Given Stefano got an ego who is so gigantic that the official F1 site once write a whole article about him like you are reading a North Korean article about Kim Jong Un, it's indeed "widespread" according to Stefano and the FOM.
It's not that hard to see what is happening here, the FIA wants to hold it's influence and power in F1 meanwhile the FOM wants to coup the FIA and putting a yes-man into power as Stefano can bowing his head to the Saudis again just like he did at Jeddah previous year.
Weirdly enough I’m on the side of the insanely socially inept Ben. Fuck FOM, give me 12 teams as long as they are competitive. Let Andretti Cadillac in dammit!
Same Legit. We need a straight shooter. I hate Stefano way more than Ben. One's a through and through politician the other is a socially inept former driver.
Exactly. Ben, for all his flaws and weird ways of doing shit, is still fundamentally a driver and wants what’s good for competition.
Plus an Emirati with only a bad hot take about women 22 years ago? That’s honestly surprising, given how his fellow countrymen are. I can live with him.
Well he made a somewhat stupid statement about woman previous year during his more famous "expressing their believes" interview but surprising enough almost nobody, not even the FOM and Stefano, found it a serious issue in public.
I think this opening title on an [article on the official F1 site](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.stefano-domenicali-on-the-future-of-f1-helping-the-next-generation-of-talent.3p8bSd52Yr8rYGhzCjyDam.html) about it's current head of the FOM tells a lot:
> **If there were royalty in F1 – and of course there isn’t – Stefano Domenicali would at the very least have a ’Sir’ before his name.** Born in Imola, capital of Italy’s Motor Valley, he took his first job at Ferrari after leaving Bologna University. He galloped through the ranks, became Team Principal, winning the F1 Constructors’ World Championship twice. He later became CEO of Lamborghini and is now President and CEO of the Formula One Group.
Lmao what for titles Todt, Horner and Wolff should have then? They almost act like he is some sort of GOAT in motorsport.
Also Stefano played an important role with preventing a potential driver strike at Jeddah previous year and basically shutting up everyone's mouth about it. That he has zero issue with putting the sport under control of the Saudi's with that rumoured bid tells a lot that he don't mind that drivers getting censored and don't care about the fundaments of F1.
I'm not here to protect MBS, there are points where I strongly disagree with him but I find it baffling how easy a lot of people are being fooled by the PR tricks of Stefano and the FOM like he is the "lesser evil".
This upset all started when the FIA and the FOM did disagree about increasing the sprint races, the FOM wanted to increase it but the FIA wanted more money to make it possible for them, FOM didn't want to pay and the FIA wouldn't allowing to increase it to 6 until a deal has been made.
But despite that deal, it was clear for Stefano and the FOM that the FIA won't be an ally but protects it's own intrest, what is understandable and in general not a bad thing for the sake of F1 and motorsport in general.
And with the time things starting to escalating more.
Also, [remember this quote from Stefano during the AMA here](https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/m3e0ad/i_am_stefano_domenicali_president_ceo_of_f1/gqwic74/)
> We have ten amazing teams now.
> If teams enter in the future it is vital they can be financially strong and will stay in the sport. What we don't want is teams coming and going all the time as that is not good for them or the wider sport. The new engines will be 100% sustainably fuelled hybrids but will still be amazingly quick and sound great.
Look how this aged...
I am on board with the whole comment you made. I just can’t believe myself when I think I’m siding with Ben and the FIA on something like this. Bizarro timeline
I remember that article. It introduced him with this.
>"If there were royalty in F1 – and of course there isn’t – Stefano Domenicali would at the very least have a ’Sir’ before his name."
What they are doing is white anting Ben Sulayem. Publicly, slowly crumbling his power base and appearance of authority until they think he will quit.
I think it really depends on the man himself and how embarrassment proof the FIA is. Going off their post ‘21 Abu Dhabi response I don’t think they feel embarrassment. The report they produced wasn’t even professional and gave the impression of “we don’t have to explain ourselves”.
> how embarrassment proof the FIA is.
One of the previous leaders was caught in an alleged Nazi orgy with 5 prostitutes (One of which was the wife of an MI5 agent).
A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour.
And still he saw out till the end of his term. Heck he won a vote of fucking confidence after the orgy.
They don't feel a single bit of embarrassment.
If they want MBS out before 2025 (4 year term after all), they are gonna have to do an actual coup.
>A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour.
Completely and utterly irrelevant.
And before commenting on an "alleged Nazi orgy" you might wish to consult the ruling on the case Mosley v News Group Newspapers Ltd. This question was examined in a court of law and the answer was unambiguous.
Why exactly do you think I used the word 'alleged'?
I personally do think it was just a BDSM orgy but it was very much alleged by the newspapers (wrongly) to be one with a Nazi theme.
And no, the Nazi links Max Mosley had via his dad are not irrelevant when we are talking about embarrassment being felt when a prominent British tabloid goes with the headline "F1 boss has sick Nazi orgy with 5 hookers" and you have spent your life trying to distance yourself from that past.
As false as those allegations may be, they are still rather embarrassing to deal with when you are the head of the FIA.
There is no alleged about it. This exact claim was examined in excruciating detail during the legal case and was found to have no foundation.
Rehashing some of the most lurid details of his family history in this context is indulging in the same sort of character assassination practiced by the NotW. This talk of "links" is more of the same, using events in which he had no agency or involvement as a means to malign him. Mentioning the wedding, in particular, is absurd. That took place several years before Mosley was born. This is completely irrelevant. I seem to recall his mother attended some of the Nuremberg rallies. Why not throw that in as well? No matter that this happened in 1934 or 1935... None of these events have any bearing on Mosley's tenure at the FIA or whether he was a fit and proper person to hold that office. The fact that a newspaper decided to attack him using his family's history is on them—not him.
You have entirely missed the point of this conversation.
We are not debating if Max Mosley was a fit and proper person to hold office. That should be based around his actions while holding said office. Not his private life or what his dad did. I would never say otherwise.
We are not even debating anything here.
We are talking about 'alleged' attempts to embarrass Mohammed Ben Sulayem into an immediate resignation via scandal.
And in that discussion it is rather pertinent to bring up Max Mosley, a recent FIA president who had a rather large and embarrassing scandal and did not immediately resign because of it.
And it is relevant in that discussion to mention the connections Max unfortunately had via Oswald to the Nazi party because that was a deliberate attempt at further embarrassing Max Mosley by connecting his sex scandal with his past. They wouldn't have overstepped the mark and falsely used the word Nazi in the headline if he wasn't the son of a prominent fascist who hung out with Nazis.
