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F1 rookie in death threat horror amid McLaren conspiracy theory
SEN • December 2nd, 2025 11:22 am
Formula One’s governing body the FIA has stepped in to condemn death threats directed at Kimi Antonelli amid suggestions he deliberately helped McLaren gain extra points in Qatar.
The Mercedes driver was on the receiving end of unacceptable abuse after two senior figures from Red Bull suggested the rookie had pulled over to let Lando Norris pass him to finish fourth and improve his lead in the drivers’ title race.
With the points differential so small between the three drivers in contention for the title, every position counts and Norris finishing fourth over fifth gave him a bigger buffer heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The McLaren driver now leads Max Verstappen by 12 points and teammate Oscar Piastri by 14. Had Norris finished behind the Mercedes that lead would be 10.
“Not sure what happened to Antonelli Max, looks like he just pulled over and let Norris through,” Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer said on the radio.
Later, Helmut Marko said: “He let him pass. It was too flashy.”
Replays of the penultimate lap of the race in fact showed that Antonelli had briefly lost control of his car at turn nine and it had presented an opportunity for Norris to pass.
According to a report in The Times, Antonelli’s social media activity received "more than 1000 sever or suspect comments" after the race which included death threats.
A statement from the FIA said: “The FIA, and its United Against Online Abuse campaign, condemns abuse and harassment in any form.
"It remains absolutely critical that everyone operating within our sport can do so in a safe and respectful environment.
“We stand in support of Kimi Antonelli and urge the wider community, online and offline, to treat drivers, teams, officials and the whole sporting ecosystem with the respect and compassion that they deserve."
Red Bull released a statement in the wake of the FIA's.
“Comments made before the end of and immediately after the Qatar GP suggesting that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake him are clearly incorrect.
"Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse.”
Lambiase apologised to Mercedes for his comments.
“I spoke to GP,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “I saw him and obviously he was emotional in that moment.
“He said he didn’t see the situation.”
Referring to Marko’s comments, Wolff added: “How brainless can you be to even say something like this? It annoys me because I’m annoyed with the race itself, how it went.
“I’m annoyed with the mistake at the end. I’m annoyed with other mistakes, and then hearing such nonsense blows my mind.”
Marko later issued an apology.
“I’ve looked at the footage again very carefully,” he is quoted as saying by F1 Insider.
"It was a driving error and not intentional.
"It was a driving error and not intentional.
“I’m sorry that Antonelli got so much criticism online. To make it perfectly clear: He didn’t let Norris past intentionally.”
Heading into the season finale, Norris can claim the world title by simply finishing on the podium.
Verstappen would have to win the race with the McLaren driver outside the top three.
Australia’s Oscar Piastri is also in contention.
