Christian Horner discloses F1 and FIA contact with Red Bull regarding Helmut Marko.

The Red Bull team’s refusal to publicly respond to Helmut Marko’s divisive comments about Sergio Perez has been the topic of Christian Horner’s discussion of the topic’s unspoken issue.

Since the Italian Grand Prix, comments made by Red Bull’s Helmut Marko regarding Sergio Perez’s nationality possibly contributing to his inability to consistently challenge Max Verstappen have dominated headlines.

Marko apologized publicly for the remarks on the same Red Bull-owned channel where he made them, ServusTV, and Perez has publicly accepted the apology Marko made both in public and during private conversations with him as the Singapore GP weekend got underway.

Christian Horner explains the reasoning behind Red Bull’s decision not to comment on Helmut Marko.

While Red Bull’s F1 team was quick to condemn the racial slur used by young Estonian driver Juri Vips in 2022, they later ended their relationship with him.

Though less egregious than Vips’, Red Bull did not respond to Marko’s remarks in a comparable manner, and team president Christian Horner gave the impression that he was clearing his name when he discussed the incident on Sky F1 on Friday.

First off, he declared that the remarks were incorrect.

“I believe Helmut acknowledged this right away and offered an apology, both in public and to Sergio directly.
Sergio was the one he addressed directly, and even at the age of 80, I believe life is a constant source of learning.

Obviously, there have been lessons learned.
Checo [Perez] is a crucial player for our team and one of its most well-liked members.
I exerted a lot of pressure to sign him for the 2021 campaign. We have a sizable fan base all over the world, and we take that very seriously and responsibly.

“We’re very conscious of the fan base, which includes not just Checo’s but also that of the team and F1 as a whole.
We want to emphasize that this is his 250th race.

From Helmut’s perspective, he has undoubtedly expressed regret.
“.

FIA and FOM may be interested in Helmut Marko, according to Christian Horner.

Horner, however, made it seem as though he was unable to discipline Marko internally because of the fact that his position in the F1 team was higher than anyone else’s, including his own.

“He is not a Red Bull Racing employee.
In regards to the question of why we chose not to issue a statement, he explained that since the Red Bull organization as a whole had already apologized through the ServusTV channel.

Helmut is technically a member of the group’s staff or a consultant for it.
So, it’s not really a question that I can respond to.
Clearly, we have discussed it.
I am aware that he regrets what he said because he has expressed regret.
It’s still possible to learn new things even at the age of 80.
“.

When asked if the governing body of the sport, Formula One Management, or the FIA, might decide to speak with Marko or even punish the Austrian for his remarks, Horner said there have been discussions with both parties.
It is likely that the authorities first reached out to Red Bull.

“There’s a code of conduct, an ethics code, and a sporting code, so that already exists,” he said.

“As you might expect, we’ve been in contact with the FIA and FOM over the past week, and that is very much a team-specific issue rather than one that concerns us as an organization.
“.