Regarding the Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez controversy, Max Verstappen offers his opinion.

Max Verstappen feels that the matter is now resolved after Sergio Perez received an apology from Red Bull’s Helmut Marko for his controversial remarks.

Following the most recent Italian Grand Prix, Marko stirred up controversy by referring to Perez, the only Mexican driver in F1, as a South American, claiming Perez’s struggles alongside Verstappen in 2023 can be partially explained by the nature of his background.

As a result of the harsh criticism Marko received, it was revealed that the Austrian met with Perez before this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix to make an official apology.

Red Bull is urged by Max Verstappen to put the controversy behind them.

Perez told the media at the Marina Bay track that Marko didn’t “mean it that way,” and the 33-year-old was eager to “move on” from the controversy.

Teammate Verstappen agrees with the Mexican star’s sentiments and is pleased with Marko’s apology.

When asked in Singapore if he could help Marko use better language, Verstappen told Sky F1: “I don’t think I’m the right person to educate Helmut, but I think he quickly realized what he said and he apologized for it.

“And at that point, it’s finished for me.
For me, moving forward happens when someone admits they made a mistake and corrects it, which is exactly what our team does.
“.

Verstappen’s remarks follow Lewis Hamilton’s criticism of Marko’s remarks to Sky F1, the Mercedes driver and seven-time F1 World Champion.

Hamilton reacted, saying, “I mean, it’s totally unacceptable what he said.

While we assert that there should be no tolerance for any form of discrimination in this sport, having leaders — people in his position — make comments like these is detrimental to our ability to advance.

The work that still needs to be done is thus highlighted for us, in my opinion. There are many individuals working behind the scenes to combat these types of issues, but it can be challenging to make changes when there are powerful individuals in place who hold mindsets that impede advancement.

Honest to God, I’m not surprised.
“.

The driver Marko, who turned 80 in April, competed in nine Grands Prix races in 1971 and 1972 and won the illustrious Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1971.

Since 2005, he has been a crucial part of Red Bull’s F1 efforts, helping to develop drivers like Verstappen, four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, and eight-time Grand Prix victor Daniel Ricciardo.