The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Comments Linked to Online Abuse Targeting Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that were followed by a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent 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. Mercedes confirmed that several of these communications constituted threats against the youngster's life.

The situation originated with team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let rival driver Lando Norris through.

This occurrence proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Comments made suggesting that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi receiving such abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Mercedes team principal after reviewing footage of the incident.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. The team noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on 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 high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Key Points from the Incident

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for radio remarks made by a team member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
• The controversial remark involved an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
• Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.