Max Mosley, the chief rule-maker in world motorsport, is not attending the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend because he has been told by the Kingdom’s Crown Prince not to show up after revelations of his part in a sado-masochistic orgy with five prostitutes.
Mr Mosley, who is fighting to save his career, had told friends that he would not be going to the race because he is too busy with his lawyers trying to assemble a case for invasion of privacy against the News of the World which on Sunday ran a lurid exposé of his bizarre sexual activities.
But The Times can reveal that Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, has written to Mr Mosley informing him in no uncertain terms that he would not be welcome in the desert kingdom, an embarrassingly clear sign that Mr Mosley’s reputation has been severely damaged.
“In light of the allegations, I suspect you may be deliberating on your planned attendance at the Grand Prix here in Bahrain later in the week,” the Crown Prince told Mr Mosley in a letter sent to him on Tuesday. “I therefore felt it important to convey the position of Bahrain and its people.”
The allegations in question included a video showing Mr Mosley, the son of the Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, engaging in spanking and bondage sessions with five call girls at a West London flat late last week in which he is clearly heard to speak in German.
The paper claimed there were Nazi overtones to the episode, something strenuously denied by Mr Mosley. “Clearly of paramount importance is the success of the event for all concerned — the Kingdom of Bahrain, Formula One and spectators. The focus quite rightly should be on the race. With great regret,” added the Crown Prince, “I feel that under the current circumstances, it would be inappropriate for you to be in Bahrain at this time.”
The Crown Prince concluded by saying that he did not want to add to what he called the “difficulties that you find yourself in” but he hoped that Mr Mosley would understand the position he had taken.
The letter is a big blow to Mr Mosley, the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) the world governing body of motorsport, and underlines that, even as he fights to save his career, he is already a liabilty to his own organisation.
Mr Mosley had planned to attend the racetrack at Sakhir, just outside Bahrain city, tomorrow where Britain’s new star, Lewis Hamilton, will be looking for his second win of the new season. In the evening he had been due to attend a dinner hosted by the Crown Prince. Instead he will have to watch the race on television from one of his homes in England or Monaco.
The letter was sent to Mr Mosley’s address in Monaco and was copied to his friend and business associate, Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire Formula One boss. Mr Ecclestone has stood by Mr Mosley so far, despite widespread revulsion in Formula One at the allegations. But even he told The Times this week that he believed the FIA president should stay away from the race in Bahrain for fear of offending the Royal Family and distracting attention.
The disclosure of the Crown Prince’s letter comes a day after Mr Mosley launched a counter-attack on the News of World in which he claimed sources in the intelligence services had told him that he had been the victim of a covert investigation. Although he did not deny attending the orgy, he made it clear that there was no Nazi connotation. It has since emerged that he will claim that he was speaking in German as he spanked the prostitutes because at least two of them were German-speakers.
Despite Mr Mosley’s conviction that he can weather the storm, few in the sport believe that will be possible. Yesterday there were fresh runours that several of the big car manufacturers — Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW — may be planning to call on Mr Mosley to resign.
Nicknamed “Mad Max” by some in motorsport, he once said he did not mind flak because his family was used to it. Most recently, Mr Mosley stood up against racism by giving warning of sanctions if there was a repeat of the abuse against Lewis Hamilton, the only black driver on the circuit, in Barcelona during testing for this season.
What is Dubai doing in this Jayne? It is part of a different state that is hosting a lot of your compatriots (like me) and ensuring an excellent life for them and allowing them to rise money and support their families and their economy back in UK. think then write..................
John, Dubai,
Books, movies and especially video games allow people to role play or fantasize about all kinds of evil and twisted things including being a Nazi or terrorist or murderous alien from space.If I had the financial Means to hire prostitutes to act in one of my fantasies, I just might try it.
Al , Toronto, Canada
How truly bizarre. If there is anyt truth to the allegations, then it is finally time for Mosley to go. There is just no room for these distractions in any organization.
Mark, Seattle, WA
...and none of the Crown Prince's family and relatives have ever engaged the services of a lady of the night?
And as for Dubai, it is a byword for prostitution!
Jayne Stephenson, Warwick, UK
Just who's advice is Mr Mosley listening to?
