Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media accounts following a wave of death threats and more than 1,100 abusive messages he received after the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced severe online harassment from trolls due to a racing incident that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him in the final moments of the race.
As a consequence of this event, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship standings. With a current lead of 12 points over Max Verstappen, the winner of the Qatar Grand Prix, Norris only needs to secure third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to secure the world championship title, regardless of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, Antonelli modified his Instagram profile, changing his profile picture to an all-black image, hinting at potential online abuse, a situation confirmed by Mirror Sport. Numerous offensive comments, including threats towards Antonelli, were detected on his personal social media profiles, with additional instances found on the Mercedes team’s pages.
The team is gathering all offensive comments to report them to the FIA, which leads the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows statements from senior Red Bull officials implying that Antonelli may have assisted Norris during the race, as Norris races for McLaren, a team using Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, suggesting that he intentionally allowed Norris to pass. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff refuted these claims, emphasizing the importance of fair competition and denying any involvement in manipulating race outcomes.
Red Bull later expressed regret over the remarks that triggered the online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that it was a misunderstanding and that Antonelli’s loss of control facilitated Norris’ overtake. Formula 1 enthusiasts can enjoy live coverage of all events with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, which also includes access to over 100 TV channels and subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.