Kimi Antonelli claimed the Formula 1 world championship lead for the first time in his career after taking advantage of a well-timed Safety Car to win the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Having dropped from pole position to sixth on the opening lap as Mercedes’ start woes continued, Antonelli was running fourth ahead of the sole round of pit stops before a huge moment of fortune turned the race in his favour. With the trio ahead of him — Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc — having already pitted, Antonelli was afforded a much quicker stop when Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash triggered a Safety Car, giving the Italian the lead upon the restart.
He was faultless from there, unleashing superb pace over the second half of the race to finish 13 seconds clear of Piastri, who led a much-improved display from McLaren. Russell, who expressed his frustration over the radio at his own misfortune, eventually had to settle for fourth behind Leclerc after battling the Ferraris in the closing stages.
Antonelli’s nine-point advantage over Russell makes the 19-year-old the youngest driver to lead the world championship in the sport’s history, beating Lewis Hamilton’s previous record of first topping the standings aged 22 in 2007. F1 now embarks on a five-week break until the next race in Miami after the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Antonelli said: “It feels pretty good! Of course, it’s too early to think about the championship but we are on a good way. I had a terrible start. I need to check what happened. Then I was lucky with the Safety Car to be in the lead but then the pace was incredible. It was really nice. The second stint I felt very good with the car. I’m very pleased with that.”
Reigning world champion Lando Norris contributed to McLaren’s improved display by passing Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to take fifth. Pierre Gasly continued his strong start to the season by claiming seventh for Alpine after holding off a near race-long challenge from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Liam Lawson also benefitted from the Safety Car as he came from 14th on the grid to finish ninth for Racing Bulls, while Esteban Ocon claimed the final point for Haas.
Haas confirmed Bearman had been cleared following an X-ray of his right knee; the 20-year-old Brit had appeared in pain as he limped away from the crash.
How the Safety Car gifted Antonelli the win
Antonelli had been impressive all weekend in Japan, edging Russell in practice and comfortably beating his team-mate to pole after a setup change hampered the Brit. However, a poor start saw him drop to sixth while Russell fell from second to fourth.
By the time the pit window opened for one-stop strategies, Russell had recovered to second and Antonelli to fourth. McLaren were eyeing victory with Piastri — having reclaimed the lead when Russell momentarily passed him on lap eight — confident he could hold off Mercedes.
Piastri stopped at the end of lap 18, Russell followed three laps later, and Leclerc had already pitted from third. Antonelli, on clear air, was displaying electric pace as he closed on Russell before the Brit pitted, but then Bearman’s high-speed spin at Spoon Curve on lap 21 almost instantly triggered a Safety Car.
Antonelli was able to pit and retain the lead, while Hamilton also benefited from having stayed out, moving from sixth before the stops to fourth afterwards. Russell, already frustrated after issues in qualifying in China and Japan, was vocal over the radio about the timing of the Safety Car, which occurred almost immediately after he had made his stop. He was then overtaken by Hamilton at the restart and later dropped another position to Leclerc after suffering an apparent energy deployment issue.
Despite the fortune of the Safety Car, Antonelli’s pace in the closing stages suggested he was the stronger Mercedes on the day. By recording successive grand prix victories, Antonelli achieved something Russell has not yet managed, laying down a major marker early in a campaign many expected the Brit to dominate. Piastri, meanwhile, has reason to be frustrated after being in position for an unlikely victory before the Safety Car; his performance underlines McLaren’s potential to challenge for wins as the season progresses.
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.