Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has taken down his social media accounts due to receiving death threats and over 1,100 abusive messages following the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced online harassment after a late race incident allowed Lando Norris to overtake him, granting Norris crucial points in the championship battle. Norris is currently leading by 12 points over Max Verstappen, the winner of the Qatar race, meaning Norris only needs a third-place finish in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to secure the world championship title.
After the race, it was observed that Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all black, hinting at potential online abuse. Reports indicate that Antonelli flagged more than 1,100 offensive comments on his personal accounts and around 330 on the Mercedes team’s pages, including threats to his safety.
The Mercedes team plans to report the offensive comments to the FIA as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative. Red Bull executives speculated that Antonelli may have intentionally aided Norris, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff dismissed these claims, emphasizing the team’s focus on their championship standings and clarifying the racing incident with Antonelli’s race engineer.
Red Bull later expressed regret for their statements that fueled online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that replay footage showed the racing incident was not deliberate. Additionally, Sky has enhanced its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to include multiple streaming services and extensive Formula 1 coverage alongside other sports events.