The Formula 1 Japanese GP was another landmark chapter in the 2026 season, with Kimi Antonelli’s victory. The Mercedes driver admitted to making a ‘really stupid’ mistake at the start of the race in Suzuka, but managed to recover and secure his second consecutive victory.
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This triumph in Suzuka not only reinforced the young Italian’s momentum but also put him in the lead of the drivers’ championship. With the result, Antonelli surpassed his teammate George Russell and took the top of the table with a nine-point lead.
Starting from pole position, Antonelli lost several positions in the first few meters after a problem with the clutch. The driver dropped to sixth, while Russell also struggled and fell from second to fourth. Despite this, the Italian began a consistent recovery throughout the race.
After the race, Antonelli explained what happened at the start: “It was something really stupid, a small detail. I didn’t position my fingers well on the clutch and that meant that when I released it, I didn’t have the same angle, and I ended up dropping more than I should have,” he stated.
Even frustrated with the start of the race, he highlighted his satisfaction with the overall performance over the weekend: “Of course I’m going to enjoy the moment, because it’s great to get back-to-back wins. I think I was happy with how I felt in the car this weekend. I built my weekend well and had an incredible qualifying session,” he said. He also admitted his irritation with the start: “Today, the start was very annoying. I was very, very angry”.
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The race scenario changed after the entry of the Safety Car, caused by Oliver Bearman’s accident. Russell had recovered and was pressing leader Oscar Piastri, but the neutralization allowed Antonelli to make his pit stop and return to the track in the lead, paving the way for the victory.
Even acknowledging the importance of the Safety Car, Antonelli believes there was still a chance for victory: “Probably. It was difficult to overtake Charles (Leclerc) because we had different energy usage strategies, and it was hard to find the right place to pass. After he stopped, we improved the pace a lot,” he added.
The Italian also acknowledged that he still needs to improve on starts: “It’s an area where I need to work a lot, because it’s definitely not good enough and I’m making my life harder. There’s still a lot of work to do,” he concluded.
With this victory in the race at Suzuka, Antonelli became the youngest driver in history to lead the Formula 1 championship.
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