Jackie Stewart contemplates legal action
Filed Under: F1 News
It appears a new F1 storm may be brewing - FIA president Max Mosley recently criticsed former world champion Jackie Stewart with Stewart now contemplating legal action over the remarks.
Mosley recently insulted Stewart calling him a ‘figure of fun’ and ‘certified halfwit’ whilst talking to British journalists. Mosley himself has no qualms about his comments and stands by them – he explained he is aware that his comments will not be universally agreed with, however his job is not to be liked by the F1 circus and fans.
Mosley also points out that Stewart himself has made some poor comments about the FIA in the past, in particular over the McLaren-Ferrari espionage saga.
“Jackie claimed the World Council were ‘witch hunting’ against McLaren,” Mosley explained. “A witch hunt if the irrational and unjustified persecution of the innocent. To make this and other unfounded and partisan accusations without viewing any of the evidence was not only inept, but thoroughly irresponsible. Such comments could do nothing but damage to the sport. I have no apology to make for having said as much publicly and I am more than happy to repeat this view about him now and in the future.”
Talking to Autosport, Stewart responded, “That legal option is still very open. My lawyers advised me I have every right to do so – and that’s an option I am able to take up. We are in communication – I’m not personally, but my lawyers are in communication with Mr. Mosley.”
Stewart feels that the comments made by Mosley were wrong, particularly given his position as president of the body that governs Formula 1.
It seems Stewart has the support of many in the Formula One community. Ex-champion Damon Hill has publicly shown his support for Stewart saying, “Many dyslexic people are highly intelligent and extraordinarily gifted, as I believe is the case with Sir Jackie. To call him, therefore, a ‘certified halfwit’ would be on the first level unkind, but on another level – indeed the level at which Mr. Mosley would like us to understand he operates on – is nothing other than a wicked joke designed to visit the utmost humiliation on its’ victim.
“Regardless or nor of whether he was alluding to his dyslexia, what he said was a gross insult to one of the sport’s leading figures over the last four decades and a thrice world champion. Not only it is bad manners, it also calls into question the character and judgement of the man who represents motor sport throughout the world through the institution of the FIA. It is most unbecoming of an FIA president and, in my humble view, brought the sport into disrepute – a crime he seems to keen to eradicate.”
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- From Stewart calls for a new FIA President - Forumula1.net, the F1 News and Forum Site | Oct 15, 2007
- From Pressures mounts on Mosley - Forumula1.net - F1 News and Forums | Apr 2, 2008
jc tyler | Oct 11, 2007 | Reply
Isn’t Mosley the person who said at the end of the 90s that he would be the first to ban tobacco advertising if it was proven harmful and its advertising targeting adolescents? And then went and supported tobacco sponsoring AFTER the tobacconists had to admit that they knew smoking was often lethal and their advertising targeting adolescents? BTW Mosley had himself stopped smoking for health reasons before he made the above statements. (If I remember correctly Mosley made those statements on the tobacconists’ health and advertising issues in a Melbourne press conference - must have been around 98 or thereabouts. FiA still has those statements on record. But I digress.) What do we call someone who makes those statements and then turns a deaf ear? A certified fullwit? A figure of disrepute? A funny F1 character? Who votes this guy into office anyway? A bunch of guys who don’t care about F1!!! So in whose name is this certified fullwit speaking? What I’d really like to know is why does this funny character have access rights to the BRDC club at the track? Should people who regularly bring the sport in disrepute really be allowed on the premises? Especially when they attack the man who was a quintessential pioneer of racing security? If it wasn’t for Jackie, a lot of racers would be dead. If it wasn’t for Mosley, a lot of young fans might not have taken up smoking in the last years of tobacco advertising. So who’s got a better record on safety and health? My vote goes to the halfwit, cos the full of wit is too clever for me. So shut up, Mosley, fan of cancerous products, and apologize for having been a public bad example yet again.
jc tyler | Oct 15, 2007 | Reply
As for legal action against Mr Mosley, I sure hope Jackie will not go ahead with this. The Prezzie called you a halfwit, so what? Unless you can prove to me that ONE SINGLE PERSON agrees with him about your wits, tell me you’re not going to waste precious time and ressources on lawyers just because some administrative figurehead called you names? Come ON. Keep up the fight for security and clean racing and let the dogs bark. It’s part of the noise. I mean it’s not like he had called you a SCOTTISH half-wit. If you go to court, the story is going to drag on and taste stale and bore the hell ouf of everybody within weeks. Whereas now everybody wonders how MM could possibly have shot himself in both feet in such a stupid way. Actually, to do that with a single shot… quite amazing really; best boomeranging ricochet in a long time; you used to know a good shot when you saw one, do bow to his skill.
What more can you ask for?
Have fun
XYZ
PS: google this: “famous people with dyslexia”
fav result: http://www.dyslexia.com/qafame.htm
(you looked for your name on the list? gawd, you’re so vain. )
then google this: “List of FiA Presidents”
compare search results.
see what I mean?
jc tyler | Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
now, er, about Max and the matter of being half-witted… how intelligent is it to hire five hookers, play nazi and have your spanked bare-ass shown in public?
No one in history ever brought the sport in more disrepute than Mosley’s butt on YouTube.
He must be removed immediately.
—
On a personal note, never liked him, never will, but I never dreamed he would show that openly how right I am here.
jc tyler | May 31, 2008 | Reply
You may also want to consider this: as we now know mosley likes to be punished and whipped. SO what happens, all this public punishment and whipping… deep inside, he must love it. Don’t do him that free favour, simply ignore him. He’s near a track? Turn your back!
Because really, it’s not a matter of punishing him for his utter stupidity, that would be doing him a sexual favour, it’s simply a matter of keeping the sport from being soiled beyond any limit. NO ONE and NOTHING has ever brought the sport into more disrepute than mosley’s bare balls in the power of a few cheap women.
F1 wants to cut budgets? mosley’s bare butt has already cost tens of millions. But that is not the way we want to do it.
Notwithstanding that his personal sexual preferences provide the psychological explanation behind his public image as a hard-hitting, no-prisoners attitude, if any boss or driver have been caught in half that situation, mosley would have been the very first to scream for removal.
Don’t do him the perverted favour of publicly accusing him, he might just love it, simply tell him to go. The quicker he disappears, the better for F1 in particular and FiA in general.
All facts are in, make a clean cut.
Everything else is unacceptable.
bernification | Jun 1, 2008 | Reply
Nice one jc, more eloquent than I could have hoped to have been.
You only missed out his partisan Ferrari mumblings to list every reason why he’s not fit for office.
I’m glad Sir Jackie didn’t lower himself.
Lets hope the FIA have the guts to ditch him.
jc tyler | Jun 3, 2008 | Reply
The third-rate members of the FiA have decided to back Mosley?
If I was a teamboss I’d wonder if it’s time to rethink the FiA’s structure. For example, is it necessary/desirable to have some third-row banana automobile club members who barely got off their donkeys decide what F1 is all about?
Time to consider a new set up if you ask me.
On a personal basis, if Mosley ever told me in the future what I can and what I can not do, I’d tell him to shove it up his public ass.
The decision was nervously awaited and the worst-case scenario thought it. It has happened and I know two sponsors that will not sign new F1 contracts at the end of the season. Not that they are financial heavies or that the teams they support will now falter, but they dislike the odor and they don’t want it to stick to their products, make them look whorish. After all, who wants to be associated with a bare-assed Nazi-for-fun? Not us.
Goodbye FiA, goodbye F1.