F1 News: Helmut Marko Makes Position Clear On "Racist" Sergio Perez Comments
Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko has made his position clear after being blasted by fans for "racist" comments about Sergio Perez in the early stages of last week.
Marko made a formal apology a few days ago after his comments caused a huge amount of upset among fans. In an interview with Servus TV on Monday 4 September, Marko compared the difference in mentality between two-time champion Max Verstappen and Perez.
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He said at the time:
“Let’s remember that he is South American, and so he is not as focused as Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel was.
“But racing is his forte, and he had a very good race. Overtaking three drivers, in George Russell and the Ferraris, was not easy.”
Following the staggering backlash from fans for "racist and xenophobic" comments, Marko issued a formal apology, which stated:
"Concerning my remark about Sergio Perez, ServusTV Sport and Talk, Monday September 4: 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."
Now, Marko has made his position clear on the matter stating that he will not be commenting further. This comes after many calls from fans for the motorsport advisor to be sacked from the team for the comments. Marko stated to F1Insider.com:
"If there are any questions, I won’t answer them. I will only talk about sporting matters."