Formula One Teams’ Association chairman Luca di Montezemolo says Max Mosley’s eclipse and the governance changes agreed as part of Wednesday’s breakthrough deal mark an end to what he views as the autocratic way in which Formula 1 has been run.
The FOTA teams claimed the scalp they were looking for when Mosley agreed not to seek re-election as FIA president after his current term runs out in October – although Mosley later claimed it was always his intention to stand down provided the FIA’s authority was not in jeopardy.
Mosley pointed to a clear affirmation by FOTA of the FIA’s mandate as evidence that he had brought the rebel teams to heel.
However, FOTA extracted significant concessions over the sport’s future governance, including restoring the role of the F1 Commission in the rule-making process and transferring powers from the person of FIA president to the Senate.
Montezemolo said FOTA had succeeded in marginalising Mosley and getting its entire agenda on governance and cost-cutting adopted by the World Motor Sport Council.
“The satisfaction is that all of our requests have been accepted,” the Ferrari president told Italian media.
“To us three things were most important: that F1 stay F1 and not become F3; that there is no dictator but a choice of rules, agreed and not imposed; and that whoever had a team was consulted and had a voice.
“Mosley has announced that in October he will stand down, with an irrevocable decision, and that from now on he won't get involved in F1.
“Now finally we have stability of the regulations until 2013.
“I want to thank all our fans, because the public had had enough of these changes.”
Montezemolo said FOTA would not allow Mosley to renege on his promise to stand down, and added that both the FIA president and Bernie Ecclestone had learned to treat the teams’ alliance seriously.
“Could Mosley change his mind? He can, yes, but we won't,” said Montezemolo.
“What has been fundamental is the unity of the teams, of the manufacturers.
“Ecclestone said that he fed FOTA's cards to his dogs, Mosley said that he didn't know what FOTA was; today it seems to me that both of them have something different to say.”
FOTA vice-chairman John Howett also feels the peace deal agreed in Paris on Wednesday will bring a new era of cooperation and “stable, proper governance” to F1.
“I am pleased that FOTA's proposals have been endorsed and approved by the WMSC today,” he said.
“This will ensure that we move forward on the basis of stable, proper governance and this will ensure an outcome which is very good news for all of Formula 1's many stakeholders.
“This has been a challenging period but thanks to the unity of the FOTA teams and the foresight of the World Motor Sport Council members we have achieved the right result for Formula 1.
“We look forward to working with the FIA Senate to achieve a prosperous and exciting future for Formula 1 and its millions of fans around the world.”