Red Bull have issued a statement expressing “sincere regret” after comments made during and after the Qatar Grand Prix triggered a wave of online abuse and even death threats toward Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
The controversy began on the penultimate lap of Sunday’s race, when Antonelli ran wide at Turn 10 and lost fourth place to McLaren’s Lando Norris. The position swap ultimately gave Norris two extra points—an outcome significant in the three-way title fight heading to Abu Dhabi.
Moments after the incident, Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, suggested via radio that it “looked like” Antonelli had “pulled over and let Norris through.” The insinuation quickly spread online, with some fans interpreting it as an accusation of deliberate manipulation in favour of Norris.
Mercedes later confirmed that Antonelli’s social media channels were flooded with hostile messages—including multiple death threats—prompting the young Italian to turn his Instagram profile picture black on Monday morning.
Red Bull Attempt to Calm Storm
In a statement released on Monday, Red Bull walked back the remarks, stating that suggestions Antonelli intentionally gave up the position were “clearly incorrect.”
“Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him,” the team said. “We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse.”
The statement stopped short of a direct apology, but Red Bull’s clarification acknowledged the severity of the situation as the level of harassment escalated far beyond anything typical for a race weekend.
Mercedes said online abuse toward Antonelli had risen by “1,100%” compared to a normal Sunday, calling the spike deeply troubling.
Lambiase Apologises After Confrontation
According to a Mercedes spokesperson, Lambiase apologised privately to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after the race, once he had seen video footage of the incident.
Team representative Bradley Lord, who witnessed the exchange, said the apology came after Wolff physically showed Lambiase a replay of Antonelli’s moment of oversteer and loss of traction.
Wolff did not hide his frustration when speaking publicly.
“This is total, utter nonsense,” he said of the initial accusation. “We are fighting for P2 in the constructors’ championship. Kimi is fighting for a potential P3 finish. How brainless can you be to even say something like that?”
Wolff said that while he was already annoyed with aspects of Mercedes’ race performance, the situation surrounding Antonelli’s treatment online left him alarmed.
“I said to GP that there’s quite a social media storm,” Wolff added. “He said, ‘sorry if I caused that, I didn’t see the incident.’ We cleared the air.”
Antonelli Explains the Moment
Speaking after the race, Antonelli described the error that cost him fourth place.
“I was pushing quite a lot to get close to Carlos [Sainz],” he said. “Into Turn Nine I went in a bit quicker and had a massive moment. A bit unexpected but just lost the rear and went off track.”
He added that the car’s balance in dirty air made it difficult to stay consistent while attempting to close the gap.
“It’s a shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points,” he admitted, though he remained focused on analysing what led to the mistake.
Looking Ahead to Abu Dhabi
With the championship set for a dramatic three-way showdown between Verstappen, Norris, and Sainz in Abu Dhabi, tensions in the paddock were already high. The fallout from Qatar has highlighted the growing concern about online abuse toward drivers—especially younger ones like Antonelli, who is still in his first full Formula 1 season.
F1 has faced increasing scrutiny over the past two years regarding the sport’s relationship with social media toxicity. This latest incident underscores how quickly fan narratives can spiral, and how easily offhand comments can inflame an already volatile digital environment.
As the teams prepare for the decisive final race, the hope is that sportsmanship—and not harassment—will dominate the headlines.
