Red Bull personnel opens up on facing racial abuse on social media: “There was plenty of it, particularly in 2021, 2022”

Red Bull Senior Power Unit Assembly Technician Calum Nicholas claimed that he still endures a substantial amount of racial abuse but has faced plenty, particularly in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The sport has been making advances in having a more inclusive environment by including people from diverse backgrounds in F1.

However, the rising popularity of the sport in the last couple of years has brought a lot of reactions from fans on social media. Some fans give extreme opinions about the personnel involved in the sport, including team members.

Nicolas, who is one of the few people of color in the paddock, got significant attention when he was featured in Netflix's F1 series 'Drive to Survive' for several seasons. Speaking with the Guardian about his new book 'Life in the Pitlane', the Red Bull man spoke about the issue and reflected:

“There was plenty of it, particularly in 2021, 2022. It’s usually anonymous social media accounts so I say to myself: ‘In 13 years, I’ve never had a fan at a race track confront or abuse me in this way.’ Unfortunately, it’s the world we’re living in with people sitting behind anonymous screens on a computer.

"That’s easier than when people say you’re a token diversity hire. Knowing the work you’ve done to get to where you are, and trying not to engage with that sort of nonsense is very difficult. Outright abuse? Man, I’m so thick-skinned.”

Calum Nicholas has been one of the key personnel in taking Red Bull back to its glory years in the new regulations.

Calum Nicholas reveals Red Bull's reaction to his new book

Red Bull's senior engineer, Calum Nicholas, revealed that he was skeptical of writing a book whilst being part of an F1 team, hence, he did not divulge the information initially.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the F1 engineer was positively surprised by the Austrian team's reaction to his book and even extended its support to his venture, saying:

“They’ve been incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. I remember approaching Paul Smith [who now heads the communications department at Red Bull] at the Italian Grand Prix last year, to tell him that the book was being announced in two weeks.

"He’s a great guy, very honest and straightforward, and from the get-go, he and Red Bull were like: ‘Look, we’d really like to support you in this project.’"

Nicholas will shift his focus back to his day job after the book tour in an attempt to reclaim the Constructor's Championship from McLaren in 2025.

The Milton-Keynes outfit finished at P3 in the standings behind McLaren and Ferrari last year after losing their way mid-season due to the RB20's development issues.