The Red Bull team Expresses Regret Over Remarks Following Death Threats Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has issued a statement stating its deep remorse for post-race remarks that were followed by widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. Mercedes stated that several of these messages constituted direct threats against the youngster's life.

The situation originated with radio communications during the final laps of the Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's race engineer remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass.

This incident proved significant for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured two additional points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving such abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment.

"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 foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he made the comment. The team noted a "1,100% increase" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a error. He said he was pushing hard to close on Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.

"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."

Key Points from the Incident

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