The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Over Comments Linked to Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have switched his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team confirmed that several of these messages constituted threats against the youngster's life.

The situation stems from radio communications during the closing stages 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 McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This incident proved significant for the championship battle, as the overtake secured extra points. This extended 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: "Observations made implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving such abuse."

The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the incident.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the constructors' championship... How brainless 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. The team reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to close on Carlos Sainz and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to go off track and surrender fourth place.

"It proved really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Main Takeaways from the Situation

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
• The controversial remark centered on an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
• Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the implication of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.