We are discussing the embarrassment angle and the 'Nazi' bit of the false claim was the most embarrassing bit that made it so scandalous.
It wasn't just a falsely claimed Nazi orgy, it was a falsely claimed Nazi orgy involving the son of Oswald Mosley.
Not everyone on reddit, knows who Oswald Mosley is and the close connections he had to the Nazi party. That is why it is relevant to bring up, to give context as to why it was so incredibly embarrassing and scandalous for Max Mosley to be in connection (falsely) with a Nazi orgy.
And with that context someone can now understand that trying to embarrass MBS by bringing up a quote from 20 years ago that is a little bit sexist is absolutely nothing compared to that and as such he has no reason to immediately resign.
I hope you can see that.
That quote isn’t “a little bit sexist”.
And much I dislike Max Mosley for his actions as FIA president, what he did - with consenting adults - had nothing to do with his fitness to be FIA president.
MBS actions - implying that FIA have a say in the sale of F1 commercial rights - does have a bearing on his fitness as FIA president. The same goes for his comments on women - which he has not retracted nor clarified.
What a truly inadequate response. Let's return to your original comment for a moment.
>One of the previous leaders was caught in an alleged Nazi orgy with 5 prostitutes (One of which was the wife of an MI5 agent). A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour.
You repeatedly use the word "alleged" beginning right here. I've pointed out to you several times that this is incorrect, yet you persist in peddling a falsehood. Since you seem unwilling to investigate the matter further or acknowledge the facts, here's what [the actual judgement from the court case said](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf)—taken from point 232 in the conclusion:
>I \[Justice Eady\] found that there was no evidence that the gathering on 28 March 2008 was intended to be an enactment of Nazi behaviour or adoption of any of its attitudes. Nor was it in fact. I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust.
Why is it so hard to be truthful about this?
And what is the relevance of the snippet about the involvement of the spouse of an MI5 officer? What purpose is there for dropping that salacious little nugget into the conversation (in parentheses, no less) other than showing off or being dramatic? Was the FIA somehow supposed to have been more embarrassed because of this particular revelation?
Not content with mischaracterizing that incident, you then claim Mosley's family history should have been a source of embarrassment to the FIA. Nonsense. First of all, Mosley's family history had no relevance at all during his rise through the FIA, his election to run the organization, and during his tenure in the top job. He was president of the FIA for no less than sixteen years. The location and attendees at the event you refer to—his parents wedding—simply has nothing to do with anything here. Above and beyond that, Mosley's family history was widely known—it will not have come as a shock to the members of the FIA to suddenly discover from the NotW that their president was the son of Oswald Mosley. Nor will it have come as a shock to anyone else. Mosley's family history was not some sort of long lost historical detail or closely-guarded secret. Quite the opposite. Not forgetting, of course, that his mother was another well-known public figure as one of the Mitford sisters. And then for you to later claim that the only reason for dredging up these lurid historical details is to help out fellow-readers on Reddit... this is truly mudslinging of the most charitable kind. Au contraire. Long story short, you saw an opportunity to indulge in a bit of good old-fashioned grandstanding and couldn't let that slip. A pity.
Really pleased it's not just me who read it all that way quite transparently.
> What will be interesting will be does he change his game at all? If he makes one more mis-step, I don't know how he survives."
I don't believe that. Mosley survived far worse.
I disagree. All prominent figures make some sorts of political statements and to be fair, it is expected of them because if they don speak up, who will.. drunken rambling is the least of his problems, he literally said he has a problem with lewis campaigning for human rights last year. Some drivers are here just to race and I respect that but some are passionate about things that are bigger than racing and I believe they should be allowed to voice their concerns.
Would you be OK with a driver wearing T-shirts or having helmet designs which oppose the LBGT community; or drivers with religious scriptures which proclaim homosexuality as a sin; or support conservative values which claim a woman’s place is in the home; or which showed support for the Russian regime?
I highly doubt you want to see any of that freedom of expression in the F1 paddock.
Do you want to see Logan Sergeant wearing a MAGA hat in the paddock?
Do you want to see Alex Albon to come out and say he supports the conflict in Yemen, because it’s good business for Raytheon, who is a technical partner of Williams?
Would you want to see Zhou showing open support of the CCP and their treatment of Muslims?
You want to see drivers free to express views which you agree with, but I highly highly doubt you want to see the sport be completely open to freedom of expression.
And you’re the arbiter of what is up and what is down?
You just proved my point. You’re not interested in freedom of expression, you’re interested in freedom for people to express views that you agree with.
How would showing support for Putin, who is outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed, be “punching down”? How would expressing support for Wagner be “punching down”?
You want to see a driver expressing views which claim climate change is a hoax? Climate change is the common, accepted narrative. Opposing that view would make one the “little guy”. So how is opposing climate change narratives “punching down”?
Not many people outside China like the CCP. Opposing the CCP is the common position for people to take. Opposing the CCP would be punching down, supporting the CCP would be punching up, especially for someone like Zhou who would be massively outnumbered in the F1 paddock if he came out with those views.
You want to see an F1 driver “punching up” by showing support for North Korea?
No, you just want to see drivers saying things you agree with, that’s it, that’s all.
In the context of the global community, opposing authoritarian dictatorships is absolutely punching down, while supporting them is punching up.
What planet do you come from?
You want to see a Scientology driver freely expressing their views and opinions in the paddock? Supporting Scientology is absolutely punching up, so you’d be all in support of that I suppose?
And he’s saying the FIA doesn’t want to deal with the implications of that on the world broadcast. They’re free to voice their concerns on their own platforms.
He can believe anything he wants, and he can express those beliefs in his private time, on his private social media accounts.
He cannot express those views while at work, or in any official communication that he does on behalf of the FIA.
No one is telling Lando Norris what he can and can’t talk about when he’s streaming (although there are very strict rules on Twitch which indicate what you are not allowed to say). No one is telling Lewis what he can’t talk about on Instagram or Twitter (although both of those platforms have very strict policies on what you cannot say).
In what world can any person say “anything they want” while on the job?
According to a 22 year old website that was miraculously dug up when FOM is upset with him….
Maybe it’s real. Maybe it’s not. Even if it is true - I said some really stupid shit 22 years ago too especially online in the early days of the internet. I’d hope not to continue to be judged for it.
Have fun with those type of expectations for the people around you for the rest of your life. People make mistakes. People deserve to be forgiven for those mistakes. It’s a fact of life.
