After racist remarks in the livestream, junior driver Jüri Vips from Estonia has been suspended by Red Bull Racing. The company speaks of a “zero tolerance policy” towards racist language.
Red Bull has suspended its junior driver Jüri Vips from its driver squad with immediate effect. The background is a racist word that had crossed the Estonian’s lips during a livestream on Tuesday. In a press release, the team confirmed that Vips will no longer be involved in team activities for the time being.
“Red Bull Racing has suspended junior driver Yuri Vips from all team duties with immediate effect until a full investigation into the incident has been completed,” the statement reads. “As an organisation we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero tolerance policy towards racist language or behaviour within our organisation. “
expressions fell at first-person shooter game
Vips had been playing a first-person shooter game with friends – including fellow Red Bull member Liam Lawson – while live streaming for the public. The racist expression “nigger” was heard on Lawson’s channel on Twitch, for which the Formula 2 driver subsequently apologised on Instagram. This was reported by Motorsport-total.com.
On Instagram, the rookie racer wrote: “I would like to apologise unreservedly for the offensive remarks I used during a live gaming stream today. This language is completely unacceptable and does not reflect the values and principles I hold.” He continued, “I deeply regret my actions and this is not the good example I wish to set. I will cooperate fully with the investigation. “
Red Bull racing team announces investigation
The Red Bull racing team announced on Tuesday that it would investigate the incident. “As an organisation we condemn insults of any kind and have a zero tolerance line towards racist language and behaviour,” world champion Max Verstappen’s team announced.
Vips is one of five Red Bull juniors in Formula 2, where he competes for the Hitech team. He is currently seventh in the overall standings. Vips has been part of the Red Bull junior squad since late 2018 and is also a test, simulator and reserve driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri.