Kimi Antonelli turned pole into a safety-car-influenced victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, moving to the top of the drivers’ championship and becoming the youngest driver in history to lead the standings. He had taken pole in qualifying — his second consecutive pole of the 2026 season and making him the youngest driver to achieve back-to-back poles — with a lap of 1:28.778 after topping FP3 (1:29.362). He started on the front row alongside Mercedes’ George Russell.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri vaulted from third to first at the start, briefly disrupting Mercedes’ early advantage with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris close behind.

Late in the race Oliver Bearman suffered a heavy, 50G crash that brought out the safety car and left him with a right-knee contusion. Antonelli, who had not yet pitted, stopped under the safety car and therefore lost less time than rivals who had already stopped, preserving track position. He held off Piastri after the safety-car turnaround to claim the win, with Piastri second and Leclerc third; Russell finished fourth and radioed that the result was “unbelievable.”

The victory — Antonelli’s second consecutive Grand Prix win — vaulted the 19-year-old into the lead of the world championship, leaving Russell nine points adrift. Teams will regroup during a five-week break before the Miami round.

Sources