Kimi Antonelli seized the Formula 1 championship lead for the first time after a well-timed Safety Car allowed him to win the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The 19-year-old recovered from a poor start and capitalised on race circumstances to take a decisive victory.
Antonelli had dropped from pole to sixth off the line as Mercedes continued to suffer early-race starts. By the time pit-stops began he had worked back to fourth, closing on the trio ahead — Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc. The race turned on a heavy crash for Oliver Bearman at Spoon Curve on lap 21 that immediately brought out the Safety Car. Because Antonelli had not yet stopped, he was able to take a quick service and emerge in the lead for the restart.
From there he was flawless, producing strong long-run pace to pull away in the second half and take the flag 13.722 seconds clear of McLaren’s Piastri, who produced a much-improved performance for his team. Leclerc finished third after fighting late with the Mercedes drivers. Russell, who voiced his frustration over the radio about the timing of the Safety Car after having stopped just before it, slipped to fourth following further issues and on-track battles.
Antonelli’s advantage over Russell in the standings is nine points, making him the youngest driver ever to lead the world championship at 19, eclipsing Lewis Hamilton’s record of topping the standings aged 22 in 2007. F1 now heads into a five-week break before the Miami Grand Prix after the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds because of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Antonelli reflected on the day, saying it felt very good and noting that his terrible start needed investigation. He acknowledged the luck of the Safety Car but stressed that the car and pace in the second stint felt excellent and left him very pleased.
Lando Norris helped McLaren’s strong showing by passing Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps to take fifth. Pierre Gasly continued a solid start to the season with seventh for Alpine after holding off Max Verstappen’s late challenge. Liam Lawson profited from the Safety Car to climb from 14th to ninth for Racing Bulls, while Esteban Ocon secured the final point for Haas. Haas confirmed Bearman was cleared after an X-ray showed no serious damage to his right knee; the 20-year-old had limped away from the crash.
How the Safety Car swung the result
Antonelli had been quick all weekend, topping practice and converting pole despite a setup change that hampered team-mate Russell in qualifying. But a poor launch dropped the Mercedes driver down the order initially. As teams executed one-stop strategies, Piastri, Russell and Leclerc had all pitted by the time Antonelli was on clear air and closing.
When Bearman’s high-speed spin at Spoon Curve forced the Safety Car almost immediately after Russell’s stop, Antonelli was handed a golden opportunity. He pitted under the Safety Car and retained the lead, while several rivals were shuffled back. Hamilton also gained positions by having stayed out. Russell, already frustrated by qualifying and race setbacks in recent rounds, was outspoken over team radio about the unfortunate timing; he then lost places to Hamilton at the restart and later to Leclerc after appearing to suffer an energy deployment issue.
Even allowing for the fortuitous stop, Antonelli’s pace in the closing stages suggested he was the class of the field on the day. By recording consecutive Grand Prix wins he achieved a feat Russell has yet to match this season, while Piastri’s performance underlines McLaren’s growing ability to contend for victories.
Japanese GP result
1) Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes — 1:28:03.403
2) Oscar Piastri — McLaren — +13.722
3) Charles Leclerc — Ferrari — +15.270
4) George Russell — Mercedes — +15.754
5) Lando Norris — McLaren — +23.479
6) Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari — +25.037
7) Pierre Gasly — Alpine — +32.340
8) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — +32.677
9) Liam Lawson — Racing Bulls — +50.180
10) Esteban Ocon — Haas — +51.216
11) Nico Hulkenberg — Audi — +52.280
12) Isack Hadjar — Red Bull — +56.154
13) Gabriel Bortoleto — Audi — +59.078
14) Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls — +59.848
15) Carlos Sainz — Williams — +65.008
16) Franco Colapinto — Alpine — +65.773
17) Sergio Perez — Cadillac — +92.453
18) Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin — +1 lap
19) Valtteri Bottas — Cadillac — +1 lap
20) Alex Albon — Williams — +2 laps
Lance Stroll — Aston Martin — DNF
Oliver Bearman — Haas — DNF
F1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend.