Red Bull Expresses Remorse Regarding Remarks Linked to Death Threats Against Mercedes Star 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 online abuse, including vile threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli reportedly changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these messages included threats against the youngster's life.
The situation stems from radio communications during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris through.
This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him two additional points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."
The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the initial accusation. 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 astounds me even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling 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 stated he did not witness the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. The team noted a "1,100% increase" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that led him to run wide and surrender fourth place.
"It was really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."
Main Takeaways 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 controversial remark centered on an on-track pass that impacted the title battle.
- Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.