The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Remarks Following Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for post-race remarks that were followed by a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these messages included threats against the driver's life.
The situation originated with radio communications during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let McLaren's Lando Norris to pass.
This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Video evidence demonstrates Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."
The team's statement did not include a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the incident.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"
Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that caused him to go off track and surrender fourth place.
"It was really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."
Key Points from the Incident
- Red Bull has expressed regret for comments made by a staff member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
- The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that affected the title battle.
- Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the suggestion of team orders.
- The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.
