Ecclestone says Mosley not returning to F1

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has played down suggestions he is trying to engineer a return to power for former FIA president Max Mosley.

As the sport's problems mount up, it was with surprise and suspicion this week that F1 supremo Ecclestone sat for a 30-minute television interview alongside Mosley.

Ecclestone has identified new FIA chief Jean Todt's deferral to democracy and unwillingness to boldly intervene as a problem, having already admitted that turning on Mosley during the News of the World scandal is a rare "regret".

And Mosley has also said of Ecclestone's role in ending his long reign: "Bernie would be the first to say that was a major mistake."

The joint ZDF interview might simply have been a message to Todt that, if F1 is going to fix its problems, it might take more of a Mosley-style approach.

Ecclestone agrees: "I think Jean is slowly but surely coming around to realising that we've got to pull some teeth out and we've got to get on and do it. If there's a bit of pain, that's how it is."

As for the chance that Mosley is going to actually return to F1, Ecclestone insisted: "No, no, no. He's nothing to do with formula one anymore. He was only there because the TV people wanted to do an interview. He's nothing to do with it."