-
Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
SINGAPORE — The FIA has issued a written warning to Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko over comments he made about Mexican driver Sergio Perez.
“We know that he has problems in qualifying, he has fluctuations in form,” Marko told Red Bull-owned Servus TV after the Italian Grand Prix. “He is South American and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max [Verstappen] is or as Sebastian [Vettel].”
It was not the first time Marko has referred to Perez as a South American even though the Mexican comes from Guadalajara, which is geographically in North America.
Motor racing’s governing body also reminded Marko of his responsibilities as a public figure in motorsport in line with the FIA Code of Ethics.
Marko apologised for his comments both publicly and privately to Perez, an apology Perez said he accepted.
The Red Bull Racing team has come under fire for the comments, but team principal Christian Horner has defended its decision not to issue its own statement, saying Marko is “not an employee” of Red Bull Racing.
Marko is, however, listed as a director of Red Bull Racing Limited on the UK government’s Companies House website.
Source: www.espn.com