Red Bull Voices Remorse Over Remarks Linked to Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

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

Antonelli reportedly changed his social media picture to a blank image on Monday, a reaction to the hurtful messages that flooded his accounts. His team stated that a number of these messages included direct threats against the driver's life.

The controversy originated with radio communications during the final laps of the recent race. Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked over the air that it "looked like" Antonelli had "deliberately moved aside" to let rival driver Lando Norris to pass.

This incident proved significant for the title fight, as the overtake secured extra points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to 12 points ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Comments voiced suggesting that Mercedes driver had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Video evidence shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has led to Kimi being subjected to such abuse."

The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the original claim. However, sources indicate that Lambiase later apologised to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the incident.

"This is total, utter nonsense. That astounds me even to hear that," stated Wolff. "We are battling for P2 in the team standings... How foolish can you be to even suggest something like this?"

Wolff explained that he had spoken with Lambiase, who claimed he did not witness the actual incident when he made the comment. Mercedes reported a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli after the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli explained the moment as a error. He said he was pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz and had a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and surrender fourth place.

"It proved really hard with the turbulence and the tyres were overheating," the driver stated. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been additional points."

Key Points from the Incident

• Red Bull has expressed regret for comments made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli received severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
• The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that affected the title battle.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli made a mistake, contradicting the implication of deliberate action.
• The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes team leadership.