Mohammed ben Sulayem, president of Formula One's governing body the FIA, has defended historical sexist remarks and denied claims of misogyny, describing a recent campaign against him as 'inhuman'. The 62-year-old Emirati, elected in December 2021, addressed comments from an archived version of his personal website in which he allegedly said he does 'not like women who think they are smarter than men'.
In an interview, ben Sulayem said the remarks were taken out of context and highlighted his record on diversity, including appointing the FIA's first female CEO and establishing an equality, diversity and inclusion commission. He also criticised quotas for female staff, arguing that women should be appointed on merit.
Ben Sulayem also compared Lewis Hamilton's contentious championship defeat in 2021 to England's 1966 World Cup final win, and reiterated his belief that former race director Michael Masi could return to the sport. Masi was removed after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where his failure to apply correct rules cost Hamilton a record eighth title.
The FIA president faced further allegations in April when the Daily Telegraph reported that former interim secretary general Shaila-Ann Rao had written a letter accusing him of sexist behaviour. Ben Sulayem denied the claims and produced a WhatsApp message from Rao thanking him for hosting her at the Italian Grand Prix.
Ben Sulayem also revealed he was subjected to a racist slur during his campaign for the presidency, and said the attacks on him earlier this year were 'inhuman', especially given the recent death of his son in a road traffic accident.
