Suzuka: Kimi Antonelli pledged to “keep raising the bar” after claiming victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings.
The 19-year-old Mercedes driver capitalised on a mid-race safety car to surge into the lead, recovering from a poor start from pole position to finish ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
Antonelli’s triumph at Suzuka Circuit followed his maiden Grand Prix victory in China two weeks earlier and propelled him to the top of the standings after three races, nine points clear of teammate George Russell.
Despite the growing excitement surrounding his rapid rise, Antonelli remained measured. “Of course it’s great, but there’s still a long way to go. I need to keep raising the bar because George is very quick,” he said, noting that rivals would soon close the gap.
Antonelli crossed the line 13.722 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Leclerc a further 1.548 seconds adrift in third. Russell finished fourth, slipping to second in the championship on 63 points, while Leclerc moved into third on 49.
Russell had been engaged in a close battle with Piastri for the lead during the opening phase of the race but lost ground after pitting just before the safety car period, effectively ending his challenge for victory.
Piastri, making his first start of the season after earlier setbacks, led the race’s first half before the intervention of the safety car altered the dynamics. “It would have been interesting to see what would have happened without that,” he said, while taking positives from a strong second-place finish.
Elsewhere, Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who had won in Japan for the past four years, could only manage eighth place after starting 11th on the grid.
Antonelli, who had already made history as the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One during the China round, endured a difficult launch, dropping to sixth by the first corner as Piastri seized the early lead ahead of Leclerc.
However, the race turned in the Italian’s favour following a crash involving Haas driver Ollie Bearman, which triggered a safety car during the pit window. Having yet to stop, Antonelli pitted at the ideal moment and rejoined in front, a decisive factor in securing victory.
“I was very lucky with the timing of the safety car,” Antonelli admitted.
Bearman exited his car unaided after the incident, though Haas later confirmed he suffered a right knee contusion, with initial X-rays showing no fractures.
Formula One will now pause before resuming with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
