Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli secures his second consecutive Formula One victory with a commanding drive at the Japanese Grand Prix.
MERCEDES prodigy Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday for his second consecutive victory. The 19-year-old Italian consequently became the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the world championship standings.
Antonelli capitalised on a mid-race safety car to leapfrog into the lead after a poor start from pole position. He eventually led home McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the Suzuka circuit.
He whooped with delight crossing the line, telling his team “the pace was unbelievable today”. The win builds on his maiden grand prix victory in China two weeks ago.
Mercedes’ George Russell, who started the day leading the championship, finished fourth. Russell had battled Piastri for the lead but pitted just before the safety car, dropping him out of contention.
McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a four-time Suzuka winner, was eighth after starting 11th.
Antonelli secured pole for the second straight race, having become F1’s youngest pole-sitter in China. His start was shocking, however, as he slumped to sixth by the first corner.
Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton all passing Antonelli. Russell then moved up to pressure Piastri in a strategic duel.
Antonelli recovered ground before a crash for Haas driver Ollie Bearman brought out the safety car. Bearman limped from the track with what his team later called “a right knee contusion”.
Antonelli pitted immediately after the safety car was deployed, a fortunate move that propelled him to the front. Russell fell back, being overtaken first by Hamilton and then Leclerc.
Antonelli managed his lead while Russell fought back, but Piastri held on to prevent a third straight Mercedes one-two finish. Haas confirmed initial X-rays showed Bearman had no fractures from his high-speed barrier impact.
The 20-year-old Bearman had climbed from 18th on the grid before his crash. Formula One now enters an extended break, with the next race in Miami on May 3.
Races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for April were cancelled due to the war in the Middle East.
