Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of the motorsport board, has been embroiled in yet another controversy, this time over historical comments about “women thinking they are smarter than men”.
The 61-year-old former rally champion from the United Arab Emirates made the comment on his old website.
In an archived version of the website, he says his likes and dislikes are “basic really” with Ben Sulayem saying “I like the desert and I like meeting real people”. But he wrote that he doesn’t like to talk “about money, nor do I like women who think they are smarter than men because they are not in truth”.
The comments will be seen as embarrassing for Ben Sulayem and for the FIA, which has made efforts to promote women in motorsport in recent years.
Ben Sulayem has had a rough time since he succeeded Jean Todt as FIA president in December 2021, just weeks after the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Max Verstappen won his first world championship at the expense of Lewis Hamilton.
The FIA has been widely criticized for its handling of that case, with the relationship between the FIA and the sport’s owners now at a particularly low ebb after disagreements ranging from sprint races to budget caps.
Last week, Formula 1 owners Liberty Media accused Ben Sulayem of making “unacceptable” comments about the value of the championship. The FIA president had described $20bn (£16.2bn). as an “inflated price tag being put on F1”
A letter from F1 and owner Liberty Media to the FIA said the comments “exceeded the boundaries of both the FIA’s remit and its contractual rights”. It added that the FIA ”may be liable” for any damage to Liberty’s value.
The FIA, which has also been criticized for introducing a new rule preventing drivers from speaking out during races on political issues, has been approached for comment.