Formula One and world motor sport washed its hands of Max Mosley yesterday as astonishment turned to anger at his refusal to stand aside as president of the FIA after the publication of further details about his part in an allegedly Nazi-inspired sado- masochistic orgy.

To say that the scandal overshadowed yesterday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, which was won by Felipe Massa in a Ferrari, would be an understatement. It took the noise of 22 V8 engines screaming round the desert track briefly to distract attention from an affair that has consumed the sport and damaged it in equal measure.

After initially publishing details of Mosley’s activities eight days ago, the News of the World followed up yesterday with a detailed interview with one of the five prostitutes involved. It appeared designed to disprove Mosley’s claim that there were no Nazi connotations to the session.

The woman, a 40-year-old divorced mother of two from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said Mosley knew exactly what was going to happen when he arrived at the Chelsea basement that had been turned into a “torture chamber”. “Max knew last week’s orgy was to have a Nazi theme — he ordered it,” she told the paper.

The paper has raised the stakes by sending a copy of the five-hour video to each of the eight members of the FIA’s Senate, who, it is thought, may have the power to expel their president should he persist in ignoring the increasingly vociferous chorus of those calling for him to stand down.

In Formula One there is no team in the pitlane who are speaking up for him. Mosley, 67, has already faced criticism or calls for his resignation from four of the big car manufacturers and five of the national motoring federations that make up the membership of the FIA. Those of the Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Australia and the United States have either expressed serious concern about his position or indicated that they want him out. Only Brazil has backed him so far.

The American Automobile Association (AAA), which represents more than half of the FIA’s 100 million ordinary members, also said that Mosley must resign. Yolanda Clark Cade, the association’s managing director of public relations, called the revelations “very distressing and embarrassing”.

“While this matter may be viewed as private by some, the damage to the image of FIA and its constituents is clearly public,” she said. “For an organisation — and its leader — to exercise the moral authority required to represent millions of motorists and sanction the activities of motor sport they must uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour.

“AAA recognises that Mr Mosley has dedicated many years of his life to advancing the interests of mobility and motor sport. However . . . it would be in the best interests of all concerned if he were to step down.”

In the Bahrain paddock, Niki Lauda, the former world champion who initially backed Mosley, said he had changed his mind. “If Max starts to think about things without emotion, then there can be only one conclusion — he has to resign,” Lauda said.

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One rights holder, is still publicly standing by his friend, but fears about the damage that the scandal is inflicting on the image of his empire are increasing. It has emerged that after the publication by The Times last Thursday of a letter from the Crown Prince of Bahrain telling Mosley not to come to the grand prix, a furious Mosley called Ecclestone, shouted abuse down the phone about the Gulf Kingdom and said he did not want to go there again. Unknown to him, Ecclestone took the call sitting next to the Crown Prince, who is thought to have heard everything. Mosley rang the Bahraini ruler to apologise.