Formula 1: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix

(Patria) - Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix, the third race of this year's Formula 1 championship, reports Sportklub.

The young Italian achieved his second consecutive victory at the legendary Suzuka, after previously winning in China, and also his second in his career.

"Get in there, Kimi!" #F1 #JapaneseGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/drsTaVH9Pc

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 29, 2026

Antonelli won by ten seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri in the McLaren, who started in Japan for the first time this season after major problems in the first two races.

On the third step of the podium was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who won the race in Japan in a direct battle with the leader in the general standings, George Russell.

What marked the race in Japan was certainly the serious accident of Haas driver Oliver Bearman, which determined its final outcome.

The young Brit lost control of his car when he ran into Frank Colapinto in the Haas car, who was moving significantly slower.

The Argentine started to defend his position, which threw Bearman off the track, he flew over it and ended up in the safety barrier.

Fortunately, initial information indicates that the Haas driver escaped without serious injuries, although he could not stand on his feet after the accident.

Until that moment, Piastri was leading safely, while Antonelli had a fantastic pace on used tires.

The safety car deployment allowed the Italian to change tires with less time lost compared to his rivals, so he took the lead which he defended during the race restart.

From then on, the Mercedes driver gradually pulled away from his rivals, Piastri had no trouble staying in first place, and behind the two of them, Leclerc was better than Russell by four tenths of a second in the battle for the podium.

The start of the race in Japan was delayed by 10 minutes due to a major incident in the Porsche Carrera Cup race, in which the safety barrier was damaged.

The start was marked by Piastri, who took first place, ahead of Leclerc, teammate Lando Norris, Russell, and Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari, while Antonelli lost the most and dropped to sixth place.

Russell quickly moved up to second place, while Antonelli advanced, but not as quickly, and the defending champion was the one who troubled him the most.

Around the eighth lap, the Brit completely caught up with Piastri, attacked him, but the Australian responded and then managed to pull away.

Behind them, Antonelli and Leclerc were engaged in an excellent battle, in which the Monegasque was winning, so from the 17th lap they started to go into the pits.

Norris went first, then Leclerc, and then the leading duo went for new tires.

Unlike the leaders, Antonelli stayed on the track and drove excellently on used tires, only for Bearman to go off track immediately after Russell's pit stop and cause a race slowdown.

At that moment, Antonelli, Hamilton, and Gasly were in the lead, but in reality, only the young Italian benefited after going into the pits, when he retained the lead, ahead of Piastri, Russell, Hamilton, and Leclerc.

When the race resumed, the Italian driver easily defended from Piastri, while Hamilton overtook Russell, whom Leclerc also challenged after some time.

Antonelli easily pulled away from the others, and after ten laps, the Monegasque attacked his teammate for third place, and shortly after, Hamilton was also overtaken by Russell.

In the last few laps, there was a battle for the final podium spot, and Leclerc had a stronger impact on Russell three laps before the end after a duel.

Norris was almost eight seconds behind Russell, and a second and a half ahead of Hamilton, Gasly, and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

The points scorers were completed by Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Haas driver Esteban Ocon.

THE TOP 10 AT SUZUKA! 👀#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/kIElAQQIj9

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 29, 2026

After the triumph, Antonelli took the lead in the general standings with 72 points, nine more than Russell, while Leclerc is third with 49.

The Italian thus became the first teenager to lead the championship in history.

The next Formula 1 race is scheduled for the Miami Grand Prix from May 1st to 3rd, after conflicts in the Middle East led to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.