Red Bull apologizes for abuse towards Antonelli after accusation at Qatar GP

Red Bull issued a statement expressing their regret over the online abuse directed at Kimi Antonelli following the Qatar Grand Prix. This came after two team members suggested that the Mercedes driver had facilitated Lando Norris’s overtake. Norris took advantage of an error by Antonelli on the penultimate lap to overtake the Mercedes driver and secure two additional points in his fight for the championship with Max Verstappen. The difference between finishing fourth instead of fifth means that Norris would now be guaranteed the championship if he secures third place in Abu Dhabi, while a fifth place would have required securing second place. After Verstappen won Sunday’s race in Qatar, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase hinted that Antonelli had moved to help Norris in his fight for the title.

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

Gianpiero Lambiase

Red Bull Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko stated that it was “so obvious” that Norris was “invited” to pass by Antonelli. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called Marko’s comments “stupid” and claimed to have spoken with Lambiase in the paddock to “clear things up.” Antonelli changed the profile picture of his Instagram account to a black image after the abuse.

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On Monday, Red Bull issued a statement clarifying that the team accepted that Antonelli had made a mistake and did not “allow” Norris to overtake.

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

Red Bull Statement

The statement adds: “The replays show Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has caused Kimi to receive online abuse.” Verstappen arrives at the last round this weekend in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over Norris in the standings.