Overtake of Mercedes driver in Qatar earned two points
Red Bull hinted at foul play with Verstappen in title fight
A furious Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, has lashed out at Red Bull’s “brainless” claim that Kimi Antonelli deliberately moved over for Lando Norris to aid the British driver’s championship challenge.
Norris, whose attempt to win his maiden world crown at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday was derailed through a McLaren strategy fumble, finished fourth after Antonelli ran off the road on the last but one lap. Norris gained two points from the late mistake which means he now can finish third, rather than runner-up at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, to be assured of beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the title.
Verstappen won in Qatar but his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, hinted at foul play when he told his driver over the radio: “I am not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It looked like he just pulled over and let Lando through.” Red Bull’s motor sport adviser, Helmut Marko, then said it was “so obvious” that Lando was “waved” through by Antonelli.
