Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has taken down his social media profiles following a barrage of death threats and more than 1,100 offensive messages after the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced vicious online attacks from trolls after a late error in the race allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
Norris gained two crucial points from this incident, widening his lead over Max Verstappen by 12 points in the championship standings. Verstappen won the Qatar race, placing the pressure on Norris to secure at least third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to clinch the world championship, regardless of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all black, hinting at potential online abuse he was facing. Reports suggest that over 1,100 negative comments were directed at Antonelli’s personal accounts, with an additional 330 on the Mercedes team’s social media pages, some containing threats towards the young driver.
The team plans to report all offensive comments to the FIA under their United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows comments from Red Bull officials insinuating that Antonelli had made it easy for Norris, who drives for McLaren, a team using Mercedes engines.
Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, speculating that he intentionally allowed Norris to pass. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff dismissed these claims, calling them baseless and emphasizing the team’s focus on the championship battle.
Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over the comments that led to online abuse towards Antonelli, clarifying that replay footage showed the incident was not deliberate. Formula 1 fans can catch all the action with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, which includes access to live practices, qualifiers, and races, along with other premium channels and streaming services.