He receives letters and is aware of the public reaction but is it Wood's and Purnell's opinions (whose positions depend on Mosley's patronage) that he listens to and advice he takes!
if so ignore the advice and along with Mugabe accept the inevitable and do the right thing.
JTR, B,ham, UK
JHR of Norwich
You'll find that more people watch an F1 race than watch the champions league final. It's behind only the World Cup and Olympics in global TV viewing figures.
So in answer to your question, about 3.6 billion people care. No doubt if they all stopped breathing there'd be less carbon emissions too.
Greg, Sheffield,
Dear Steven Cross from Brisbane
It pains me to contradict you but having read and derived a great deal of entertainment from the many and varied posts on here, there may be strong reason to believe that not everybody likes sex! At least not if anyone is enjoying it.
Esther, London,
During last years spygate scandal and his pursuit of Ron Dennis, Max made public his wish to remove "seediness" from F1.
Simon Adams, Basingstoke, Hampshire
Who cares about F1? Tons of Carbon uses every race and called 'sport' it should go the same way as foxhunting. This is a good start to the campaign to ban this useless waste of money.
JHR, Norwich, England
If he's so unspeakably dumb that he let a camera into one of these evenings - or didn't make provision for the idea that someone may try to sneak one in - then he shouldn't be allowed any say in a multi-million pound sport.
(Sounds about right for a long lucrative career in the civil service though....)
Steven, Sydney,
To all who are so happy with the standards of the Crown Prince, it should be opinted out that Michale Jackson has been spending a lot of time in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
No embarrassment possible there then.
R Spandit, beirut,
I agree with Bernie, it was his private business. So he likes sex, everybody does. So he likes a bit of slap and tickle, most do. Or is it he is actually human?? Surely nobody in the F1 world is human..... Is it possible.
Get over it, the guy had fun, good luck to him.
Steven Cross, Brisbane, Australia
What he does in the privacy of his own sex life is his business! Arn't people allowed to indulge in S&M or speak German, French or any other language with a sexy sound? I think his privacy has been totally violated. Everybody in that Orgy was having a nice time. I'de still employ him!
lollyvox, Southampton,
a persons private life is his own others may not approve but a private life is private. a country where members of the royal family confiscate immigrant workers passport so they cant leave should look at themselves before criticising others
rob, devon, uk
Go now, you will not be missed and perhaps the sport can get along without a petty tyrant who has had his day
Sid Clack, Emsworth, England
I hope Bernie is waking up to the fact that what people do in private is not necessarily "their own affair" and in positions of authority one must behave appropriately at all times. The mere fact that Bernie thinks that way shows the type of person he is. What else does he think should be allowed behind closed doors?
M Jeffs, Bucks, UK
Mosley is an embarrassment to F1 and to the UK. He should disappear from public life.
David, Poole,
The Nazi bit is just the icing on the cake - what is still true is that he was having S&M sex with five prostitutes, in an orgy, on film!!
It is hilarious for the rest of us but really he can't maintain his role in the sport as head of the governing body.
Personally i always felt ambiguous about him but because of the total ultra fascist his father was and the fact that he got to the postion he has done within the sport purely through his influence, shows that there have been Mosley family friends in other areas of F1.
The super rich, superiority complexes, their 'here by devine right' attitudes and their link to the wonderful sport need severing for good.
3 best mates for many decades have controlled F1; Max, Bernie and Ron Dennis - look again at the leather jackets, the silver arrows, the darth vader style helmets - mclaren IS the darkside!! - Hitler would be proud.
Dylan, Sheffield, UK
Bye bye Max, now go away and let the rest of us have an enjoyable GP season.
There was enough distraction last season.
I nominate Jackie Steward as a replacement.
Noel ,Paris
noel dain, Paris, France.
Forgive me if I am mistaken, but isn't engaging the services of a "lady of the night" (to coin a phrase), illegal ?
His current actions plus those of calling a respected figure (Jackie Stewart) a bumbling buffoon (or whatever words he used) are disgraceful. Will this embarrassment to the FIA, formula one and the industry in general, please just go and save any more embarassment !
Daniel, Margate, Kent, UK.
I think all the drivers in all the teams should adopt a multi lateral strike action until this slime is fired. Sadly I suspect the pound signs that replaced their pupils in their eyes when they first entered F1 will make this very unlikely.
