Red Bull issued a statement of regret on Monday after senior team figures wrongly suggested Mercedes’ teenage driver Kimi Antonelli had deliberately let McLaren’s Lando Norris through at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The controversy erupted when Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s 82‑year‑old motorsport consultant, told reporters that Antonelli had “more or less waved Lando by” for fourth place on the penultimate lap. Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase echoed the view over team radio, remarking that the Italian rookie appeared to have made the overtake easy.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reacted furiously, dismissing the claims as “total, utter nonsense.” The situation escalated further when Antonelli, just 19, became the target of online abuse.
Red Bull’s Retraction
In its statement, Red Bull admitted the comments were “clearly incorrect.” Replay footage showed Antonelli losing control of his car while chasing Carlos Sainz, allowing Norris to slip past.
“We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse,” the team said.
The incident proved pivotal: Norris, driving a Mercedes‑powered McLaren, now heads into the Abu Dhabi finale with a 12‑point lead over Max Verstappen, rather than 10.
Antonelli Explains
Antonelli himself clarified the moment as a racing error. “I was pushing hard to stay ahead of Norris in the closing stages and unfortunately just pushed a little bit too hard. I got out of shape through turn nine and then had a massive snap of oversteer,” he said.
Wolff’s Fury
Wolff did not hold back in his criticism of Marko. “We are fighting for P2 in the championship, which is important for us. Kimi is fighting for a potential P3. How brainless can you be to even say something like this?”
He later revealed he had spoken to Lambiase, who admitted he had not seen the incident clearly. “Why would we even think about interfering in a driver championship? You really need to check yourself whether you are seeing ghosts,” Wolff added.
Championship Picture
McLaren have already sealed the constructors’ title for a second consecutive year. Mercedes sit second overall, 33 points ahead of Red Bull, with 43 still available in Abu Dhabi.
