🔗 Share this article Red Bull Expresses Regret Over Remarks Following Online Abuse Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's win in Qatar sets up a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli reportedly changed his social media picture to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that several of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life. The controversy originated with team radio during the final laps of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments made suggesting that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi receiving 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 Mercedes team principal after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?" Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the demanding Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and had a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place. "It proved really hard with the dirty air and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points." Main Takeaways from the Situation Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the wake of those comments. The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that affected the title battle. Video evidence confirm Antonelli lost control, debunking the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.
Max Verstappen's win in Qatar sets up a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli reportedly changed his social media picture to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that several of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life. The controversy originated with team radio during the final laps of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments made suggesting that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi receiving 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 Mercedes team principal after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?" Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the demanding Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and had a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place. "It proved really hard with the dirty air and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points." Main Takeaways from the Situation Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a team member. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the wake of those comments. The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that affected the title battle. Video evidence confirm Antonelli lost control, debunking the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.