Red Bull Racing Suspends Junior Driver Juri Vips for Using Racial Slur

Red Bull Racing has suspended junior driver Juri Vips pending an investigation after the Estonian used a racial slur during a live stream, the team announced Tuesday.

“Red Bull Racing has suspended Juri Vips from all team duties with immediate effect, pending an investigation into the incident,” the team said in a statement posted on Twitter. “As an organization we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero-tolerance policy to racist language or behaviors within our organization.” 

On Monday, Vips was playing Call of Duty: Warzone with Liam Lawson, another junior driver for Red Bull, who was streaming the game live on Twitch. During the live stream, Vips cursed and said the n-word, according to the Washington Post.

In a statement posted on Instagram, the 21-year-old Vips apologized “for the offensive language” he used during the live stream and said he would fully cooperate with Red Bull’s investigation.

“This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold,” Vips wrote. “I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set.”

Vips, who drives for the British-based Hitech Grand Prix team in Formula Two, is currently seventh in the standings. Last month, he drove for Red Bull’s Formula One car during a Friday practice session ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.