Mosley in danger of becoming 'lame duck'

Mosley may have won a vote of confidence to carry on until his tenure with the sport's governing body ends in October 2009 but a number of motoring associations who opposed the 68-year-old are threatening a breakaway faction.

Those who have previously given Mosley the cold shoulder, including the royalty in Bahrain, Spain and Monaco, are unlikely to change their perception of a man caught out by lurid revelations into his private life.

Ecclestone said: "I hope it [the decision] hasn't destabilised sponsors or manufacturers."

It is believed that in the run-up to the vote, Mosley came under mounting pressure to resign. Those influences are likely to have been manufacturers and sponsors concerned about the impact the scandal was having on the sport.

Despite that, Mosley stood firm and will now feel vindicated. But his friend Ecclestone said: "We are now in a position where nobody quite knows what will happen.

"All those who said things in the past, I don't imagine they are going to change their opinion now.

"So it's going to be difficult for him to act as president of the FIA if the people who said before they don't want to meet with him maintain that position."

Should that continue to be the case, Mosley will entrust deputies Marco Piccinini and Franco Lucchese to do his bidding while he performs to the best of his constrictive abilities.

The 24 motoring organisations who last week joined forces and wrote a letter urging he resign represent 86 per cent of motorists worldwide.

But Mosley clearly has his supporters - he received 103 of the 169 votes cast.

George Yanakiev, Bulgarian sporting club president, said: "We have voted for a very successful president who has made this organisation (FIA) a very respectable body throughout the world.

"We considered it would be good for the FIA for Max to finish his mandate. This was the right decision."