🔗 Share this article The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Regarding Comments Following Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's win in Qatar pushes a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that were followed by widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have switched his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. His team stated that a number of these messages constituted threats against the driver's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake secured extra points. This increased the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for second place 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 actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a simple mistake. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and lose the position. "It was really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "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 severe online abuse in the wake of those comments. The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings. Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.
Max Verstappen's win in Qatar pushes a dramatic championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that were followed by widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli was said to have switched his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. His team stated that a number of these messages constituted threats against the driver's life. The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake secured extra points. This increased the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse." The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for second place 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 actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the challenging Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a simple mistake. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and lose the position. "It was really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "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 severe online abuse in the wake of those comments. The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings. Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders. The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.