The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Over Comments Following Online Abuse Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. His team confirmed that several of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life.

The situation originated with radio communications during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris through.

This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Observations made implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after being shown video evidence of the incident.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who stated he did not witness the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the moment as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide 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 two more points."

Main Takeaways from the Incident

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
• The disputed comment centered on an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.