Ralf Schumacher defends Helmut Marko: “He’s definitely not right-wing”

Helmut Marko caused outrage with statements on ServusTV (“Talk in Hangar 7” on September 4th). Red Bull’s motorsport consultant attributed driver Sergio Perez’s fluctuations in performance to his origins.

This not only brought the Styrian a lot of criticism but also an official warning from the FIA ​​(with reference to its ethics guidelines). Marko did not give any interviews at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher thinks that Marko is annoyed by the racist accusations. “It affects him a little bit that people think about him that way,” says Schumacher in an interview with Formula1.de. “That’s really the case because Helmut is someone who doesn’t mean any harm to anyone. Every now and then he makes a casual, thoughtless statement, and in the sporting evaluation that’s not always easy for his drivers.”

The now TV expert goes even further and claims that there is a certain amount of malice involved in accusing Marko of racism. Schumacher continued: “I’ve known him since I was 16, 17, 18. And I have to say, one thing he’s definitely not: he’s not right-wing or anything, but he’s a person who has a clear edge.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saw it a little differently: “It’s not just about what was said, but it’s about the attitude behind it. That you can even come up with something like that. That has no place in Formula 1. “

Marko apologized

Just a few days after his public statements, Marko apologized for them.

In a statement published by the television station ServusTV, Marko said that he was “firmly convinced” that one cannot generalize about people, “regardless of their culture, nationality or ethnic origin.” “It was wrong to make a reference to his origins. I would like to apologize for that.”

Marko had implied that the Mexican Perez was not as focused as Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel due to his cultural background. Both are multiple world champions with Red Bull, who were promoted by Marko.

“He’s South American, and his head isn’t as completely focused as, for example, Max is or Sebastian was,” the Styrian said. “I wanted to emphasize that Checo’s performance, although he drove a great race in Monza, is subject to major fluctuations this year,” explained Marko.