Red Bull Voices Regret Regarding Remarks Following Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment stating its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that a number of these messages included threats against the youngster's life.
The controversy originated with radio communications during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris through.
This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Comments made suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."
The team's announcement did not include a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the incident.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for second place in the team standings... How foolish 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 moment when he made the comment. The team reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the race.
For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He commented he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.
"It was 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 Incident
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
- The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the title battle.
- Video replays show Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
- The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes management.
