The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Over Remarks Following Death Threats Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for post-race remarks that were followed by widespread social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that several of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life.

The situation stems from radio communications during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow rival driver Lando Norris to pass.

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

In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Video evidence demonstrates Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to online abuse."

The team's announcement did not include a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the incident.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the team standings... How brainless can you be to even say 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 negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and had a "big snap" that caused him to run wide 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."

Key Points from the Situation

• Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a staff 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 show Antonelli lost control, debunking the implication of team orders.
• The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.