Vatanen starts legal action against FIA
The presidential candidate last Friday petitioned Paris' Tribunal de Grande Instance to "impose a number of measures" ahead of this Friday's FIA elections.
The 57-year-old had questioned the trustworthiness of the apparently democratic process, but the FIA protested that its own procedures "already provide more safeguards than those he is asking the court to impose".
Vatanen, as well as his opponent Jean Todt, met with the incumbent Max Mosley on Tuesday, and "Ari Vatanen has withdrawn his court application", the FIA said afterwards in a media statement.
"Both candidates endorsed the fairness of the FIA's proposed voting procedure," the governing body added.
10/16/09 (GMM) Ari Vatanen on Friday commenced legal action against the FIA ahead of his bid to be elected president of F1's governing body.
In a press release, the Paris federation said the Finn, who is taking on Max Mosley's preferred successor Jean Todt in next Friday's ballot, has asked the local Tribunal de Grande Instance to "impose a number of measures" for the election.
Vatanen has been questioning the trustworthiness of the apparently democratic election process, but the FIA press release insists that its own procedures "already provide more safeguards than those he is asking the court to impose".
"The FIA is therefore at a loss to explain the purpose of this legal action, if not merely to generate further negative publicity and to attempt to raise doubts about the honesty of FIA staff," said the FIA.