Kimi Antonelli wins Japan Grand Prix to become youngest F1 championship leader

Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix ultimately dominating the second half of the race and with it the 19-year-old has become the youngest driver to lead the Formula One world championship. It was another remarkably confident drive for Mercedes from the youngster as he beat the McLaren of Oscar Piastri into second with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari. However, George Russell’s title ambitions took a minor blow as he finished only fourth.

Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari. Max Verstappen, who has struggled with a difficult car all weekend, could mange only eighth.

Antonelli had been lucky with the timing of a safety car affording him a free pit stop after Britain’s Oliver Bearman suffered a major crash from which he was lucky to emerge from his Haas car largely uninjured. Having already come back after dropping to sixth from pole when the lights went out, once the Italian had the lead he was all but untouchable and completed another consummate victory, his second in a row.

He now leads Russell, who was unlucky in the timing of the safety car, by nine points in the championship and becomes the youngest driver at 19 years, six months and 28 days, to do so, taking the record previously held by Lewis Hamilton since 2007.

McLaren will be buoyed up by the performance of both cars, their best this season, and for the opening half of the race when Piastri led, he had looked very much on for victory until Antonelli jumped him under the safety car.

The Italian followed his debut F1 win in China with another equally assured performance to make it two from the opening three races of the season. A remarkable opening for the 19-year-old in only his second season in F1.

Lucky timing gave Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli a free pit stop. Photograph: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Piastri had made a lightning start as did Leclerc moving up to first and second in the short dash down the hill to turn one. Norris also moved up from fifth to third while Antonelli from pole was bogged down and dropped to sixth, with Russell relegated to fourth. The issues Mercedes have getting off the line proving detrimental once more.

Antonelli made a place back swiftly as the Mercedes showed its race pace however, as did Russell who passed Norris for third on lap three. A lap later he dispatched Leclerc for second.

Piastri, who was finally starting a race for the first time this season, had just over a second on Russell but the British driver reeled him in and he passed him up the inside of the chicane, only for the Australian to counter on the straight and retake the lead.

The McLaren was offering the best contest Mercedes have faced this season but the gap settled at a second as Piastri maintained a strong pace.

The only pit stops of the race proved crucial however. Piastri began to extend his lead before pitting him on lap 18 to prevent an undercut from Russell. A quick clean stop ensued and Mercedes opted to keep both their cars out. Russell then came in on lap 21, with the Australian maintaining track position.

However, a lap later Bearman took a huge impact at speed when he crashed out at Spoon having to leave the track to avoid hitting Franco Colapinto, because of the varying closing speeds of the two cars. Bearman had been at full tilt, while Colapinto was downshifting and harvesting energy, a scenario that drivers had repeatedly warned could happen and Bearman was sharp to avoid hitting him.

Kimi Antonelli atop the podium (centre) with Oscar Piastri (left) and Charles Leclerc at the Suzuka circuit. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

He had to take to the grass and that left him powerless to stop piling into the barriers which he hit at what the team described as a 50G impact. He did emerge from the car, although he appeared hurt, having to be helped by the marshals and was taken to the medical centre. He was alert and communicating and had no fractures but had suffered a right knee contusion.

With the safety car was called, it gifted Antonelli a free stop. “Unbelievable,” said Russell, cursing his bad luck given it was enough to ensure Antonelli now had the lead over Piastri. On the restart six laps later Antonelli held his lead but Russell was caught out and lost a place to Hamilton who had also gained from stopping under the safety car.

Antonelli, finally in clean air, swiftly opened a lead of four seconds on Piastri but Russell only endured worse losing a place to Leclerc on lap 37 as the British driver lost pace, harvesting energy on the run to Spoon.

Leclerc and Hamilton once more went wheel to wheel to thrilling effect, with Leclerc coming out on top and Russell too moved past Hamilton on lap 43.

Out front, able to optimise energy usage across the lap in clean air Antonelli’s Mercedes was uncatchable and he took the flag by 13 seconds, demonstrating the car’s dominance when allowed to run its own race but Russell’s finish showing they enjoy less such form when kept in a dogfight.

Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine, Liam Lawson ninth for Racing Bulls and Esteban Ocon 10th for Haas.