Juri Vips knows he was wrong to use a racist slur and deserves a second chance, says Max Verstappen.
The Estonian was a reserve driver for Red Bull until footage surfaced of him using the n-word while taking part in a video game live stream. He apologised as the team confirmed an investigation, before he was axed and replaced by fellow Red Bull junior Liam Lawson.
Vips' F2 team Hitech Grand Prix opted against sacking him, as team boss Oliver Oakes felt he had been punished enough by the "crushing experience" of being axed by Red Bull. And Christian Horner said his team would still be "supporting" the young racer, but only "from a mental health and educational perspective".
His chances of being taken on by a Formula 1 team look to be slim, but Verstappen believes the 21-year-old is deserving of a second chance. "He is not part of Oracle Red Bull Racing as a reserve and test driver," said the defending world champion.
"I feel people deserve a second chance. Probably not a third but some things can be easily said, sometimes not even really thought about how badly you can hurt someone.
"I know Juri a bit more than the average person and he's actually a super-nice guy, and I think he really understood what he did wrong because he's in a very difficult moment in his career with everyone judging him. Fair enough, what he said was not correct.
"I definitely think he deserves a second chance and I read the statement from F2 that they wouldn't have done the same, but he deserves a second chance to show he learned from what he did wrong and go out there and show he can be a better person, or at least be more educated about what you are saying."
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko appeared to concur with the Dutchman as he clarified Horner's claim that the team would continue to work with the racer. "I want to be clear, Juri Vips no longer receives any support from Red Bull. You need to be responsible for your actions and as a result, our cooperation has ended," he said.
"Of course, words are not a reason to destroy the career of a talented athlete. Especially as he apologised. But these are global trends."
