"Are you also prepared to take responsibility for the daily racial abuse I receive?": Red Bull mechanic reveals confrontation within the team

Red Bull senior power unit assembly technician Calum Nicholas recalled a confrontation with his colleague during his interview with The Guardian. Nicholas revealed that when the colleague tried to take credit for his social media following, he asked him if he could also take responsibility for the racial abuses.

Calum Nicholas joined the energy drink-based F1 team in 2015 as a technician. However, slowly and steadily, he moved up the ranks and is now working as a senior power unit assembly technician.

Moreover, as one of the only African-American people on the grid, Nicholas is quite popular on social media. His appearance in Netflix's documentary series 'Drive to Survive' also added to his overall popularity among F1 fans.

Calum has around 349K followers on Instagram, and he recently released a book titled 'Life in a Pitlane.' The book contains an in-depth journey of Nicholas in F1 and also his struggles while trying to fit in as a man of color.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Guardian, Calum Nicholas shared an amusing story of confrontation with a Red Bull employee who tried to take credit for his fame.

In reply, Nicholas said:

“If we’re being really honest here, have my platform because both you and Netflix decided to leverage my ethnicity to make the team appear to the public as more ethnically diverse. If the company wants to try and take all the credit for my social media following, are you also prepared to take responsibility for the daily racial abuse I receive? You can’t have it both ways, so which is it?’”

He added that the white employee was embarrassed and left without uttering a word.

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Calum Nicholas says he is unwilling to leave Red Bull

Red Bull technician Calum Nicholas (Image Source: Getty)

In the past season, Red Bull lost several key employees, including Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, creating a sense of unrest. However, amid fear of mass exodus, Calum Nicholas, senior technician, has asserted his loyalty.

During his interview with the High Performance podcast, Nicholas said (via Sportsrush):

'I’ve said before, I’d find it very hard to even consider doing the job I am doing now at another place. These people have been on my side for the last 10 years. I’m not really interested in jumping ship."

Previously, Max Verstappen also affirmed his loyalty to Red Bull and stated that he wishes to adhere to his contract, which extends until the 2028 season. However, rivals like Aston Martin and Mercedes reportedly made a move to poach the four-time world champion last year.