Red Bull found itself scrambling on Monday after a wave of online abuse crashed over Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, triggered by Helmut Marko’s post-race claim that the teenager had intentionally gifted a position to Lando Norris during the frantic finale of the Qatar Grand Prix.
The late-race drama – Antonelli running wide and Norris sweeping past on the penultimate lap – proved pivotal, handing the McLaren driver two crucial points in a title fight delicately balanced heading into Abu Dhabi.
But what should have been a simple racing error quickly spiraled into a digital pile-on after Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase suggested to Max Verstappen that the Mercedes-powered Antonelli had waved Norris through – and Marko publicly agreed.
While Lambiase cleared the air with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, Marko double down on his accusation which exploded across social media, with Antonelli’s accounts reportedly hit with over a thousand hostile comments.
The 18-year-old even changed his Instagram profile picture to a black circle – a digital SOS in the face of the harassment.
Realizing the storm it helped ignite, Red Bull released a statement to set the record straight – and to put out a fire partly lit by its own advisor.
“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,” the energy drink company wrote.
“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 statement came as Helmut Marko walked back his earlier insistence – broadcast on Sky Germany –that it had been “so obvious” Antonelli let Norris by. After Wolff blasted the suggestion as “brainless,” Marko reviewed the footage again.
“I took another close look at the footage,” he told F1-insider. “The first time, Antonelli could have held his ground a little better.
“The second time, it was a driving error and not intentional. I’m sorry that Antonelli got so much flak online. To clarify once again: he didn’t let Norris pass on purpose.”
The saga now shifts from racetrack to reputation, with the youngster caught in the crossfire of a championship fight not his own.
As the paddock turns its eyes to Abu Dhabi, the hope is that the final showdown plays out on the asphalt – not in the comment sections.
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