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Formula 2 Driver Juri Vips has been suspended from the Red Bull Academy with immediate effect after he allegedly used a racial slur during a Twitch stream.
The incident occurred during one of fellow F2 drivers Liam Lawson’s Twitch streams. The pair, along with others, were playing Call of Duty when Vips said a racial slur.
The clip was posted to social media, where it gained a lot of attention. People called out Vips, as well as Lawson for laughing after the incident.
Another clip of that stream was also posted on Twitter, where Vips made a homophobic comment as well. He refused to wear Lawson’s hat, saying that the colour pink was “gay”.
Red Bull and Vips’s statements
Not long after the incident was put on social media, Red Bull put out statement announcing Vips’ suspension from the team.
The statement said “Red Bull Racing has suspended Junior Driver Juri Vips from all team duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into the incident.
“As an organisation we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero-tolerance policy to racist language or behaviour within our organisation.”
A few minutes later, Vips published a statement of his own. It said “I wish to unreservedly apologize for the offensive language used during a live gaming stream earlier today.
“This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set. I will cooperate with the investigation fully.”
Vips currently drives for Hitech Grand Prix in Formula 2. Hitech team principal Oliver Oakes also commented on the incident to FormulaNerds.
“I was shocked and appalled to hear about this incident,” Oakes said. “The comments made by Juri are offensive and completely not reflective of Hitech’s inclusive values. Like everyone else I found out about this an hour ago – the video and Redbull’s suspension with an investigation to follow.”
Vips currently sits seventh in the Formula 2 standings, and could potentially be in the run for a seat at AlphaTauri in the near future. He is also a reserve driver for AlphaTauri, and has taken part in FP1 for Red Bull this season.
The impact that this event has on his future is still unclear. But teams like Red Bull are proving that they have little tolerance for racist behavior.
Feature Image Credit: Getty Images
