19-year-old F1 driver Kimi Antonelli receives death threats

Red Bull has publicly apologised after rookie Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli became the target of online abuse, following what the team now admits were “clearly incorrect” suggestions that he intentionally allowed Lando Norris through during the Qatar Grand Prix.

In the closing laps at Lusail, Antonelli was holding off the McLaren star after benefiting from Mercedes’ early Safety Car pit strategy. Despite Norris having slightly fresher hard tyres, the Italian teenager put on a fierce defensive display as both drivers chased Carlos Sainz for the final podium spot.

But with two laps remaining, Antonelli ran deep into a corner, an error that opened the door for Norris to snatch fourth place and a couple of crucial championship points as he heads into the Abu Dhabi finale still in the title hunt.

During the race, Max Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase radioed in with the suggestion that Antonelli had effectively moved aside. He later walked back the remark and personally apologised to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, acknowledging he hadn’t seen the full picture.

On Monday, Red Bull issued a statement clarifying the situation, “Comments made during and immediately after the Qatar GP implying that Kimi Antonelli deliberately let Lando Norris past were clearly inaccurate.

Replay footage shows Antonelli briefly losing control of the car, which led to the overtake. We sincerely regret that this has resulted in online abuse toward Antonelli.”

Wolff was visibly irritated when asked about the speculation post-race, dismissing the idea that his young driver would yield a position as “nonsense”, especially while Mercedes is locked in a tight fight for second in the Constructors’ standings.

“He’s battling for a podium, we’re battling for P2 in the championship,” Wolff said. “Hearing stuff like that… it just makes no sense. He made a mistake. Simple as that. GP admitted he didn’t see the incident properly, so that’s all cleared up.”

The Mercedes team principal also expressed frustration over a race he felt had slipped away due to errors and lost positions: George Russell at the start, and Antonelli through the pit cycle and that late lock-up while chasing Sainz.

“We had the pace this weekend,” Wolff explained. “But you can’t afford mistakes when you’re fighting at the front.”

Mercedes now holds a 33-point cushion over Red Bull for second place in the championship, though Wolff acknowledged that finishing runner-up is still far from the team’s long-term ambitions.