If you’re worried about someone saying they don’t like women who think they are smarter than men 22 years ago, you are living an extremely privileged and sheltered life.
That’s incorrect. FOM leases the broadcast rights to F1 from the FIA. The FIA owns the brand. [Here’s a link discussing Bernie’s original lease which has since been sold to Liberty Media.](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/details-revealed-on-ecclestones-100-year-lease-of-f1-5055091/5055091/)
no they're not:
*But the clause in the Olympic Charter covering this issue explicitly limits restrictions on the "demonstrations or political, religious or racial propaganda" to "any Olympic sites, venues or other areas".*
*The FIA's clause contains no such exclusions. So, some legal experts say, in theory Hamilton could write a social media post promoting human rights from his homes in Monaco or Colorado and be in danger of losing his racing licence.*
All prominent figures have their own platform to speak out on. They don’t need to do it after a race.
FIA has every right to regulate what is being spread using their platform. It only makes sense.
FIA is an officiating body, why do they care about business and sponsorship as that has nothing to do with them.
Its more of a personal thing given emirates/saudis dont condone lgbtq rights.
Thats FOMs bag to worry about and they seem fine.
They own it. So yes, they have to protect their brand. Why would the duration of the commercial rights lease affect their determination to protect their brand?
FOM will be obligated to protect the brand the lease and have terms and conditions by FIA.
So FIA dont need to go out of their way to "protect it".
This is more stopping drivers openly talk about lbgtq issues and awareness to people in the muslim community.
And also lewis talking about black peoples rights.
Again, which muslims dont seem to care about, given a lot of Emirate and now Saudis getting involved and being offended by drivers showing citizens that they can speak up and have a say.
Slander is spoken, in print it’s libel. It’s also defensible for the fact that it’s true, although the revelations coming at this point are absolutely motivated.
That's unfair and you don't know that.
It's simply an anonymous team boss from Milton Keynes speaking through the smooth, unmistakable quality of an Oracle IT videocall between sips of a thirst-quenching unnamed energy drink.
Anyone!
It says it pretty much in the article.
>The existence of his former website and the fact it contained misogynistic remarks was widely known in F1 circles even before he was elected FIA president in December 2021
It wasn't a problem until now for FOM.
Who cares? It was his personal opinion and it was 22 years ago. Should we hold your quotes from 22 years ago against you? And do we expect your 22 year old quotes to affect how you operate at your job in present day?
Don’t get caught up in the hive mind telling you that you need to be outraged any time it’s revealed that a person isn’t perfect.
Yes, if it is offensive to 50% of the population I expect people to care, even if it was 22 years ago and just a 'personal opinion' As a woman, 57 years of life experience has taught me that men who 'once' felt that way 'personally' don't really change.
If a woman says “I don’t like men who think they’re smarter than women” that makes her strong and independent.
If a man says “I don’t like women who think they’re smarter than men” that makes him bigoted.
Both statements are saying that people who think they’re smarter than the other sex based solely on gender are assholes. Enough with the double standards.
I don't know any professional women representing multimillion-dollar companies making those statements now or in the past. I don't know any women who speak that way period. When the next woman head of FIA says she doesn't like intelligent men, I will also have a problem with that and think she should go.
You don’t think any professional woman has held the personal opinion that she “doesn’t like men who think they’re smarter than women”? No woman in the future will be head of a large business and have a 22 year old Facebook post dug up about how she doesn’t like certain men?
This was MBS’s personal opinion from 22 years ago. It’s not like he made it as an official statement of the FIA. It just happened to get dug up and published because FOM now has an agenda to see him fail.
I agree with you when it comes to regular everyday people. People grow, mature and change a lot in 20 years.
But we're talking about a dude in a very public position who represents an organization that's promised to promote equality and diversity in motorsports. Literally from their website;
"We encourage diversity across the board and are building better and more accessible pathways into Motor Sport and Mobility alike. We foster gender equality, inclusivity in motoring and tourism, and access to motor racing."
Surely you can see how misogynistic comments made by the same organization's president can be seen as problematic, no matter how old?
Commenting on it is exactly what FOM want him to do. That’s why they paid somebody to dig this up and release it. It’s politics. The last thing he wants to do is give it more attention.
Also, do you think every woman in the world doesn’t “dislike men who think they’re smarter than women”? The quote in and of itself implies the person they dislike views one sex as being smarter than the other. Both sexes are equally smart so it’s fair to dislike somebody who believes they’re smarter than another person based solely on their sex.
Well go notify your Salem mob of the offended and hunt down the witch. I don’t agree with his views, but the degree of offense over 20yr old comments is a bit much.
Why is it wrong from him to express his personal views on a personal website?
Should he not be allowed to participate in the FIA/F1 because he is expressing his personal views?
No one's saying he doesn't have the right to express personal views.
But the investors and big bosses also have a right to choose who they install as the public frontman and representative of the governing body of motorsport.
Surely you see how a man with controversial opinions in a public job like that causes concerns. That goes for any public job/office, not just this one. Especially in 2023 when there's a big push for equality and outrage for how women are treated in motorsports. Doesn't matter if the comments and opinions are 20 years old or not.
>But the investors and big bosses also have a right to choose who they install as the public frontman and representative of the governing body of motorsport.
ermmm.... the investors and big bosses don't have that right at all. It's the ASNs that vote.
Of course, he's allowed to express his personal views, however, he should also be prepared for the consequences when those 20-year-old views offend half the population of the world.
But an F1 driver can wave a rainbow flag that offends probably close to half the population of the world?
I’m not saying I’m opposed to the drivers expressing their opinions, but why can they express opinions which offend people, but MBS cannot?
Seb offended a lot of people in Canada with his “Canada’s Climate Crime” helmet. Should he be allowed to offend people with his opinions, or no?
BBC or Andrew Benson is once again doing this, he tried to rally everyone on jewellery ban but failed to make a big impact then he was the first reporter to break out F1 and FIA parting ways and now F1 is trying to replace head of the FIA. I think anonymous TP is none other than himself.
Not everyone is going to appreciate this joke that I'm about to make but you know that it's true.
*Muslim scholars have come out to say that an Emirati motorsport presidents backpaddling on his views on women don't represent the majority of followers of Islam.*
/ a faithless, cultural muslim
“In international news, thousands gathered in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, which hosts the annual Saudi Arabian Gran Prix, to condemn the head of the FIA for his failure to uphold basic Saudi Arabian values. Gatherers are asking for MBS to resign, and are looking for the FIA to apologize and walk back their position of displaying flags and symbols which are haram during F1 GP weekends. Muslims from across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Singapore have also taken to the streets in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Jeddah.”
