Max Verstappen launches fierce criticism at F1 fans

Max Verstappen has criticised F1 fans after Kimi Antonelli was subjected to online abuse after the Qatar Grand Prix.

The Dutchman looked certain to narrow the gap on Lando Norris to just 10 points during last Sunday's race, but the margin widened to 12 points when the McLaren star overtook Antonelli on the penultimate lap.

Gianpiero Lambiase and Helmut Marko later suggested that Antonelli had deliberately let Norris by, a claim that forced Red Bull to apologise after the youngster received abuse online.

Lambiase and Marko initially implied it looked as if Antonelli pulled over on purpose, although a statement from Red Bull the following Monday read: "Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him."

If Verstappen wins in Abu Dhabi, Norris now needs to finish fourth or lower instead of third or better to lose his title challenge. This scenario did not sit well with many F1 fans and Antonelli received death threats and hateful messages online, despite it being clear that he had merely made an error.

Marko and Social Media Are Two Separate Problems

Speaking to the Dutch media in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen said: "The issue for me was that, at first glance, it looked like he was being sidelined on the world feed. That's how the story broke.

"But when you watch the replay, you see he was visibly upset on two separate occasions. I think Helmut hadn’t seen that footage at first either, but it’s important to correct the misunderstanding.

"What people say on social media is a problem with social media itself - it isn’t connected to what Helmut said. His comments do not give anyone a license to completely trash someone, whether you're speaking positively or negatively."

Verstappen expressed serious concern about the anonymity on social media that allows people to say the worst things without facing any consequences.

He continued: "If you don’t see the full picture at first and then later do, it’s only polite to say, ‘Maybe we got it wrong.’" Marko had also apologised. But I immediately reached out to Kimi and Toto to make it clear that nothing untoward had happened.

"I was in the car and had no idea what was going on until I saw the footage—it all became crystal clear then."

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