🔗 Share this article The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Regarding Remarks Linked to Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's win in Qatar pushes a thrilling championship decider. The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that several of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life. The situation 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 "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris through. This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Observations voiced suggesting that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after reviewing footage of the incident. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... 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 actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli finished fifth at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He commented he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and surrender fourth place. "It was really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional 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 affected the title battle. Video replays show Antonelli lost control, debunking the implication of team orders. The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.
Max Verstappen's win in Qatar pushes a thrilling championship decider. The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that several of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life. The situation 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 "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris through. This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Observations voiced suggesting that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after reviewing footage of the incident. "This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... 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 actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli finished fifth at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He commented he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and surrender fourth place. "It was really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional 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 affected the title battle. Video replays show Antonelli lost control, debunking the implication of team orders. The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.