F1 News
Mexican Grand Prix wants respect for Verstappen and Marko: 'Be tolerant'
- Ludo van Denderen
On the last weekend of October, Formula 1 awaits the Mexican Grand Prix. As a home driver, Sergio Perez will be able to count on a lot of support. Whether the same goes for his team-mate Max Verstappen and the rest of the Red Bull team is highly questionable. In the hope that all teams and drivers will be approached in a decent, sporting manner, the organisers of the race in Mexico City are launching a special initiative.
Their names are not mentioned at all. Nowhere in the press release does the organisers of the Mexico GP mention Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko or even Sergio Perez. However, a picture has been posted, showing Verstappen giving teammate Perez a hug. The organisers want to make it clear here - without saying it out loud - that Red Bull Racing's teammates have respect for each other, so let visitors to the race in the Latin American country have the same; for each other as well as all the team members present.
Verstappen and Marko the bogeymen
Perez is hugely popular in Mexico, and the local press plays on that quite a lot: the newspapers are full of the Red Bull team's second driver's achievements. In doing so, it is frequently cited how very much Perez is the outsider within the Austrian squad, which is said to be completely in favour of Verstappen: 'Verstappen is always preferred, Verstappen has the best material' is often the tendency. Incidentally, Red Bull Racing has debunked that suspicion on several occasions.
Helmut Marko's hurtful statements put everything further on edge. Soon, Red Bull's external advisor apologised - which Perez accepted - but the sentiment in Mexico was stoked: it's Red Bull against 'our' Sergio. In the run-up to the Mexican Grand Prix, the organisation launched an initiative called #Racepect - What happens on track, stays on track.
Organisation GP Mexico speaks out
With #Racepect, the Mexicans want to raise awareness of the intolerance that motorsport has faced in recent years. "The #Racepect initiative is an open call for all those involved in the sport – drivers, team executives, media, fans, or anyone who is part of the Formula 1 family – to come together in an atmosphere of camaraderie to enjoy motorsport in unison and celebrate the skill of all the competitors on the race track," the GP organisers reported.
"We invite all motorsport fans around the world, to passionately cheer for their favorite driver, but also behave respectfully towards other competitors,” says Rodrigo Sánchez, Marketing and PR Director for the México City GP. “Let us build an environment based on tolerance, inclusion, diversity, and above all, respect during a Grand Prix."