The Red Bull team Expresses Remorse Over Comments Following Online Abuse Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has issued a statement stating its sincere regret for post-race remarks that preceded widespread online abuse, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

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

The situation stems from radio communications during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "just pulled over" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris to pass.

This occurrence proved crucial for the championship battle, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made suggesting that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to online abuse."

The team's announcement did not include a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase subsequently said sorry to Toto Wolff after being shown footage of the incident.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That blows my mind even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are battling for second place in the constructors' championship... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who stated he had not seen the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes noted a "1,100% increase" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the race.

For his part, Antonelli explained the moment as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on Carlos Sainz and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to go off track and lose the position.

"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."

Main Takeaways from the Incident

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a team member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the aftermath of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that affected the championship standings.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
• The individual in question has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.