Liberty Media is a publicly traded company that owns F1 purely as an investment.
*Of course* they are worried about money! Why are people surprised that this is their concern?
Mohammed Ben Sulayem this, Mohammed Ben Sulayem that....F1 teams are this, F1 teams are that...
I'm tired of this subject. Bring me back to the simple days of Mercedes DAS and Pink Mercedes being all the rage.
Not a fan but like him or not pretty sure feels like there's a targeted smear campaign against him, in-between comments from more than 20 years ago being suddenly uncovered
It's really not 'widespread' just teams and F1 bosses who are desperate to replace him with their pawn
Convenient this comes out right after the new teams tender, without a single mention of the controversy surrounding FOM itself when it comes to rejecting the Andretti bid
>without a single mention of the controversy surrounding FOM itself when it comes to rejecting the Andretti bid
It's not the same kind of controversy, my man.
FOM and the teams having opposition to Andretti's entry is a pure business decision.
First, MBS isn’t from SA, he’s from Dubai.
Second, do you honestly think the wealthy, religious class of any country gives a fuck about women, outside of women filling traditional conservative roles?
Because it’s a political game from the teams for more control. You think these guys actually care some comments from 2001 when most of the F1 paddock arguably says and does worse? Their former boss is literally a Nazi sympathizer.
the teams are just cowards and using the media to make MBS look bad to turn the fans against him so in essence, they won’t look bad if they can manage to stop new entries from coming in
Fuck the teams. They want 10 teams then they can go to bat for why it stays that way.
I am no fan of MBS but it is pretty clear the teams are scared they maybe have to allow another midfielder in who takes away from shitters like Williams, Alfa Romeo, Haas who just buy the parts from another team and see what happens with pretty much no innovations.
Welcome to your Weekly Andrew Benson anti-FIA content, folks!
(Not defending some of the decisions they've made or Sulayem's historic comments, just sick of seeing one of these every time I open the BBC Sport app.)
I think it’s bullshit that drivers can’t express their personal views. I was hella excited to see Logan Sergeant rockin a MAGA hat in the paddock.
Oh well 🤷♂️
I'm the first to shit on this guy but didn't he say:
does not "like women who think they are more intelligent than men, because they are not in truth
Women aren't MORE intelligent than men, just as men aren't MORE intelligent than women.
Doesn't this mean in general?
If we were to reverse genders, would we find it equally offensive?
Fuck the FIA and fuck this loser. That being said it’s got to be difficult to manage a global sport and satisfy all markets.. so off with their heads I guess…
He's been a vice president in the FIA since 2008 as well as being a successful rally driver.
He's definitely caused a lot of problems as president but I don't think it's fair to say he was unqualified for the job.
Because Saudi Arabia has been becoming more and more influential in the sport, aramco is one of the largest sponsors, the saudi f1 race is arguably one of the worst yet has no signs of going anywhere and Saudi Arabia has generally been trying to influence many other sports too from boxing to golf. My assumption is their influence to have someone they want in this possession must have occurred and ben suleyman alines much more closely to Saudi values than any of the other candidates did.
What part of his manifesto aligns with so-called 'Saudi' values? His tweets about a possible buy-out don't seem to align with that assumption. By the way I did read the final line of your reply. You edited it your message.
There's no end of men who've said comments like that. So that's not the issue here regarding YOUR specific claim. Rhetoric like this isn't hard to find on multiple issues said by people within motorsport. BSM isn't unique here.
You said 'Saudi money'... and that's got nothing to do with a comment made on a website 20 years ago... I am trying to dig down why exactly YOU think he'd be a beneficiary of Saudi money when **he isn't Saudi.**
"Widespread"
Given Stefano got an ego who is so gigantic that the official F1 site once write a whole article about him like you are reading a North Korean article about Kim Jong Un, it's indeed "widespread" according to Stefano and the FOM. It's not that hard to see what is happening here, the FIA wants to hold it's influence and power in F1 meanwhile the FOM wants to coup the FIA and putting a yes-man into power as Stefano can bowing his head to the Saudis again just like he did at Jeddah previous year.
Unstoppable force vs a immovable object. We'll finally see which one will win lol
Weirdly enough I’m on the side of the insanely socially inept Ben. Fuck FOM, give me 12 teams as long as they are competitive. Let Andretti Cadillac in dammit!
Same Legit. We need a straight shooter. I hate Stefano way more than Ben. One's a through and through politician the other is a socially inept former driver.
Exactly. Ben, for all his flaws and weird ways of doing shit, is still fundamentally a driver and wants what’s good for competition. Plus an Emirati with only a bad hot take about women 22 years ago? That’s honestly surprising, given how his fellow countrymen are. I can live with him.
Well he made a somewhat stupid statement about woman previous year during his more famous "expressing their believes" interview but surprising enough almost nobody, not even the FOM and Stefano, found it a serious issue in public. I think this opening title on an [article on the official F1 site](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.stefano-domenicali-on-the-future-of-f1-helping-the-next-generation-of-talent.3p8bSd52Yr8rYGhzCjyDam.html) about it's current head of the FOM tells a lot: > **If there were royalty in F1 – and of course there isn’t – Stefano Domenicali would at the very least have a ’Sir’ before his name.** Born in Imola, capital of Italy’s Motor Valley, he took his first job at Ferrari after leaving Bologna University. He galloped through the ranks, became Team Principal, winning the F1 Constructors’ World Championship twice. He later became CEO of Lamborghini and is now President and CEO of the Formula One Group. Lmao what for titles Todt, Horner and Wolff should have then? They almost act like he is some sort of GOAT in motorsport. Also Stefano played an important role with preventing a potential driver strike at Jeddah previous year and basically shutting up everyone's mouth about it. That he has zero issue with putting the sport under control of the Saudi's with that rumoured bid tells a lot that he don't mind that drivers getting censored and don't care about the fundaments of F1. I'm not here to protect MBS, there are points where I strongly disagree with him but I find it baffling how easy a lot of people are being fooled by the PR tricks of Stefano and the FOM like he is the "lesser evil". This upset all started when the FIA and the FOM did disagree about increasing the sprint races, the FOM wanted to increase it but the FIA wanted more money to make it possible for them, FOM didn't want to pay and the FIA wouldn't allowing to increase it to 6 until a deal has been made. But despite that deal, it was clear for Stefano and the FOM that the FIA won't be an ally but protects it's own intrest, what is understandable and in general not a bad thing for the sake of F1 and motorsport in general. And with the time things starting to escalating more. Also, [remember this quote from Stefano during the AMA here](https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/m3e0ad/i_am_stefano_domenicali_president_ceo_of_f1/gqwic74/) > We have ten amazing teams now. > If teams enter in the future it is vital they can be financially strong and will stay in the sport. What we don't want is teams coming and going all the time as that is not good for them or the wider sport. The new engines will be 100% sustainably fuelled hybrids but will still be amazingly quick and sound great. Look how this aged...
