The 19-year-old Mercedes driver’s historic championship feat came after winning two consecutive F1 races.
Published March 29, 2026
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli claimed his second consecutive victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, making the 19-year-old Italian the youngest driver in F1 history to top the world championship standings.
After a terrible start from pole position at Suzuka, Antonelli took advantage of the mid-race safety car to surge into the lead, eventually leading his hometown team of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
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He cheered as he crossed the line and told his team, “Your pace today was incredible.”
He builds on his first career Grand Prix win in China two weeks ago and leads the championship after three races.
Mercedes’ George Russell, who started the day at the top of the championship standings, finished in fourth place.
Russell battled with Piastri for the lead during the first half of the race, but he pitted just before the safety car and fell out of contention for the win.
McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris was fifth ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who has won in Japan for the past four years, started from 11th on the grid and finished eighth.
Antonelli recovers from poor start
Antonelli became the youngest pole sitter in Chinese F1 history, taking pole position for the second consecutive race.
However, the Italian got off to a shocking start and was down to sixth place by the first corner.
Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton passing Antonelli.
As the cat-and-mouse game began, Russell moved up the field and sat on Piastri’s tail.
Antonelli also made up for it, but a crash by Haas driver Ollie Bearman brought out the safety car midway through the race.
Bearman limped badly, although race marshals helped him off the track, and his team later announced that he had suffered a “right knee contusion.”
Antonelli jumped into the pits immediately after the safety car came out and was lucky to be at the front of the pack and win the race.
Russell slipped out of contention and was first passed by Hamilton, then watched as Leclerc passed him.
Antonelli extended his lead and Russell recovered, but Piastri held on to deny Mercedes a third consecutive one-two Grand Prix finish.
Haas said initial X-rays showed there were no fractures after Bearman crashed into a barrier at high speed.
The 20-year-old started from 18th on the grid and worked his way up the ranks.
F1 is currently on an extended break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3rd.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races scheduled for April were canceled due to the Middle East war. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver’s historic championship feat came after winning two consecutive F1 races.
