Mosley cut to the quick by old pal Ecclestone

Seven days after Formula One's rule-maker cowered until he bled at the whip hands of vice girls, the deepest laceration was administered ahead of tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix by his closest ally.

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For nearly 40 years Bernie Ecclestone, the diminutive son of a Suffolk trawlerman, has worked hand in glove with the aristocratic offspring of an infamous fascist in revolutionising the sport. A partnership as complementary as Morecambe and Wise.

But even loyalty, it seems, has its limits. 'Max is the president of the FIA and I'm quite sure he knows what should be done and will undoubtedly do it,' said Ecclestone. It seemed to convey everything by omission.

Here was F1's equivalent of the men in grey suits putting their arm around an expired political leader and telling him the time had come to go quietly into the night. Yet Mosley stubbornly refuses to step aside.

Twenty-four hours after four car manufacturers — BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota — called his position into doubt, the message was reiterated by three national federations yesterday.

Importantly, the trio will be present at the extraordinary general assembly meeting of the FIA in Paris, called by Mosley in a desperate attempt to salvage his job.

Germany's powerful ADAC, the largest club in Europe, were first to break ranks. 'In our view, the office of FIA president, representing 100 million motorists worldwide, cannot be burdened by such an affair,' they said. 'For this reason, we advise the FIA president to carefully consider his position in the organisation.

'In the ADAC's view, the FIA . . . should deal with this matter as quickly as possible.'

Then the Dutch spoke out. KNAF president Arie Ruitenbeek said: 'Because of his high-profile position, this can't be accepted. I have not received an invitation (to the assembly) yet but we will go and vote for him to resign.'

Next Israel (MEMSI), naturally aggrieved given reports — denied by Mosley — that there were Nazi overtones to last Friday's Chelsea orgy.

They said: 'The facts, as published in the last few days, are shocking. Once the whole thing is clarified . . . we will make our conclusions known. And they will certainly match the severity of the matter.'

The triumvirate will be among the 133 countries eligible to vote when the assembly gather within the next five weeks. By then, the issue might already be settled.

Could even the brass-necked Mosley survive another expose in tomorrow's News of the World?

Would he resist any further veiled promptings from Ecclestone to bring the curtain down on his controversial 15-year reign? It would be far cleaner that way, seeing as nobody can satisfactorily explain the mechanism within the FIA constitution to overthrow their president.

Even if the majority of federations demanded Mosley's head, it would be a bloody mess trying to enforce it. Arch-critic Sir Jackie Stewart was predictably outspoken. Dismissing the notion he was vengeful after Mosley called him as a 'certified halfwit', the three-time world champion, said: 'He's now in an untenable situation. The FIA involve motorclubs from all around the world with so many different religions, different cultures and sensitivities.

'If he had a government position in Britain, the U.S.A., Germany, etc, or was chairman of a public company or head of the Olympic committee, he would have already gone.

He would not have waited. He would not need to be told. He would know it was the correct thing to do.

'I'm surprised he's still there. It is wrong, and it is wrong that he is convening a special meeting bringing so many people to Paris for an FIA gathering. That's like asking your family if you should go.'

Even the track action was tinged by the controversy. After Lewis Hamilton spun off at the end of the second practice session, the 'incident' was referred to in a Freudian FIA statement as 'an indecent'.

The McLaren driver braked from 110mph at the right-hander towards the close of the second practice session, careering into a tyre wall. His right wheels hung off.

He apologised to his mechanics, who worked into the dark last night to put the £2million machine back together. He reported himself fighting fit for today's qualifying, though Ferrari looked ominously brisk.

Hamilton said: 'I made a mistake. I got caught out by a spiteful kerb. It has no impact on the weekend. There are no bruises to report.' Unlike Mr Mosley