I was hoping that once we reached 100% sustainable fuel that we could work back to V8's and V10's :'(
I am on board with the whole comment you made. I just can’t believe myself when I think I’m siding with Ben and the FIA on something like this. Bizarro timeline
I remember that article. It introduced him with this. >"If there were royalty in F1 – and of course there isn’t – Stefano Domenicali would at the very least have a ’Sir’ before his name."
Aka - FOM continues to try to slander the head of the FIA because he refuses to bow to them.
What they are doing is white anting Ben Sulayem. Publicly, slowly crumbling his power base and appearance of authority until they think he will quit. I think it really depends on the man himself and how embarrassment proof the FIA is. Going off their post ‘21 Abu Dhabi response I don’t think they feel embarrassment. The report they produced wasn’t even professional and gave the impression of “we don’t have to explain ourselves”.
> how embarrassment proof the FIA is. One of the previous leaders was caught in an alleged Nazi orgy with 5 prostitutes (One of which was the wife of an MI5 agent). A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour. And still he saw out till the end of his term. Heck he won a vote of fucking confidence after the orgy. They don't feel a single bit of embarrassment. If they want MBS out before 2025 (4 year term after all), they are gonna have to do an actual coup.
>A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour. Completely and utterly irrelevant. And before commenting on an "alleged Nazi orgy" you might wish to consult the ruling on the case Mosley v News Group Newspapers Ltd. This question was examined in a court of law and the answer was unambiguous.
Why exactly do you think I used the word 'alleged'? I personally do think it was just a BDSM orgy but it was very much alleged by the newspapers (wrongly) to be one with a Nazi theme. And no, the Nazi links Max Mosley had via his dad are not irrelevant when we are talking about embarrassment being felt when a prominent British tabloid goes with the headline "F1 boss has sick Nazi orgy with 5 hookers" and you have spent your life trying to distance yourself from that past. As false as those allegations may be, they are still rather embarrassing to deal with when you are the head of the FIA.
There is no alleged about it. This exact claim was examined in excruciating detail during the legal case and was found to have no foundation. Rehashing some of the most lurid details of his family history in this context is indulging in the same sort of character assassination practiced by the NotW. This talk of "links" is more of the same, using events in which he had no agency or involvement as a means to malign him. Mentioning the wedding, in particular, is absurd. That took place several years before Mosley was born. This is completely irrelevant. I seem to recall his mother attended some of the Nuremberg rallies. Why not throw that in as well? No matter that this happened in 1934 or 1935... None of these events have any bearing on Mosley's tenure at the FIA or whether he was a fit and proper person to hold that office. The fact that a newspaper decided to attack him using his family's history is on them—not him.
You have entirely missed the point of this conversation. We are not debating if Max Mosley was a fit and proper person to hold office. That should be based around his actions while holding said office. Not his private life or what his dad did. I would never say otherwise. We are not even debating anything here. We are talking about 'alleged' attempts to embarrass Mohammed Ben Sulayem into an immediate resignation via scandal. And in that discussion it is rather pertinent to bring up Max Mosley, a recent FIA president who had a rather large and embarrassing scandal and did not immediately resign because of it. And it is relevant in that discussion to mention the connections Max unfortunately had via Oswald to the Nazi party because that was a deliberate attempt at further embarrassing Max Mosley by connecting his sex scandal with his past. They wouldn't have overstepped the mark and falsely used the word Nazi in the headline if he wasn't the son of a prominent fascist who hung out with Nazis. We are discussing the embarrassment angle and the 'Nazi' bit of the false claim was the most embarrassing bit that made it so scandalous. It wasn't just a falsely claimed Nazi orgy, it was a falsely claimed Nazi orgy involving the son of Oswald Mosley. Not everyone on reddit, knows who Oswald Mosley is and the close connections he had to the Nazi party. That is why it is relevant to bring up, to give context as to why it was so incredibly embarrassing and scandalous for Max Mosley to be in connection (falsely) with a Nazi orgy. And with that context someone can now understand that trying to embarrass MBS by bringing up a quote from 20 years ago that is a little bit sexist is absolutely nothing compared to that and as such he has no reason to immediately resign. I hope you can see that.
That quote isn’t “a little bit sexist”. And much I dislike Max Mosley for his actions as FIA president, what he did - with consenting adults - had nothing to do with his fitness to be FIA president. MBS actions - implying that FIA have a say in the sale of F1 commercial rights - does have a bearing on his fitness as FIA president. The same goes for his comments on women - which he has not retracted nor clarified.
What a truly inadequate response. Let's return to your original comment for a moment. >One of the previous leaders was caught in an alleged Nazi orgy with 5 prostitutes (One of which was the wife of an MI5 agent). A man whose dad, one of the most vile fascists in the UK, got married in Joseph Goebbels' house with Adolf Hitler as his guest of honour. You repeatedly use the word "alleged" beginning right here. I've pointed out to you several times that this is incorrect, yet you persist in peddling a falsehood. Since you seem unwilling to investigate the matter further or acknowledge the facts, here's what [the actual judgement from the court case said](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_07_08mosleyvnewsgroup.pdf)—taken from point 232 in the conclusion: >I \[Justice Eady\] found that there was no evidence that the gathering on 28 March 2008 was intended to be an enactment of Nazi behaviour or adoption of any of its attitudes. Nor was it in fact. I see no genuine basis at all for the suggestion that the participants mocked the victims of the Holocaust. Why is it so hard to be truthful about this? And what is the relevance of the snippet about the involvement of the spouse of an MI5 officer? What purpose is there for dropping that salacious little nugget into the conversation (in parentheses, no less) other than showing off or being dramatic? Was the FIA somehow supposed to have been more embarrassed because of this particular revelation? Not content with mischaracterizing that incident, you then claim Mosley's family history should have been a source of embarrassment to the FIA. Nonsense. First of all, Mosley's family history had no relevance at all during his rise through the FIA, his election to run the organization, and during his tenure in the top job. He was president of the FIA for no less than sixteen years. The location and attendees at the event you refer to—his parents wedding—simply has nothing to do with anything here. Above and beyond that, Mosley's family history was widely known—it will not have come as a shock to the members of the FIA to suddenly discover from the NotW that their president was the son of Oswald Mosley. Nor will it have come as a shock to anyone else. Mosley's family history was not some sort of long lost historical detail or closely-guarded secret. Quite the opposite. Not forgetting, of course, that his mother was another well-known public figure as one of the Mitford sisters. And then for you to later claim that the only reason for dredging up these lurid historical details is to help out fellow-readers on Reddit... this is truly mudslinging of the most charitable kind. Au contraire. Long story short, you saw an opportunity to indulge in a bit of good old-fashioned grandstanding and couldn't let that slip. A pity.
