Pressure mounts as teams turn on Mosley

A joint statement from German manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz labelled as "disgraceful" newspaper revelations that Mosley had taken part
in lurid sex acts, with an apparent Nazi' theme, in a London apartment.

Toyota questioned whether Mosley "met the moral
obligations which come with the position of FIA
president", and Honda said they were"concerned
that the reputation of F1 and all its participants is being damaged".

Condemnation from the world's biggest car manufacturers followed news that the Crown Prince of Bahrain has barred Mosley from attending this
weekend's Grand Prix hosted by the Arabian kingdom, Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa insisting it would be "inappropriate" for him to be present.

The statements represent the first public condemnation by F1 manufacturers on tabloid revelations centred on the 67-year-old son of former British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.

The BMW and Mercedes-Benz statement read: "The content of the publications is disgraceful. As a company, we strongly distance ourselves from it.
This incident concerns Max Mosley both personally and as president of the FIA. Its consequences extend far beyond the motor sport industry."

Toyota stressed it "does not approve of any behaviour which could be seen to damage F1's
image, in particular any behaviour which could be
understood to be racist or anti-Semitic."

Honda said: "It is necessary that senior figures in sport and business maintain the highest standards of conduct in order to fulfil their duties with integrity and respect.

"The Honda Racing F1 Team is extremely disappointed by recent events surrounding Mr Mosley and we are concerned that the reputation
of F1 and all its participants is being damaged. We request that the FIA gives this matter careful consideration and reaches an immediate decision
in the best interests of F1 and motorsport."

Mosley responded to today's dramatic developments by questioning why BMW and Mercedes-Benz in particular chose to comment on the matter without
first consulting him.

He said: "Given the history of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, particularly before and during the Second World War, I fully understand why they would wish
to strongly distance themselves from what they rightly describe as the disgraceful content of these publications.

"Unfortunately, they did not contact me before putting out their statement to ask whether the content was in fact true. No doubt, the FIA will respond to them in due course, as I am about to
respond to the newspaper in question."

In his letter to Mosley, the Crown Prince of Bahrain said: "With great regret I feel that under the current circumstances, it would be inappropriate for you to be in Bahrain at this time."

It is understood Mosley had hoped to remain in office until October next year. But today's developments could make his position untenable.