The Red Bull team Voices Remorse Over Comments Following Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have switched his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that several of these messages included direct threats against the driver's life.
The situation 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 "just pulled over" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass.
This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Observations voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse."
The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the constructors' championship... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?"
Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He said he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and had a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.
"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."
Main Takeaways from the Situation
- Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a team member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
- The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that affected the championship standings.
- Video replays show Antonelli lost control, debunking the suggestion of team orders.
- The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.