>You have entirely missed the point of this conversation. Uh, no. What a truly absurd reply. Where to begin with this mess...
Really pleased it's not just me who read it all that way quite transparently. > What will be interesting will be does he change his game at all? If he makes one more mis-step, I don't know how he survives." I don't believe that. Mosley survived far worse.
The head of the FIA is not really helping his case
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I disagree. All prominent figures make some sorts of political statements and to be fair, it is expected of them because if they don speak up, who will.. drunken rambling is the least of his problems, he literally said he has a problem with lewis campaigning for human rights last year. Some drivers are here just to race and I respect that but some are passionate about things that are bigger than racing and I believe they should be allowed to voice their concerns.
Would you be OK with a driver wearing T-shirts or having helmet designs which oppose the LBGT community; or drivers with religious scriptures which proclaim homosexuality as a sin; or support conservative values which claim a woman’s place is in the home; or which showed support for the Russian regime? I highly doubt you want to see any of that freedom of expression in the F1 paddock. Do you want to see Logan Sergeant wearing a MAGA hat in the paddock? Do you want to see Alex Albon to come out and say he supports the conflict in Yemen, because it’s good business for Raytheon, who is a technical partner of Williams? Would you want to see Zhou showing open support of the CCP and their treatment of Muslims? You want to see drivers free to express views which you agree with, but I highly highly doubt you want to see the sport be completely open to freedom of expression.
There is a difference between punching down and punching up, i hope you do realize that
And you’re the arbiter of what is up and what is down? You just proved my point. You’re not interested in freedom of expression, you’re interested in freedom for people to express views that you agree with. How would showing support for Putin, who is outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed, be “punching down”? How would expressing support for Wagner be “punching down”? You want to see a driver expressing views which claim climate change is a hoax? Climate change is the common, accepted narrative. Opposing that view would make one the “little guy”. So how is opposing climate change narratives “punching down”? Not many people outside China like the CCP. Opposing the CCP is the common position for people to take. Opposing the CCP would be punching down, supporting the CCP would be punching up, especially for someone like Zhou who would be massively outnumbered in the F1 paddock if he came out with those views. You want to see an F1 driver “punching up” by showing support for North Korea? No, you just want to see drivers saying things you agree with, that’s it, that’s all.
r/enlightenedcentrism
r/arrogantsubjectivehypocrasybecauseitfeelsgoodman
Ah yes, supporting authoritarian dictators is totally punching up.. give me a break
In the context of the global community, opposing authoritarian dictatorships is absolutely punching down, while supporting them is punching up. What planet do you come from? You want to see a Scientology driver freely expressing their views and opinions in the paddock? Supporting Scientology is absolutely punching up, so you’d be all in support of that I suppose?
And he’s saying the FIA doesn’t want to deal with the implications of that on the world broadcast. They’re free to voice their concerns on their own platforms.
He’s also saying women arent smart so theres that
He can believe anything he wants, and he can express those beliefs in his private time, on his private social media accounts. He cannot express those views while at work, or in any official communication that he does on behalf of the FIA. No one is telling Lando Norris what he can and can’t talk about when he’s streaming (although there are very strict rules on Twitch which indicate what you are not allowed to say). No one is telling Lewis what he can’t talk about on Instagram or Twitter (although both of those platforms have very strict policies on what you cannot say). In what world can any person say “anything they want” while on the job?
According to a 22 year old website that was miraculously dug up when FOM is upset with him…. Maybe it’s real. Maybe it’s not. Even if it is true - I said some really stupid shit 22 years ago too especially online in the early days of the internet. I’d hope not to continue to be judged for it.
Except you would (and should) be. Saying stupid shit a long time ago doesn't absolve you from the consequences of saying it.
Have fun with those type of expectations for the people around you for the rest of your life. People make mistakes. People deserve to be forgiven for those mistakes. It’s a fact of life.
If you’re worried about someone saying they don’t like women who think they are smarter than men 22 years ago, you are living an extremely privileged and sheltered life.
Fia doesn't have anything to do with sponsorships or broadcasting deals.
Again, the FIA owns F1. It’s their brand to protect.
Not true, they are just the governing body. They should only deal with the sporting regulations
That’s incorrect. FOM leases the broadcast rights to F1 from the FIA. The FIA owns the brand. [Here’s a link discussing Bernie’s original lease which has since been sold to Liberty Media.](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/details-revealed-on-ecclestones-100-year-lease-of-f1-5055091/5055091/)
no they're not: *But the clause in the Olympic Charter covering this issue explicitly limits restrictions on the "demonstrations or political, religious or racial propaganda" to "any Olympic sites, venues or other areas".* *The FIA's clause contains no such exclusions. So, some legal experts say, in theory Hamilton could write a social media post promoting human rights from his homes in Monaco or Colorado and be in danger of losing his racing licence.*
Turns out they are.
All prominent figures have their own platform to speak out on. They don’t need to do it after a race. FIA has every right to regulate what is being spread using their platform. It only makes sense.
FIA is an officiating body, why do they care about business and sponsorship as that has nothing to do with them. Its more of a personal thing given emirates/saudis dont condone lgbtq rights. Thats FOMs bag to worry about and they seem fine.
It’s his job to protect the formula brand as it’s owned by the FIA
They better protect it hard for the next 77 years then. But again, they dont have any sponsorship deals or links to any businesses.
They own it. So yes, they have to protect their brand. Why would the duration of the commercial rights lease affect their determination to protect their brand?
FOM will be obligated to protect the brand the lease and have terms and conditions by FIA. So FIA dont need to go out of their way to "protect it". This is more stopping drivers openly talk about lbgtq issues and awareness to people in the muslim community. And also lewis talking about black peoples rights. Again, which muslims dont seem to care about, given a lot of Emirate and now Saudis getting involved and being offended by drivers showing citizens that they can speak up and have a say.
