Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli made history on Sunday by winning the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. With this victory, he became the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula One world championship. The 19-year-old Italian is now on a winning streak after winning the championship in China two weeks ago.
Antonelli started from pole but had a terrible launch, dropping to sixth by the first corner. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took an early lead ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while his Mercedes team-mate George Russell battled hard in the opening stages. A mid-race crash involving Haas driver Oliver Bearman brought out the safety car, and Antonelli seized the moment, stopping just in time to rejoin the lead. From there, he controlled the race and crossed the line 13.7 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Leclerc completing the podium.
Antonelli’s answer
“It feels good to get my second win! I had a bad start from pole and I was kicking myself that we lost so many chances,” said Antonelli. “We were lucky with the Safety Car time, and that put us in front; it made my life a lot easier. Who knows what would have happened without it, but I felt like we had the speed today to take the win without it.”
Race Highlights
- Oscar Piastri finished his first season in second place. Piastri said “We are going well when we start.” He further added, “It would be very interesting to see what would happen without the Safety Car.”
- Charles Leclerc battled Russell to take third, giving Ferrari its third consecutive podium of the season.
- Russell finished fourth, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris in fifth and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in sixth.
- Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished seventh, just ahead of Max Verstappen, who had won the last four Grands Prix but could only manage eighth after starting 11th.
Championship Position
Antonelli now leads the drivers’ championship with two wins in three races, nine points ahead of Russell. Leclerc is third on 23 points. Formula One now heads into a five-week break before returning with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, following the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
