Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media accounts following a barrage of death threats and over 1,100 offensive messages he received after the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced severe backlash from trolls due to a mistake during the race that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship race. With a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, who won the Qatar Grand Prix, Norris only needs a third-place finish in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to secure the world championship title, regardless of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all-black, sparking speculations about online abuse directed towards him, which has been confirmed by reliable sources. More than 1,100 negative comments were identified on Antonelli’s personal social media profiles, with around 330 additional comments found on the Mercedes team’s pages, some of which included threats towards the young driver.
The Mercedes team plans to report all offensive comments to the FIA as part of the organization’s United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action comes after comments from Red Bull executives suggested that Antonelli may have made it easy for Norris, who races for McLaren, a team powered by Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, speculating that Antonelli intentionally allowed Norris to pass. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff dismissed these claims, labeling them as “nonsense” and defending Antonelli’s performance. Wolff clarified the situation with Verstappen’s team and expressed frustration over the unwarranted accusations.
Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over the remarks that triggered online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that the incident was a result of Antonelli losing control momentarily, not a deliberate action to benefit Norris.
In other news, Sky has enhanced its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+, and Hayu, along with 135 channels and comprehensive Formula 1 coverage. Sky offers live broadcasts of every practice, qualifying session, and race throughout the season, as well as exclusive coverage of the Premier League, EFL, darts, and golf.