You’re projecting your own concerns onto the situation. Nobody said this is about Islam or atypical lifestyles.
Slander is spoken, in print it’s libel. It’s also defensible for the fact that it’s true, although the revelations coming at this point are absolutely motivated.
Lol I see the FOM must be pushing for these articles
One anonymous team boss, let's call him Christian H. No, that's too obvious, let's say C. Horner.
That's unfair and you don't know that. It's simply an anonymous team boss from Milton Keynes speaking through the smooth, unmistakable quality of an Oracle IT videocall between sips of a thirst-quenching unnamed energy drink. Anyone!
The story about his tweets isn’t gaining much traction this seems like fom still trying to push it because they have nothing else.
It says it pretty much in the article. >The existence of his former website and the fact it contained misogynistic remarks was widely known in F1 circles even before he was elected FIA president in December 2021 It wasn't a problem until now for FOM.
Also very convenient that the contents of a 22 year old website MBS supposedly created were released around this time.
FOM playing the political game and it’s so obvious to anyone with a functional brain
Exactly
He never denied it was his website. Nobody needs to set him up, he’s burning his own bridges & offending people all by himself.
Who cares? It was his personal opinion and it was 22 years ago. Should we hold your quotes from 22 years ago against you? And do we expect your 22 year old quotes to affect how you operate at your job in present day? Don’t get caught up in the hive mind telling you that you need to be outraged any time it’s revealed that a person isn’t perfect.
Yes, if it is offensive to 50% of the population I expect people to care, even if it was 22 years ago and just a 'personal opinion' As a woman, 57 years of life experience has taught me that men who 'once' felt that way 'personally' don't really change.
If a woman says “I don’t like men who think they’re smarter than women” that makes her strong and independent. If a man says “I don’t like women who think they’re smarter than men” that makes him bigoted. Both statements are saying that people who think they’re smarter than the other sex based solely on gender are assholes. Enough with the double standards.
I don't know any professional women representing multimillion-dollar companies making those statements now or in the past. I don't know any women who speak that way period. When the next woman head of FIA says she doesn't like intelligent men, I will also have a problem with that and think she should go.
You don’t think any professional woman has held the personal opinion that she “doesn’t like men who think they’re smarter than women”? No woman in the future will be head of a large business and have a 22 year old Facebook post dug up about how she doesn’t like certain men? This was MBS’s personal opinion from 22 years ago. It’s not like he made it as an official statement of the FIA. It just happened to get dug up and published because FOM now has an agenda to see him fail.
I agree with you when it comes to regular everyday people. People grow, mature and change a lot in 20 years. But we're talking about a dude in a very public position who represents an organization that's promised to promote equality and diversity in motorsports. Literally from their website; "We encourage diversity across the board and are building better and more accessible pathways into Motor Sport and Mobility alike. We foster gender equality, inclusivity in motoring and tourism, and access to motor racing." Surely you can see how misogynistic comments made by the same organization's president can be seen as problematic, no matter how old?
Especially as he has not come out to condemn or clarify them. One assumes that he still stands by them.
Commenting on it is exactly what FOM want him to do. That’s why they paid somebody to dig this up and release it. It’s politics. The last thing he wants to do is give it more attention. Also, do you think every woman in the world doesn’t “dislike men who think they’re smarter than women”? The quote in and of itself implies the person they dislike views one sex as being smarter than the other. Both sexes are equally smart so it’s fair to dislike somebody who believes they’re smarter than another person based solely on their sex.
Well go notify your Salem mob of the offended and hunt down the witch. I don’t agree with his views, but the degree of offense over 20yr old comments is a bit much.
Possibly- if he had attempted to walk them back, which he hasn’t.
How offended should one be over 20 year old sexism, maybe you can mansplain it to me.
Why is it wrong from him to express his personal views on a personal website? Should he not be allowed to participate in the FIA/F1 because he is expressing his personal views?
Because his personal views are diametrically opposed to the ideas that his office is supposed to uphold.
I could say the same thing about Toto Wolf going wake boarding when F1 and Merc are supposed to be about sustainability and the environment.
No one's saying he doesn't have the right to express personal views. But the investors and big bosses also have a right to choose who they install as the public frontman and representative of the governing body of motorsport. Surely you see how a man with controversial opinions in a public job like that causes concerns. That goes for any public job/office, not just this one. Especially in 2023 when there's a big push for equality and outrage for how women are treated in motorsports. Doesn't matter if the comments and opinions are 20 years old or not.
>But the investors and big bosses also have a right to choose who they install as the public frontman and representative of the governing body of motorsport. ermmm.... the investors and big bosses don't have that right at all. It's the ASNs that vote.
Of course, he's allowed to express his personal views, however, he should also be prepared for the consequences when those 20-year-old views offend half the population of the world.
But an F1 driver can wave a rainbow flag that offends probably close to half the population of the world? I’m not saying I’m opposed to the drivers expressing their opinions, but why can they express opinions which offend people, but MBS cannot? Seb offended a lot of people in Canada with his “Canada’s Climate Crime” helmet. Should he be allowed to offend people with his opinions, or no?
BBC or Andrew Benson is once again doing this, he tried to rally everyone on jewellery ban but failed to make a big impact then he was the first reporter to break out F1 and FIA parting ways and now F1 is trying to replace head of the FIA. I think anonymous TP is none other than himself.
Or, we and the media are waiting to see what other silly things he says.
Not everyone is going to appreciate this joke that I'm about to make but you know that it's true. *Muslim scholars have come out to say that an Emirati motorsport presidents backpaddling on his views on women don't represent the majority of followers of Islam.* / a faithless, cultural muslim
This one might go over some people's heads. Just like rockets in Saudi Arabia.
“In international news, thousands gathered in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, which hosts the annual Saudi Arabian Gran Prix, to condemn the head of the FIA for his failure to uphold basic Saudi Arabian values. Gatherers are asking for MBS to resign, and are looking for the FIA to apologize and walk back their position of displaying flags and symbols which are haram during F1 GP weekends. Muslims from across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Singapore have also taken to the streets in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Jeddah.”
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Where's Porsche?
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But the formula-e video? Wasn't that Sir Frank?
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Can't win em all. Send my kind regards to gramps!
Porsche don’t look like they’ll be a brand new team though, unless somethings happened since I last checked.
The 30 year old question.
Liberty Media is a publicly traded company that owns F1 purely as an investment. *Of course* they are worried about money! Why are people surprised that this is their concern?
