Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has lashed out at Red Bull Racing following a controversial and potentially dangerous pitlane incident during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen was released into the path of Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The clash, which occurred during a flurry of pit stops as drivers switched from intermediate to slick tyres, saw Verstappen’s Red Bull make light contact with Antonelli’s Mercedes.
Although both drivers avoided major damage and injury, the moment was a clear safety breach that drew a 10-second penalty for Verstappen and harsh criticism from rival camps.
As the race transitioned to dry conditions around lap 13, both Verstappen and Antonelli entered the pitlane together. But as Antonelli angled into his pit box — located just ahead of Red Bull’s — Verstappen was released into his path, forcing both to take evasive action.
The Red Bull's front-left wing endplate was damaged in the glancing blow, while Antonelli was unable to stop at his box and had to drive a full lap before pitting again, destroying any chance of scoring points.
Wolff didn’t hold back in his post-race assessment.
“If it was the main race, that would be seriously annoying,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“But I'm surprised about the total lack of judgement there because it wasn't even close to releasing without any security concerns. So somebody panicked there.”
The Mercedes boss pointed to the risk the incident posed not just to the drivers, but to the tightly packed pitlane environment in general.
Verstappen, who dropped to 17th in the final classification due to the penalty, expressed concern over the near-miss, echoing Wolff’s worries about the potential consequences.
“I think we all don't want that to happen, but it happened, so this is something that we need to investigate,” Verstappen said.
“At the other end also, I'm just happy that no one got injured because with these cars, if you hit someone, it's not great. But yeah, I think it was super clear what happened there, so it's not much more for me to add.”
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner acknowledged the team’s error and accepted responsibility, saying the incident was not a strategic call but a simple mistake under pressure.
“It was human error,” Horner admitted. “We’ll learn from it.”
The contact added an extra layer of frustration to what had already been a chaotic sprint event, marred by unpredictable weather and a late-race safety car.
For Mercedes, the incident deprived Antonelli of a potential top-eight finish on his Sprint debut, while Verstappen’s error cost him valuable points in the championship standings.
Though tempers have cooled, the scrutiny over pitlane safety will likely intensify, especially with F1’s increasingly tight margins and high-pressure strategy windows.
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