Red Bull has stepped forward with a formal statement addressing the backlash surrounding Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli after a heated moment in the Qatar Grand Prix. The controversy erupted in the race’s closing stages when Antonelli ran wide at Turn 9 on the penultimate lap, allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris to slip past for fourth place. This move netted Norris two crucial points, trimming his championship lead to 12 over Max Verstappen and 16 over teammate Oscar Piastri heading into the Abu Dhabi finale. Verstappen had already sealed victory earlier, his seventh win of the season, but the incident overshadowed the podium celebrations.
The trouble started when Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, quipped over team radio that Antonelli seemed to have “just pulled over and let Norris through,” sparking immediate suspicion of foul play. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko amplified the claims post-race, calling it “too flashy” and suggesting the 18-year-old Italian had waved Norris by. Antonelli, fighting for a podium spot in the dirty air behind Williams’ Carlos Sainz, explained it as a simple oversteer snap after pushing too hard on worn tires. The Mercedes driver finished fifth, but the comments ignited a firestorm online.
Mercedes flagged over 1,100 abusive messages on Antonelli’s social media, including death threats and calls for harm against the teenager. In response, Antonelli updated his Instagram profile picture to solid black, a stark symbol of distress. The team is treating the harassment gravely and plans to submit the evidence to the FIA’s United Against Online Abuse initiative. Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss, labeled the initial accusations “brainless,” emphasizing that Antonelli was battling for P3 in a constructors’ fight where every position counts.
Red Bull’s Monday statement walked back the narrative sharply: “Comments made before the end of and immediately after the Qatar GP suggesting that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake him are clearly incorrect. Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse.” The team expressed remorse for the fallout without issuing a direct apology for the remarks, though Marko later clarified in an F1 Insider interview that a closer look at the footage confirmed it was a genuine error, not intentional aid.
Marko added, “The first time [earlier in the race against Piastri], Antonelli could have put up more of a fight, but the second time it was a driving error. I’m sorry he got so much flak online—to make it perfectly clear, he didn’t let Norris past on purpose.” Lambiase reportedly apologized directly to Wolff after the race. As the title fight heads to Abu Dhabi, where Norris needs a podium to clinch his first crown, the incident serves as a stark reminder of F1’s intense scrutiny and the human cost of split-second decisions under pressure.
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