Antonelli reveals Verstappen’s strong message of support after online abuse

The young Mercedes driver was subjected to a barrage of criticism on social media, with several fans accusing him of allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris an easy overtake in the closing stages of the race at Lusail.

Speaking to GPblog in Abu Dhabi about the support he received, the Italian driver stated:

“It was nice to see the Red Bull statement. Also, GP came to talk to me as well, and we clarified things with Max. That was nice. After that, I got a lot of support, which was great, and it definitely helped me forget what happened and focus on this week,” he said.

Pressed further about the details of his conversation with Verstappen, Antonelli summed up the world champion’s words as labelling the online trolls as brainless.

“I can't repeat exactly what he said because it contained some bad words, but basically he told me not to worry about people like that because they’re brainless and just to focus on the job. It showed a lot of support,” he concluded.

In the wake of the barrage of abuse Antonelli received, the FIA issued a statement of support for the young driver while condemning the online trolls perpetrating such acts.

Antonelli’s father, Marco Antonelli, earlier reacted to the unsavoury abuse his son had been subjected to after the incident at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 61-year-old expressed his displeasure with the incident, stating that it had become a trend and sadly wasn’t showing signs of slowing down.

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