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Red Bull insinuating Kimi Antonelli let Lando Norris past in the Qatar Grand Prix was “brainless”, according to Toto Wolff
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff sharply rebuked Red Bull for insinuating that Lando Norris went past Kimi Antonelli in the Qatar Grand Prix with intentions of getting him points in the championship, calling it “brainless” and “total nonsense”.
Antonelli lost fourth place to Norris on the penultimate lap of the Lusail race due to a mistake that allowed Norris to overtake him.
Onboard footage showed Antonelli making a mistake in Turn 10, allowing Norris to pass, much like what had happened to Fernando Alonso earlier in the race.
Red Bull initially questioned the pass, with Max Verstappen’s engineer and Helmut Marko suggesting Antonelli had let Norris through intentionally as he is a Mercedes-powered driver.
Wolff dismissed these insinuations as baseless, emphasizing the competitive nature of the championship and the genuine mistakes that occurred during the race, putting the blame on individual driving errors rather than any team directives.
