🔗 Share this article The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Comments Linked to Death Threats Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar pushes a thrilling championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment stating its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, 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 reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life. The situation stems from team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Comments voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse." The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after being shown footage of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting 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 stated he did not witness the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the demanding Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that led him to run wide and lose the position. "It proved 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." Main Takeaways from the Incident Red Bull has expressed regret 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 centered on an on-track pass that affected the championship standings. Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the implication of team orders. The individual in question has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.
Max Verstappen's victory in Qatar pushes a thrilling championship decider. The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment stating its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, 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 reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life. The situation stems from team radio during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass. This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Comments voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse." The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after being shown footage of the on-track moment. "This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting 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 stated he did not witness the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli secured a P5 finish at the demanding Qatar Grand Prix. For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that led him to run wide and lose the position. "It proved 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." Main Takeaways from the Incident Red Bull has expressed regret 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 centered on an on-track pass that affected the championship standings. Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the implication of team orders. The individual in question has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.