Red Bull Laments Online Abuse Against Kimi Antonelli After Qatar Grand Prix
Red Bull issued a statement expressing their regret over the online abuse directed at Kimi Antonelli following the Qatar Grand Prix. The statement comes after team members suggested that the Mercedes driver had yielded to Lando Norris. Norris took advantage of an error by Antonelli on the penultimate lap to overtake him and secure fourth place, which earned him crucial points in his fight for the championship with Max Verstappen. The difference between fourth and fifth place means that Norris would secure the championship if he achieves third place in Abu Dhabi. After Verstappen’s victory in Qatar, Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, hinted that Antonelli had facilitated Norris’s advance.“I’m not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It seemed like he just moved aside and let Lando through,” Lambiase said on the radio.
Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer
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On Monday, Red Bull issued a statement clarifying that the team accepted that Antonelli had made a mistake and had not “allowed” Norris to overtake him.
The statement went on to explain that the replays showed Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, which allowed Norris to overtake him. Red Bull sincerely regretted that this had led to online abuse against Kimi. Verstappen arrives at the last round in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over Norris in the standings.“The comments made before the end and immediately after the Qatar Grand Prix suggesting that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake him are clearly incorrect,” the team stated.
Red Bull Statement
