The Max Verstappen request that spoke volumes about Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli was heard asking Mercedes how many points Max Verstappen lost the F1 title by following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen claimed his eighth victory of the season in Sunday’s finale at Abu Dhabi but missed out on the world championship by two points to McLaren’s Lando Norris, who clinched his maiden drivers’ crown by finishing third.

Moments after crossing the finish line in P15, Antonelli asked race engineer Peter Bonnington for an update on the state of the championship.

“So Norris won the championship?” Antonelli questioned.

“Affirm, yes,” ‘Bono’ replied, to which Antonelli immediately asked: “How much?”

“So Norris P3, 16-and-a-half seconds,” Bonnington responded.

“No, but by how many points?” Antonelli clarified.

“So that was just two, just two points,” came Bonnington’s reply.

Antonelli was accused by outgoing Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko of deliberately letting Norris through at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar.

The 19-year-old Italian made a mistake on the second-to-last lap which enabled Norris to sweep past into fourth place and collect two extra points that would turn out to be crucial in the title fight.

Marko apologised and retracted his claim after it sparked a torrent of vile abuse towards Antonelli, who even received death threats.

Verstappen’s warm reaction to Antonelli apology

Antonelli inadvertently played a role in the title fight on two occasions that involved Verstappen, having torpedoed the four-time world champion into retirement at the Austrian Grand Prix.

On both occasions, Verstappen made it clear Antonelli had done nothing wrong and supported his younger colleague and friend.

But Antonelli’s post-race actions in Abu Dhabi suggest he felt an element of guilt in Verstappen’s failed bid to become a five-time world champion.

Antonelli was seen apologising to Verstappen in the media pen, in a video shared by Mercedes on social media. 

Showing his touching side, Verstappen reassured Antonelli by telling him “mate don’t worry” and offering a warm embrace and smile.

Antonelli faced further abuse in the wake of the Abu Dhabi race and turned his comments off in response.

Hopefully, the mature manner in which Verstappen has handed the situation will go some way in drawing a line in the sand and protecting Antonelli.