The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Regarding Comments Following Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement stating its deep remorse for post-race remarks that were followed by widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli reportedly changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. His team confirmed that a number of these communications included direct threats against the youngster's life.

The situation originated with radio communications during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him two additional points. This extended 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 voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Mercedes team principal after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How brainless 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 actual incident when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and lose the position.

"It proved really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more 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 aftermath of those comments.
• The controversial remark involved an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
• Video evidence show Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.