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Red Bull’s Jüri Vips has officially been suspended by Oracle Red Bull Racing for using a racial slur during a Twitch stream. The 21-year-old Estonian is slated to be the reserve driver for Red Bull in 2022 behind Max Verstappen, but a racial slur has had him immediately suspended.
The organization is also investigating the incident and has made it clear they have a zero-tolerance policy for any racist language or behavior within their organization.
Red Bull’s Jüri Vips being investigated for using a racial slur during a Twitch stream
During a recent Twitch stream, Red Bull’s junior driver lit up players and let a racial slur go mid-match after dying. His teammates tried to subtly tell him it wasn’t okay. The clip featured above is from his teammate Liam’s perspective and does feature Vips using the slur.
This has led to Oracle Red Bull Racing immediately suspending the player from all of his duties for the team, pending an investigation. The tweet stated that there is a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of racist language or behavior from anyone in their group.
The Red Bull driver, who joined them in 2018 and is currently plying his trade in Formula 2 with Hitech Grand Prix, also took to his Instagram account to apologize. The apology post came after the Twitch stream went viral and Red Bull's announcement that the organization had suspended him.
Vips wrote in the post:
“I wish to unreservedly apologize 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.”
No further comment has been made by Red Bull following the official announcement and apology, nor is it clear how long the investigation will take.
Social Media responds to Twitch streamer’s racial slur and suspension
Social media seems to be divided on this particular situation. There are some who immediately call the suspension “cancel culture,” but not everyone agrees. One accusation of cancel culture had someone reply, pointing out that people are just using buzz words they don’t understand.
Another accusation of “cancel culture” was rebuked by comments on Twitter, with some saying that it’s just holding someone accountable and another saying it’s the consequences of the Twitch streamer’s actions.
For every instance of cancel culture, another person came to make it clear that actions and words have consequences. Some assume this investigation means the driver will be fired, while others disagree. Though if he is dropped from the team, the driver only has themselves to blame for what they said.
At the end of the day, Red Bull is a brand, and keeping that brand out of controversy is likely very important to their marketing. One Twitter user said that since the driver’s a public figure, they ought to know what not to say, and since he’s a junior driver, he’s not worth this level of controversy.
Another user said this is an example of being punished for doing something wrong. In many cases, if someone uses a racial slur at work, they will be penalized at best and fired at worst.
A Twitter user made it clear that Juri Vips isn’t kicked off the team as of yet, only suspended. It’s better that Red Bull has taken the initiative here so that the FIA didn’t take action against them.
At the end of the day, the Red Bull driver did use a racial slur that he should not have during a Twitch stream. It’s up to the drivers to uphold certain standards, and only time will tell what Red Bull’s decision and actions will be at the end of the investigation.
