The Red Bull team Voices Remorse Regarding Remarks Linked to Death Threats Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment stating its deep remorse for comments made that were followed by a torrent of online abuse, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli reportedly switched his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. His team stated that a number of these messages constituted direct threats against the driver's life.
The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let McLaren's Lando Norris to pass.
This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made implying that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Video evidence demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling 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 direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised 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," said Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"
Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to close on Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that caused him to go off track and surrender fourth place.
"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points."
Key Points from the Situation
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for radio remarks made by a team member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
- The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings.
- Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of team orders.
- The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.
