Red Bull Voices Regret Regarding Comments Linked to Online Abuse Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment stating its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded widespread social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli reportedly changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages constituted threats against the youngster's life.

The controversy stems from team radio during the final laps of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris to pass.

This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as Norris's pass earned him two additional points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Observations made suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown footage of the on-track moment.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"

Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race.

For his part, Antonelli explained the moment as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to go off track and lose the position.

"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "It's disappointing 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 death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
• The disputed comment centered on an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
• Video evidence show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the implication of team orders.
• The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes management.