Helmut Marko issued a public apology for his recent comments about Sergio Perez. However, fans don’t seem to fall for his apology. Soon after he issued his apology fans commented on social media saying his statement was scripted and demanded that Red Bull sack him.
A few days back, during an interview, Helmut Marko made some racial and xenophobic comments about Sergio Perez. Since then, he has received a lot of backlash from the media. Since then, he has apologized for his comments. He said: “I would like to apologize for my offensive remark and make it absolutely clear that I do not believe that we can generalize people from any country, race, or ethnicity.”
Nobody believes this , it’s scripted and definitely deep down, doesn’t mean it . Shambolic
— Sonoiya 🌄☕️👨🏾💻 (@SonoiyaLawrence) September 8, 2023
However, this apology has not been viewed well by the fans. Fans are demanding that he receive the same punishments Juri Vips did in 2022.
🚨 | Helmut Marko issues an apology for his comments on Sergio Perez:
“I would like to apologise for my offensive remark and make it absolutely clear that I do not believe that we can generalise people from any country, race, or ethnicity.
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— formularacers (@formularacers_) September 8, 2023
In June 2022, Juri Vips, a former Red Bull academy driver, used the phrase “nigga” during a live stream on Twitch. Soon after this, Red Bull announced that they would no longer be supporting Juri Vips in his career. So when Helmut Marko made xenophobic and racial comments about Sergio Perez, fans were expecting something similar.
Will Helmut Marko suffer the same fate as Juri Vips with Red Bull?
Although he did apologize, there has been no action or comment from Christian Horner regarding the matter. It seems like the 80-year-old Red Bull advisor is going to get away without any punishment from Red Bull.
Helmut Marko has become less popular among fans after his comment on Sergio Perez. With fans demanding that he be sacked, we could see him not make too many public appearances for the next few days. It is likely that Red Bull and Christian Horner asked him not to attend the Singapore Grand Prix.
The statement he made about Sergio Perez was: “Checo is South American and that is why his head is not as focused as Max Verstappen’s or Sebastian Vettel’s”
Although Sergio Perez is Mexican, he is not South American. Mexico lies below the United States of America and is a part of North America. The statement was deemed offensive by fans all around the world. Even the organizers of the Mexican GP have condemned this statement.
So, @SChecoPerez made a good race despite being “South American”. Imagine the same statement made by #HelmutMarko and just change “South American” for any other racial slur. It is deeply insulting not only for Checo, but for all South Americans and Mexicans. @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/OGVAF8ftav
— Benjamin Hill on X (@benxhill) September 8, 2023
While Helmut Marko is suffering a lot of backlashes, it doesn’t seem like he will suffer the same fate as Juri Vips. Although we are yet to receive any official statement from Red Bull regarding this matter. It would be a difficult statement for the Austrian team as Helmut Marko has played a very important and vital role for the team since its inception.
Helmut Marko reportedly convinced Dietrich Materschitz to start the Formula 1 team. If not for Helmut, there may not be a Red Bull Formula 1 team. This would mean we would be witnessing Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso battle for the Championship this season.
Let’s wait and see if Red Bull releases any official statements regarding the matter in the next couple of days. Do you think Red Bull should sack Helmut Marko for his comments? Post your answers in the comment section below.