Lewis Hamilton CRITICISES Red Bull's lack of action on offensive Helmut Marko comments

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Hamilton CRITICISES Red Bull's lack of action on offensive Marko comments

Mercedes driver criticises Red Bull adviser after remarks on driver's heritage

Lauren Sneath

Friday 15 September 2023 11:57

Lewis Hamilton has said Red Bull’s lack of action after team advisor Helmut Marko made a serious blunder when he spoke of Sergio Perez’s heritage is ‘interesting’.

Marko, who is said to be employed by the wider Red Bull brand, rather than specifically Oracle Red Bull racing, conflated Perez’s Mexican heritage with being South American and suggested that because of his nationality, his ‘mental focus’ is not as consistent as that of his team-mate Max Verstappen.

At the time, he told Austrian outlet Servus TV: “It was certainly one of the better weekends, and we know he has issues in qualifying.

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“He experiences fluctuations in form; he's South American, and his mental focus isn't as consistent as it was with Max or Sebastian [Vettel].”

Marko has since apologised, though Red Bull Racing had not responded to the remarks at the time of writing.

Hamilton, however, has publicly criticised Marko and the team’s lack of action following the incident.

Helmut Marko was criticised for his remarks about Sergio Perez

He said that in his opinion, “this is not something that you just apologise for and it's all ok”, adding: “I think there needs to be more done.”

Hamilton explained that he thinks that in situations like these, offending individuals ‘usually are removed or taken [out], or at least they put out a quote and say they don't support that sort of thing’.

He went on: “So it is interesting that they haven't done so for this one, but it's not my team, and it's not how we move as a team.

“It just shows how important is that we continue to do the work that I'm trying to do with my team and with the sport. We still have a lot of work to do moving forwards to make sure that this is a more inclusive environment.”

Marko's apology

Marko has publicly apologised for his comments. He said in a statement to ServusTV Sport and Talkt: "I would like to apologise for my offensive remark and want to make it absolutely clear that I do not believe that we can generalise about the people from any country, any race, any ethnicity.

"I was trying to make a point that Checo has fluctuated in his performance this year, but it was wrong to attribute this to his cultural heritage."

Other figures at the team have distanced themselves from the remarks. Sky Sports News' Craig Slater reported: "I have been in touch with some senior figures at Red Bull racing who want to make clear they in no way condone these sentiments and want to distance themselves from the remarks. The teams values reject xenophobia and racism in all its forms."