Red Bull Racing has suspended Jüri Vips as the team investigates an incident involving the Estonian over an alleged racial slur.
Vips allegedly uttered the insult during a Twitch stream while playing with fellow Red Bull driver Liam Lawson.
Vips is a member of Red Bull’s junior team, which he joined ahead of the 2019 season, and also serves as a reserve driver for Red Bull’s Formula 1 team.
He tested the RB18 at the Spanish Grand Prix (pictured) under new 2022 regulations requiring young drivers to attend two free practice sessions.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Red Bull Racing said it had “suspended junior driver Jüri Vips from all team duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into the incident”.
“As an organization, we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero tolerance policy for racist language or behavior within our organization.”
On his Instagram account, Vips indicated that he “wishes to unreservedly apologize for the offensive language used during a game earlier today”.
“This language is completely unacceptable and does not represent the values and principles I hold dear. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set. I will cooperate fully with the investigation.”
The rest of Vips’ Formula 2 season remains unclear.
He is due to race at Silverstone next weekend and sits seventh in the standings.