29 Mar FIA: F1 – Antonelli wins in Japan to become youngest championship leader in F1 history
F1 – Antonelli wins in Japan to become youngest championship leader in F1 history
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli recovered from a poor start and profited from a fortunate Safety Car to jump his rivals and take a convincing Japanese Grand Prix win that makes the Italian teenager the youngest Drivers’ Championship leader in the history of the sport.
When the lights went out at the start, polesitter Antonelli and front-row starting team-mate George Russell got away badly and the pair were quickly swamped by rivals. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was quickest off the line and he roared between the two to take the lead ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and hard-charging world champion Lando Norris. Russell dropped to fourth and Antonelli fell to sixth as the field swarmed through the opening corners.
Antonelli was soon past Ferrari’s Lewis Hamillton to take P5 and Russell was quickly into third ahead of Norris. The Briton then muscled his way past Leclerc on lap four to take second place.
The Australian Grand Prix winner soon began to put pressure on Piastri but after passing the Australian driver into the final chicane on lap 15, the McLaren man immediately responded and stole back the lead as they powered towards Turn 1.
Norris was the first of the frontrunners to make a pit stop, on lap 15, and he was followed in by Piastri and then Russell. However, within moments of Russell returning to the action, the Safety Car was deployed.
Haas’ Oliver Bearman closed rapidly on Alpine’s Franco Colapinto into Spoon but the slower Argentine driver was on the racing line and Bearman was forced to leave the track at high speed to avoid a collision. As soon as went onto the grass he lost control, speared back across the track and slammed sideways into the barriers. The British driver was able to climb out of his damaged car but he limped to a halt with a badly bruised knee.
The Safety Car handed a group of drivers a ‘free’ stop and it was Antonelli who benefited most. The Mercedes driver was able to jump ahead of Piastri and Russell to take the lead. Hamilton also profited, taking P4 ahead of Leclerc and Norris with Pierre Gasly in P8 ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who was slogging through a frustrating race/.
When the track went green again, Antonelli held the lead ahead of Piastri and gradually began to pull away from the McLaren. Behind them, Hamilton stole third from Russell, and then on lap 37 the Mercedes driver was also passed by Leclerc.
He was able to stay with the battling Ferraris, however, and when Leclerc finally got past Hamilton, Russell also closed in and dismissed the seven-time champion.
That set up a fascinating deployment battle to the flag between Leclerc and Russell and though the Mercedes driver almost got past in the closing stages, the Ferrari driver was able to hold on for this second podium finish of the season.
Ahead Antonelli was in total control, however, and after 53 laps he crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Piastri to take his second consecutive win and the championship lead. Piastri took his first podium of the season in his first race start of the campaign after two successive DNSs.
Behind Russell, Norris passed Hamilton to claim fifth, while Gasly held off Verstappen to take a well-deserved seventh place for Alpine. Verstappen cut a dejected figure in parc fermé after finishing eight and the final points paying places went to Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in P9 and Haas’ Esteban Ocon.
Antonelli now leads the 2026 FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship on 72 points, nine ahead of Russell and 23 clear of third-placed Leclerc. Mercedes lead the Constructors’ Championship with 135 points. Ferrari are second with 90 points, 44 ahead of third-placed McLaren.
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