F1 News: Journalists Question Helmut Marko's Behaviour Amid Racism Concerns

Concerns grow in the F1 community as Helmut Marko faces backlash for his controversial remarks about Sergio Perez.

Helmut Marko's comments about Sergio Perez have sparked a wave of concern and criticism among journalists and F1 professionals after they were deemed to be racist. Despite his apology earlier this week, this has led to heightened scrutiny ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Key Takeaways:

• Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsport advisor, made controversial comments about driver Sergio Perez, attributing his inconsistent form this season to his ethnicity.
• Despite receiving a direct apology from Marko, many in the F1 community, including Lewis Hamilton and Martin Brundle, have voiced their concerns and demanded more decisive action.
• Notably absent in the growing storm are official comments from both Red Bull and F1, a silence that has left several figures, including Sky pundit Karun Chandhok, surprised and in need of answers.

Marko's comments have not only attracted backlash from the media but have also put into question the integrity and ethos of the sport. F1 commentator for Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle, expressed his disbelief, stating: 

"First of all, why would you be derogatory about one of your own drivers in a team that costs hundreds of millions a year to run?” Brundle questionned.

"It seems a little bit odd to say the least. It's completely unacceptable to broad-brush in a negative way people, continents, regions, countries in that way.”

Karun Chandhok responded:

"It's a little bit confusing,” he admitted.

“As Lewis has suggested. when you have senior figures in a team that are clearly offensive, it's quite surprising not to hear anything from the team itself or F1.

“It sounds like he's had a one-to-one conversation with Helmut but he's in a slightly different position because he's employed by Helmut.

"Ultimately, as a sport we have to take a stand and there have been various moments in the last few years where the sport has come together and collectively taken a stand together.” 

In the midst of the controversy, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, a strong advocate for killing racism in the motorsport community, did not hold back. He called for more concrete action against Marko’s “completely unacceptable” remarks. 

“It is completely unacceptable," Hamilton told Sky Sprots F1. "This is not something you just apologise for and it is all OK.

“Whilst we say there is no room for any type of discrimination in this sport and there should be no room for it, to have leaders and people in his position making comments like this is not good for us moving forward.

“There are a lot of people in the background that really are combating these kind of things, but it is hard to manoeuvre if people at the top have mindsets which stop us from progressing.

"But it is not my team and not how we move as a team. We still have a lot of work to do to make this a more inclusive environment.”

The incident serves as a stark reminder that while the world of F1 is about high speeds and thrilling races, it's the off-track behavior and comments that sometimes leave the most lasting impact.