F1 | Antonelli case: Kimi reveals Max Verstappen’s message after social media attacks. Kimi Antonelli speaks out for the first time after receiving social media attacks.

Kimi Antonelli has spoken publicly for the first time following the social media attacks he received. After the Qatar Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver was hit by numerous negative comments, mostly from Red Bull fans, accusing him of having let Lando Norris pass.

This action allegedly benefited the McLaren driver, who now holds a 12-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Max Verstappen.

The Italian driver had to take a break from social media, even deactivating his profile picture on Instagram. Mercedes announced that it would investigate the situation further and bring the case to the FIA. Overall, Antonelli received nearly a thousand abusive messages on his social accounts, fueled in part by controversial comments from Helmut Marko, which did not sit well with Toto Wolff. The following day, Red Bull issued a statement apologizing for the incident.

Kimi Antonelli speaks out in Abu Dhabi

On Thursday in Abu Dhabi, dedicated to media activities, Kimi Antonelli addressed the situation for the first time, explaining his feelings: “It’s not easy to receive all these kinds of comments after a race. Especially for something I would never do, like letting a rival pass,” he told reporters.

“I was fighting for third place, pushing hard and trying to reach Carlos Sainz’s DRS. And especially after so many laps in dirty air, and because I was pushing so hard, the mistake happened. Then, after the race, receiving these types of comments really hurts,” he admitted.

Support from Max Verstappen

Kimi also received personal support from Max Verstappen, who contacted him directly: “Of course, it was nice to see the Red Bull statement. Even Gianpiero [Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer] came to talk to me, and I clarified things with Max. I can’t reveal the exact content of the message because there were some strong words.”

Regarding the advice Max Verstappen gave him, Kimi Antonelli added: “Basically, he told me not to pay attention to these people because they are brainless.”

A classy gesture from the four-time champion – and a timely reminder that behind the fierce on-track rivalry, respect still exists at the sharp end of Formula 1.