The Red Bull team Voices Regret Regarding Comments Following Online Abuse Targeting Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that were followed by 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 reaction to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages constituted direct threats against the youngster's life.
The situation originated with team radio during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris through.
This incident proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake earned him extra points. This extended the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Video evidence demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to such abuse."
The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Mercedes team principal after reviewing video evidence of the incident.
"This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said 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 stated he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. Mercedes noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.
For his part, Antonelli explained the moment as a simple mistake. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on the Williams ahead and had a "massive moment" that led 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 additional points."
Main Takeaways from the Situation
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
- The controversial remark centered on an overtaking move that impacted the championship standings.
- Video evidence show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the suggestion of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.
