Sergio Perez, the acclaimed Formula 1 driver, revealed on Thursday that he had received an apology from the Red Bull motorsports giant. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s executive, had previously suggested on ServusTV, a subsidiary Austrian broadcast station of the Red Bull group, that Perez’s South American lineage might be the reason behind his erratic performance on the race track. Interestingly, Perez, hailing from Mexico, is typically identified with North or Central America rather than South America.
Understanding the implications of his remark, Marko, the 80-year-old former F1 racer and influential figure in both Red Bull and it’s junior team, AlphaTauri, conceded his error. Marko publicized his regret on ServusTV, having inaccurately linked Perez’s performance to his ethnic background in what he termed an “offensive remark”.
Perez enlightened Sky Sports, a British broadcaster, about the direct apology he had received from Marko before the forthcoming Singapore Grand Prix. “The most important apology for me was the direct one,” Perez mentioned. Familiar with Marko on a personal level, Perez didn’t believe that Marko intended negativity. He elaborated on the significance of understanding and feeling in personal relationships, implicitly affirming Marko’s remorse in the situation.
Rather than linger on the issue, Perez expressed his eagerness to redirect his energies toward the intense competition on the track. He currently holds the second place in the driver’s rankings, bested narrowly by his fellow Red Bull team member, Max Verstappen.
In contrast to Perez, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton conveyed his disapproval of Marko’s statements. A fervent advocate in furthering diversity in auto racing, Hamilton sees Marko’s comments as “completely unacceptable”. Going a step further, Hamilton suggested that an apology was insufficient to address the incident.
“Firstly, it just underscores the amount of work that has to go in,” Hamilton stated, referring to the larger issue of diversity in F1. As F1’s sole Black driver, he highlighted the efforts of many working diligently behind the scenes to tackle such issues. However, he shared that progress remains challenging when the top brass harbors such mindset and impedes the path toward inclusion and diversity.