Red Bull has suspended its junior driver, Juri Vips after the youngster uttered a racial slur whilst live-streaming a video game he was playing with fellow racer Liam Lawson.

The move comes weeks after the youngster made his F1 weekend debut when he replaced Sergio Perez in the opening session in Barcelona.

"Red Bull Racing has suspended junior driver Juri Vips for from all team duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into the incident," said the Austrian team in a post to social media on Tuesday evening.

"As an organisation, we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero-tolerance policy to racist language or behaviour within our organisation."

Vips, who used a racial slur, whilst live streaming himself playing Call Of Duty with a number of other players, including fellow Red Bull junior, Lawson, subsequently took to social media to issue an apology.

"I wish to unreservedly apologise for the offensive language used during a live gaming stream earlier today," he posted to his Instagram account.

"This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set.

"I will cooperate with the investigation fully."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Max Noble, 25/06/2022 1:20

"@elsiebc - as per my earlier post; the modern workplace (various anti-discrimination, and harassment laws, depending on your country) says there is a case to answer if a person takes offence. It then goes before the relevant workplace body (or court of law if it goes that far) to assess the intent and nature of the alleged offence. So yes, your friend could be offended by someone using the words “Jesus Christ”, or “God”, outside the context of a prayer or reading. It would then depend on your workplace as to how offensive the issue was considered.

I’d draw your attention to Afghanistan as one place to be very careful with your choice of language, and clothing right now… They are none too tolerant of mini-skirt wearing, non-face covering, female blasphemers… The Taliban obviously need to boost their “Sports Washing” fund and get moving with their altered narrative ASAP.
"

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2. Posted by kenji, 24/06/2022 1:47

"@ elsiebc... the scene that I watched was of, apparently, Vips playing a game and something happened on the screen that causes some excitement...he then makes an exclamation that sounded 'something' like what has been published. My hearing is bad at the best of times but it certainly sounded like what has been reported. It was not portrayed as a serios comment made to camera....just like a couple of guys having some fun on line. That's my take on the issue .......as for your friend being allowed to be offended by religious related exclamations all I would say is you can do as you please, a lot depends on your ability to make a sensible association with the intent of the other person. I happen to use that very first phrase myself on odd occasions even with no one else in the room!!! "

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3. Posted by elsiebc, 23/06/2022 16:40

"As a Christian am I allowed to be offended when someone mumbles Jesus Christ or God damn? Asking for a friend. "

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4. Posted by elsiebc, 23/06/2022 16:33

"@ kenji I'd bet dollars to donuts that you're the only one here who knows what was said and in what context, although everyone has an opinion."

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5. Posted by kenji, 23/06/2022 14:35

"@ Flyinglap....I have looked at it as it's on the internet/it was on you tube. IMO it's just so low key, a virtual non event but leapt upon and exploited to gain track position amongst the cancel culture 'mileaux'. Yes, in todays wokesome society, comments like this just play the gallery. I do see it as all rather harmless but he has to understand that comments like this are no longer accepted and he'll have to cop it sweet. Teenagers live in their own bubble and when it comes to language well nothing quite seems like it is."

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6. Posted by flyinglap, 23/06/2022 12:16

"I would very much like to know exactly what Juri Vips said, to whom, and in what context. Otherwise, in my opinion, the reaction to "it" is purely woke bullying on behalf of Red Bull - earning "points" with the Davos crowd maybe? Furthermore (when we do not even know what the supposed offence was) they thus create yet another precedent, and intimate to us all to stay in line, keep looking straight, keep our voice down and our thought processes in check, obey, "or else". In the formative school years of old, somebody would have said something, somebody else would have said something back, end of story, so what? If you don't like how you are treated you just pick a different friend, wife, husband, place of work, restaurant, grocery store, doctor, or even country. Anything else is social manipulation."

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7. Posted by Wokingchap, 23/06/2022 9:19

"Does ANYONE know what he said??"

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8. Posted by LiamIII, 22/06/2022 20:44

"Back in my day we simply got a bloody mouth for saying something truly offensive. If you're truly offended, hit back if not move on already. False outrage is disgusting. "

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9. Posted by hussainahm, 22/06/2022 19:25

"Was he wrong? Yes. Does the punishment fit the crime? No."

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10. Posted by givememychoice, 22/06/2022 10:55

"@Kenji, I appreciate that freedom of speech is important. But that is not the same as freedom of speech without consequences. If you represent a brand and say something that is strongly counter to their view and brings negative media, i think that a suspension/termination CAN be a valid response.

I dont know the exact context of the comments, nor the intention of them. I suspect that there are a combination of issues -

They are young... I know thats no real excuse, but ask my kids, they still find saying poo funny. There is a bit of the saying something naughty. - how many of us said something, when in late teens/very early 20s, to mates to which others may find offensive?

Foreign Language/culture - Im always slightly more apprehensive when somebody is not talking in their native tongue. So much of language is cultural. Spaz is very offensive in the UK, but basically fine in the US "(Tiger) Woods, who lost his title at Augusta to Phil Mickelson, had said: "I putted atrociously today. Once I got on the greens I was a spaz." "

My personal opinion is, he should be punished, and educated. Just outright firing of people for an incident like this just creates a tit for tat war that may leave one side feeling they have been justified and proved right, but doesnt improve things.

"

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11. Posted by Max Noble, 22/06/2022 9:06

"@Kenji - Quite! We’re done on this one :-)
@JamesD - Agreed. Totally."

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12. Posted by JamesD, 22/06/2022 8:13

"@ Kenji - Freedom of Speech does not mean that you can say whatever you like.

It allows any topic to be discussed but that should be in a respectful manner."

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13. Posted by kenji, 22/06/2022 7:52

"@ Max...this could go on for aeons...let's agree to disagree, but do listen to Jordan Peterson and finally 'the cats are always correct'.

"

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14. Posted by Max Noble, 22/06/2022 6:14

"@Kenji - “12 Rules for Life”, and “Beyond Order” have been exhaustively discussed in this household (enough so that even the cats have a view…). Joe Rogan has also done expansive discussions with JP. The issue remains that it’s all good in an ideal World. If we all follow the rules (because we are all logical) then the judiciary, and the Police Force are no longer required.

For workplace harassment to be considered so the person at which the statement was aimed only needs to consider it offensive for there to be a case to answer. Slurs of any kind are no longer tolerated in modern workplaces. It’s not simply the sporting field, those were just the two most common examples that came to my mind.

Free expressive, independent, thinking as defined by JP is not an excuse for offensive language or behaviour, far from it.

"

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15. Posted by dejan, 22/06/2022 3:39

"@Kenji - he is in Europe so there are no Constitutional freedom of speech protections as wide as the US ones, even in the US freedom of speech only applies to an extent that you can say anything without fear of being criminally prosecuted. Private organizations (including companies) have the right to establish higher standards for their members/employees and there is no problem with that as long as they treat everyone equally under the rules. The flip side is that it is completely legal for a private organization to discriminate on any other protected status as well (except for employment purposes).

And to come full circle, just because something is legal and nobody will go to prison for it, doesn't make it right and especially someone who has aspirations to represent a brand or a country on a global stage has to be held to a higher standard."

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Red Bull suspends Estonian racer Vips

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