The FIA has defended Mohammed ben Sulayem over sexist comments made on an archived version of his website, claiming they are "not a reflection of his beliefs".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.
The latest controversy concerning the 61-year-old has surfaced along with views he once expressed on an archived version of his website. In a post in which he opened up on his likes and dislikes, Ben Sulayem said he "loves the desert and I love meeting real people".
But the FIA president also apparently said he "doesn't like talking about money, nor do I like women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not, in truth".
That final line has been spotted by many high-profile F1 figures, who see it as embarrassing for Ben Sulayem. Commenting on the sexist comment, the FIA said it is not a representation of what the president actually believes, and pointed to his "strong record on promoting women".
A spokesperson said: "The remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the FIA president's beliefs. He has a strong record on promoting women and equality in sport, which he is happy to be judged on. It was a central part of his manifesto and actions taken this year and the many years he served as FIA Vice President for Sport prove this."
The sexism controversy comes after F1 lawyers wrote to Ben Sulayem in response to comments he made on social media in response to reports of a bid to buy the sport by the Saudi PIF. The FIA chief had suggested that reported £16bn asking price was "inflated".
Writing to Ben Sulayem, F1 lawyers said: "The FIA has given unequivocal undertakings that it will not do anything to prejudice the ownership, management and/or exploitation of [commercial] rights. We consider that those comments, made from the FIA President's official social media account, interfere with those rights in an unacceptable manner."
