A misinterpretation after the race led to fierce online reactions: Red Bull has now officially cleared Antonelli of the accusations from a distance.
A few hours after Helmut Marko’s comments led to a storm of criticism directed at Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Red Bull sporting director backtracked. Marko said in an interview with F1-Insider.com: “I’m sorry that Antonelli got so much flak online.”
Red Bull had provoked this anger with hasty statements: Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase had radioed Max Verstappen immediately after he crossed the finish line, saying that Antonelli had “let his World Championship rival Lando Norris pass.” Marko picked up on this theory a little later and said on Sky that the passing had been “so obvious.”
However, with a little distance, Marko assesses the situation differently: “I took another close look at the footage. It was a driving error and not intentional. To clarify once again: Antonelli did not let Norris pass on purpose,” Marko explained to F1-Insider.com.
Red Bull also responds—but without an apology
The Red Bull Formula 1 team also issued a statement to clarify the matter—but without mentioning Lambiase or Marko. The racing team merely referred to “statements made before the end and immediately after the Grand Prix” and declared these statements to be “clearly false.” Because: “The replays show that Antonelli lost control of his car for a moment, allowing Norris to overtake him.”
However, the brief statement does not conclude with an apology. Red Bull merely stated that it was “very unfortunate that Kimi experienced hostility online as a result.” In response to the online hate, the Mercedes driver temporarily replaced his profile picture on social media with a completely black image.
Antonelli team boss Toto Wolff had already expressed his horror at the statements from the Red Bull camp immediately after the race, describing them as “total, utter nonsense.” When asked about Marko’s theory, Wolff said: “How brainless do you have to be to even claim something like that?”
FIA publishes statement
On Monday afternoon, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) also weighed in, issuing a statement condemning “any form of abuse and harassment.” It went on to say: “It remains crucial that everyone involved in our sport can work in a safe and respectful environment.”
“We stand behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and call on the entire community—both online and offline—to treat drivers, teams, officials, and the entire sporting environment with the respect and compassion they deserve.”
Marko is no stranger to careless comments…
Marko has been criticized several times in the past for his comments, for example in the fall of 2023, when he attributed Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s fluctuations in form to his origins. Marko said at the time on ServusTV: “He’s South American, and he’s just not as completely focused in his head as Max or Sebastian were, for example.” This sparked major protests, especially in Spanish-language media. Marko later apologized for his choice of words, calling it “wrong to make a reference to his background. I would like to make it clear that I am firmly convinced that you cannot generalize about people […]”.
