The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Remarks Linked to Death Threats Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that were followed by widespread social media vitriol, including vile threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that a number of these messages included threats against the driver's life.
The controversy originated with radio communications 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 allow rival driver Lando Norris through.
This occurrence proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake secured two additional points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."
The team's announcement did not include a direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown footage of the incident.
"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"
Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. The team noted 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 catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and lose the position.
"It was really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."
Main Takeaways from the Situation
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
- The controversial remark involved an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
- Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.
