Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko issues public apology to Kimi Antonelli after Qatar controversy. Helmut Marko has publicly apologized to Kimi Antonelli following harsh criticism after the Qatar GP.

F1 | Marko steps back after attacks on Antonelli: apologies issued

After the harsh accusations made yesterday, Helmut Marko has taken a clear step back and apologized to Kimi Antonelli for his comments following the Qatar Grand Prix.

Immediately after the race, Red Bull, led by Helmut Marko, criticized Kimi Antonelli for allegedly allowing Lando Norris to pass intentionally in the final stages of the race. Minutes ago, the Austrian executive issued a public apology for his earlier remarks.

Antonelli’s performance in Qatar

At Lusail, the Italian rookie delivered yet another strong performance. Starting from sixth on the grid and with an excellent clutch launch, he quickly overtook his teammate and applied pressure to the top three. Unfortunately, when the Safety Car was deployed to recover Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber, the pit lane chaos caused Antonelli to lose position to Carlos Sainz.

In the final stages, after a race largely spent in the midfield, Kimi Antonelli came under attack from Lando Norris, who had stopped for his final pit stop and was now right behind him. Despite Norris having a clearly faster car, aided by a fresh set of hard tires, he struggled to overtake the Mercedes, even with DRS on the straight.

On the penultimate lap, however, Kimi Antonelli made a small mistake and lost position to Lando Norris. After the race, Red Bull launched harsh criticism against the young Italian, claiming he had deliberately let the British driver through to avoid losing more points in the championship standings.

Helmut Marko’s apology

Following the backlash, Helmut Marko publicly apologized to Antonelli, as reported by F1-Insider. “I carefully reviewed the footage after the race,” the Austrian stated. “The first time against Oscar Piastri, Antonelli could have defended himself a bit more, but the second time with Norris, he simply made an unintentional mistake. I regret that Antonelli received so much criticism online. To be clear: he did not intentionally let Norris pass.”

The swift climb-down from one of the most outspoken figures in the paddock has been welcomed by Mercedes and will hopefully calm the toxic atmosphere that surrounded the rookie after Sunday’s race. With the title fight heading to a thrilling conclusion in Abu Dhabi, Helmut Marko’s apology ensures the focus can return to the battle on track rather than off-track controversy.