Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli recovered from a poor start and profited from a fortunate Safety Car to jump his rivals and take a convincing Japanese Grand Prix win that makes the Italian teenager the youngest Drivers’ Championship leader in the history of the sport. 

When the lights went out at the start, polesitter Antonelli and front-row starting team-mate George Russell got away badly and the pair were quickly swamped by rivals. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was quickest off the line and he roared between the two to take the lead ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and hard-charging world champion Lando Norris. Russell dropped to fourth and Antonelli fell to sixth as the field swarmed through the opening corners. 

Antonelli was soon past Ferrari’s Lewis Hamillton to take P5 and Russell was quickly into third ahead of Norris. The Briton then muscled his way past Leclerc on lap four to take second place. 

The Australian Grand Prix winner soon began to put pressure on Piastri but after passing the Australian driver into the final chicane on lap 15, the McLaren man immediately responded and stole back the lead as they powered towards Turn 1. 

Norris was the first of the frontrunners to make a pit stop, on lap 15, and he was followed in by Piastri and then Russell. However, within moments of Russell returning to the action, the Safety Car was deployed. 

Haas’ Oliver Bearman closed rapidly on Alpine’s Franco Colapinto into Spoon but the slower Argentine driver was on the racing line and Bearman was forced to leave the track at high speed to avoid a collision. As soon as went onto the grass he lost control, speared back across the track and slammed sideways into the barriers. The British driver was able to climb out of his damaged car but he limped to a halt with a badly bruised knee. 

The Safety Car handed a group of drivers a ‘free’ stop and it was Antonelli who benefited most. The Mercedes driver was able to jump ahead of Piastri and Russell to take the lead. Hamilton also profited, taking P4 ahead of Leclerc and Norris with Pierre Gasly in P8 ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who was slogging through a frustrating race/.

When the track went green again, Antonelli held the lead ahead of Piastri and gradually began to pull away from the McLaren. Behind them, Hamilton stole third from Russell, and then on lap 37 the Mercedes driver was also passed by Leclerc. 

He was able to stay with the battling Ferraris, however, and when Leclerc finally got past Hamilton, Russell also closed in and dismissed the seven-time champion. 

That set up a fascinating deployment battle to the flag between Leclerc and Russell and though the Mercedes driver almost got past in the closing stages, the Ferrari driver was able to hold on for this second podium finish of the season. 

Ahead Antonelli was in total control, however, and after 53 laps he crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Piastri to take his second consecutive win and the championship lead. Piastri took his first podium of the season in his first race start of the campaign after two successive DNSs. 

Behind Russell, Norris passed Hamilton to claim fifth, while Gasly held off Verstappen to take a well-deserved seventh place for Alpine. Verstappen cut a dejected figure in parc fermé after finishing eight and the final points paying places went to Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in P9 and Haas’ Esteban Ocon. 

Antonelli now leads the 2026 FIA Formula One World Drivers' Championship on 72 points, nine ahead of Russell and 23 clear of third-placed Leclerc. Mercedes lead the Constructors' Championship with 135 points. Ferrari are second with 90 points, 44 ahead of third-placed McLaren. 

2026 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Race 
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 53 1:28'03.403 
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:28'17.125 13.722
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 1:28'18.673 15.270
4 George Russell Mercedes 53 1:28'19.157 15.754
5 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:28'26.882 23.479
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 53 1:28'28.440 25.037
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 53 1:28'35.743 32.340
8 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 53 1:28'36.080 32.677
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 53 1:28'53.583 50.180
10 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 53 1:28'54.619 51.216
11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 53 1:28'55.683 52.280
12 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 53 1:28'59.557 56.154
13 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 53 1:29'02.481 59.078
14 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 53 1:29'03.251 59.848
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 53 1:29'08.411 1'05.008
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 53 1:29'09.176 1'05.773
17 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 53 1:29'35.856 1'32.453
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 52 1:28'29.951 1 lap /26.548
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 52 1:28'46.024 1 lap /42.621
20 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 51 1:28'08.470 2 laps /5.067
     Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 30 52'49.430 Retirement
     Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 20 32'44.370 Accident