Lewis Hamilton says F1 still has ‘a lot of work to do’ to fight discrimination in the wake of Red Bull chief Helmut Marko apologising for blaming Sergio Perez’s Mexican ethnicity for his inconsistent form
- Helmut Marko seemingly blamed Sergio Perez’s fluctuating form on his ethnicity
- He tried to clarify his comments on Friday, but has since faced more criticism
- Lewis Hamilton labeled Marko’s comments ‘completely unacceptable’
Lewis Hamilton has called Red Bull chief Helmut Marko’s comments about Sergio Perez ‘completely unacceptable’.
80-year-old Marko referred to Mexican Perez’s background when discussing his driver’s inconsistent form this season.
Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor and ally of late co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, said after the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month: ‘Let’s not forget that he (Perez) is South American and therefore not as focused as Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel.’
Responding to Marko’s comments ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Mercedes’ Hamilton, 38, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable. This isn’t something you can just apologize for and that’s all okay.
“While we say there is no room for any form of discrimination in this sport – and there should be no room for it – it is not good for us moving forward when leaders and people in his position make such comments .
Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has apologized for blaming Sergio Perez’s form on his ethnicity
The Red Bull driver insisted he was not offended and had put the controversy behind him
Lewis Hamilton says F1 still has ‘a lot of work to do’ to combat discrimination
“There are a lot of people in the background who are really fighting this kind of thing, but it’s difficult to maneuver when people at the top have a mentality that prevents us from making progress.
‘But it’s not my team and not how we move as a team. There is still a lot of work to do to make this a more inclusive environment.”
Perez and teammate Verstappen shared two wins from the first four races, but the latter is unbeaten since the fifth round in Miami.
Perez, 145 points behind Verstappen in the standings, said: “I had a private conversation with Helmut and he apologised. For me that was the most important thing.
‘In principle we will continue. I have a personal relationship with him. It helps a lot to know the person because I know he doesn’t mean it that way.
‘Personally I didn’t feel offended.’