Vatanen vows to clean up and rebuild F1 as FIA president

SINGAPORE - Former rally world champion Ari Vatanen of Finland Sunday vowed to clean up and rebuild Formula One, as he aims to be elected the new head of International Automobile Federation (FIA) in October.

“F1 will totally fear me,” the 57-year-old Finn told the Singapore Sunday Times newspaper on the sidelines of the F1 Grand Prix in the city-state.

“I want to propose a new start, to develop F1 in the next five or 10 years,” said Vatanen.

“We must rebuild F1 together with common sense, democracy, honesty and openness,” he added.

F1 was in disarray, said the Finn, after a dispute over a salary cap for F1 teams which threatened to split the series and recent scandals like the “crashgate” incident in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Vatanen said his main goal as FIA president would be to strengthen “the FIA family.”

“There are 100 million motorists globally. F1 is just about 20 people,” Vatanen told the newspaper.

“F1 is the richest sport in the capital investment. But not much money is going back to other forms of motor sport. That’s wrong,” said Vatanen, who won the rally world title in 1981.

In his campaign to become the new head of FIA, Vatanen will be up against former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt, whose candidature is endorsed by current FIA president Max Mosley and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Mosley had declared not to run for presidency again on October 23, after his rule came under fire over the conflict on a salary cap and personal scandals involving prostitutes.