motor sport, and for making comments about the stewards at the Japanese Grand Prix and instructions given at the drivers' briefing.

Mosley took Dennis to task for questioning the appointment of Italian lawyer Roberto Causo as a steward at the showdown Japanese race, when Ferrari sealed the drivers' championship with Michael Schumacher.

"Do you not see the absurdity of your position?" asked Mosley in his letter.

In response, Dennis wrote that he "would be deeply distressed" if "any of my comments over the course of the weekend were to have been interpreted as anti-Italian or disrespectful to Mr Causo."

"I was most careful to explain that I was sure that Mr Causo would act in a wholly correct manner in his postion as a steward of the meeting.

"However clearly some journalists believed that Mr Causo acted for the Automobile Club of Italy and supported Ferrari during their appeal following the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix.

"His appointment therefore as a steward at such a critical event became a subject of debate on which I was asked to respond. If any of my comments were misinterpreted so as to cause embarrassment to Mr Causo then I wholeheartedly apologise."

Dennis said that it had not been his intention "to damage a sport to which I have devoted most of my working life."

He said that during the Japanese Grand Prix, when approached by journalists to comment on potentially controversial matters, his "public comments over the course of the weekend will show that I was in fact fair and circumspect."

But he was less apologetic about his response to the announcements by race director Charlie Whiting at the drivers' briefing about the use of black and white flags to help eliminate unsporting driving and threatened race bans extending to next season.

"We believed that it was possible his statements in the drivers' briefing could impact upon the legitimate use of team orders at a time when such tactics might be of more benefit to our team," he said.

He told Mosley: "I hope that I understand the complexity of Formula One and I believe that the FIA administer a well-run sport.

"I will however contact you directly to discuss all of these matters and I hope that I can put any comments that I have made into their true context."

At a packed news conference at his team offices, Dennis said he had thought "hard and long" about his best response before deciding on a letter that could be released to the media as well.

He declined to make any other comment.

Six weeks ago, Dennis led calls for Mosley to be ousted as president of the FIA, a move that the British president survived before declaring himself set to stand again until 2006.