Toto Wolff Slams ‘Utter Nonsense’ After Marko Accuses Antonelli of Letting Norris Through

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has rejected claims from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko that young driver Kimi Antonelli intentionally allowed Lando Norris to overtake him during the closing stages of the Qatar Grand Prix.



The accusation, made shortly after the chequered flag, suggested that Antonelli “waved Lando by” in a move that could have influenced the tightly balanced championship fight.



The overtake took place as the race entered its dramatic final laps, when Norris was trying to secure a crucial fourth-place finish.



Had Antonelli been able to defend his position for only a handful more corners, Max Verstappen would have been able to win the world title at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if Norris finished outside the top two.



Instead, Norris’s final-lap pass means that even a third-place finish for the McLaren driver in Abu Dhabi would be enough to end Verstappen’s run of titles that began in 2021.



Replays and onboard footage later made clear that Antonelli did not yield deliberately.



The 18-year-old rookie suffered a major snap of oversteer on corner entry, forcing him to correct the Mercedes and giving Norris a clear run past.



Wolff Rejects Accusation as ‘Brainless’



Speaking after the race, Wolff dismissed Marko’s comments in strong terms.



“Bless him, Helmut, this is total, utter nonsense,” he said.



“That blows my mind even to hear that. We’re fighting for P2 in the championship, which is important for us. Kimi is fighting for a potential P3. How brainless can you be to even say something like this?”



Wolff made clear that his frustration stemmed from the team’s own performance rather than external speculation.



“It annoys me, because I’m annoyed with the race itself, how it went. I’m annoyed with the mistake at the end. I’m annoyed with other mistakes and then hearing such nonsense blows my mind.”



He also referred to radio comments made by Verstappen’s long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who suggested a similar interpretation before reviewing footage.



Wolff and Lambiase met after the race to discuss the incident and quickly resolved the misunderstanding.



Mercedes Clears the Air With Lambiase



According to Wolff, emotions were running high on the Red Bull pit wall due to the championship implications.



“I spoke to GP, saw him, and obviously he’s emotional in that moment, because they needed a P3, I guess, to win the championship. Now, they need more,” he said.



Wolff added further clarity on what happened from the Mercedes cockpit.



“I said to him, Kimi just went off. He had a bit of a moment in the previous corner, and then entry speed into that left-hander, put the gas down and at that moment, which can happen, that lost the position.”



The conversation ended with both sides satisfied.



“So with GP, everything is clear. Cleared the air. He said he didn’t see the situation. Why would we do this?”



Antonelli Faces Wave of Online Abuse



In the aftermath of Marko’s claim, Antonelli was targeted with hateful messages from a fraction of fans on social media.



Red Bull and Marko have since issued an official apology, acknowledging that their comments were misplaced and contributed to the online backlash facing the teenager.



Mercedes has confirmed plans to submit the abusive messages to the FIA, adding further pressure on the governing body to address harassment within the sport.



Antonelli has performed impressively during his debut season, and despite the Qatar error, he remains in contention to finish the year ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the standings.



The team has emphasised that the mistake was simply part of the learning curve of a young driver under intense pressure.
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