The Red Bull team Expresses Remorse Over Remarks Following Online Abuse Targeting Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for post-race remarks that were followed by widespread 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. His team confirmed that a number of these messages included threats against the driver's life.

The situation originated with team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris to pass.

This incident proved significant for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured two additional points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."

The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Mercedes team principal 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 battling for second place 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 actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and surrender fourth place.

"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been additional points."

Main Takeaways 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 wake of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that affected the title battle.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.