Former Formula 1 boss and privacy campaigner Max Mosley has died aged 81.

Ex-F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone made the announcement, saying he died on Sunday.

“He died last night,” Mr Ecclestone said. “He was like family to me. We were like brothers. I am pleased in a way because he suffered for too long.”

As well as his years serving at the top of the motorsport world, Mr Mosley was known for his campaigning efforts to strengthen press regulation.

He famously took the News Of The World to court in 2008 after the newspaper printed allegations about his private life, successfully suing its publisher after it wrongly reported he had attended a “Nazi-themed” sex party. He later gave financial backing to the court costs of claimants in newspaper phone hacking cases.

Born in London on 13 April 1940, Mr Mosley was the youngest son of 1930s British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.

He was a racing driver and a lawyer before becoming president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula One, in 1993, following previous administrative roles in motorsport, including within Formula 1. He served four terms as president before standing down in 2009.

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