Helmut Marko apologizes to Sergio Perez after an inappropriate remark

The sentence went almost unnoticed, but it eventually came out. The day after the Italian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko made an awkward comparison between Sergio Perez and two other former Red Bull drivers. « We know that [Perez] has issues in qualifying. He fluctuates, he’s South American, and in his mind, he simply isn’t as fully focused as Max [Verstappen] or Sebastian [Vettel] were, he said live on Servus TV.

« It was incorrect to attribute that to his cultural heritage »

In addition to not knowing his geography perfectly – since Mexico is in North America -, the Austrian sparked controversy and was forced to apologize, via a statement.

« Regarding my comment about Sergio Pérez on the show “Sport und Talk” on Servus TV this Monday, September 4th, I would like to apologize for my hurtful remark and clarify that I do not believe that generalizations can be made about people from any country, any race, any ethnicity. I was trying to convey that Checo’s performances have fluctuated this year, but it was wrong to attribute that to his cultural background.

If the Red Bull driver has been enduring the dominance of his teammate for about ten Grand Prix races and has gone through several missed opportunities, Sergio Perez nevertheless remains second in the championship. The Mexican driver has also secured two victories, at the beginning of the season.