Red Bull Voices Regret Regarding Remarks Following Online Abuse Against Driver Kimi Antonelli
The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its sincere regret for comments made that were followed by widespread social media vitriol, including vile threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli was said to have switched his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a response to the abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these messages included threats against the youngster's life.
The situation stems from team radio during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris through.
This incident proved crucial for the championship battle, as the overtake earned him extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.
In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Comments made suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi being subjected to online abuse."
The team's announcement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown footage of the incident.
"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"
Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he did not witness the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. The team reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the race.
For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a error. He said he was pushing hard to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and lose the position.
"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 Incident
- Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member.
- Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
- The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that impacted the title battle.
- Video replays confirm Antonelli lost control, debunking the suggestion of deliberate action.
- The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.
