The International Automobile Federation (FIA) issued a written warning to Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on Friday after the Austrian official blamed the performance drop of Mexican driver Sergio Perez on his ethnicity. The 80-year-old Marko, a former racer and a close friend of late Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, apologized last week for describing Perez as "from South America," adding that he was less focused than his dominant Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen or retired team champion Sebastian Vettel.
An FIA spokesperson at the Singapore Grand Prix said, "We can confirm that Helmut Marko received a written warning and was reminded of his responsibilities as a public figure in motorsport in accordance with the FIA's code of ethics."
Yesterday, Perez stated that he accepted a personal apology from Marko, whose comments continued to provoke strong reactions. This was not the first time Marko referred to Perez as a South American citizen, despite the Mexican driver hailing from the town of Guadalajara, which is geographically located in North America.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told reporters, "We laugh about (Mexico) in South America... but it's really not a funny topic at all." He added, "It's not just about what was said, but also the mentality that leads someone to say these things. Such things have no place in Formula 1. We wouldn't allow such language to be repeated in the past or present."
His comments echoed strong criticism from Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who remarked yesterday that Marko's words "are not something you just apologize for and move on."
