
Max's mother was imprisoned a month later. The month after Max's birth, Sir Oswald, who had campaigned for a negotiated peace between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany, was interned by the British Authorities under Defence Regulation 18B, along with other active fascists in Britain. His father had been a Labour minister, and Member of Parliament for both the Conservative and Labour parties in the 1920s before leaving mainstream politics and becoming leader of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in the 1930s. He was also third cousin of Winston Churchill MP, the grandson of the British prime minister and fifth cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. He was a nephew of Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire and first cousin of Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire. On his mother's side they were the merchant banker Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne (born 1930), and the Irish preservationist Desmond Guinness (1931 - 2020). On his father's side, they included the novelist Nicholas Mosley, 3rd Baron Ravensdale (1923–2017). In addition to his older full-brother Alexander, Mosley had five older half-siblings. His father was Sir Oswald Mosley and his mother was Diana, Lady Mosley, one of the Mitford sisters.

Max Mosley was born on 13 April 1940 in London, in the early years of the Second World War.

In 2008, stories about his sex life appeared in the British press, along with unfounded allegations regarding Nazi connotations. He also promoted increased safety and the use of green technologies in motor racing. Mosley identified his major achievement as FIA President as the promotion of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP or Encap). Mosley was elected president of FISA in 1991 and became president of the FIA, FISA's parent body, in 1993. In this role he and Marco Piccinini negotiated the first version of the Concorde Agreement, which settled a long-standing dispute between FOCA and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), a commission of the FIA and the then governing body of Formula One. In 1978, Mosley became the official legal adviser to FOCA.

Together with Bernie Ecclestone he represented FOCA at the FIA and in its dealings with race organisers. He dealt with legal and commercial matters for the company between 19 and became its representative at the Formula One Constructors' Association (FOCA), the body that represents Formula One constructors. The FIA is also the governing body for Formula One and other international motorsports.Ī barrister and amateur racing driver, Mosley was a founder and co-owner of March Engineering, a racing car constructor and Formula One racing team. Max Rufus Mosley (13 April 1940 – ) was a British racing driver, lawyer, and president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), a non-profit association which represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide.
