Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media accounts following a deluge of threatening messages and more than 1,100 offensive comments he received after the Qatar Grand Prix. Antonelli, 19, was targeted by malicious online users due to a late-race incident that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
As a consequence of this incident, Norris gained two crucial points that could impact the championship race. With a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, the current race winner in Qatar, 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, it was observed that Antonelli changed his Instagram profile image to all-black, raising speculation about potential online abuse directed at the young driver, which has been confirmed by Mirror Sport.
Reports indicate that over 1,100 hurtful comments were flagged on Antonelli’s personal social media profiles, with an additional 330 instances found on the Mercedes team’s pages. Some of these offensive remarks included threats towards the 19-year-old’s safety.
In response, the team plans to report all the offensive comments to the FIA, which leads the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action follows comments from Red Bull executives suggesting Antonelli’s actions may have favored Norris, who races for McLaren, a team using Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions, prompting Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to dismiss insinuations of foul play. Wolff criticized the accusations and emphasized the team’s focus on the championship race and Antonelli’s performance.
Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over comments that incited online abuse towards Antonelli, clarifying that the driver did not deliberately allow Norris to overtake him during the race.
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