Red Bull Voices Regret Regarding Comments Linked to Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement stating its deep remorse for comments made that preceded widespread online abuse, 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 abusive comments that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these messages included direct threats against the youngster's life.

The controversy originated with 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 to pass.

This incident proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake earned him extra points. This extended the McLaren driver's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Mercedes team principal after being shown footage of the incident.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the team standings... How foolish 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 spoke over the radio. The team noted a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a simple mistake. He commented he was pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz and experienced a "big snap" that led him to run wide and lose the position.

"It proved really hard with the dirty air and the high tyre temperatures," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Main Takeaways from the Situation

• Red Bull has voiced remorse 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 centered on an on-track pass that affected the title battle.
• Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of team orders.
• The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.