The Red Bull team Expresses Remorse Regarding Comments Linked to Death Threats Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment stating its deep remorse for comments made that were followed by widespread social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his Instagram profile to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that several of these messages included direct threats against the driver's life.

The controversy stems from team radio 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 let rival driver Lando Norris through.

This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as the overtake secured extra points. This extended the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull clarified: "Observations made implying that Mercedes driver had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus enabling Norris to get by. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's announcement did not include a formal apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the on-track moment.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for second place in the constructors' championship... How brainless can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who stated he did not witness the moment when he spoke over the radio. The team noted a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli after the race.

For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He commented he was driving aggressively to close on Carlos Sainz and experienced a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.

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

Key Points from the Incident

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for radio remarks made by a team member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the wake of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli lost control, debunking the implication of team orders.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes management.