Red Bull says it “sincerely regrets” comments made during and after the Qatar Grand Prix that contributed to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli receiving a wave of online abuse, including death threats.
The backlash erupted after Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase suggested over team radio that Antonelli had “pulled over” to let McLaren’s Lando Norris pass on the penultimate lap, a move that ultimately widened Norris’ title lead over Verstappen.
Replay footage confirmed Antonelli simply lost control after running wide, prompting Red Bull’s clarification.
Mercedes said the incident led to an enormous spike in online abuse, though Antonelli did not see the messages due to channel moderation.
Toto Wolff blasted the accusations as “brainless,” later accepting Lambiase’s apology once shown the video he had not seen.
Antonelli explained he was pushing hard to catch Carlos Sainz when a sudden loss of rear grip caused the error that cost him fourth place and two points.
Red Bull culture is beyond the pale.
RBR are currently using Honda engines, changing to Ford for 2026. That might change the driver dynamics and line up even more.