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

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver 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 flooded his accounts. Mercedes confirmed that several of these messages constituted threats against the driver's life.

The controversy stems from radio communications during the final laps of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This incident proved significant for the title fight, as Norris's pass earned him extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Observations voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Video evidence demonstrates Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to online abuse."

The team's announcement did not include a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Mercedes team principal after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for second place in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a simple mistake. He said he was driving aggressively to close on Carlos Sainz and had 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. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."

Main Takeaways from the Situation

• Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received death threats in the wake of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
• Video evidence show Antonelli lost control, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.