Teams say Mosley holds key to F1 future

By Alan Baldwin

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) - Motor racing chief Max Mosley holds the key to whether Formula One stays intact or splits into rival series, senior figures in the sport said on Friday.

"The fat lady hasn't sung yet," triple world champion Jackie Stewart told Reuters at the British Grand Prix.

"FOTA (the Formula One Teams Association) have made a decision that they cannot go on with the governance in its present form.

"If there is room for further discussion and the governance backs off from some of its insistencies, it may well be that they can come together under a new set of managements," added the Scot.

"But I think the trouble is that Max has gone too far with this and the teams have suddenly said 'I'm sorry, we can't take it any more'.

"It may well be that Max Mosley has to go."

A standoff between International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Mosley and the eight FOTA teams came to a head on Thursday night when FOTA announced they were preparing to set up their own championship.

That raised the real prospect of a split similar to the one that divided open wheel racing in the United States until recently.