The Red Bull team Voices Regret Over Remarks Following Online Abuse Against Mercedes Star Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for post-race remarks that preceded a torrent of social media vitriol, including death threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was said to have switched his Instagram profile to a solid black image on Monday, a response to the hurtful messages that appeared on his accounts. His team stated that several of these communications included direct threats against the youngster's life.

The controversy originated with team radio during the closing stages of the recent race. Max Verstappen's race engineer suggested over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to allow McLaren's Lando Norris through.

This occurrence proved significant for the championship battle, as the overtake secured two additional points. This increased the Briton's points advantage over Verstappen to a dozen points heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its official communication, Red Bull asserted: "Comments made suggesting that Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake are factually wrong. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse."

The team's statement stopped short of a direct apology for the initial accusation. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after reviewing video evidence of the incident.

"This is complete and utter rubbish. That astounds me even to hear that," said Wolff. "We are fighting for second place in the constructors' championship... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he had not seen the moment when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli described the moment as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and experienced a "big snap" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.

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

Main Takeaways from the Incident

• Red Bull has voiced remorse for comments made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
• The disputed comment centered on an overtaking move that impacted the title battle.
• Video replays show Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the suggestion of deliberate action.
• The individual in question has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.