The Red Bull team Voices Remorse Over Comments Linked to Death Threats Against Driver Kimi Antonelli

The Red Bull racing outfit has released a comment expressing its deep remorse for comments made that preceded a torrent of online abuse, including vile threats, directed at young talent Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli reportedly switched his social media picture to a solid black 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 driver's life.

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

This occurrence proved significant for the title fight, as Norris's pass secured extra points. This extended the Briton's championship lead over Verstappen to a dozen points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In its statement, Red Bull clarified: "Observations voiced implying that Kimi Antonelli had intentionally let Lando Norris past are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of his car, thereby enabling Norris to get by. We deeply regret that this has resulted in Kimi receiving online abuse."

The team's statement did not include a direct apology for the original claim. However, reports indicate that Lambiase later said sorry to Toto Wolff after reviewing footage of the on-track moment.

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

Wolff added that he had cleared the air with Lambiase, who claimed he did not witness the actual incident when he spoke over the radio. Mercedes noted a "massive surge" in abusive messages targeting Antonelli following the Grand Prix.

For his part, Antonelli described the racing incident as a error. He said he was driving aggressively to catch the Williams ahead and had a "massive moment" that caused him to run wide and lose the position.

"It was really hard with the turbulence and the high tyre temperatures," Antonelli remarked. "A shame to lose the place because it would have been two more points."

Key Points from the Situation

• Red Bull has expressed regret for radio remarks made by a staff member.
• Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was targeted by severe online abuse in the aftermath of those comments.
• The controversial remark involved an on-track pass that impacted the championship standings.
• Video evidence confirm Antonelli lost control, contradicting the implication of team orders.
• The engineer involved has apologised to Mercedes management.