The Red Bull team Voices Regret Regarding Comments Following Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded widespread social media vitriol, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

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

The controversy originated with radio communications during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow McLaren's 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 12 points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Video evidence shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment.

"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 suggest something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he did not witness the moment when he spoke over the radio. The team noted 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 "big snap" that caused him to go off track and lose the position.

"It was 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 two more points."

Key Points from the Situation

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
• The controversial remark involved an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
• Video replays confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.