Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, the third round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, after a race disrupted by a safety car period but ultimately controlled until the checkered flag. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Oscar Piastri in his McLaren and Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, while George Russell, the championship leader before the race, finished just off the podium. With this victory, the young Italian, at 19 years old, becomes the youngest championship leader in history.
A poor start for Mercedes, Piastri leaps into the lead
Starting from pole position after his qualifying performance on Saturday, Antonelli nevertheless had a difficult start. Oscar Piastri surged from third to take the lead at the first corner, while Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris also benefited from the launch to overtake the Mercedes. Antonelli dropped back to sixth, while Russell quickly found himself in contention with the leading group.
The turning point of the race: Bearman's crash and the safety car
The first half of the race was then turned on its head by Oliver Bearman's accident. Attempting to overtake Franco Colapinto approaching Spoon, the Haas driver had to avoid the Alpine, went off into the grass, and crashed heavily into the barriers, bringing out the safety car. Haas later indicated that a medical examination had revealed no fractures despite an impact estimated at 50G. This safety car period completely reshuffled the deck: Antonelli, who had not yet made his pit stop, was able to change tires at a reduced cost and rejoin the race in the lead ahead of Piastri.
Antonelli regained control as soon as the race restarted.
After the race restarted, Antonelli quickly built a gap. He extended his lead to five seconds in eight laps before cruising to victory, finishing 13,722 seconds ahead of Piastri. Behind them, the battle for the podium enlivened the second half of the race: Lewis Hamilton briefly overtook Russell, then Leclerc and Russell traded third place before the Monegasque driver ultimately held on to secure the podium finish.
A tight hierarchy behind the podium
Behind the leading trio, Russell finished fourth ahead of Norris and Hamilton. Pierre Gasly secured seventh place for Alpine, ahead of Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson, and Esteban Ocon, the last drivers to score points. Two drivers retired: Bearman after his crash and Lance Stroll with a mechanical problem.
Championship standings after Suzuka
Following the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship is now led by Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) with 72 points, ahead of his teammate George Russell (63 points). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) is third with 49 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) with 41 points. Lando Norris (McLaren) is fifth with 25 points, just ahead of Oscar Piastri (21 points). Oliver Bearman (Haas) is seventh with 17 points, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) is eighth with 15 points, while Max Verstappen (Red Bull) completes the top 10 with 8 points, behind Esteban Ocon (Haas), ninth with 6 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads comfortably with 135 points, ahead of Ferrari (90 points), McLaren (46 points), Haas (23 points), and Alpine (21 points).
The next Grand Prix is in Miami in a month.
