Mosley Dismisses 'Stoddart for President' Reports

Wild speculation that Minardi boss Paul Stoddart is being considered as a possible candidate for FIA president have been dismissed by Max Mosley as a 'joke' â€" although Stoddart himself admits an alternative position within the FIA would appeal to him.

Reports this week have suggested that a group of Formula One teams are considering putting forward their own candidate to stand against Mosley in the elections later this year for the FIA presidency. However, the F1 teams have no voting power themselves and are not that well connected with the worldwide motor organisations that make up the FIA.

Nevertheless, it seems discussions took place at a recent meeting between team principals and Ecclestone about a rival candidate â€" something which Mosley claims was originally put forward as a complete joke, but has been misinterpreted as serious.

"A quick point of my rival," said Mosley, referring to stories of Stoddart's presidential ambitions. "Where my rival got his idea is that in the meeting they were all complaining about me and Bernie said: 'What we need to do is that someone needs to go up against him and I think it should be Paul.

"'I will get some T-shirts printed for Melbourne and they are going to have Paul for president on the front and on the back they will have I know more about slowing the cars down than anyone else in F1.' This was Bernie and apparently Paul and one or two others in the meeting took it seriously. They didn't know he was taking the mickey, and the idea has grown in Paul's mind."

Stoddart himself admits, however, that he would consider a job in the FIA if it was more specific to motor racing and F1.

"The FIA presidency is too wide-ranging a role for me," the Australian said. "But if the job were to be split up, and a senior vice presidency in charge of F1 to be inaugurated, well, yes, that would certainly interest me."