FIA president facing criticism over handling of alleged sexism

Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of Formula One’s governing body the FIA, is facing fresh criticism following a claim of alleged sexism within his organisation. The Guardian understands the allegations were not taken seriously in what is the latest in a series of incidents considered poorly handled by Ben Sulayem which have led to widespread unhappiness with his leadership in the F1 paddock.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Shaila-Ann Rao, the FIA’s former interim secretary general for motorsport who left the organisation suddenly last December, had sent a letter to Ben Sulayem and to the president of the FIA senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros, detailing instances of sexist behaviour at the FIA and also complained that the complaint was not investigated properly.

A senior source within the sport confirmed the existence of the complaint. The FIA, however, issued a rebuttal stating it took the allegations seriously and that it had followed procedures.

“With regards to the specific allegations surrounding Shaila-Ann Rao, due process was followed, with an amicable negotiation conducted by the president of the senate and, as such, no referrals were made to the ethics committee. As previously stated, both parties agreed she would leave her position in November 2022 and mutual privacy terms were agreed as is common business practice,” the statement read.

“With regards to the other allegations, there have been no complaints received against the president. Should the FIA ethics committee or compliance officer receive any complaint from a member of staff it will be dealt with in a comprehensive manner by our panel of independent elected ethics committee members which has been in place since 2012.”

The row is the latest in a series of controversies for Ben Sulayem that have caused confidence in the 61-year-old from the UAE to plummet. In relation to this latest altercation one insider told the Guardian: “He is, sadly, an open and running joke in the paddock.”

Ben Sulayem had already become embroiled in accusations of sexism when quotes he had made on his old personal website more than 20 years ago became public in which he stated he did “not like women who think they are smarter than men … for they are not, in truth”.

The FIA reacted to that by stating that the comment did not reflect the president’s current beliefs but Ben Sulayem made no formal statement or apology.

Ben Sulayem has become increasingly at odds with F1’s owners, not least after he made public comments questioning the sport’s commercial value, to which F1 reacted strongly with a legal letter, warning he had interfered with their rights in an “unacceptable” fashion. His initial objection to the increase in sprint races, supported by all the teams and F1, was contentious as was the FIA’s insistence on policing the letter of the law in relation to Lewis Hamilton wearing jewellery while racing. Both were agendas understood to have been pushed personally by Ben Sulayem.

The FIA’s investigation into the controversial decision at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP which decided the championship that season was also dismissed as ineffectual, while its decision to clamp down on drivers expressing their opinions on social and political issues has been met with condemnation from within and without the sport.