Lewis Hamilton has slammed Helmut Marko's controversial comments about Sergio Perez, and wonders why Red Bull did not issue a statement on the remarks. Marko was forced to apologise publicly for comments he made about Perez's ethnicity after incorrectly labelling him as "South American" before suggesting that Perez's Latin heritage was one reason why he could not perform as consistently as Sebastian Vettel or Max Verstappen - who are from Germany and the Netherlands. Hamilton has been at the forefront of F1's recent push towards a more inclusive paddock said he was "not surprised" by Marko's comments and that senior figures should not be making such comments. For his part, Perez considers the matter closed having held private talks with Marko, which included an apology.
Hamilton addresses Marko comments
"It is completely unacceptable what he said, and while we say there is no room for any type of discrimination within the sport, to have leaders and people in his position making those comments is not good for us moving forward," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "It still highlights the work that needs to be done, and there are a lot of people in the background trying to combat these sorts of things. "But it is hard to manoeuvre when you have people at the top that have these mindsets, and it stops us from progressing. I am not surprised. "I don't know what was said, that is something to ask Checo, but I think there needs to be something more than just apologising and saying it is okay. "There needs to be more than that, when teams have had individuals, particularly drivers, make comments they are usually removed or at least they put out a quote to say that they don't support that sort of thing. "It is interesting that they haven't done so for this one, but it is not my team. It is not how we move as a team. "It shows how important the work is that I am trying to do with the team and the sport. We still have a lot to do moving forward to ensure that this is a more inclusive environment." World Champion Verstappen also addressed Marko's comments, with the Red Bull driver considering the matter closed after Marko's apology.
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