🔗 Share this article The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Comments Following Online Abuse Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar pushes a thrilling season finale. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have switched his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team confirmed that several of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow rival driver Lando Norris through. This incident proved crucial for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of 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 clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?" Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that led him to run wide and lose the position. "It proved really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points." Main Takeaways from the Situation Red Bull has expressed regret for comments made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the wake of those comments. The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that affected the championship standings. Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action. The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.
Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar pushes a thrilling season finale. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have switched his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team confirmed that several of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow rival driver Lando Norris through. This incident proved crucial for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of 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 clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?" Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that led him to run wide and lose the position. "It proved really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points." Main Takeaways from the Situation Red Bull has expressed regret for comments made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the wake of those comments. The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that affected the championship standings. Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action. The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.