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Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli expressed gratitude to Max Verstappen on Thursday after receiving online death threats following a mistake in the Qatar Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old misjudged the penultimate lap, allowing series leader Lando Norris of McLaren to pass him and claim fourth place, earning two crucial points in his title chase against Verstappen, who now leads by 12 points ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The incident drew attention when Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase remarked on team radio that Antonelli “had just pulled over and let Norris through,” prompting Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko to suggest a possible conspiracy against the team, comments Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called “brainless.”
The remarks were widely broadcast and triggered a surge of abusive messages on Antonelli’s social media, with Mercedes reporting a 1,100 per cent increase in hateful comments.
Antonelli said the support he received from Verstappen, Lambiase, and the Red Bull team helped him move past the abuse. “Max saw what happened, and he wasn’t bothered…
He even showed me support,” Antonelli said, adding that Verstappen encouraged him to ignore “brainless” social media commentators and focus on racing.
The International Motoring Federation also condemned the online abuse and voiced support for the young Italian.
Verstappen, who is pursuing a fifth consecutive world title in a three-way contest with Norris and Oscar Piastri, defended Red Bull’s initial response and criticised social media’s lack of regulation, noting that abusive behaviour online should not be confused with the team’s official stance.
