🔗 Share this article Red Bull Expresses Remorse Regarding Comments Following Online Abuse Against Driver Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar sets up a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages included threats against the driver's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made implying that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the incident. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?" Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. The team noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "big snap" that led him to run wide and surrender fourth place. "It was really hard with the dirty air and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been additional points." Key Points from the Situation Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments. The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings. Video replays confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.
Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar sets up a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages included threats against the driver's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made implying that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the incident. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?" Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. The team noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "big snap" that led him to run wide and surrender fourth place. "It was really hard with the dirty air and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been additional points." Key Points from the Situation Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments. The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings. Video replays confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.