Jüri Vips keeps his seat at Hitech Grand Prix in F2

Jüri Vips will have lost big, but ultimately will not have lost everything. Twenty-four hours after officially being fired from Red Bull Junior Team continued to the racist remarks he used during a live twitch, the Estonian had confirmation that he would continue his season in Formula 2 at Hitech Grand Prix and the British team announced it this Wednesday, after hesitating for a long time.

In a press release, Oliver Oakes, the team boss, wanted to explain his choice. “I took the decision to confirm Jüri within the team for the remainder of the season, a decision which we seriously debated internally”, he detailed. “Allowing him to finish his season with Hitech is an opportunity for him to demonstrate through his actions what person he really is. I made it clear that the language he used was completely unacceptable, but I chose to give him a chance to redeem himself.”

🚨 Statement from Hitech on Jüri Vips' on-going participation in @ Formula2 ???? pic.twitter.com/I7ihECO3V3

— Hitech Grand Prix (@HitechGP) June 29, 2022

The Briton considers that losing his place at Red Bull is already an extremely but justly severe sanction. Between the question of image and the athlete, the decision was difficult to make. At Hitech, we were told that “the comments used by Vips were totally unacceptable, but that the Estonian was a real talent”. Oakes accepts his decision. “While this won’t satisfy everyone, I believe we all deserve a second chance in life, just never a third. Jüri's self-esteem, reputation and career are now fully in his hands. » 

On the side of Formula 2, the championship in which Vips and Hitech compete, we took note of the decision taken by the team, although taking some distance. “F2 would like to reaffirm that the use of racist or discriminatory remarks cannot be tolerated in any environment. Hitech Grand Prix's decision is surprising, and certainly not one we would have made. We will monitor the situation closely with them to ensure that such a situation does not recur. » 

A statement from Formula 2 pic.twitter.com/9nx8dhV0AH

- Formula 2 (@ Formula2) June 29, 2022

Jüri Vips will therefore be present in the car No. 8 Hitech Grand Prix this weekend at Silverstone. Seventh in the championship, the Estonian has managed three podiums this year, and would be much higher in the standings if he had not made three regrettable driving errors at Imola, Barcelona and Baku, while he was systematically well placed in race. 

ALSO READ > What future for Jüri Vips?