The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Regarding Remarks Following Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that were followed by widespread online abuse, including vile threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages included threats against the driver's life.
The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the recent race. 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 to pass.
This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."
The team's statement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown footage of the incident.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How foolish 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 made the comment. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He commented he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.
"It was really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points."
Key Points from the Incident
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
- The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings.
- Video evidence show Antonelli lost control, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.
