Mercedes Formula 1 driver, Kimi Antonelli, has decided to deactivate his social media accounts due to receiving death threats and more than 1,100 hateful messages following the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced severe online harassment from trolls after a late error in the race allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.
This incident led to Norris gaining two crucial points, putting him 12 points ahead of Max Verstappen, who won the Qatar race. With this advantage, Norris only needs to secure third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to become the world champion, regardless of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, it was observed that Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all black, hinting at potential online abuse. Reports indicate that over 1,100 derogatory comments were directed at Kimi on his personal social media, with another 330 found on the Mercedes team’s pages. Some of these comments included threats towards the young driver’s safety.
The Mercedes team plans to report all offensive remarks to the FIA as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action comes after remarks from Red Bull executives suggesting that Antonelli may have made it easy for Norris, who races for McLaren, a team powered by Mercedes engines.
Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s performance during the race, implying that he let Norris pass deliberately. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff dismissed these claims and criticized the insinuations, emphasizing that the team is focused on securing their position in the championship race.
Red Bull later expressed regret over the comments that sparked online abuse towards Antonelli, acknowledging that the incident was a racing error and not deliberate. The team clarified that replay footage showed Antonelli losing control, allowing Norris to overtake him.
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