Red Bull Racing has issued a statement expressing deep regret over controversial team radio comments that allegedly contributed to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli receiving death threats on social media. The incident stems from remarks made during Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, where Red Bull's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase speculated that Antonelli intentionally allowed McLaren's Lando Norris to overtake him.
Controversial Radio Transmission Sparks Backlash
The contentious exchange occurred when Lambiase told Red Bull driver Max Verstappen: "It looked like Antonelli just pulled over and let Norris through." This comment followed Antonelli's minor off-track moment at Turn 10, which cost him fourth position to Norris.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff later confirmed that Lambiase apologized after reviewing footage of the incident, admitting he hadn't witnessed the actual moment. "GP said he didn't see the situation," Wolff revealed. "Once shown the video, he acknowledged his mistake."
Social Media Fallout
The Red Bull statement stopped short of a formal apology but acknowledged: "We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse." Mercedes reported a staggering 1,100% increase in abusive messages directed at the young Italian driver following the race.
Antonelli, who changed his Instagram profile picture to black in response to the harassment, explained the on-track incident: "I had a massive moment in Turn Nine after pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz. The tyres were overheating and I lost the rear unexpectedly."
Wolff Condemns "Brainless" Accusations
The Mercedes team principal didn't mince words when addressing the situation: "How brainless can you be to even say something like this? We're fighting for crucial championship positions - why would any driver deliberately lose places?"
As the Formula 1 championship battle heads to a three-way finale in Abu Dhabi, this controversy adds extra tension to an already dramatic season conclusion.
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