FIA defends Ben Sulayem after reported sexist comments

LONDON : Sexist comments attributed to the head of Formula One's governing body and splashed across the media do not reflect the beliefs of president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA said on Saturday.

The 61-year-old, who was elected in 2021 and has recently been at odds with Liberty Media-run Formula One, was quoted by the Times newspaper and others as saying he did not like "women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not in truth".

The comments, which appeared to be more than two decades old, appeared on an old personal website that could no longer be read online.

An FIA spokesman said however that "the remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the 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 vice-president for sport prove this."

The Paris-based FIA has for the first time appointed a female chief executive, Natalie Robyn, while Tanya Kutsenko serves as the body's first equality, diversity and inclusion adviser.

The FIA also has a commission on women in motorsport headed by Frenchwoman Deborah Mayer and a Girls on Track initiative aimed at increasing gender equality and female participation worldwide.

The BBC said the existence of Ben Sulayem's old website, and its contents, had been discussed by senior figures within F1 since his election but had not been made public until now.

The timing comes after Formula One's top lawyer sent an extraordinary letter to the FIA earlier in the week accusing Ben Sulayem of interfering in the commercial rights "in an unacceptable manner".

Ben Sulayem had questioned on Twitter a reported $20