Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko Thinks Mexico Is In South America

Red Bull Racing consultant Helmut Marko has had to apologize for racist remarks aimed at F1 driver Sergio Pérez. During an interview after last week’s Italian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko said Checo’s performance was due to his “cultural heritage,” per the BBC, and the 80-year old Red Bull advisor went on to unfavorably compare Checo’s Mexican nationality to that of a German or a Dutchman.

Not only did Marko have the gall to blame Checo’s performance on being Mexican, but he was confidently incorrect when describing the F1 driver’s origin, saying the Mexican pilot is from South America, which is, uh, wrong.

Read more

• Mel Tucker was the highest-paid Black coach in college football history — he blew it because he’s a creep

• Elon Musk’s Third Child with Grimes Raises More Sinister Questions

• Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Flub Apology for Masterson Letters

• If You’ve Got a New Car, It’s a Data Privacy Nightmare

• I'd Like to Thank the Person Who Does the US Open Seating Chart

This is reportedly not the first time that Helmut Marko has incorrectly said that Checo is from South America. The thing is Sergio Pérez was born in Guadalajara, which is the capital of Jalisco, one of Mexico’s more readily recognized states.

Guadalajara is a major metropolis. Hell, it’s the subject of a well-known song named after the capital city, which has been performed by famous Mexicans such as Vicente Fernández, AKA ’Chente. You would think an advisor to Red Bull’s Formula 1 team would know where his team’s drivers are from.

But, no. Helmut Marko is under the impression that Mexicans are from South America, despite Mexico being part of the North American continent, and, therefore, by definition, making Sergio Pérez a North American — the same as any F1 driver from the U.S. or Canada. No one’s bothered to correct Marko until now, it seems, prompting the 80-year old to issue the following statement:

Notice that Marko makes no mention of the factual error he committed. That is, his remarks were first and foremost racist, and, second, just plain wrong.

More from Jalopnik

• NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Inadvertently Breaks Record for Longest U.S. Space Mission

• Starfield: Essential Skills To Snag (And How To Raise Them)

• Disney Celebrates 100 Years With a $1,500 Box Set

• Burning Man’s Climate Reckoning Has Begun

• Drew Barrymore ‘Owns’ Her Decision to Violate Writers’ Strike By Bringing Back Talk Show

Sign up for Jalopnik's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.