The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Regarding Remarks Linked to Death Threats Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that several of these messages constituted direct threats against the driver'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 "just pulled over" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris through.
This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake secured extra points. This increased the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Comments 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 deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse."
The team's announcement did not include a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"
Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he did not witness the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. The team reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race.
For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and lose the position.
"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."
Key Points from the Incident
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for radio remarks 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 overtaking move that impacted the championship standings.
- Video replays confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.
