Racism in practice: one word gets him out of Formula 1. Red Bull sacks young Estonian driver

It is a harsh punishment for a single word, even though Jüri Vips is entirely to blame for the trouble. During a recent game of Call of Duty on Twitch, he used the word “nude”, which is usually used to refer to dark-skinned people. And for that, he ends up in Red Bull altogether.

Estonian Vips is a very promising young driver who, in addition to his Formula 2 commitments, is also a reserve driver for Red Bull from 2020. Well, he was.

However, he recently played Call of Duty with his friends on Twitch, and during the broadcast, a word beginning with the letter “n” was heard from his lips, a derogatory reference to people of dark skin.

This subsequently leaked out, whereupon Red Bull launched an “investigation” to determine what to do next with Vips. And a few dozen hours ago, the stable issued a statement. The main content of the statement is that the young Estonian driver will no longer wear the colours of the Red Bull Racing team.

Vips was not helped by the fact that he had already apologised for his behaviour and he himself considers it unacceptable. Twenty-one-year-old Vips joined Red Bull’s junior program in 2018 and regularly tested data collected from the race track on a simulator for the Austrian team.

Vips is currently in Formula 2 with the Hitech team and is seventh in the drivers’ championship standings. However, despite Red Bull’s approach and the problems encountered, he will at least finish the 2022 season with the Hitech team.

In the opening six races of 2022, he has already finished on the podium three times and taken two pole positions. Hitech stable boss Oliver Oakes said in a statement that Vips should be given a chance to make amends.

“I have decided that Jüri will keep his F2 seat at Hitech for the rest of the season. We have discussed this decision seriously and allowing him to finish the season with Hitech is an opportunity for him to show by his actions what type of person he is,” said Oakes, who was quoted by Motorsport.

However, Formula 2 is not happy with this result and has reaffirmed that the use of racist slurs and discriminatory gestures cannot be tolerated. The Hitech team will reportedly continue to monitor F2 and communicate with them to ensure that such behaviour is properly addressed.

“Hitech GP employs an inclusive workforce and has never condoned racism or offensive behaviour in any form. This means that if we live in a society where no-one can make a mistake, then a sincere apology and a chance for redemption is needed. It is important to learn from this,” Oakes added.

Sources: FIA Formula 2, Hitech F2 Team, Motorsport