Antonelli wins Suzuka and becomes F1's youngest championship leader
The short version
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, 13.722s ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, with Charles Leclerc third. After dropping to sixth at the start, the Mercedes driver took the lead thanks to the timing of a safety car. The win made him, at 19, the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 World Championship.
- 13.722sMargin of victory
- 1:32.432Fastest lap · Antonelli
- P14 → P9Lawson · biggest mover (+5)
- 2Retirements · incl. Stroll, Bearman
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Oscar Piastri
Charles Leclerc
A bad start, a well-timed safety car, and a new championship leader. Kimi Antonelli won his second straight Grand Prix and moved to the top of the standings.
McLaren and Ferrari strike first
Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc were quickest away from the grid and ran one-two early on. Antonelli, on pole, fell to sixth and George Russell to fourth.
Bearman’s crash changes the race
As the leaders came in for their stops, Oliver Bearman’s Haas crashed hard at Spoon. He had come up on Franco Colapinto at a much higher speed because the two cars were deploying their electrical energy differently. The safety car that followed came at exactly the right moment for Antonelli, who emerged in front and was never caught. Bearman’s crash prompted the FIA to review how energy deployment is managed under the new rules.
Result and standings
Piastri took second, McLaren’s best result of the young season, and Leclerc was third. Russell finished fourth, 0.484s behind Leclerc. Antonelli now leads the championship on 72 points to Russell’s 63. At 19, he is the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history.
Next: the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were called off because of conflict in the Middle East, so the next race was Miami on 3 May.
Key moments
- StartPiastri and Leclerc make the best starts to run one-two. Pole-sitter Antonelli falls to sixth.
- Safety carOliver Bearman crashes heavily at Spoon. The safety car comes out just as the front-runners are making their stops, and Antonelli gains the lead.
- LateLeclerc, Russell and Norris all get past Hamilton in the closing stages.
- FlagAntonelli wins by 13.7s and moves to the top of the championship.
Race classification
2026 Japanese Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:28:03.403 | 25 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | +13.722 | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | +15.270 | 15 |
| 4 | George Russell | +15.754 | 12 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | +23.479 | 10 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | +25.037 | 8 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | +32.340 | 6 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | +32.677 | 4 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | +50.180 | 2 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | +51.216 | 1 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | +52.280 | 0 |
| 12 | Isack Hadjar | +56.154 | 0 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +59.078 | 0 |
| 14 | Arvid Lindblad | +59.848 | 0 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | +1:05.008 | 0 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | +1:05.773 | 0 |
| 17 | Sergio Pérez | +1:32.453 | 0 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | +2 Laps | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
2 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Lance Stroll | Water pressure |
| Oliver Bearman | Accident |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:31.666 | 27 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:31.692 | 26 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 1:31.798 | 20 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:31.865 | 23 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:31.955 | 25 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:32.040 | 23 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | 1:32.457 | 27 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | 1:32.529 | 27 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | 1:32.601 | 23 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:32.665 | 29 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:32.759 | 27 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:32.798 | 26 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | 1:32.803 | 27 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:32.900 | 27 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | 1:32.978 | 25 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:33.361 | 24 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:33.383 | 26 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:33.697 | 22 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:34.221 | 18 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:34.490 | 24 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:35.294 | 22 |
| 22 | Jak Crawford | 1:36.362 | 11 |
Practice 2
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 1:30.133 | 29 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:30.225 | 28 |
| 3 | George Russell | 1:30.338 | 29 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | 1:30.649 | 17 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:30.846 | 28 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:30.980 | 27 |
| 7 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:31.441 | 27 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | 1:31.496 | 30 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | 1:31.498 | 28 |
| 10 | Max Verstappen | 1:31.509 | 29 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | 1:31.532 | 30 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | 1:31.590 | 31 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | 1:31.608 | 30 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 1:31.734 | 29 |
| 15 | Isack Hadjar | 1:31.759 | 29 |
| 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:31.933 | 11 |
| 17 | Franco Colapinto | 1:32.438 | 28 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:32.615 | 28 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | 1:33.596 | 24 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:33.689 | 14 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:33.951 | 21 |
| 22 | Arvid Lindblad | — | 1 |
Practice 3
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:29.362 | 18 |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:29.616 | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:30.229 | 20 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:30.364 | 19 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:30.383 | 23 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:30.600 | 13 |
| 7 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:30.658 | 21 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | 1:30.910 | 22 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:31.000 | 21 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | 1:31.082 | 20 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | 1:31.094 | 21 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | 1:31.097 | 21 |
| 13 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:31.288 | 17 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | 1:31.326 | 22 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | 1:31.558 | 18 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:31.733 | 20 |
| 17 | Franco Colapinto | 1:31.759 | 25 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | 1:31.829 | 26 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:32.503 | 20 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:32.540 | 18 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:33.485 | 19 |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | 1:33.529 | 14 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:30.035 | 1:29.048 | 1:28.778 |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:29.967 | 1:29.686 | 1:29.076 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | 1:30.200 | 1:29.451 | 1:29.132 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:29.915 | 1:29.303 | 1:29.405 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | 1:30.401 | 1:29.795 | 1:29.409 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:30.309 | 1:29.589 | 1:29.567 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | 1:30.584 | 1:29.874 | 1:29.691 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 1:30.662 | 1:30.104 | 1:29.978 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:30.359 | 1:29.990 | 1:30.274 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:30.781 | 1:30.109 | 1:30.319 |
| 11 | Max Verstappen | 1:30.519 | 1:30.262 | — |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | 1:30.915 | 1:30.309 | — |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:30.358 | 1:30.387 | — |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | 1:30.657 | 1:30.495 | — |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | 1:30.931 | 1:30.627 | — |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | 1:30.927 | 1:31.033 | — |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | 1:31.088 | — | — |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | 1:31.090 | — | — |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:32.206 | — | — |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:32.330 | — | — |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | 1:32.646 | — | — |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | 1:32.920 | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on 29 March 2026, finishing 13.722s ahead of Oscar Piastri in a race time of 1:28:03.403.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix?
P1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), P2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren), P3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:32.432.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix?
2 drivers did not finish: Lance Stroll (water pressure), Oliver Bearman (accident).
Who leads the F1 championship after the 2026 Japanese GP?
Kimi Antonelli, on 72 points, ahead of George Russell on 63 and Charles Leclerc on 49. At 19, he became the youngest championship leader in F1 history.
Why did Oliver Bearman crash at Suzuka?
Bearman came up on Franco Colapinto much faster than him, because the two cars were using their electrical energy differently. He lost control on the grass at Spoon. The FIA later held talks about how energy deployment is managed under the 2026 rules.