The FIA has defended Mohammed ben Sulayem over sexist comments made on an archived version of his website, claiming they are "not a reflection of his beliefs".
Ben Sulayem has been president of motorsport's governing body for little over a year, having been elected in December 2021. But it has been far from a smooth tenure so far – this week alone he has already caused a rift with Formula 1 bosses over public comments made about the sport's value.
The FIA has also been under fire for amending the rules to ban unapproved protests by F1 drivers. A human rights group and a House of Lords peer have written to Ben Sulayem in recent days to criticise that move.
