Vatanen compares himself to Obama

Ari Vatanen has hit back against Max Mosley's claims that he will 'lose and lose badly' in the FIA presidential elections later this month.

Speaking to the Guardian newspaper he said that he now has over half the votes and believes that the tide is turning in his favour,

"It happens in smaller elections too and this is a Barack Obama thing happening: we believe we have more than half of the votes already and there is a tendency the tide has turned," Vatanen said. "The [Todt] camp has been very faithful to tactics [Mosley has] employed over the years. He has said from the word go that it's a foregone conclusion. But you cannot control people's minds when a fair election is possible.

"I know what the situation is and I am at peace with myself. We're giving people hope and they are grabbing it."

Mosley caused a storm this week when he wrote a letter to Prince Feisal of Jordan, who supports Vatanen, complaining about the Finn's comments that the FIA is a 'stagnant pool' the moment and warning that a vote for Vatanen would create a division in the FIA which could not be repaired.

Vatanen's slogan for this campaign is "Together we can" an adaptation of Obama's famous "Yes we can" slogan from last year's US presidential elections.