Young Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli from the Mercedes team has decided to deactivate his social media accounts after facing a barrage of death threats and more than 1,100 abusive messages following the recent Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old was subjected to hateful comments by online trolls due to an incident during the race where he made a mistake, allowing Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence of this situation, Norris gained two crucial points that could have a significant impact on the championship standings. Currently, Norris leads by 12 points over Max Verstappen, who won the Qatar race. This means that Norris only needs to secure third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to clinch the world championship title, irrespective of Verstappen’s performance.
Shortly after the race, it was noticed that Antonelli changed his profile picture on Instagram to an all-black image, raising concerns that he was facing online abuse, a fact confirmed by sources familiar with the matter.
Reports indicate that over 1,100 offensive comments were directed at Antonelli on his personal social media profiles, with an additional 330 comments found on the Mercedes team’s pages. Some of these comments included threats of violence or harm towards the young driver.
The Mercedes team is planning to report all the abusive comments to the FIA, which leads the United Against Online Abuse campaign. This action comes after remarks from senior Red Bull officials insinuating that Antonelli intentionally allowed Norris to pass, given that Norris races for McLaren, a team powered by Mercedes engines.
Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion to Verstappen over the radio immediately after the incident, suggesting that Antonelli appeared to have let Norris pass without resistance. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff swiftly dismissed these claims, criticizing Red Bull’s stance and confirming that there was no intentional interference in the race.
Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over their previous comments that led to online abuse towards Antonelli. The statement clarified that Antonelli’s loss of control of the car allowed Norris to overtake, refuting suggestions of deliberate actions.
Fans of Formula 1 can enjoy live coverage of every practice, qualifying session, and race through Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, which also offers access to around 100 TV channels along with free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
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