Kimi Antonelli has secured his second consecutive F1 victory. The Italian had luck on his side at the Japanese GP at the Suzuka circuit with a free pit stop due to a safety car situation, which handed him the lead. Oscar Piastri finished second, Charles Leclerc third. Max Verstappen had to settle for eighth place after a difficult race. Antonelli is the new leader in the World Championship standings.
Read more VIDEO: Heavy crash for Bearman at Suzuka, first safety car period is a fact
Read everything back in our live report below.
The start of the Japanese GP has been postponed by twenty minutes due to an accident earlier in a Porsche Carrera Cup race. Repair work is taking place on the guardrail at turn 12. New time: 07:20.
Just before the start, Max Verstappen says what his goal for the race is while walking back to his car on the grid. “I hope to move forward a few places and show that we are indeed the fourth team on the grid. The top three teams are much too fast for us anyway,” says Verstappen.
FORMATION LAP: The entire field is underway. With one exception (Bottas), everyone is starting on the medium tires. Bottas starts on the hard compound. Everyone in Japan is expecting a one-stop strategy.
Dramatic start for Mercedes
LAP 1/53: What a dramatic start for Mercedes! Oscar Piastri immediately takes the lead in his McLaren, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. Antonelli had a dramatic start from pole and is sixth after the first corners. His Mercedes teammate is in P4. Max Verstappen gains two positions and is running in P9.
LAP 3/53: Piastri still leads the field. For the McLaren Australian, it is actually his first race of the season. In the previous two races, he didn’t even make the start. Meanwhile, George Russell is already second, ahead of Leclerc.
LAP 5/53: Max Verstappen moves further up and overtakes Arvid Lindblad with a fine outbraking maneuver. He is now eighth, over three seconds behind Pierre Gasly in front of him.
LAP 9/53: George Russell takes the lead, but sees Oscar Piastri pass him again a moment later. In other words, yo-yo racing at its best. The swapping of positions has begun. Behind them, Leclerc, Norris, and Antonelli – in that order – fight each other for P2.
Verstappen in no man’s land
LAP 13/53: Max Verstappen is driving more or less in no man’s land. He is in eighth position, over five seconds behind Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and almost five seconds ahead of Esteban Ocon’s Haas car. Top 10 at this moment: Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Ocon, and Lindblad.
LAP 14/53: Verstappen complains over the radio about his car. Among other things, downshifting is difficult and inconsistent, he reports. Also no ‘power steering’, he adds. Lindblad receives a warning from race control for ‘moving under braking’ in a duel with Isack Hadjar.
LAP 18/53: Leclerc pits for his first stop, which takes 2.1 seconds. Antonelli continues for a bit, making the top three as follows: Piastri, Russell, Antonelli.
LAP 19/53: Leader Oscar Piastri comes in and swaps his mediums for the hard compound. The McLaren driver returns to the track behind Max Verstappen. This makes George Russell the new race leader. Verstappen is in P6.
LAP 22/53: George Russell also comes in now. The Briton returns to the track between Piastri and Verstappen.
Read more Results GP Japan 2026
Heavy crash for Oliver Bearman
LAP 23/53: Safety car! Oliver Bearman has crashed. That is bad news for Russell, who has just pitted. ‘Unbelievable”, he fumes. Antonelli, Hamilton, and also Verstappen dive in for a free pit stop. Antonelli is the new race leader.
LAP 24/53: TV footage shows that Bearman is shaken and apparently has a sore ankle. He went off the track before he could pull alongside Franco Colapinto, who was driving slowly due to battery charging. Meanwhile, the order behind the safety car: Antonelli, Piastri, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Gasly, and Verstappen.
LAP 27/53: And we’re racing again! Antonelli maintains the lead and Russell is caught out in P3 by his compatriot Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen tries to pass Pierre Gasly for P7, but so far in vain. He is stuck behind the Frenchman.
LAP 31/53: Lance Stroll is the second retirement of the race after Oliver Bearman. Stroll is called in by the Aston Martin team due to a technical issue with the water pressure system. Meanwhile, it is clear that Bearman has broken nothing after his heavy impact. He does have a sore right knee.
Antonelli pulls away
LAP 35/53: Antonelli pulls away and now leads comfortably, with a lead of over four seconds over Oscar Piastri. Behind them: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, and Norris. Verstappen continues to try against Gasly, but the Alpine driver doesn’t give an inch.
LAP 37/53: Russell drops back due to energy loss and gives up a position to Charles Leclerc. He is in P5, ahead of Lando Norris.
LAP 42/53: Kimi Antonelli can prepare for his second win of the season. His lead over Piastri has now grown to almost ten seconds. Charles Leclerc fights a fierce duel with Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton and takes P3. A moment later, Russell also passes Hamilton.
LAP 48/53: George Russell is still on Charles Leclerc’s tail for the final podium spot, but the Monegasque holds firm. Verstappen briefly passes Gasly, but the latter immediately pulls alongside again.
Two in a row for Antonelli
LAP 53/53: Kimi Antonelli secures his second consecutive win after China and also takes over the lead in the World Championship from his Mercedes teammate George Russell. Although Antonelli was somewhat handed the victory by the safety car situation, it doesn’t spoil the fun. Charles Leclerc maintains third place and finishes third!
Max Verstappen finishes eighth. He spent the second part of the race trying to pass Pierre Gasly, but the car shows too many defects.
Top 10: Antonelli, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Lawson, Ocon.
Read more World Championship standings after Japanese GP: Kimi Antonelli takes over lead from Russell
