Red Bull Expresses Remorse Regarding Remarks Following Online Abuse 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 widespread social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. His team confirmed that a number of these messages constituted threats against the driver's life.
The controversy stems from team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris through.
This occurrence proved crucial for the title fight, as the overtake secured two additional points. This increased the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Observations made suggesting that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."
The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after reviewing video evidence of the incident.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"
Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he did not witness the actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the race.
For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and surrender fourth place.
"It was really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been additional points."
Main Takeaways from the Incident
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received death threats in the wake of those comments.
- The disputed comment centered on an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
- Video replays show Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
- The individual in question has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.
