Antonelli wins Suzuka
Kimi Antonelli surged to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix — his second straight win — and became the youngest-ever leader of the F1 championship at 19. Oscar Piastri finished P2 after an ill-timed safety car cost him a probable win, with Charles Leclerc completing the podium in third (formula1.com) (sportingnews.com).
A heavy crash for Haas’ Ollie Bearman at Turn 13 brought out the safety car and reshaped pit-stop windows mid-race, according to the official race report. (formula1.com) Mercedes pitted Antonelli under that safety car for hard tyres while rivals had already stopped, a sequence that let him re-emerge in clear air and pull away to a 13.722-second margin at the flag. (formula1.com) Team telemetry showed Antonelli suffered excessive wheelspin off the line and dropped to sixth at Turn 1 before executing a recovery drive later in the race. (mercedesamgf1.com) The drivers’ standings now list Antonelli on 72 points, nine clear of team-mate George Russell on 63 after three rounds. (livemint.com) Mercedes widened its advantage in the constructors’ table to 135 points, with Ferrari on 90, McLaren 56 and Red Bull 16 after Suzuka. (racingnews365.com) McLaren’s Oscar Piastri recorded his first race finish and McLaren’s first podium of the season at Suzuka, having missed the opening rounds earlier in the year. (formula1.com) Haas classified Bearman as a retirement and the FIA and Haas issued post-crash updates while the paddock assessed the incident’s implications for safety procedures. (formula1.com)
