Ecclestone says ready to fight Mosley

Reacting to a letter Mosley wrote to national automobile clubs last week, ahead of the FIA Extraordinary General Assembly meeting on June 3 to decide his future, the Briton warned that the governing body risked losing control of F1 to commercial rights holders Ecclestone and CVC partners if he was forced from office.

Ecclestone has said he was taken aback by those suggestions and has revealed that CVC is to follow up Mosley's letter with their own explanation of the situation.

"I sincerely hope that it isn't a declaration of war because, if that's what the message should be, then we'll have to defend ourselves," Ecclestone told The Times.

"That is what anyone would do. I don't believe that's what Max wanted the letter to say. I don't want to have a war with Max. I hope he doesn't want one with me.

"This whole business is really about what was printed in the News of the World and whether this in any way damaged the FIA clubs or the FIA - that's all.

"It's nothing to do with anything else and I don't quite know why he's come out and said these things. I am sorry if the press have reported things which he doesn't like, but we certainly don't have any influence over the FIA."

Ecclestone revealed that CVC had held a meeting to discuss Mosley's stance and agreed to write a letter to the automobile clubs themselves to set the record straight.

"We have decided we are going to contact all the clubs who Max wrote to, with a reply to the matters raised in his letter," Ecclestone said.

"I think the General Assembly of the FIA was called for one reason only - to decide whether or not they think Max is the right person to be their president. The vote will be on that, not about the Concorde Agreement."

Mosley is to attend this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, which will be his first time in the paddock since the News of the World made allegations about his private life.