Alex, London, UK
Although Mr Mosely's behaviour is not befitting of his office, and the condemnation of his actions by the non antisemetic amongst us is understandable, I suspect not everyone is grieving today, people (or teams) who have been (in ther eyes)
unjustly punished, by the FIA(lead by Mr Mosely) could perhaps
see this as tit after tat.
Why are Mclaren starting from the garage at the end of the Pit lane? It would surely suit some if Mr Mosely did not have a say anymore. It's a dod eat dog world and Big Ron has Big sharp Shiny Teeth.
Will, Hannover, Germany
Daisy, I think it's fairly obvious why the Times keeps up the focus given that it has the same owners as the paper which broke the story!
Mark, Bruxelles,
Other countries should follow Bahrain's lead and do the sensible thing if the FIA doesn't: bar Mosley from the races.
He is a disgrace.
Pierre, London, UK
What nonsense. Formula 1 and the world in general have tolerated suacy behaviour such as this for many years, including, I might add, the oh so pure Kingdom of Bahrain.
Camouflaged by an aura of religious piety, Bahrain has been a venue for Saudis seeking rest and recreation for generations, and some of the recreation has fallen well within the category of unacceptable lewdness. So you lot can get off your pious hobby horses and look at the worlds immorality levels as they really are.
So there.
JG, Alicante,
My question is, if Max Mosley is referred to as the son of the Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, how did he get the title
Sir Oswald Mosley?
Richard , Birmingham,
I find it difficult to believe that people actually are trying to act like people in charge don't have sex or would be interested in role play during sex. It's, according to sources, not illegal to hire prostitutes in UK, and considering that a large quantity of them comes from eastern Europe it's not unlikely that they would understand german better than english (yes, I know, this may be a hard pill to swallow for some british people).
But by all means, let the moral panic rule the day. Just remember that by lowering the standards for unduly conduct may mean that you yourself are the vicitm of a smear campanj sometime in the future.
I dont think this in any way impairs Mosley's proffessional life.
Voyager, Linköping, Sweden
Mosley was quoted as saying "...above all I need to repair the damage to my immediate family who are the innocent and unsuspecting victims of this deliberate and calculated personal attack."
NO MAX, your immediate family are the innocent and unsuspecting victims of YOUR disgraceful and inappropriate behaviour. Don't try and shift the blame for this sorry episode to anyone other than yourself. Your arrogance is utterly breathtaking!
Just for once, do just one decent thing, resign now and spare your family and Formula 1 any further pain and embarrassment.
Steve Mell, Sutton, Surrey
Looks like he's done for. apparently Mercedes and BMW have issued a joint statement:
'The content of the publications is disgraceful. As a company, we strongly distance ourselves from it. This incident concerns Max Mosley both personally and as President of the FIA, the global umbrella organisation for motoring clubs. Its consequences therefore extend far beyond the motor sport industry. We await a response from the relevant FIA bodies.'
If it's true then he's done for. Good riddance.
Richard Williams, London, Gr London
As the British uppers never tire of making clear to the common folk: "Blood will tell".
Typically, Mosley thinks that the only dishonor was getting caught. (He isn't the son of fascists Sir Oswald & Lady Diana Mosley for nothing.)
Fact is, if Bush or the Queen of England (or any married person in an executive position of power and influence) were outed buying German women for the empowerment purposes of beating and humiliating them in sex orgies would anyone be seriously talking "personal, private and harmless"?
cathy hansen, ruckersville, virginia, USA
Good for the Crown Prince! Obviously nobody here had the gumption to tell him his position is untenable. All fearing they might be called "puritan" and "illiberal". But concentration camp-sex is not really a liberal issue. Mr. Mosley is obviously a deeply disturbed person with very serious personality disorders which he will now be able to address. He should be concentrating on that rather than rabble-rouse and take the paper to court.
Delphine, Oxford,
The liberal readers of this site, who seem to be astonished about the furor around Max Mosley’s behavior not being a crime according to his modern society, should know that the vast majority of the world population condemn sexual perversions as moral principles were instilled in the human mind well before western penal codes were drafted. They were the norm even among aborigines in Australia and other smaller cultures in Africa and the Americas prior contact with their monotheist invaders and/or colonizers. Moral values are universal and much stronger that written laws in certain western nations. Congratulations and admiration, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrein! A lesson to the West!
