FIA President under fire over controversial comment on women

The FIA, the governing body of motorsports, has come under fire after a sexist comment made by its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was discovered on an archived website from 2001.

The Times reported on the discovery, which quotes Ben Sulayem as saying that he does "not like women who think they are smarter than men."

FIA was quick to affirm its support for Ben Sulayem, stating that he has a strong record on promoting women and equality in sport.

A spokesperson for the organization stated, "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."

This is not the first time Ben Sulayem has faced controversy during his tenure as FIA president.

He has previously been criticized for publicly questioning the monetary value of Formula 1 and for the FIA's restriction of F1 drivers' freedom of expression during race weekends.

Additionally, he has been criticized for failing to respond to a Liberal Democrat peer's questioning of F1's decision to race in countries with poor human rights records.