Mosley says retirement a big relief

The Briton has been heading the FIA since 1991 but announced earlier this year he will not stand for re-election in October, when he will be replaced by either Ari Vatanen or Jean Todt.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Mosley said he has grown tired of the battles with the teams and manufacturers over the need to reduce costs in Formula 1.

"The gravity has not really registered with the teams," Mosley told the newspaper. "I've pointed out that, if they're allied to a big car manufacturer, they can literally get a fax in the morning with a P45 to follow. But they don't believe it and it's extraordinary how they fought tooth and nail to keep the costs near the current levels.

"It's also surprising the main boards of the manufacturers didn't back what we were doing. They've got factory closures and yet they're still pumping money into Formula 1. In the end it dawned on me that these CEOs are under such pressure that they simply don't have the time to focus on F1."

Mosley, 69, believes he will have been re-elected if had decided to run for president again, but he says he's simply too tired to continue fighting.

"I know the feeling and that's why retirement will be a big relief," he added. "The work is absolutely non-stop and I always feel I haven't really done what I should've done. And I am tired of the battling. It's more or less, in different guises, the same problems with the same people and you're never going to finish.

"At a certain point it's time to stop. I think the FIA members would re-elect me if I stood but I am getting too old. You've only got a limited amount of time left before you drop off - and do you really want to spend it solving other people's problems?"

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Mosley says retirement a big relief

FIA president Max Mosley says retirement will be a big relief for him later this year, when he is replaced as head of the governing body