Can Mosley outchat Ecclestone?

It might seem inconceivable that anybody could be more controversial than the President of Formula 1, but there is someone out there who is reminding us that it is possible. Max Mosley, taking time out from meeting up with hookers for non-fascist good fun, has been speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport and generally disagreeing with lots of things that Ecclestone has been saying.

Hamilton's car, but only for now, the Guardian says Max Mosley says - photo dawvon

Reuters, who report on the interview, record Mosley's views on the idea of introducing a medal system to determine the Formula 1 Champion in future:

"The medals are an obsession of Ecclestone's. I don't see how they would encourage overtaking."

That's in stark contrast to Ecclestone, who proposed the plans in November, had them shelved by FIA last year, and insists they're still the answer to F1's problems:

"It will make Formula One a much more exciting spectacle because it will incentivise drivers to race to win," Ecclestone told formula1.com.

"We should see much more overtaking, drivers will take more chances and they will race each other all the way to the chequered flag."

Mosley also had very little to say in favour of a street race in Rome in the same article:

"I would be surprised if it happened," Mosley said in an interview published in Thursday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I know how much effort and money it costs to organise a street circuit race in Monte Carlo. And Italy has lots of valid permanent circuits.

"Anyway it's Ecclestone's problem, not mine."

Street races are something that Ecclestone likes, and although he has yet to pass judgement on Rome, he has been behind the new street races in Singapore and Valencia, as well as advocating one in Paris, as reported in Sport Business:

He told French newspaper L'Equipe that 2008 would be the last year Magny-Cours would host a grand prix, but said he was hopeful of finding a new venue for the event, which he would ideally like to stage on the streets of Paris.

"We agreed that there would be a French grand prix at Magny-Cours in 2008 but not in 2009," said Ecclestone. "[French] prime minister Francois Fillon told me we would then see if we could have a grand prix in Paris or just outside but that would not necessarily be for 2009, rather for 2010. In any case, 2008 will be the last time we continue like this."

At least it's not Mosley's problem; it's just lucky for us that it apparently is his business to pass comment on these things. One would have thought that he might have learned over the course of the last twelve months that words issued in public can be misconstrued, subtly or otherwise. Still, he does have an opinion on Lewis Hamilton's future:

"If I were Hamilton I would be happy to be at McLaren and I would be happy to move to Ferrari [at some point in the future]," said Mosley.

Mosley, in London, made it clear he was not speaking from any inside knowledge, but said many top drivers over the years have said their careers would not have been complete without a stint with the Italian team. "Gerhard Berger, who spent two separate spells at Ferrari, but never managed to win a world championship, said there was no better feeling that a formula one driver could experience was winning [the Italian grand prix] at Monza in a Ferrari."

So despite not having 'any inside knowledge', and starting the sentence 'If I were Hamilton', the Guardian article's headline reads emphatically:

Mosley foresees Hamilton in red but McLaren right team for now

What?

Still, F1's loudest voices between them hint at a future where Ferrari may one day have Hamilton, as suggested by Mosley, and Alonso, as suggested by Ecclestone. That worked well at McLaren, didn't it?