Mosley: It’s Complicated

Mosley: It’s Complicated is a F1 Motor Racing sports documentary with a difference as it looks at one of the leading figures that has made the sport what it is today but who himself has had his own chequered past filled with controversy and scandal. Available to watch in selected UK Cinemas from 9th July, with tickets available here and available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download from 19th July.

This is the story of Max Mosley, the recently passed away Formula 1 motor racing pioneer, as influential and high profile a figure as you can get in the racing industry. It features interviews from some of the most important figures in motorsport, like his long-time pal and collaborator Bernie Ecclestone, and documents some of the most historic developments of F1 through the life story of this major British influencer at its heart. 

Over the 1 hour 35 minutes it retells how he first got into racing as a driver himself in a quite random fashion before retiring relatively early due to safety concerns. He would then go on to begin his own start up Formula 1 team at March with a pal from Uni and, from an old disused dairy factory, they turned the Formula One industry on its head by outperforming all of the leading manufacturers. Later on in his career he would become instrumental in the development and safety improvements of what we now know as modern Formula One racing and eventually hold the top position as president of the FIA (Formula One Association).

As well as being admired and respected he was vilified by the media and made several enemies in the racing industry not least during the infamous F1 Spy-gate scandal between Ferrari and McLaren. Here he tries to put the record straight as he talks about his family’s dark history and their association with Hitler and fascism (Hitler and Goebbels actually attended his father’s wedding). This marked his early years and put a halt to an ill-fated brush with politics but that tumultuous beginning would return to haunt him towards the end of his career. He was caught up in an incredible entrapment scandal with the media after being captured on camera having sex with 5 prostitutes with an alleged Nazi theme. A privacy battle ensued that saw him significantly involved in the government’s Leveson inquiry that shook the celebrity and media world regarding the level of media snooping.

Most remarkably in his story is how much of his time he’s dedicated to car safety and not just in Formula One. He’s helped turn around a highly dangerous sport into one with incredibly high safety standards by comparison and not just in motorsport but also in car manufacturing as a whole through establishing a properly regulated crash testing system.

It’s a fascinating insight into a sporting legend, who has worked prolifically behind the scenes of one of the most glamorous and richest sports on the planet, dedicating his time to the far less glamorous aspect of its driver safety. He still manages to leave a questionable legacy, in a story that skims through a life full of political and legal intrigue that continues to be of paramount importance today.