Red Bull apologizes for abuse of Antonelli after erroneous accusation in Qatar

Red Bull issued a statement lamenting the online abuse directed at Kimi Antonelli after the Qatar Grand Prix. This occurred after team members suggested that the Mercedes driver had facilitated Lando Norris’s overtaking. Mercedes revealed that Antonelli’s social media accounts received more than 1100 “severe or suspicious” comments after the race, including death threats and messages wishing harm. Antonelli made a mistake on the penultimate lap in Qatar, which allowed Norris to overtake him and secure important points in his fight for the championship with Max Verstappen.

The difference between finishing fourth and fifth means that Norris would secure the championship if he achieves third place in Abu Dhabi, while a fifth place would require a second place in the last race. After Verstappen won the race in Qatar, Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, hinted that Antonelli had facilitated Norris’s overtaking.

I’m not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It seemed like he just moved aside and let Lando through.

Gianpiero Lambiase

Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, told reporters that it was “so obvious” that Norris was “invited” to let Antonelli pass. Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, called Marko’s comments “stupid”. Qatar GP: Stella says McLaren will learn from strategy errors On Monday, Red Bull issued a statement clarifying that the team accepted that Antonelli had made a mistake and did not simply allow Norris to overtake.

The comments made before and after the Qatar Grand Prix, suggesting that the Mercedes driver, Kimi Antonelli, had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake him, are clearly incorrect.

The statement went on to explain that replays showed Antonelli losing control of his car, allowing Norris to overtake.

We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse.

Verstappen arrives at the last race in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over Norris in the standings.