There will be no more tests. Juri Vips got into Checo Pérez’s car for the first free practice sessions of this year’s Spanish GP. REUTERS photo / Nacho Doce / photo file
“black dick”. Those two bad words Juri Vips he said while playing a video game on Twitch he condemned his chances of moving to Formula 1, despite being one of the most promising youngsters in Formula 2 and already a reserve driver for Red Bull in the top flight.
In a brief statement posted on social media, the Austrian team determined that “following an investigation into an online incident involving Juri Vips, Oracle Red Bull Racing terminated Juri’s contract as a test and reserve driver.” “The team does not condone any form of racism”he highlighted.
It all started a few days ago when the man born in Estonia 22 years ago (which will be August 10) played Call of Duty: Warzone. “Fucking black,” the Estonian blurted out. His unpleasant phrase immediately went viral on social networkswhich led the Red Bull team to make a first decision: to suspend the junior driver from all his duties in the team “with immediate effect”, pending “an in-depth investigation” which concluded on Tuesday.
Vips has been part of the Red Bull young talent program since 2018, after having dedicated himself to karting and having been champion of the ADAC Formula 4 in Germany a year earlier. The team then put him into Formula 3, where he won seven races between the 2018 and 2019 championships before being promoted to Formula 2, the opening act of F1.
Juri Vips will no longer be with Red Bull.
There, in 2021, he had won twice and had played 43 races. But he ended up, at least with Red Bull, where he was also reserve driver and simulator for Alpha Tauri and Red Bull. Also this year he drove Red Bull in the first free practice of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, with the car of Sergio Checo Pérez.
After the suspension of Red Bull in the first instance, Vips had posted on their networks: “I apologize without reservation for the offensive language used during a live match broadcast today. This language is totally unacceptable and does not portray its values and principles” deeply sorry for my actions and this is not the example I want to set. I will cooperate fully with the investigation. “
However, it was not enough. And the measure of Red Bull took place on the same day that the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Formula 1 and Mercedes Benz repudiated that a three-time champion like Nelson Piquet, the father of Kelly, current partner of Max Verstappen, told him “little black” at seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton
Source: Clarin