Red Bull Racing has issued a formal statement expressing its "sincere regret" after remarks from two of its senior figures led to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli being subjected to online abuse.
The Controversial Comments from the Red Bull Pit Wall
The incident stems from the closing stages of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian rookie, Kimi Antonelli, made a driving error, briefly running off the track. This allowed McLaren's Lando Norris to pass him and claim fourth place, securing an extra two points in his championship battle with Max Verstappen.
In the heat of the moment, Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, was heard on team radio saying, "I am not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It looked like he just pulled over and let Lando through." After the race, Red Bull's influential adviser, Helmut Marko, added fuel to the fire by stating he believed it was "so obvious" Antonelli had "waved" Norris through.
Mercedes Fury and the Fallout on Social Media
Despite Antonelli's immediate insistence that it was a simple mistake, the Red Bull personnel's suggestions sparked a wave of criticism directed at the young driver on social media platforms. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff reacted with fury to the insinuations on Sunday night.
"This is total, utter nonsense that blows my mind," Wolff stated. "We are fighting for second in the constructors' championship... Kimi is fighting for a potential third in the race. I mean, how brainless can you be to even say something like this?" Wolff confirmed he had spoken with Lambiase to clear the air, noting the engineer admitted he had not seen the full incident.
Red Bull's Official Retraction and Apology
On Monday morning, the Red Bull team moved to defuse the situation with an official statement. The team clarified that comments suggesting Antonelli acted deliberately were "clearly incorrect", attributing the overtake to the Mercedes driver momentarily losing control of his car.
The statement concluded: "We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse." This public retraction represents a significant step back from the initial claims made by its staff.
Championship Implications Heading to Abu Dhabi
The two points gained by Norris could prove pivotal in the final standings. The result in Qatar means the British driver now only needs to finish third or higher at the season finale in Abu Dhabi to secure his maiden Formula 1 World Championship. The gap between Norris and reigning champion Verstappen now stands at 12 points, setting up a dramatic climax to the season.
While the controversy has been addressed by the teams, it highlights the intense pressure and instant speculation that surrounds every moment in a tightly contested title fight.