Carlo di Giorgio, Venice, Italy
Mike Heath, Wirral:
What a bizarre chain of illogic you try to argue. That "racism" (which racism? what racism?) is alleged, and therefore Mosley's position is untenable (because his "racism" is immoral, I presume you mean?), but a married man patronising prostitutes is .... simply his private affair?
Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable in any man, and makes him unfitted for public responsibilities.
Immorality is immorality. How mixed up we are now in the West. No-one can call a spade a spade any longer, or see the moral woods from the trees.
Benedict Carter, Moscow, Russia
hmmm -
One - is it wrong that he used prostitutes to play out an S&M fantasy. Well no - I don't think so. People have fantasies - he can afford to enact them & as far as we know - he has hurt no one. They are all consenting adults. His parents may have been fascists - to date we don't know that he is or has acted in any racist way - quite the contrary as the article suggests.
The personal element - ie any deception involved to his family - well that's a different story. He should be allowed some degree of privacy on that matter.
The second - bringing the sport etc into disrepute - well yes - he should resign. What is the comeback from this?? And do we actually want to know the private actions (even though admittedly - its brain fodder) of someone in his position - its just a poor image & sport depends heavily on Image.
Perhaps he should turn his talents to something else - he is clearly very talented.
Esther, London.
Esther, London,
Ok, so apparently calling Hamilton black or dressing as a black is totally unacceptable, while making fun of one of Humanity's most horrendous crimes and having aggressive paid sex is understandable. What's more-it's more understandable that a billionaire who swims in money and has had the best studies money can give so blatantly makes fun of Nazism, while the pathetic low class Spaniards that paid their frustrations dressing up as black people and showing their ignorance were thrown to the lions. Mosely is supposed to represent Formula 1 and he's very generously paid for it. He should resign as soon as possible
Gabi, Barcelona,
Max has often struggled with his massive superiority complex, but how even he can brush off this sordid mess and claim he intends to continue in his role just beggars belief!
Every business meeting, every time he meets foreign dignitaries and every time he tries to exert his questionable authority over the motor sport he is supposed to represent, all in the room will be imagining his hands tied, buttocks being whipped...with the sounds of eins, zwei. drei ringing in the air.
Sorry Max, you are making the sport a laughing stock. It is time to go, before we get to Europe and the fans start bringing banners to make their feelings known.
Tracy, West Mids, , England
If he is shown to be a racist, sure his position is untenable, if you just find his personal behaviour unsavoury then your position is untenable, what right do you have to judge his private behaviour?
Mike Heath, WIRRAL, UK
Congratulations to the Times for upholding democracy and resisitng the abuse of power that seems to be working with another well known daily broadsheet
Mark Taylor, Brighton,
Maybe Nazi games with prostitutes aren't illegal. But it's not illegal for anyone not to want to have dinner with someone as a result.
What I object to is the insinuation that it was somehow reprehensible for him to be "clearly heard to speak in German".
I too speak German - most of the time. Surely it's not the language that's important, but what you say in it. This applies to English too.
alan, germany,
It's interesting to think that the HRH the Crown Prince has been watching the video. (I haven't).
Frank Upton, Solihull,
Well said.
Now let's see others especially those involved in F1 and motor sport in general stand up for common decency.
How anybody could defend the perverted action is beyond me and I would think any other right minded person regardless whether there were the Nazi element. It is simply not normal for anybody to act like this especially a person in charge of one of the world's leading sporting institutions..
I take my hat off to the Crown Prince - well done, it shows he at least has standards.
Dale, Wokingham, UK
No one is above the law! Respectability has a price and does not come free. Mosley should reliase this. Well done Crown Prince.
KKapadia, Leicester,
Is what Mr. Mosley did illegal? If not why are we worrying about it. Is he applying for Holy Orders?
EAG, Maritimes, Canada
Thank you to the Times for reporting this particular story and to carry on reporting on the overall subject.
Sadly, it seems that that the media and even message boards that are normally 'free' have been 'clamped down' by a Power that is 'unknown'.
Daisy, London,
There's no smoke without fire - however, I hope it is all false allegations .
Lets focus on thepositive - go Lewis !
Fer, Basingstoke, United Kingdom
what is there to say,his position is untenable.
peter davies, bridgnorth, uk