Lewis Hamilton admits he is surprised Red Bull has not REMOVED Helmut Marko over racist comments on Sergio Perez
Lewis Hamilton has said Red Bull's lack of disciplinary actions in relation to Helmut Marko's racist comments on Sergio Perez does not surprise him.
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Red Bull might be having everything going for them at this moment with a top spot in the Championship Standings, but the same cannot be said about their team dynamics. It all started when Sergio Perez, who debuted with the Austrian outfit in 2021 and has played a crucial role in helping teammate Max Verstappen land his first and second World Championship titles, was criticized by Red Bull Chief Advisor Helmut Marko recently. The Mexican has not been able to keep up with the speed that his Dutch colleague has shown with the same RB-19 racecar as each of Max’s were 1 second faster at Zandvoort.
In light of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen’s pace difference, Helmut Marko commented that Checo has not reached the same success with Red Bull as Max and Sebastian Vettel because of his ethnicity. Calling Sergio Perez‘s being South American into question, Marko invited a lot of protests from those who believe F1 is slowly becoming more inclusive now. One of the people who has always advocated for Formula One to open doors to more people of color is none other than Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton.
As Lewis was asked to comment on the incident that transpired between Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez, he demanded the octagenarian be removed from Red Bull for his incendiary comments. He said, “Teams, when they’ve had individuals, particularly drivers, make comments – but [also] some individuals in the background – they usually are removed or at least they put out a quote and say they don’t support that sort of thing. So it is interesting that they haven’t done so for this one.”
Lewis Hamilton was involved in a similar case with Nelson Piquet last year
Being the only Black driver in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to racist comments. But it struck a nerve when former Brazilian F1 Champion Nelson Piquet Sr’s interview from the past resurfaced on the internet. In the video, he called Lewis a ‘neguinho’, which is a slur based on the Mercedes racer’s ethnicity. Overnight, Piquet came under massive scrutiny for his comments and he was directed by the Brazilian court to pay a penalty of nearly $1 million for his words. But in Helmut Marko’s case, he was just let off with a slap on the wrist once he apologized to Sergio Perez.
In other news, the Singapore GP is coming up soon, and all the drivers have already arrived with their crew. Nico Rosberg claimed the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit is one of the most taxing ones for a driver, so it will be interesting to see who takes the crown at the end of the Grand Prix. Lewis himself said he has hopes for a good performance from Mercedes in Singapore since such High-downforce tracks favor their car. It remains to be seen whether his predictions come true or if Red Bull gets the upper hand at Marina Bay once again.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)