Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone warned on Monday that unease over the position of underfire International Automobile Federation (FIA) President Max Mosley could lead to teams forming a breakaway championship.

Ecclestone — who called for Mosley to step down after lurid allegations about his private life emerged — had previously distanced himself from rumours of a Formula One breakaway, but now appears to have accepted it as a possibility as the sport remains paralysed by the breakdown in his relations with Mosley.

Ecclestone, 77, told The Times: "The teams can do what they like.

"To keep sponsors happy, we are trying to say we can't break away. But it could well be that it will happen."

Ecclestone has been strongly advocating the signing of a new Concorde agreement between F1 teams, his own Formula One Management and the FIA to set out the guidelines under which the sport is run.

But the deal remains unsigned, with disagreements about its content rife between the interested parties.

And the fact that no such deal has been tied up has lead to Ecclestone considering a potential move away from FIA jurisdiction.

"What the FIA doesn't have, which is the most important thing for them, is an agreement with the teams they would have with the Concorde Agreement," he said.

"There is no agreement between the teams and the FIA. There is a commercial agreement that has been signed by the teams and Formula One Management, so the teams can do what they like."

Ecclestone, who met with team principals ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix apparently to discuss the Concorde agreement, also appeared to warn Mosley that a withdrawal by F1 from the FIA umbrella could be a potentially harmful to the governing body's future.

"I am responsible to our investors who have an awful lot of money invested," he said.

"And I am responsible to all the teams and manufacturers, who have an awful lot of money invested. Max is responsible to the people in wherever who have no money invested and nor has the FIA got money invested.

"All they've got is the money that comes from Formula One. If there was no Formula One, the FIA would be in serious trouble."

Mosley has been under pressure since March, when the News of the World accused him of taking part in a "Nazi-style orgy" with prostitutes. The 68-year-old, who won a vote of confidence of FIA members this month, has launched a legal action against the newspaper.

Ecclestone added the scandal was damaging Jewish investment in F1.

"The thing that worries me is that the Jewish community controls an awful lot of the finance which comes into Formula One, directly or indirectly," said Ecclestone.

"They say the FIA shouldn't let somebody like Max represent them."