Kimi Antonelli, a young talent in the world of Formula 1 driving for Mercedes, has decided to deactivate his social media accounts due to a flood of malicious messages and death threats he received after the recent Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old racer faced severe online abuse from trolls following a racing incident that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him during the competition.
The outcome of the race saw Norris gaining crucial extra points, bringing him 12 points ahead of Max Verstappen, the current leader who won the Qatar Grand Prix. This situation means that Norris only needs to secure the third position in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to claim the world championship title, irrespective of Verstappen’s performance.
After the race, observers noted that Antonelli had changed his Instagram profile picture to an all-black image, hinting at potential online harassment directed towards him. Reports indicate that over 1,100 offensive comments were detected on Antonelli’s personal social media profiles, with an additional 330 instances found on official Mercedes team pages, some of which included threats towards the young driver.
In response to the situation, the Mercedes team plans to submit the offensive content to the FIA, which leads the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This decision follows statements from senior Red Bull officials insinuating that Antonelli’s actions during the race may have favored Norris, who races for McLaren, a team powered by Mercedes engines.
During the race, Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s behavior, suggesting that the young driver had intentionally allowed Norris to pass him. However, Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, dismissed these claims, emphasizing that Antonelli’s actions were not deliberate and that the team was focused on achieving a strong finish in the championship standings.
Following the backlash, Red Bull issued a statement retracting their previous comments and expressing regret over the online abuse directed at Antonelli. The statement clarified that Antonelli’s loss of control during the race led to Norris overtaking him, dispelling any notions of intentional favoritism.
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