Sergio Perez says he has accepted Helmut Marko's apology for comments he made regarding the Red Bull driver's ethnicity.

In a move that caused outrage on social media, and even here on Pitpass, the Austrian suggested that the Mexican was not as focussed as the team's two world champions, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, because he was from South America.

While Mexico is in North America, the fact remained that the Austrian was essentially questioning the focus of the likes of Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Pique and Juan Manuel Fangio.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Perez said that he has received a personal apology from Marko and hopes to move on.

"I had a private conversation with him," Perez told reporters. "He did apologise. And that to me was the main thing.

"Basically, we move on," he continued. "I have a personal relationship with him. And I think you can always have those feelings when you see that sort of stuff.

"Knowing the person helps a lot, because I know he doesn't mean it that way," he added. "I took his apology, because I know Helmut from the personal relationship that we have that he doesn't mean it that way."

Asked if he had been offended by Marko's comments, he insisted: "Not at all, if I'm totally honest. Knowing Helmut, like I say, have a personal relationship with him. I know, he doesn't mean it that way. And I didn't get offended at all personally. Let's say if those comments were from a different perspective or so on, I would have to take them differently. To me, it's just how things are, and I didn't take them personally.

"Whatever I say to the media, or he says to the media, is different to the conversations we have. We have a good relationship and I know that is not related to that side.

"Like I say, Helmut I did apologise, I think we all make mistakes. And what to me was the most important thing is that I take his apology, his personal apology. What happens afterwards, and on the media side or on the public, that's not in my control. To me, the most important is the personal relationship.

"We will always have a chat on track, off-track, here and there. We see each other pretty much every weekend. He will tell you what he thinks. I think something that we can appreciate from Helmut is that he is very transparent, to the media and to the world in general, and also to the drivers. So it's just how he is."

However, while Perez accepts Marko's apology, Lewis Hamilton - not in any way seeking to destabilise his rivals - suggests the Austrian's comments were "unacceptable".

"Whilst we say there is no room for any type of discrimination within this sport which there should be - no room for it - to have leaders and people in his position making comments like this is not good for us moving forwards," the seven-time world champion told Sky Sports.

"It's completely unacceptable what he said," he added. "I think it highlights, firstly, the work that still needs to be done.

"There are a lot of people in the background that really are trying to combat these sorts of things but it's hard to manoeuvre if there are people in the top that have those sort of mind-sets, that just stop us from progressing. I'm not surprised, to be honest.

"I don't know what was said beyond, that's something to ask Checo," said the Briton, "but I think this is not something that you just apologise for and it's all ok. I think there needs to be more done.

"Teams, when they've had individuals, particularly drivers, make comments but also some individuals in the background, they usually are removed or at least they put out a quote and say they don't support that sort of thing. So it is interesting that they haven't done so for this one, but it's not my team and it's not how we move as a team.

"It just shows how important it is that we continue to do the work. The work that I'm trying to do with my team and with the sport. We still have a lot of work to do moving forward to make sure that this is a more inclusive environment."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 15/09/2023 11:26

"@Chester - sadly, as we have seen with dinosaurs like Marko, some people are entirely oblivious to changing attitudes in society. But it’s obviously true that most people do learn from the past, they do empathise with those that have been marginalised or discriminated against and they judge people as individuals, not based on stereotypes.

I agree with Spindoctor; Dennis is savvy enough to know that his choice of words would not be appropriate in today’s climate. "

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2. Posted by Chester, 15/09/2023 11:05

"@Spin. So the passage of time makes us all better humans?

I am not so sure. But we are beating a dead horse. Your point is understood"

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3. Posted by Spindoctor, 15/09/2023 10:32

"In an alternative Universe, Sergio would probably say "bugger the cash, I'll tell that so-and-so what I really think". We live in a real world, where employees, especially those with precarious jobs earning shedloads of dosh dependent largely on the whims of one person, rarely do speak their minds. When we add in Corporate requirements Sergio had little choice but to "accept" the apology. The repetition of his "personal relationship" smacks of corporate interference.

Notwithstanding all of that; the crux of this isn't the comment on Sergio's abilities per se, but the terms in which it was couched.
It's fair enough to be cynical about Hamilton's motives in calling-out Marko, but it doesn't diminish the fact that his comments are both permissible and in my opinion, valid.

@Chester - Ron Dennis made that comment at probably 30 or more years ago. Society's views on racial stereotyping have (largely) moved on since then & I doubt Ron would comment in those terms today."

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4. Posted by kenji, 15/09/2023 1:11

"@Elsiebc and @ Chester. You have both made sensible posts and I support them entirely. The media and their woke buddies have made a meal out of this despite Perez himself stating that he didn't take it personally. Now Hamilton has bought into it. [ what took him so long ]..all this from a guy who said publically 'little boys don't wear princess dresses' and then after his PR machine got up off the floor and dusted themselves off advised him to go public with an apology!. It's time to go racing and leave this nonsense behind."

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5. Posted by Chester, 14/09/2023 16:14

"The media grabs at every slight, especially ethnic ones. Maybe they should not.

And maybe Marko is just less of a wordsmith than he could be. I remember Ron Dennis saying he could manage the "Latin temperament" well, since he managed Senna.
"

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6. Posted by elsiebc, 14/09/2023 16:06

""Knowing the person helps a lot, because I know he doesn't mean it that way," he added. "I took his apology, because I know Helmut from the personal relationship that we have that he doesn't mean it that way."

Just goes to support the comment I made on the first article. If you don't know the folks personally... There are too many self appointed Thought Police proudly pinning on their tin stars.

Of course, maybe Perez just doesn't want to spend the effort to deal with it. You know, maybe it's not in his nature."

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7. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 14/09/2023 14:41

"It'll be all good if they win both championships which looks extremely likely right now."

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Perez accepts Marko's apology

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