Max Mosley, the disgraced president of the FIA, has precipitated the biggest crisis in the history of the world governing body of motor sport by refusing to accept that he cannot continue in his post in the wake of revelations about his private life.

Mosley will come before what promises to be a dramatic Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the FIA tomorrow at its headquarters in Paris, where a vote of confidence will be held to decide if Mosley is fit for purpose.

Here The Times answers some of the key questions about the climax to a scandal that has dominated Formula One for three months.

Is Mosley going to survive? The simple answer is that no one knows. The voting membership of the FIA is made up of the heads of national sporting and motoring organisations from all over the world. There have been no straw polls or opinion polls, so most analysts are guessing.

Mosley is said to be “quietly confident” that he will win the vote, but Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One rights holder, has said he thinks that Mosley could “sink” tomorrow.

If you were betting on it, which outcome would you favour? As soon as Mosley’s appetite for sado-masochistic bondage sessions with prostitutes was exposed by the News of the World, Mosley requested of the FIA Senate that an EGM be held to decide his fate. Having been in the post since 1993, Mosley has built up a formidable personal power base within the FIA membership. It has also been said that he has conducted business in an intimidating style and many people are scared of him. Mosley has calculated all along that, regardless of the clamour outside the FIA for him to go, those who elected him will back him and it is hard to argue with that.

Who could play a decisive role in changing the minds of Mosley supporters? There is a minority of member clubs who are openly hostile to Mosley and will vote against him. However, they alone are not enough to defeat him. The key player could be Ecclestone, who is an expert lobbyist in his own right and has this weekend for first time called openly for Mosley to stand down.

Is the EGM a fair and proper way to settle Mosley’s future? Mosley’s inner cabinet of advisers have been emphasising that the EGM is the proper forum for the exercise of a democratic choice by the members. However, while the meeting is expected to be addressed by Mosley himself, there is no provision in the agenda for an opponent formally to propose the contrary case before a secret ballot.

Will the vote be binding on Mosley? Mosley has let it be known that he will stay in the post until the end of his term in October next year, if he receives a mandate, even by a margin of one vote. He has also said that he will resign if the vote goes against him.

Who will vote, how will the votes be counted and who is paying for the EGM? The vote is available to 222 heads of member clubs. However, in recent days the FIA has said this could fall to as few as 180 clubs because those that have not paid their membership dues are ineligible. It is not known how many of these clubs are pro or anti Mosley. The FIA has yet to explain how the vote will be held or how it will be counted. The votes of clubs who choose to abstain will be counted against Mosley. The EGM is thought to be costing well over £1 million and is being paid for by the FIA.

Is it going to be a dramatic affair? There is speculation that Mosley will reveal the results of work by Anthony Scrivener, QC, a member of the FIA Court of Appeal, who was given the task by Mosley to investigate whether the News of the World was right to claim the orgy included “Nazi” role play. Also, and potentially far more explosively, Mosley may reveal some details of a separate investigation by Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington into whether or not there was a conspiracy against him and, if there was, who initiated it.

What will happen if Mosley wins? He will hold a “victory” press conference, then attempt to continue as president but in a way that leaves high-profile and ceremonial duties to his deputies. Its aim is to avoid embarrassing heads of state, politicians and leading figures in motor sport who do not want to be seen in his company. A win for Mosley could precipitate the fragmentation of the FIA with clubs breaking away; it might also lead to a crisis in relations with Formula One, in which the majority of teams, sponsors and venue hosts do not want to do business with Mosley.

What happens if Mosley loses? Motor sport will be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Mosley’s place will be taken by Michel Boeri, head of the FIA Senate, until a new EGM is held within two months, but not more than four months, from tomorrow.