Japanese Grand Prix result as Antonelli pips – Sports News
When Kimi Antonelli skilled wheelspin at the beginning of the Japanese Grand Prix, the primary concern was whether or not George Russell would capitalize on it. The British driver did surge previous his teammate and, from that time, victory seemed to be within his grasp – regardless of Oscar Piastri mounting a sturdy early problem.
However, circumstances took an surprising flip. Following Piastri’s pit stop, Russell communicated to his Mercedes race engineer that he believed extending his opening stint too long was dangerous. He feared dropping priceless race time and surrendering the benefit to the McLaren driver, prompting his staff to ultimately call him in for new tires.
Unfortunately, they made that call one lap prematurely, as Oliver Bearman subsequently spun off observe and wrecked his Haas. The security car was instantly dispatched and Antonelli, who was operating behind Russell and had not but pitted, immediately benefited from an extraordinarily advantageous pit stop. Russell may solely specific his frustration with expletives. It comes after NASCAR staff accuses rivals of dishonest after stealing ‘secret sauce’
On the floor, all was not misplaced, as he remained in third place when the Grand Prix lastly resumed. However, any hopes of catching his teammate evaporated when he as a substitute misplaced ground, falling behind first Lewis Hamilton after which Charles Leclerc, creating a three-car hole between the 2 Mercedes drivers.
He overtook Hamilton and appeared to have achieved the identical to Leclerc with three laps remaining, solely to watch the Ferrari courageously surge back previous on the skin of flip one in dramatic model. However, it was irrelevant at that stage as Antonelli had already constructed a 14-second benefit over Piastri and an even higher margin over Russell.
The teenager crossed the end line to thunderous applause from the spectators and a wave of Mercedes personnel celebrating enthusiastically alongside the pit wall fence. Antonelli now leads the championship for the primary time in his fledgling F1 profession, whereas Piastri’s spectacular second-place end meant Mercedes missed out on a one-two result for the primary time in 2026.
At 19 years previous, Antonelli now tops the championship standings – turning into the youngest driver in F1 historical past to attain this feat, and in addition the primary teenager. The victory additionally marked a important achievement for Mercedes, their one hundred and twenty fifth Grand Prix triumph since their return to the game in 2010.
Full 2026 Japanese Grand Prix result
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Nico Hulkenberg – Audi
- Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi
- Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
- Franco Colapinto – Alpine
- Sergio Perez – Cadillac
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
- Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac
- Alex Albon – Williams
DNF: Oliver Bearman – Haas; Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
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