We really did think we had heard the last of Max Mosley. With Jean Todt's new management method seeming to be far less confrontational than the previous regime it looked like F1 could finally put behind it the days of disputes and favouritism between teams and the FIA. Not so.

From retirement comes the voice of none other than Max Mosley who tells us not something positive about the days of yore but instead reveals that when the dispute over the double diffuser was in full force, Luca di Montezemolo was "was on the phone every day saying, 'You have got to sort out the Court of Appeal and make sure we win'."

It doesn't stop there, as Mosley continues his history lesson going way back to 1999 when the FIA Court of Appeal overturned the expulsion of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine from the Malaysian Grand Prix for running illegal barge boards.

It may be more remarkable that Mosley dragged this up than that Ferrari allegedly acted in this way. Pitpass' business editor Chris Sylt wonders why Mosley didn't take us a little further back to 1994 when Benetton, which was on the verge of clinching the title with a certain Michael Schumacher, was hauled before the World Council for removing the filter on its refuelling equipment. It increased the fuel flow rate by an estimated 12.5% giving a one-second saving over an eight-second pit stop. Benetton was leading the championship by a massive 27 points by the time of the German GP when the lack of a filter caused a fire and the subsequent investigation.

Benetton claimed its innocence in a statement saying that it removed the filter "with the full knowledge and permission of the FIA." Its then boss Flavio Briatore added "we have proof and we could prove it in court if we had to." The FIA denied permission had been given and the scene was set for a titanic tussle so the F1 press was surprised, to say the least, when Benetton pleaded guilty before the World Council and got off scot-free.

"The moment that Benetton pleaded guilty, the situation changed. Instead of being out to [prosecute] Benetton, we listened to what they had to say [in mitigation]," Mosley said after the hearing. So why did the team plead guilty? It just so happens that Mosley, who was chairman of the World Council, and later said of his position "I was in a completely neutral capacity," met Benetton's barrister in a bar the night before the hearing, without the presence of the FIA's barrister, and advised him that it was best not to seek to blame any FIA personnel.

Benetton's barrister followed the advice of the World Council's completely neutral chairman and, hey presto, the team didn't even get a slap on the wrist. Perhaps all Luca di Montezemolo wanted was a meeting with Mosley in a bar the night before the Court of Appeal hearing. Having offered something similar to Benetton in 1994 surely Ferrari could have expected the same treatment? After all, what's good for the goose is good enough for the gander.