Red Bull Racing suspends junior driver Juri Vips after racist slur on live gaming stream
By Ben Church, CNN
Red Bull Racing has suspended junior driver Juri Vips after he used a racial slur during a live gaming stream on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old, who has since apologized for the incident, was relieved of all team duties with immediate effect pending a full investigation, Red Bull said in a statement.
“As an organisation we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero-tolerance policy to racist language or behaviour within our organisation,” it added.
Vips, who is racing in Formula 2 this season, admitted the language used was “entirely unacceptable” in a post on his personal Instagram account on Tuesday.
“I wish to unreservedly apologise for the offensive language used during a live gaming stream earlier today,” Vips wrote.
“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.”
The Estonian currently races with the British-based Hitech GP team and sits seventh in the Formula 2 standings.
Earlier this year, he replaced Sergio Pérez to drive Red Bull’s F1 car in a practice session ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
The-CNN-Wire
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