Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has taken down his social media accounts following a wave of death threats and more than 1,100 abusive messages after the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced severe online harassment due to an incident during the race that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship race. Currently, Norris leads Max Verstappen by 12 points, the winner of the Qatar race, meaning Norris only needs to secure third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to become the world champion, irrespective of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, it was observed that Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all-black, hinting at potential online abuse, which has been confirmed by reliable sources. Over 1,100 offensive comments were identified on Antonelli’s personal social media profiles, with an additional 330 found on the Mercedes team’s pages, some including threats towards the young driver.
The team plans to report all offensive comments to the FIA, which leads the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows statements from Red Bull executives implying that Antonelli may have made way for Norris, who races for McLaren, a team using Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, sparking further debate. Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, refuted these claims and criticized the accusations, emphasizing the team’s competitive spirit and denying any interference in the championship race.
Red Bull later issued a statement regretting the remarks that triggered the online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that the incident was unintentional. Formula 1 enthusiasts can catch all the live action with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, offering substantial savings and access to premium channels and services.
