19-year-old sensation After winning the Japanese Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli makes F1 history.

Mercedes's youthful appeal After winning the Japanese Grand Prix with an outstanding drive in Suzuka on Sunday, March 29, Kimi Antonelli has made history. After winning the Shanghai Grand Prix a few weeks ago, the 19-year-old Italian has now won two straight races and is leading the F1 championship race.

With 72 points, Antonelli is nine points ahead of his teammate George Russell in the race for the championship. He has now surpassed Lewis Hamilton as the youngest driver to lead a Formula 1 championship.

Oscar Piastri, a McLaren driver, finished in second place despite having a great start when the lights went out in Suzuka. Defending champion Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of Hamilton's Ferrari, while Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc overcame a fierce challenge from Russell to take third place.

"It's too early to think about the championship, but we're in a good way," Antonelli remarked following the race. "I had a horrible beginning. All I have to do is see what went wrong. This year's starts have undoubtedly been a weak point, and I need to strengthen them because they have the power to make or break races."

With 135 points, Mercedes leads the constructors' battle and has been the early trendsetters this season. With 90 points, Ferrari comes in far second. In the last two races, both of their drivers had won one and two. Russell won the season-opening race in Australia and finished second in China two weeks ago, giving Mercedes victories in the first three races of the 2026 season.

Russell and Antonelli started in the lead in Japan, but neither of them had a great start. Piastri took the early lead after overtaking both into the first corner.

But with the new 2026 car setup, which has an even 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical battery power, Antonelli and Mercedes once again proved their strength. Additionally, compared to last year's models, the cars are shorter, lighter, and narrower—changes that many drivers have criticized as the most drastic change in regulations in ten years.

Antonelli battled his way back through the field despite a bad start that dropped him to sixth after the first lap. Oliver Bearman of Haas crashed into a tire barrier on lap 22, bringing out the safety car, and he took the lead. After getting out of the vehicle, Bearman's condition was verified by medical personnel.

Antonelli acknowledged that he benefited from the safety car's timing. He described himself as "a bit lucky," saying that although the race's outcome might have been different without it, it undoubtedly made things easier.

Piastri acknowledged that Mercedes probably had better speed, but he was left wondering what might have been. Although it was disappointing not to win, he claimed that being upset about a second-place result demonstrates how competitive the team has grown.

Piastri claimed that McLaren made the most of their performance in Japan but was unable to win after missing the first two races—crashing on the formation lap in Australia and failing to start in China due to electrical problems. "For now, a result like this feels almost as good as a win," he continued.

Hamilton, who didn't finish on the podium for Ferrari the entire previous season, finished third in China and nearly did so again in Japan, indicating that the team is now more competitive. This week, he maintained that he still has an advantage.