2026 Japanese GP: Antonelli unstoppable again

Overtaking at Suzuka is not easy, and a single pit-stop strategy usually doesn’t add much intrigue to the race. However, many expected the new regulations to change the situation.

On Friday, Oscar Piastri led the practice sessions, while on Saturday morning Kimi Antonelli posted the best time. He also won the qualifying session, securing his second consecutive pole – for the third time this season, the front row is entirely occupied by Mercedes drivers.

From the second row, Piastri and Leclerc will start, while Norris and Hamilton take the third row. Verstappen had an unsuccessful qualifying – he lagged behind his teammate and could only manage 11th. No one was penalised for losing positions at the start – the grid followed the qualifying results.

Pirelli brought the hardest compounds for the first time this season – teams used C1, C2, and C3 tyres as Hard, Medium, and Soft. Bottas started on Hard tyres, while others chose Medium.

Barrier repairs following an accident in the national Porsche Carrera Cup race delayed the race start by 10 minutes.

At the start, Piastri took the lead, Leclerc moved into second, Antonelli slid and lost five positions, and Hülkenberg dropped six places. On lap 2, Antonelli passed Hamilton, Russell overtook Norris, and Lindblad and Verstappen moved ahead of Hadjar. Lawson passed Bortoleto.

On lap 4, Russell passed Leclerc to move into second. On lap 5, Verstappen advanced, and on lap 6 Okon passed Lindblad. On the straights, Russell pressured Piastri, and Antonelli pressured Norris, but the Mercedes drivers lacked the speed to pass McLaren.

On lap 8, Russell overtook Piastri, but Oscar immediately regained the lead. On lap 12, Antonelli passed Norris fighting for fourth. On lap 15, Hülkenberg overtook Sainz, fighting for 16th.

Lindblad received a black-and-white flag warning for changing trajectory under braking. On lap 16, Antonelli passed Leclerc in the chicane, but Charles regained his position on the next straight.

Laps 17–22 saw pit stops from Norris, Berman, Leclerc, Kolapinto, Piastri, Lindblad, Okon, Hadjar, and Russell.

On lap 21, Berman attacked a slowing Kolapinto – the Alpine Mercedes power unit switched to “super-clipping”, forcing Oliver off track into the grass, and he crashed at Spoon corner. The Safety Car was deployed. Oliver exited the cockpit but limped away and was taken from the scene by the Medical Car. FIA sensors recorded a maximum load of 50G.

Drivers who hadn’t changed tyres immediately pitted to gain advantage. Russell complained the Safety Car appeared right after his stop.

Restart came on lap 28. Antonelli maintained the lead. Hamilton passed Russell fighting for third. Okon overtook Bortoleto for tenth. On lap 30, Hadjar and Lindblad passed Hülkenberg.

Antonelli kept his lead and gradually pulled away from the Piastri–Hamilton–Russell group, which didn’t have enough speed to attempt overtakes.

On lap 31, Stroll retired to the pits. On lap 36, Hadjar overtook Bortoleto, fighting for 11th.

On lap 37, Russell unexpectedly lost pace – the Mercedes power unit switched to “super-clipping” like on Kolapinto, allowing Leclerc through. George tried a counterattack, but Charles stayed ahead.

On lap 42, Leclerc passed Hamilton for third after several duels. Russell passed Hamilton to take fourth place on lap 43. Hamilton went off track two laps later but continued.

On laps 46–50, Elbon did pit stops, and Williams tested different front wing setups, as the driver was no longer fighting for points.

On lap 48, Norris passed Hamilton, but Lewis regained the position on the start-finish straight. Russell passed Leclerc on lap 50, but Charles reacted right away. Hülkenberg passed Hadjar for 11th. Norris overtook Hamilton for fifth.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won his second consecutive race of the season and career, becoming the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian achieved a second consecutive hat-trick (pole, fastest lap, and race win).

Oscar Piastri finished second, completing his first podium in a race he started this season. Charles Leclerc took third. Esteban Okon, finishing tenth, scored his first point of the season.

A long break follows due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds. The season will resume with the Miami Grand Prix in early May.