F1 Japanese GP: Kimi Antonelli Takes Victory and Championship Lead in Japan
Kimi Antonelli wins the F1 Japanese GP at Suzuka, leads the championship as Oscar Piastri finishes second and Charles Leclerc third.
By Divyam Dubey
The Japanese Grand Prix 2026 gave us another exciting race, and once again it was Kimi Antonelli doing the job up front. The Mercedes F1 Team driver picked up his second win in a row at the Suzuka Circuit, finishing 13.7 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri. Mercedes has now won all three races this season, and at this point, they are making it look a bit too easy. Not that fans of the team will complain, but the rest of the grid might be getting slightly concerned already. The race itself did not start smoothly for Antonelli.
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Starting from pole, Antonelli had a slow launch and dropped down to sixth by the first corner. Piastri took the lead, while George Russell and Charles Leclerc also slipped past. For a moment, it looked like we might finally get a different winner. Antonelli quickly got past Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton and started climbing back up like someone who had just realised he left the stove on at home.
The real turning point arrived on lap 33 when Oliver Bearman crashed and brought out the safety car. That one moment flipped the race on its head.
Antonelli pitted at just the right time and came out in the lead, while drivers like Piastri and Russell had already stopped earlier. From there, Mercedes had control of the race. After the restart, Antonelli kept it clean, managed the tyres, and slowly pulled away. No drama, no mistakes, just a steady drive to the finish.
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Piastri held on to second for his first podium of the season, with Leclerc finishing third and Russell just missing out in fourth. Norris came home fifth, Hamilton sixth, and Pierre Gasly seventh. Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon were the final three points scorers at Suzuka.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 53 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 13.722s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 15.270s |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 15.754s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 23.479s |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 25.037s |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 32.340s |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 32.677s |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 50.180s |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 51.216s |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 52.280s |
| 12 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 56.154s |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 59.078s |
| 14 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 59.848s |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 65.008s |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 65.773s |
| 17 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 92.453s |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1 lap |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1 lap |
| 20 | Alex Albon | Williams | 2 laps |
| DNF | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 23 laps |
| DNF | Ollie Bearman | Haas | 33 laps |
With this win, Antonelli now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 72 points. At 19, he becomes the youngest driver ever to lead the standings, beating Hamilton’s record from 2007. Russell sits second, 12 points behind, so yes, Mercedes now has two drivers fighting each other as well.
The season now heads into a five-week break before Miami on 3 May. Expect upgrades, expect more pace, and maybe someone other than Mercedes winning. But right now, that still feels like a big ask.
