F1 News: Sergio Perez Retaliates To "Racist" Helmut Marko Comments
Sergio Perez has spoken out on the comments from Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko at the beginning of last week which he later had to publicly apologise for.
During an interview with Servus TV, Marko was comparing the differences in mentality between Perez and his teammate Max Verstappen when he said:
“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.”
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The comments were met with a huge amount of backlash from fans who blasted the advisor for being "racist and xenophobic" as well as calling him out for his incorrect statement as Perez is Mexican, so not South American.
Marko has since formally apologised for the comments, stating:
"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."
Both Red Bull and Perez had stayed quiet until this point, however, speaking to the media ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Perez explained that he took no offence to the remarks:
“I had a one-on-one conversation with him. He apologised. That was the most important thing for me. Now let's put that behind us.
"Knowing Helmut like I say, I have a personal relationship with him. I know he doesn't mean it that way. And I personally didn't get offended at all.
“Whatever he or I say in the media is different than what we discuss in person. We have a good relationship.”
