Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has taken down his social media accounts due to receiving death threats and more than 1,100 abusive messages following the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced severe backlash from trolls after a late race incident allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship battle. Currently, Norris leads Max Verstappen by 12 points, with the Brit only needing a third-place finish in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to secure the world championship, regardless of Verstappen’s performance in the previous Qatar race.
Following the race, Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to a black image, hinting at online abuse he might be facing. Reports reveal over 1,100 offensive comments on Antonelli’s personal accounts and around 330 on the Mercedes team’s pages, some including death threats towards the young driver.
The team plans to report all offensive remarks to the FIA as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows comments from Red Bull executives suggesting Antonelli may have made it easy for Norris, who races for McLaren, a team with Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, implying that the young driver intentionally allowed Norris to pass. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff refuted these claims, criticizing Red Bull’s accusations and clarifying the situation with Verstappen’s engineer.
In response, Red Bull issued a statement regretting the remarks that led to online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that the replay footage showed Antonelli losing control of his car, allowing Norris to overtake him accidentally.
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