Max Mosley, who is currently serving his fourth term as president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), is the son of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s.

He was educated privately in France, Germany and Britain before attending university at Christ Church, Oxford where he graduated with a degree in physics.

At one time he considered a career in politics, but it was thought his family background would count against him.

As a driver at UK national level, Mosley competed in more than 40 races in 1966 and 1967, winning 12. In 1968, he formed the London Racing Team with fellow driver Chris Lambert to compete in European Formula Two. Mosley's best position that year was eighth at a non-championship race in Monza. He retired from driving in 1969 and co-founded March, a racing car manufacturer, which competed in F1 until 1977 and moved into building Indy cars during the 1980s, while Mosley himself switched to the world of F1 politics.

Mosley met Bernie Ecclestone in 1971 when both were on the board of the Grand Prix Constructors' Association. In 1974, Mosley and Ecclestone played a key role in creating the Formula One Constructors Association, to represent the teams' commercial interests with FISA, and in 1977 Mosley left March to become FOCA's legal advisor.

FISA and FOCA spent the early 1980s in a battle for control of the sport, and his development of the Concorde Agreement in 1981 put an end to the dispute, leaving FISA in charge of the rules and FOCA in charge of the commercial activities.

By 1991, Mosley had become president of the sporting arm of the FIA, which replaced FISA. Two years later, he was elected president of the whole federation.

Over the years, Mosley has had a number of arguments with F1 constructors over his plans for the sport, which led to him announcing his intention to resign in 2004, saying that he found discussions with team owners increasingly tedious, but after being asked to reconsider, he changed his mind. His current tenure as president is due to end in October 2009.