Mercedes Formula 1 racer Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media accounts due to receiving a barrage of death threats and more than 1,100 offensive messages following the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced intense backlash from trolls after a late mishap during the race allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship race. Currently, Norris holds a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, the winner of the Qatar Grand Prix. This means that if Norris secures third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale, he will clinch the world championship regardless of Verstappen’s performance.
Shortly after the race, it was observed that Antonelli had changed his Instagram profile picture to an all-black image, fueling speculation about potential online abuse directed at the young driver, a claim supported by Mirror Sport.
Reports indicate that over 1,100 hurtful comments were flagged on Antonelli’s personal social media profiles, with approximately 330 additional instances identified on Mercedes team pages. Some of these remarks reportedly included threats of violence towards the 19-year-old.
The Mercedes team plans to report all the offensive comments to the FIA, which operates the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows comments from senior Red Bull figures suggesting that Antonelli may have facilitated Norris’s overtake, insinuating foul play due to McLaren being a Mercedes-powered team.
After the incident, Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, leading to further speculation about the race’s outcome. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff swiftly dismissed these accusations, labeling them as baseless and expressing his frustration at the situation.
Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over the remarks that triggered the online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that the racer’s loss of control allowed Norris to pass him, refuting claims of deliberate actions.
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