The Red Bull team Expresses Remorse Regarding Comments Following Death Threats Targeting Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment stating its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have switched his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these communications included direct threats against the driver's life.
The situation stems from team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass.
This occurrence proved crucial for the title fight, as the overtake secured two additional points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments made suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."
The team's announcement stopped short of a direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"
Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race.
For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He said he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.
"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."
Main Takeaways from the Situation
- Red Bull has voiced remorse 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 on-track pass that affected the title battle.
- Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
- The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes management.
