Apr.1 (GMM) Max Mosley is not currently planning to step down as the president of world motor racing's governing body, the FIA.

His spokesman is telling enquiring members of the media on Tuesday that, while Mosley may not attend the Bahrain grand prix as planned this week, he does not intend to simply succumb to the burden of the Nazi-themed sex scandal that erupted on Sunday.

Indeed, 67-year-old Mosley is already fighting the English tabloid News of the World via his lawyers, and his first victory is the removal of the undercover video from the newspaper's website of his alleged escapade with prostitutes.

Still photos allegedly depicting Mosley with the prostitutes in a downstairs London flat have also been removed from the story, it has emerged.

But his fellow F1 powerbroker, Bernie Ecclestone, warned Mosley against too much bravado, as it emerges that several of the car manufacturers involved in the sport are among the senior voices that are very unhappy.

"I don't think it's going to be easy," Ecclestone, F1's chief executive, told The Times when asked about Mosley's predicament.

"And if he starts to sue, from what I understand, the chances of him winning would be slim and, the trouble is, it's just a lot more ink for the press," Ecclestone added.

"If Max was in bed with two hookers, they'd say 'good for you' or something like that, but this, as it is, people find it repulsive. I think that's the problem."

An unnamed leading figure from one of formula one's Japanese teams confirmed that riding out the storm might not be an option for Mosley.

"It's a credibility and judgment issue -- fantasising about one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century is obviously completely inappropriate," he said.