Mercedes Formula 1 racer Kimi Antonelli has decided to deactivate his social media profiles after receiving numerous death threats and more than 1,100 offensive messages following the Qatar Grand Prix. The 19-year-old faced intense backlash from trolls following a late-race incident that allowed Lando Norris to overtake him.

Norris gained two crucial points as a result, potentially impacting the championship race. With a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, who won the Qatar race, Norris only needs to secure third place in the upcoming Abu Dhabi finale to become the world champion, irrespective of Verstappen’s performance.

After the race, Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture to all-black, hinting at potential online abuse, a situation confirmed by Mirror Sport. Over 1,100 derogatory comments were found on Antonelli’s personal accounts, with around 330 more on the Mercedes team’s pages, some containing threats towards the young driver.

The team intends to report the offensive remarks to the FIA as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative. This action comes after comments from Red Bull officials insinuating that Antonelli may have deliberately assisted Norris, who races for McLaren, a team with Mercedes engines.

Verstappen’s race engineer expressed confusion over the incident, prompting a response from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who refuted the accusations. Red Bull later issued a statement expressing regret over the remarks that led to the online abuse directed at Antonelli.

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