The Red Bull team Voices Remorse Over Remarks Linked to Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment stating its sincere regret for post-race remarks that were followed by a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli reportedly switched his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages included threats against the youngster's life.

The controversy originated with team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as the overtake secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Observations voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."

The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the incident.

"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 brainless can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the actual incident when he made the comment. The team reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the race.

For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and had a "big snap" that caused him to go off track 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 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 confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
• The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes management.