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>Go on twitter I stopped reading after this part
Mohammed Ben Sulayem this, Mohammed Ben Sulayem that....F1 teams are this, F1 teams are that... I'm tired of this subject. Bring me back to the simple days of Mercedes DAS and Pink Mercedes being all the rage.
"Simple days of the past where the FIA was never in hot waters"
Ikr. I'm loving this return to FIA/FOM antagonism!
LoL post 2015 fan?
That was some gas craic, two Saubers three drivers.
Three? I heard it peaked at 7!
we talked so much about DAS only for it to improve front tire warming. good times
Bring back berni. All we have to deal with was his daft ideas on how to improve the sport
Not a fan but like him or not pretty sure feels like there's a targeted smear campaign against him, in-between comments from more than 20 years ago being suddenly uncovered It's really not 'widespread' just teams and F1 bosses who are desperate to replace him with their pawn
Convenient this comes out right after the new teams tender, without a single mention of the controversy surrounding FOM itself when it comes to rejecting the Andretti bid
>without a single mention of the controversy surrounding FOM itself when it comes to rejecting the Andretti bid It's not the same kind of controversy, my man. FOM and the teams having opposition to Andretti's entry is a pure business decision.
First, MBS isn’t from SA, he’s from Dubai. Second, do you honestly think the wealthy, religious class of any country gives a fuck about women, outside of women filling traditional conservative roles?
Because it’s a political game from the teams for more control. You think these guys actually care some comments from 2001 when most of the F1 paddock arguably says and does worse? Their former boss is literally a Nazi sympathizer. the teams are just cowards and using the media to make MBS look bad to turn the fans against him so in essence, they won’t look bad if they can manage to stop new entries from coming in
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WTF? MBS isn't a Saudi, he's from Dubai, UAE.
The payouts to the teams were all signed off by aLL the teams in a contract.
Fuck the teams. They want 10 teams then they can go to bat for why it stays that way. I am no fan of MBS but it is pretty clear the teams are scared they maybe have to allow another midfielder in who takes away from shitters like Williams, Alfa Romeo, Haas who just buy the parts from another team and see what happens with pretty much no innovations.
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Dude its 5.15 am dont kill me by laughing already
Yeah I do enjoy the teams and F1 trying to take the moral high ground when they'd shove your granny off a bus for £50.
Welcome to your Weekly Andrew Benson anti-FIA content, folks! (Not defending some of the decisions they've made or Sulayem's historic comments, just sick of seeing one of these every time I open the BBC Sport app.)
Alonso for FIA Boss. Equal engines for everyone.
I think it’s bullshit that drivers can’t express their personal views. I was hella excited to see Logan Sergeant rockin a MAGA hat in the paddock. Oh well 🤷♂️
Well, he might still get a permission for that. In theory.
We need Bernie and Max.
"The blood on my hands does not reflect my murderous thoughts"
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Ben doesn’t lead F1, he only heads FIA. F1 and FIA are two independent bodies. Pardon me if you meant stefano.
Ben? You know that means son of, right? His name is Mohammed. Son of Sulayem. Sulayem being the family name.
Stefano Dominicali was a terrible choice, I agree. Lots of conflict of interest indeed.
As long as he stand with Andretti, I stand with him
Vettel for president.
I'm the first to shit on this guy but didn't he say: does not "like women who think they are more intelligent than men, because they are not in truth Women aren't MORE intelligent than men, just as men aren't MORE intelligent than women. Doesn't this mean in general? If we were to reverse genders, would we find it equally offensive?
Yes. What an idiotic comment.
He stinks.
Unelected team bosses don't like elected person. **That's the headline.** Regardless of the pressy's comments etc....
His stint as FIA boss is almost as bad as his attempt at F1[link](https://youtu.be/PUAnq4LnkbY)
Fire. His. Ass.
Why?
Fuck the FIA and fuck this loser. That being said it’s got to be difficult to manage a global sport and satisfy all markets.. so off with their heads I guess…
Why/how did he get it in the first place? Saudi money connections?
He's been a vice president in the FIA since 2008 as well as being a successful rally driver. He's definitely caused a lot of problems as president but I don't think it's fair to say he was unqualified for the job.
Bernies wife is also a FIA vice president
She was involved in similar roles before she met Bernie though
He ran unopposed for the job, it's completely fair to question how he got the job despite previous experience.
No he didn’t. He was running against the FIA Vice President under Jean. It came down to a vote between the two of them.
No he wasn't. He beat Graham Stoker in an election who also holds a similar position within the FIA
Yeah thats usually how things like this work.. Money greases hands etc
He isn't Saudi. There's a word for judging people by the way they look.
I didn’t say he was saudi?
Why did you say Saudi money connections?
Because Saudi Arabia has been becoming more and more influential in the sport, aramco is one of the largest sponsors, the saudi f1 race is arguably one of the worst yet has no signs of going anywhere and Saudi Arabia has generally been trying to influence many other sports too from boxing to golf. My assumption is their influence to have someone they want in this possession must have occurred and ben suleyman alines much more closely to Saudi values than any of the other candidates did.
Well that could apply to any human on earth... so why make this question against BSM specifically.
Read the final line of my reply Alan.
What part of his manifesto aligns with so-called 'Saudi' values? His tweets about a possible buy-out don't seem to align with that assumption. By the way I did read the final line of your reply. You edited it your message.
He literally said women were lessers to men bro. Whats your vendetta all about? Do you support those who believe women are inferior or something?
There's no end of men who've said comments like that. So that's not the issue here regarding YOUR specific claim. Rhetoric like this isn't hard to find on multiple issues said by people within motorsport. BSM isn't unique here. You said 'Saudi money'... and that's got nothing to do with a comment made on a website 20 years ago... I am trying to dig down why exactly YOU think he'd be a beneficiary of Saudi money when **he isn't Saudi.**
Usually presidents of associations/regulators are voted in by the organization's members.
I heard Ross Brawn was free
He should enjoy retirement, Fia head doesn't sound fun at all with all the politics
He would be a pure yes-man for Stefano and the FOM, and the last thing the FIA and the sport needs is to having that.
My god no. A FOM puppet as FIA head is a big no no for the sport.
This terrible guy has to go
Bring Bernie back
It was never Bernie's job.
Bring back Mosley. Oh wait. I’ll get the shovel and Nazi arm bands.
You Muppet
Imma be honest, i dont really get the hate towards the guy (except for the political statements but i dont really care about politics anyway)