Italian Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest leader in the history of the Formula 1 World Championship by winning the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on Sunday. He finished ahead of Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who came in second and third, respectively.
The 19-year-old Antonelli, who won't turn 20 until August 25th, repeated his triumph from two weeks ago in China and won from pole position. Despite a poor start and a lot of luck (thanks to a safety car), he was always the fastest on track.
In the race, Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished 15th and 18th, respectively. For Alonso, this was his first race of the season after two retirements.
The start of the race and the entire pre-race protocol were delayed by about ten minutes due to an accident in a support race. Antonelli lost five positions at the start. However, thanks to the safety car, he was able to get back into the fight. After the restart, he regained the lead and held it until the finish.
Meanwhile, Leclerc had warned his team that he was faster than Hamilton before Ferrari engaged in a rather pointless internal battle that benefited Piastri. The Monegasque passed Sir Lewis in the second corner on lap 42. Later, Russell also overtook Hamilton to take fourth place.
Ultimately, Mercedes confirmed its privileged position in this "new era" of F1, to which only Ferrari and the "resurgent" McLaren are close. Piastri, with 72 points, is nine points ahead of his teammate George Russell.
