what is the max mosley scandal?
Oh, you are in for a treat. This might be one of the biggest Formula One scandals, and one that was definitely influential even outside the motorsport community.
CN: mention of sex work, orgies, sadomasochism, Nazis & suicide
Let’s get to know the culprit first:
After an unsuccessful career in F2 during the sixties, Max Mosley (born 1940), who also holds a law degree, founded the F1 team “March racing” and became their team principal. They were a team from 1970 to 1992 and had 205 race entries and two wins.
He then served as head of FISA (an organisation that was part of the FIA, but was later disbanded) from 1991-1993.
After that, he got elected as FIA president and stayed in that role from 1993-2009. He was well respected in that roll — especially for his work on better safety regulations and use of green technologies. There was however some criticism because the teams wanted to get more ad-revenue & at one point weren‘t happy about the regulations (to a point where multiple teams threatened to leave the sport.)
Notable is, that — despite being British — his parents were Nazi sympathisers (they got married in Goebbels office) and even got imprisoned for their views. His father was Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists party.
For some time in his early life, Mosley himself was part of his father's party, but later distanced himself from it and donated to the Labour Party.
He was also related to Winston Churchill and the Queen.
He took his own life in 2021 (aged 81) after learning that he had terminal cancer.
Now for the scandal:
In March 2008 the British boulevard magazine “News of the World” published an article that included a one and a half minute clip taken from a five-hour-long video, filmed with a buttonhole camera, taking place at what seemed to be an orgy between Mosley and five women (one of which got bribed to wear the camera.)
Most notable was, that the five prostitutes wore what seemed to be Nazi uniforms and were attempting to speak German. Mosley did not deny the authenticity of the video, but emphasized that it was just BDSM role-play with no political connection to National Socialism and that he could think of “few things more unerotic than Nazi role play.”
His lawyer (who is German) later claimed that they were modern German air force uniforms and had nothing to do with Nazis at all, and showed proof that the uniforms were bought at a joke store. They explained that they were speaking German because Mosley, who went to school in Germany for years, knew the language. One of the women at one point said something along the lines of, "but we are the blondes. The Aryans." Which Mosley claimed was just a throwaway line he did not hear at the time.
He did admit to a 45-year history of S&M, saying that as long as it is happening in private and with consenting adults, there is nothing wrong with it.
His lawyer also said that while the video was an embarrassment for a man in his position, it was not a real scandal in any form, and sued “News of the World” for damages. Mosley won the case and got 60 000 pounds, and the media was banned from claiming that the orgy had anything to do with Nazis. His lawyers also sent out over 100 cease and desist letters to various media outlets.
Mosley also went in front of the human rights court in Strasbourg about the invasion of his privacy. He was trying to achieve, that journalists had to ask people for permission before publishing private information or at least get a courts' approval for it. He said that if he had to get his life destroyed, he’d rather have a judge do it than a journalist. The case was later rejected for obvious reasons (we don’t have freedom of press for northing).
Following the scandal, the FIA held a specially-convened assembly in Paris on June 3, 2008 to vote on Max Mosley's fate as FIA president. Mosley himself called for the vote, after refusing to resign. In a vote of confidence, Mosley won a secret ballot 103-55.
The German, American, Japanese, French, Australian and Spanish auto federations all voted against Mosley and heavily criticised the outcome, with some even threading to fully withdraw from the FIA. The German motoring federation ADAC, which is Europe's largest automobile organization, went as far as freezing all activities with the FIA.
The main reason the vote went in his favour was the progress he made in terms of motorsport safety, but also because smaller clubs supported him since they received lots of money from the 2007 spy-gate fine. Bernie Ecclestone, who was the F1 boss at the time, was “happy” about the outcome of the vote.
After the vote of confidence, he was able to serve as FIA president until the regular end of term in late 2009. He did however step back from most public relations work and started delegating more tasks.
Mosley still reconsidered running for reelection, but later stood down and endorsed Jean Todt as his successor.
So the next time someone is talking about banning swearing, think of this.
sources:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
