Topics: Formula 1, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Motorsport
Mercedes are reportedly in communication with the FIA following Kimi Antonelli's performance at the Qatar Grand Prix.
On Sunday, Red Bull star Max Verstappen took a massive stride in his hopes of retaining the Formula One Drivers' Championship title as he won the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Dutchman is now just 12 points behind championship leader Lando Norris, who finished the race in fourth place after a mistake from Mercedes rookie Antonelli on the penultimate lap allowed him to overtake.
After the race, Antonelli decided to make his profile image on social media platform image to all black, prompting discussions over what could have caused the sudden change.
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And now, it has been revealed exactly why Antonelli has blacked out his social media, with Mercedes asking the FIA to get involved.
In the final moments of the Qatar Grand Prix, it appeared that Norris was come up short in his attempts to pass Antonelli until the youngster suddenly ran wide at Turn 10 on the second to last lap, allowing the McLaren to take fourth place and a crucial two extra points.
The pass means Norris can now finish third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and win the title even if Verstappen wins the race, whereas had he stayed in fifth in Qatar and allowed Verstappen to reduce the deficit to 10 points, he would need a P2 finish.
Frustrated by the moment, Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told his driver that it looked like Antonelli had "just pulled over and let Norris through."
Antonelli's mistake also led to significant backlash on social media, with Dutch reporter Erik van Haren revealing that the 19-year-old received 'a lot of nasty messages' after the race, including some death threats.
Because of this, Antonelli decided to reduce his presence on social media, temporarily set his profile picture to black on social media channels.
Meanwhile Mercedes will reportedly share the messages with the FIA as part of a potential investigation.
Red Bull have since released a statement apologising for the reaction, with Red Bull Racing advisor releasing his apology after claiming that Antonelli had clearly let Norris through.
"I've looked at the footage again very carefully. The first time, Antonelli could have put up a bit more of a fight. The second time, it was a driving error and not intentional," Marko told F1 Insider.
"I'm sorry that Antonelli got so much hate online. To make it perfectly clear: He didn't let Norris past intentionally."
Unfortunately for both Antonelli and Verstappen, Qatar wasn't the first time that the Mercedes youngster's mistakes proved to be potentially costly in the title race.
During the opening lap of the the Austrian Grand Prix back in June, Verstappen, who started the race in P7, was taken out by the Italian after he locked the rear wheels of his car and struggled to make the corner, hitting the Red Bull and taking them both out of the race.
However, post-race Verstappen was sure to deflect blame from the rookie, claiming that everyone on the grid was capable of making a small mistake like that, and that Antonelli shouldn't be blamed.
"Unlucky, I guess. It is what it is. I spoke quickly to Kimi, he came with me to the hospitality," Verstappen said.
“I think every driver has made a mistake like that. No one does that on purpose as well so for me, that’s not a big deal."
