“Unacceptable!” Charles Leclerc Demands Action over Death Threats Targeting Kimi Antonelli

Charles Leclerc condemned how Kimi Antonelli received intense online hatred following his mistake at the Qatar GP against Lando Norris.

“Unacceptable!” Charles Leclerc Demands Action over Death Threats Targeting Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc (via Sutton)

Kimi Antonelli suffered from some difficult situations in his rookie season in 2025. The tensions peaked amid the final races of the year as Antonelli was subjected to immense online hate and death threats following his mistake at the Qatar GP. Many believed that Helmut Marko‘s controversial comments caused the fans to erupt in uproar against the 19-year-old. Now, Charles Leclerc, who has faced his fair share of hatred in the past, has opened up on the status quo.

During the Qatar GP, Kimi Antonelli was fighting against Lando Norris for the P4 position. Though Antonelli fended off well against the championship leader, he committed a blunder in the final lap that caused him to lose the position. This meant that Norris just needed a P4 or better finish to win the championship at Abu Dhabi against Max Verstappen, which he did.

Meanwhile, Helmut Marko was agitated at this fact and lashed out at Kimi Antonelli. Though he apologized later on, the damage was already done. Now, Charles Leclerc criticized the entire situation and called it unacceptable. Leclerc pointed out that the abusive haters did not face any consequences for the disrespect towards the drivers, which was further saddening.

Charles Leclerc reckoned that it wasn’t upto the drivers to decide the consequences that the people hating online should face. But it was a shame that the F1 drivers, who were giving it their all to improve their performances, were not looked at with respect. Leclerc asserted that mistakes do happen while racing in the pinnacle of motorsport, but in Kimi Antonelli’s case, the hate was for nothing.

It’s unacceptable, and obviously, those people face no consequence for their words and for their disrespect towards drivers, It’s not up to us to think about the consequences that they should endure, but it’s a big shame because we’re all here trying to do our absolute best. We’ve been racing since we were kids, dreaming of being in that position, and today we’re doing absolutely everything to be at the limit. Sometimes mistakes happen. In that particular case, also, the hate was for absolutely nothing.

Charles Leclerc said, as reported by RacingNews365.

Charles Leclerc reveals how to deal with intense online hatred and abuse

Formula 1 is a very intense sport; drivers feel the rush while racing at speeds well over 200 mph. In such critical moments, it is understood that mistakes can occur on the track, especially if the driver is a rookie. Kimi Antonelli is still 19 years old, and looking at such criticism could deter the upcoming young wave of drivers. As such, Charles Leclerc reveals how to deal with such situations.

Charles Leclerc (via Kym Illman, Getty Images)
Charles Leclerc (via Kym Illman, Getty Images)

Charles Leclerc suggested that all a driver could do in such cases was to ignore all the noise. Leclerc accepted that it was easier said than done, more so during their initial years in Formula 1. Looking at intense criticism online made it harder to simply ignore and move on from the matter. However, the Monegasque insisted that with time, everyone got used to it, which certainly wasn’t a good thing.

The only thing that you can do in those kinds of moments is to ignore everything that is happening, but that’s obviously very hard, especially when you are… I remember my first or second year in F1, you sometimes look on social media at what’s being said around you, or at least that was the case for me, and that makes it even more difficult. I think with experience you kind of get used to it, but we shouldn’t really have to get used to this kind of behaviour, and I hope that one day it will be tackled properly.

Charles Leclerc noted.

Certainly, Kimi Antonelli has been one of the better rookies on the grid in the 2025 season. The Italian definitely has a lot to learn in terms of racing on track, but he will learn it with time to come. Antonelli managed to put up a great fight against drivers like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and others.

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