Max Mosley will remain president of Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, after winning a vote of confidence on Tuesday from its members following his involvement in a sado-masochist sex scandal.
FIA announced that Mosley had won 103 of 169 votes cast during an extraordinary general assembly at FIA headquarters in Paris.
Fifty-five delegates voted against the motion, with seven abstentions and four invalid votes.
There had been mounting pressure for Mosley to go, from both leading national motorsport federations and also auto industry giants such as BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Honda, which feared for their image and sponsorship money.
But Mosley (68), who appeared in a video on the internet being beaten by prostitutes, will now be able to carry on as FIA president.
Mosley has admitted taking part in the hours-long orgy with five prostitutes, but denied reports that there were Nazi connotations involved and has launched a legal action against the British newspaper, the News of the World.
But many Formula One teams have spoken out against the conduct of Mosley, who has been the FIA president for 17 years and whose current mandate expires in October 2009.
Nearly 20 of the 219 national member clubs had called for Mosley’s resignation, but the Briton still enjoys wide support among small national federations. — AFP
