P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes has catalogued over a thousand abusive messages sent to Kimi Antonelli after Red Bull’s Helmut Marko accused him of letting Lando Norris by intentionally in the Qatar GP
Mercedes has documented over a thousand abusive messages directed at Kimi Antonelli following accusations from Red Bull’s Helmut Marko that Antonelli intentionally allowed Lando Norris to overtake him during the Qatar Grand Prix. Antonelli’s error towards the end of the race in Qatar led to him losing control, running off-track, and letting Norris pass, impacting the F1 championship showdown. Despite initial confusion, Mercedes clarified the situation with Red Bull and refuted Marko’s claims of intentional actions by Antonelli. The abusive messages Antonelli received included death threats, homophobic slurs, and general insults, prompting him to change his profile picture to a blacked-out image. Mercedes will be sharing the flagged comments with the FIA as part of addressing online abuse, with over 1100 severe or suspect comments flagged on Antonelli’s accounts. Red Bull has expressed regret over the situation and clarified that Antonelli’s loss of control caused Norris to overtake. Kimi Antonelli acknowledged the mistake, attributing it to a miscalculation under dirty air conditions resulting in an unpredictable car and overheating tires during the race in Qatar.
