Red Bull has suspended Juri Vips following an incidence of racist comments on Twitch, and they are now conducting an inquiry.
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Red Bull has suspended Juri Vips following what appears to be an incidence of racist comments on Twitch, and they are now conducting an inquiry. Red Bull acted right away after hearing Vips use racial slurs during a video game live stream on Tuesday. His suspension from team operations while a thorough inquiry is underway was confirmed in a statement by the Formula 1 team. In a live-streamed game he was playing with Red Bull youngster Liam Lawson, he used a racial epithet. On another occasion on the same broadcast, VIPs also used homophobic slurs.
The 21 year old Red Bull reserve driver Juri Vips from Estonia was broadcasting a live stream on the social media platform ‘Twitch’ alongside his friend and fellow Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson. According to the sources the young estonian allegedly made use of a racial slur in the live stream on twitch. To make the matters worse he also is rumored to use homophobic statements in the same broadcast.
Red Bull revealed in a statement that Vips had been suspended from team operations pending a thorough investigation. The Formula 1 team said in a post on social media that they do not encourage such offensive behavior. “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.” The team said.
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Vips, who was taken back after the incident, felt guilty of his actions and took to Instagram to apologize for his words. “unreservedly apologise 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.” wrote Vips.
Near the end of 2018, VIPS enrolled in the Red Bull junior programme. Before making the transition to F2, where he is now participating in his third season, he placed fourth in the FIA F3 championship the following year. His current team Hitech Grand Prix’s boss Oliver Oakes said “shocked and appalled to hear about this incident. The comments made by Juri are offensive and completely not reflective of Hitech’s inclusive values,”
Juri Vips is next due to race for Hitech Grand Prix in the F2 round at Silverstone next weekend in support of the British Grand Prix.
