Luck and a dominant drive from the teenager to win in Japan and lead the championship

The third race of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the legendary Suzuka circuit brought new drama, strategy and the writing of new pages of history. Although Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli started from the best starting position, a disastrous start dropped him to sixth place, and it seemed that the race would go in the other direction. But a combination of circumstances and incredible speed in the second part of the race launched the young Italian to his second consecutive victory and, more importantly, to the status of the youngest driver ever to take the lead in the overall world championship.

A chaotic start and the awakening of McLaren

The lights went out at Suzuka ten minutes late due to track repairs, and when the race finally got underway, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri made the start of the season. He catapulted from third position to first place before the first corner, leaving behind the Mercedes duo that had big problems. George Russell dropped to fourth and qualifying winner Kimi Antonelli sank to sixth.

In the first part of the race, Piastri sovereignly controlled the lead, while Russell slowly made his way back to the top, managing to overtake Charles Leclerc for second place. It seemed that we were watching a duel between McLaren and Mercedes, but the key moment happened on the 22nd lap. Oliver Bearman in Haas had a crash at high speed. Fortunately, the young Briton escaped without a fracture, but his wrecked car on the track meant only one thing – the safety car came out.

That moment completely turned the race around. The leading drivers, including Piastri and Russell, have already made their regular pit stops. On the other hand, Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton were still on track and the safety car gave them a “free” tire change, after which Antonelli returned to the track as the leader. Russell’s frustration was evident as he complained over the radio to the team about his lack of luck.

Domination and fight for the podium

After the restart of the race on the 27th lap, Antonelli made no mistake. He immediately created an advantage and showed incredible speed until the end of the race, leaving Piastri behind by more than 13 seconds. “I had a terrible start, I have to check what happened. But I was lucky with the safety car. After that, the pace was incredible and I felt great in the car,” said the winner after the race.

While the winner was decided, there was a fierce battle behind him. Oscar Piastri safely drove his McLaren to second place and the first podium for the Woking team this season, a big step forward after technical problems in the first two races. The biggest drama took place in the fight for third place, where Charles Leclerc in Ferrari had to defend his position from George Russell’s attack until the last corner. The Monegasque was able to withstand the pressure and secure a valuable podium.

Lando Norris finished fifth after a tense battle with Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari, while seventh place went to Pierre Gasly, who successfully kept four-time champion Max Verstappen behind him for most of the race. In the end, the Dutchman finished only eighth, confirming that Red Bull is struggling this season and belongs in the middle of the standings.

Race results: 2026 Japanese GP.

Overall driver standings after 3/24 races

With the victory in Japan, Antonelli overtook teammate Russell and now leads by nine points. Mercedes is convincingly leading the constructors’ standings with 135 points, ahead of Ferrari with 90 points. The season resumes after a one-month break, with the next race on the schedule being the Miami Grand Prix, May 1-3.