Verstappen had just won the season finale from pole but lost the title to Lando Norris by two points — the same margin Norris gained when Antonelli ran wide in the closing laps at Lusail a week prior, allowing the McLaren through for fourth place.

Mercedes’ strategy in Qatar had put Antonelli ahead of Norris for most of the race, but after defending for several laps he slipped up while pushing for a podium against Carlos Sainz.

“After so many laps in dirty air, I’m pushing so hard, the mistake arrived,” Antonelli said after the penultimate race.

“At that moment I did a mistake and Lando passed me.”

The teenager later admitted the backlash that followed “hurt” after enduring a torrent of online abuse, including death threats, with Mercedes confirming over 1100 “severe or suspect” comments were flagged across his accounts.

The fallout intensified when Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase questioned over team radio how Norris had made it through, with Helmut Marko echoing that sentiment after the race.

Both later walked back the implication that Antonelli had acted intentionally, and Red Bull issued a formal apology describing the initial suspicion as “clearly incorrect.”

Despite the paddock acknowledging the incident was simply a small error under pressure, Antonelli carried the guilt into the season finale.

After 58 laps in Abu Dhabi, he approached Verstappen in the media pen, embraced him and said, “I’m really sorry.” Verstappen immediately dismissed the idea that the teenager owed him anything, replying: “Mate, don’t be. It’s all good. No hard feelings.”

Max saying “mate don’t, it’s all good, don’t worry” to kimi who’s probably apologising omg 😞pic.twitter.com/jcjQzak7fE

— zax (@maybezax) December 7, 2025

The exchange, captured by Mercedes’ social channels, showed no tension between the pair. Verstappen listened with a smile and shook Antonelli’s hand before the two went their separate ways, offering a stark contrast to the online hostility the Italian has endured since Qatar.

While the two points from Lusail ultimately matched the title margin, several figures in the paddock stressed that the rookie’s moment was not the decisive factor.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff labelled any suggestion of intentional interference “nonsense,” adding: “He had a small moment. That’s all.”

It was also noted that McLaren would have no doubt moved Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri in Abu Dhabi regardless, meaning the championship would not have hinged solely on the Qatar result.

Verstappen also dismissed other moments that were suggested as potential title deciders across the season, including a tense exchange with a journalist in the post-race press conference after they implied his penalty for the collision with George Russell in Spain ultimately cost him the 2025 championship.