Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli Moment Emerges After Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Max Verstappen's reaction to seeing Kimi Antonelli after narrowly missing out on the 2025 Formula One title has gone viral on social media.

On Sunday afternoon, four-time F1 champion Verstappen closed out the 2025 season in style with a win in the final race of the year at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately for the Dutchman, a win in Abu Dhabi wasn't enough to secure his fifth title as McLaren driver Lando Norris was crowned the 2025 champion.

In the end, Verstappen only trailed Norris by two points in the standings, leading many fans to reflect on a crucial moment involving Antonelli and Norris during the Qatar Grand Prix.

But it wasn't just fans thinking about the moment, as Antonelli immediately sought out Verstappen to speak to him about the incident after the final race in Abu Dhabi, and the Red Bull star's reaction is telling.

Just one week before the title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi, the Formula One grid competed at the Lusail International Circuit in the Qatar Grand Prix.

During the race, a controversial strategy call from McLaren saw Verstappen in front with Norris down in fifth behind Mercedes rookie Antonelli.

Had that been the final order come the chequered flag, Verstappen would have been 10 points behind Norris heading into Abu Dhabi, not 12, meaning he would have won the title in the final race of the season.

However, a mistake on the penultimate lap saw Antonelli go wide, letting Norris through to pick up an extra two points and, eventually, the championship.

And it appears that this fact wasn't lost on the Mercedes driver, as it seems he sought out Verstappen post-race in Abu Dhabi to apologies for the moment.

In a clip, the pair are seen sharing a brief and friendly conversation in the media pen while embracing.

Although it is not possible to hear what Antonelli said in the moment, Verstappen's response makes it clear that the 19-year-old was apologising for the moment in Qatar.

Both post-race in Qatar and in Au Dhabi, Verstappen made it clear that he was not angry or upset with Antonelli for the mistake ultimately giving Norris an extra two points in the championship standings.

Despite this, the young driver received horrible abuse and even death threats online, leading to him blacking out his social media profiles in the immediate aftermath of the race.

Red Bull later released a statement claiming they 'sincerely regret' the comments made during the aftermath of the incident which appeared to fuel the online abuse.