Perez 'not offended' by Marko comments after private talks

Sergio Perez has addressed Helmut Marko's controversial comments about his heritage, insisting he is not "offended" by the Red Bull advisors language.

After the Italian Grand Prix, Marko incorrectly labelled Mexican Perez as being 'South American' and felt that this mindset was why he could not replicate the form of Sebastian Vettel or Max Verstappen, who are German and Dutch, respectively.

Marko was forced into a public apology over his words, with Perez revealing private talks between the two and felt that knowing Marko personally meant he could understand the tone of Marko's words.

Perez's Marko talks

"I had a private conversation with him, he did apologise and that to me was the main thing," Perez told media including RacingNews365.

"We will move on, and I have a personal relationship with him, and you can always have the feeling, when you see that stuff, knowing the person helps a lot because I know he doesn't mean it that way.

"I took his apology because I know Helmut and know that he didn't mean it that way.

"If I were to look at the comments, I would feel [the anti-Mexican/Latin bias], but I know Helmut.

"It didn't sound like that to me, and whatever I say to the media or he says to the media is different to the conversations that we have.

"We all make mistakes, and what to me was the most important was that I take his personal apology and what happens afterwards in the media or on [social media] is not in my control.

"When you read the comments in isolation, they can be very disrespectful, but like I said, having that personal relationship with Helmut helped me to understand him.

"He gave me a personal apology, and I didn't get offended at all.

"If the comments were on a different perspective, I would have taken them differently, but it is just how things are and they weren't personal."