Lewis Hamilton insists he ‘never has’ backed Mohammed Ben Sulayem as the man to lead the FIA while also issuing a strong statement seemingly in reference to the Christian Horner controversy.

F1 has been engulfed with multiple scandals in recent months with Horner’s investigation at Red Bull dominating headlines.

The FIA have also been at the centre of controversy after they launched a short-lived investigation into both Susie Wolff and her Mercedes team boss husband Toto Wolff last year.

The investigation was quickly dropped, but the Wolffs sought legal options and Susie, the head of all-female racing series F1 Academy, revealed on Wednesday she had filed a criminal lawsuit against the FIA.

Ben Sulayem has also been under scrutiny after it was alleged he had attempted to interfere with the result of last year’s races in Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas.

The FIA cleared its president of the claims on Wednesday, but the ongoing controversy in the sport has failed to convince Hamilton that Ben Sulayem is the right man for the job.

When asked whether Ben Sulayem had his confidence as FIA president, Hamilton replied: “He never has.

“Firstly, I’m incredibly proud of Susie.

“I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values.

“She’s such a leader and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message.

“There is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA.

“There are things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there is really no accountability and we need that.

“The fans need that. How can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you don’t have that?”

Hamilton then appeared to reference the controversy surrounding Horner after the Red Bull boss was cleared of any wrongdoing after a female employee at the team accused him of ‘inappropriate behaviour’.

The woman who made the allegation is now said to have been suspended by Red Bull and issued an appeal against their initial findings.

Hamilton did not specifically name Horner or Red Bull, but the seven-time world champion felt the sport was not sending out the right message with its recent controversies.

“Hopefully this stand that she’s Susie Wolff] taking now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women,” he added.

“It is still a male-dominated sport, and we’re living in a time where the message is if you file a complaint, you will be fired, and that is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we’re talking about inclusivity here in the sport.

“We need to make sure we stay true to the core values.”