The Red Bull team Voices Regret Regarding Remarks Following Online Abuse Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has issued a statement stating its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the abusive comments that appeared on his accounts. Mercedes stated that a number of these communications constituted direct threats against the youngster's life.

The controversy originated with radio communications during the closing stages of the recent race. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked over the air that it "appeared as if" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This occurrence proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake secured two additional points. This increased the McLaren driver's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull asserted: "Observations made implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are factually wrong. Replay footage demonstrates Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving such abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a formal apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase subsequently apologised to Toto Wolff after being shown video evidence of the on-track moment.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are fighting for P2 in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even say something like this?"

Wolff added that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the actual incident when he made the comment. The team reported a "massive surge" in negative traffic targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the racing incident as a error. He said he was pushing hard to close on the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that led him to go off track and surrender fourth place.

"It was really hard with the dirty air and the tyres were overheating," Antonelli remarked. "It's disappointing to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Key Points from the Situation

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for radio remarks made by a team member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by death threats in the wake of those comments.
• The disputed comment involved an overtaking move that impacted the championship standings.
• Video evidence show Antonelli made a mistake, debunking the suggestion of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has expressed regret to Mercedes team leadership.