Following the Qatar Grand Prix, Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media accounts due to receiving death threats and over 1,100 abusive messages. The onslaught of negativity stemmed from an incident during the race where Antonelli’s mistake allowed Lando Norris to overtake him, granting Norris crucial points in the championship battle.

With Norris now 12 points ahead of Max Verstappen, who won the Qatar race, Norris only needs a third-place finish in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to secure the world championship title. The backlash prompted Antonelli to change his Instagram profile picture to an all-black image, hinting at the online abuse he faced.

More than 1,100 offensive comments were directed at Antonelli on his personal accounts, with an additional 330 on the Mercedes team’s pages. The team plans to report these remarks to the FIA as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative. Red Bull officials insinuated that Antonelli’s error benefitted Norris, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff dismissed these claims as baseless.

Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over Antonelli’s actions during the race, while Red Bull later issued a statement regretting the comments that led to the online abuse. The incident has sparked controversy within the Formula 1 community, with tensions running high ahead of the championship finale in Abu Dhabi.

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