11/09/2023
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko's attempt to apologise for an outrageous comment about Sergio Perez only makes the situation worse.
It's not unusual to see outrage on social media in reaction to Helmut Marko, but in all honesty comments the Austrian made earlier this week were fully deserving of the subsequent backlash.
"We know that he has problems in qualifying," the Red Bull man said following the Mexican's performance at Monza, "he has fluctuations in form.
"He is South American," he continued, "and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max is or as Sebastian."
Ignoring the fact that Mexico is geographically classed as North America, South America, in Juan Manuel Fangio, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna is only beaten by Great Britain in terms of F1 championship titles.
Organisers of the forthcoming Mexican Grand Prix were quick to react, issuing a terse statement.
"Inappropriate comments have no place in any environment, including sport," it read. "It is important that measures are taken to prevent it and that apologies are made when necessary.
"We invite everyone to build a more respectful and united Formula One community, encouraging healthy competition both on and off the track," it concluded.
Taking to Servus.tv, Marko attempted to calm the situation.
"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," he said.
"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."
Mindful of the speed with which Estonian racer Juri Vips was suspended and then dropped by the Red Bull Junior Team following comments he had made during a Twitch livestream, there have been calls for Marko - who was responsible for terminating the driver's contract - to face similar treatment.
Clearly keen to move on, and calm the situation, the Austrian only appeared to dig himself into an increasingly deepening hole.
"It wasn't meant that way," he said, according to Austrian website oe24.at. "I meant that a Mexican has a different mentality than a German or a Dutchman. But who knows, maybe it's controlled."