Max Mosley in memory: Former FIA president and privacy campaigner dies aged 81

Former FIA president Max Mosley has passed away at the age of 81. The former British driver was well known within the world of motorsport and was close friends with Ex-F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone who broke the news on Monday afternoon. 

Early life

Mosley was born in London during the Second World War on 13th April 1940. Mosley was the youngest son of 1930s British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, and his wife Lady Diana Mosley. 

During the war, both of his parents were jailed and Mosley was sent to school in Germany. He returned to England to complete his education and graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Physics. 

Whilst at the University, Mosley was given tickets to a race at Silverstone. He caught the racing bug and decided to take part himself. Frank Williams, who went on to run the Williams F1 team, prepared cars for Mosley's team in Formula 2. The Brit took part in a race that saw the tragic passing of Jim Clark in 1968. Mosley stopped racing in 1969. 

March 

Mosley stayed within the sport after retirement. He went on to set up the F1 team called March. A team that won three races in F1. The 1970 Spanish GP, the 1975 Austrian GP and the 1976 Italian Grand Prix. Their first season in 1970 saw them finish 3rd in the World Championship behind Lotus and Ferrari. This turned out to be their best result. 

Many famous drivers competed for the team including World Champions Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Niki Lauda, and James Hunt. In 1977, Mosley sold his shares in the team and moved to full-time work at The Formula One Constructors' Association. 

FIA Presidency 

In 1993, Mosley became president of the FIA. In 1994, Formula 1 entered its darkest weekend with the tragic accidents of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola. Mosley decided to attend Ratzenberger's funeral instead of Senna's because he felt it was important somebody went to the Austrian's funeral. 

Following the two crashes, Mosley went on to form a group chaired by Professor Sid Watkins to research and improve safety in motor racing. Many safety improvements came from this group including the HANS device. 

During his time as president, he insisted that Formula 1 cars remained relevant to road cars. He played a big role in ensuring teams would spend future budgets on environmentally friendly technologies and reduced fuel consumption. His tenure as FIA boss ended when he stepped down in 2009. 

Privacy campaigns 

As well as his work in Formula 1, Mosley is well known for his privacy campaigns against the press. In 2008, he opted to take the former British newspaper News of the World to court following a story the newspaper ran. They printed allegations containing details about his private life. He successfully sued the publisher after they wrongly said he attended a "Nazi-themed" sex party. He was also part of the campaign against the newspaper for the phone-hacking scandal. 

Following this, Mosley also played a role in IMPRESS. An independent newspaper regulator in the UK.