Formula 1: Antonelli Wins To Become Youngest Title Leader

Kimi Antonelli took his second win in succession and the lead of the world championship after being helped to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix by a safety-car period.

The 19-year-old Italian had not yet made a pit stop, while his rivals for victory McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes team-mate George Russell had, when Oliver Bearman’s Haas crashed heavily.

That gave Antonelli a pit stop that cost him less time than the others and ensured he could retain the lead.

A frustrated Russell, who finished fourth behind Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, said over the radio “unbelievable” as he realised Antonelli would beat him for the second consecutive race.

Antonelli becomes the youngest driver in history to head the championship and leads his team-mate by nine points.

There were questions as to whether the safety car really changed the result for Antonelli.

Mercedes were planning to leave him out for several more laps before he stopped, and as he was at the time lapping faster than the drivers who had pitted for fresh tyres, the team believed he would have emerged in the lead anyway.

“It feels pretty good, it is too early to think about the championship but we are on [a] good way,” said Antonelli.

“In the race, I had a terrible start. Just need to check what happened but then I was lucky with the safety car to be in the lead and then the pace was just incredible.”

The key stories of the final race heading into the five-week break before the Miami Grand Prix were:

An improved performance from McLaren that could have seen Piastri win without the safety car

The crash that led to the safety car, in which Bearman incurred a 50G impact and suffered a right knee contusion

The incident that turned the race on its head occurred on lap 22.

Bearman had a significant overspeed on Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, with whom he was contesting 17th place, as they approached the Spoon Curve.

As the Briton closed rapidly, Colapinto drifted from the racing line on the outside towards the centre of the track.

In taking avoiding action, Bearman got on to the grass on the inside and lost control, spinning across the track and smashing into the barrier on the outside at the entry to the corner.

Haas later said he was doing 191mph when he lost control and hit the barrier having lost almost no speed.

Bearman climbed out gingerly, limping and holding his knees, before being taken to the medical centre, where he had an X-ray before being released.

Before that crash, the win looked to be between Piastri and Russell.

Antonelli made a slow start and dropped to the back of the top six as Piastri swept into the lead, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris also passed Russell.

Piastri held the lead confidently as Russell moved past Norris and Leclerc into second place by lap four.

Russell tracked Piastri within a second for several laps and then overtook him into the chicane on lap eight, only for the McLaren to move back past down the pit straight at the start of the following lap.

Russell was never as close again and Piastri’s confidence began to build, and he got on to the radio to his team to say he felt that he could hold on to the win if they could keep him in the lead through the pit stops.

Leclerc started the pit stop period on lap 17, Piastri following him in a lap later and Russell three laps after that.

Piastri was proved right as Russell came out of the pits behind the McLaren. Meanwhile, Antonelli – who had moved past Hamilton but no further after the start – cycled up into the lead.

Bearman’s crash happened almost straight afterwards and Russell immediately knew the consequences as he saw the safety car signs alight around the track.

Piastri lost out, too, on what could have been a victory had he managed to hold on ahead of Russell, as the rest of the race suggested he would have.

But a second place finally gets the Australian’s season off the ground, and gives McLaren their first 2026 podium, after he had failed to start the first two races.

“Turns out we’re all right when we actually get to start,” Piastri said.