Ian Bailey

Finally the F1 debacle has finished and even though last week he claimed not to be standing down, Max Mosley will now be standing for re-election as president of the FIA. I can only see this as a good thing, considering the amount of tinkering he has done over the past few years.

There has been far too much drama in the past few seasons; with all the after race penalties, which seemed to vary in severity for very similar offences. Then there is the HUGE change this season in all the aerodynamics etc etc, which has caused its own fair chunk of criticism from fans and teams alike (gotta love the double diffuser). Then there was the bomb shell of the budget cap, as we know has caused a large rift between FOTA and the FIA for going on three months now. He has been involved in controversy since 1993 when he was elected to replace Jean-Marie Balestre, but finally, it will come to an end, or will it? He has said he’s going to resign several times before and never did, so we’ll see.

In the meantime, he’s a list of possible candidates to fill Max Mosleys shoes as the president of the FIA.

Jean Todt
Although he has had a rather large involvement (no sarcasm!) with Ferrari in the past, reading around the web, the general concensus seems to think that Mr Todt will become the next president. He stood down recently as Ferrari executive director, so should really have no “job” at the moment. He also has a large amount of experience, having been involved in motor racing himself, as well as management.

Ron Dennis
Ron is in a similar situation to Jean Todt, having stepped down from his role in McLaren recently. I think Ron is a bit too outspoken to become the next president and has rather personal ties to McLaren to make him a neutral contender.

Sir Jackie Stewart
Sir Jackies name has cropped up several times in my research and he would be an admirable choice. The only problem with Sir Jackie is that he’s getting on, as he turned 70 this year. He also has a large back catalogue of experience in racing, team management and with other organisations, as he is the patron of many.

Ari Vatanen
Another contender who would be well suited is Ari. He was involved in Rally Driving from 1974 to 1998, so has many years experience as a driver and went through some radical changes in the sport himself during that time (various class changes). But more recently, he has turned into a politician and has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1999. He has the political and driving background that Max had when he was appointed, so maybe he might be a good choice.

Tony Purnell
An unusual choice and probably one not many have heard of. Tony Purnell originally worked with Jaguar and then Red Bull when they took over the team. He was removed as team principal in 2005 and replaced by Christian Horner. Since then he has been working at the FIA as a technical consultant, so maybe this is the springboard he needs.

Other notable names:

• Damon Hill
• Alexander Wurz
• Paul Stoddart
• Michael Schumacher
• Dave Richards

Most probable though, Max will go back on his word and be elected for another term!!! Any thoughts on who you think would be a good contender and why?