The Red Bull team Expresses Remorse Over Comments Following Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has released a comment stating its deep remorse for comments made that preceded widespread online abuse, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. His team stated that a number of these communications included threats against the driver's life.

The situation originated with team radio during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let rival driver Lando Norris through.

This occurrence proved significant for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced implying that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Mercedes team principal after being shown video evidence of the incident.

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

Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "1,100% increase" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the race.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a simple mistake. He said he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and lose the position.

"It was really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Main Takeaways from the Situation

• Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the wake of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings.
• Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.