Todt: Teams Trying to Oust Mosley

Speculation about some teams' unhappiness with Mosley's running of the sport was fuelled at the weekend following Autosport-Atlas's revelation that members of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association were concerned about the tone of a telephone call between Mosley and David Coulthard last week.

With the drivers due to meet with Mosley at Silverstone on Friday to discuss the latest situation, Todt believes that the safety arguments are being used as a means of justifying a political campaign to change the running of the sport.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has already called for Mosley to resign following the events at Indianapolis.

"Lots of people don't like Max Mosley, that's clear," said Todt. "I like Max Mosley, so that's the first fundamental difference. I like him, I rate him, I appreciate what he does, and I respect what he does.

"They (the other teams) don't like him, they don't rate what he does and they don't want him to stand again for (presidency of) the FIA. So everything that they can try to do to avoid that, they are trying to do. So we are not on safety, we are not on tyres, we are on politics."

Todt believes, however, that the harder the teams try and get together a campaign to oust Mosley, the more likely it is that Mosley will decide to carry on.

"In my fair opinion I think that is the wrong strategy," said Todt about the team's attempts to get rid of Mosley. "The best way to push somebody to stand for a position is to try to push them not to do it."

Speaking specifically about the criticisms some teams have had about Mosley's handling of the Indianapolis affair, in refusing to build a chicane in the interests of safety, Todt added: "You know the reason I feel it's so unfair is that he did so much for safety.

"When you see now the unbelievable accidents that happen, if you take this kind of accident ten years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, most of the people would not be there to explain the accident to you or to us. Now they are still there.

"So the guy deserves respect. For me it's just fundamental, what he has been doing. Saying that, again, I don't share his views on everything."