The FIA has introduced a number of initiatives in recent years in an attempt to achieve equality in motorsport, with females in particular benefiting from these changes.
The likes of Jamie Chadwick have proven that once given the opportunity, females are more than capable of performing to high standards in various motorsport categories.
The mission to achieve equality has now hit somewhat of a stumbling block however, as FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem finds himself in hot water for some comments he made back in 2001.
On his old website www.mohammedbensulayem.com, the 61-year-old claimed that he did not like “women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not in truth.”
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The FIA have been quick to defend their president, issuing a statement that claims that the comments from 20 years ago do not reflect Ben Sulayem’s views, as he has been heavily involved in many of the schemes that aim to promote women’s racing.
The reaction from F1 fans to the controversy has been mixed, with one use in reply to Reuters’ coverage of the story suggesting that the FIA president should be removed from his role.
“This man should be excused from his position immediately. It’s 2023 and there is no place in society where these words are acceptable. Maybe I’ll spend my time and money on IndyCar and NASCAR and forget about Formula 1,” they posted on Twitter.
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Some fans have taken a different view on the story, suggesting that archived comments from over two decades ago do not necessarily reflect the current views of the 61-year-old, as claimed by the FIA.
“Yeah, the comment does appear sexist but for the love of God, it’s over 10 years old! It’s not an excuse but we, as humans, grow and change making mistakes in the process, digging archives could surely find crap on each on of us. Is there no recent news?”
While the FIA have issued a statement about these unearthed comments, Ben Sulayem himself is yet to address the controversy, with the 61-year-old also finding himself in trouble for a number of other reasons, such as his Twitter posts and a failure to reply to a letter from a Liberal Democrat life peer.