Crimson Bull Racing marketing consultant Helmut Marko has needed to apologize for racist remarks aimed toward F1 driver Sergio Pérez. Throughout an interview after final week’s Italian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko stated Checo’s efficiency was on account of his “cultural heritage,” per the BBC, and the 80-year outdated Crimson Bull advisor went on to unfavorably examine Checo’s Mexican nationality to that of a German or a Dutchman.
Not solely did Marko have the gall accountable Checo’s efficiency on being Mexican, however he was confidently incorrect when describing the F1 driver’s origin, implying the Mexican pilot is from South America, which is, uh, flawed.
Marko went on to say, “We all know that he has issues in qualifying, he has fluctuations in type, he’s South American and he’s simply not as utterly targeted in his head as Max [Verstappen] is or as Sebastian [Vettel]” because the Guardian studies.
And when Marko tried to stroll again his statements later, he solely made it worse, in response to the BBC:
The Austrian web site www.oe24.at reported him as saying: “It wasn’t meant that manner. I meant {that a} Mexican has a unique mentality than a German or a Dutchman. However who is aware of, perhaps it’s managed.”
Perez and Verstappen shared two wins every within the first 4 races of the season, after which Perez was speaking about difficult for the world title.
That is reportedly not the primary time that Helmut Marko has incorrectly stated that Checo is from South America. However the factor is Sergio Pérez was born in Guadalajara, which is the capital of Jalisco, considered one of Mexico’s extra readily acknowledged states.
Guadalajara is a significant metropolis. Hell, it’s the topic of a well-known music named after the capital metropolis, which has been carried out by well-known Mexicans akin to Vicente Fernandez, AKA ’Chente. You’d suppose an advisor to Crimson Bull’s Method 1 staff would know the place his staff’s drivers are from.
However, no. Helmut Marko is below the impression that Mexicans are from South America, regardless of Mexico being a part of the North American continent, and, due to this fact, by definition, making Sergio Pérez a North American — the identical as any F1 driver from the U.S. or Canada. Nobody’s bothered to right Marko till now, it appears, prompting the 80-year outdated to difficulty the next assertion:
Regarding my comment about Sergio Perez, ServusTV Sport and Speak, Monday September 4: I want to apologise for my offensive comment and need to make it completely clear that I don’t imagine that we will generalise concerning the individuals from any nation, any race, any ethnicity. I used to be attempting to make a degree that Checo has fluctuated in his efficiency this 12 months, but it surely was flawed to attribute this to his cultural heritage.
Discover that Marko makes no point out of the factual error he dedicated. That’s, his remarks had been initially racist, and, second, simply plain flawed.
