Rebel F1 teams call for Mosley to go

The power struggle for the future of Formula One has become increasingly personal. On one side are the teams threatening to break away and start a new series of races. On the other are Bernie Ecclestone, the diminutive billionaire who runs Formula One, and Max Mosley, chairman of the sport's governing body and the great survivor of last year's seedy tabloid expose.

The eight rebel teams - McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - are angling for a bigger share of the sport's revenue, cheaper tickets for fans, and a greater presence in the United States.

They claim that Mosley, who has been the chairman of FIA since 1991, runs motor sport in far too autocratic a way. They have said that they will reconsider their threat to leave Formula One if he is removed from his job. Luca di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari, wants to persuade Mosley not to stand for a sixth term when he comes up for re-election this November.

Speaking before the British Grand Prix, won this weekend by Germany's Sebastian Vettel, Mosley was not exactly conciliatory. "You spend the whole day agreeing something with Red Bull, Brawn, Ferrari and Toyota," he said. "When they go back to the others, who are what we call the loonies, they tear it up."

"This is not about greed, this is about power. I'm not sure if they have a leader. The nature of a loony is that they don't have a leader and you are just all loonies together."

Though Mosley has claimed that he is close to securing an agreement with the teams, they deny this. And Flavio Briatore, the flamboyant Italian who runs the Renault team, was disappointed that Mosley said he had ambitions to become the 'new Bernie [Ecclestone]'.

"I never get personal," Briatore said, "Max should stop insulting people." ·