Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli cruises to victory at Japanese Grand Prix

Italian driver Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes won his second consecutive Formula 1 race, taking the chequered flag at Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished third, with George Russell of Mercedes fourth. McLaren's Lando Norris placed fifth, while Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top six for Ferrari on a clear, sunny spring afternoon.

Max Verstappen's slow start to 2026 continued, with Red Bull's four-time former world champion settling for eighth place behind ex-teammate Pierre Gasly, who now drives for Alpine.

The 19-year-old Antonelli won at the F1 level for the first time in his career two weeks ago at the Chinese Grand Prix, the second-youngest race winner in history. Verstappen set the record in 2016 at the age of 18.

Antonelli's triumph in Shanghai was also accomplished from the pole, after he became the youngest to ever claim the lead spot on the grid. He now leads the season standings with 72 points.

Record-tying seven-time former world champion Hamilton finished last year without a podium, in his first campaign after leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, but claimed third place earlier this month in China. The 41-year-old Briton came close to another podium in Japan, underscoring Ferrari's rekindled competitiveness, an element sorely missing for much of last season.

"Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes badly, but this time it went well for me and I'm very grateful for that," said Antonelli. "Now I'm going to enjoy the win, but at the same time, I'm gonna work hard on the areas where we need to improve. Of course, we have three weeks now to recharge. I'm just gonna need to come back stronger and I need to raise my game."

Formula 1 will now take a five-week break, with races originally scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia called off due to the war in Middle East. The next Grand Prix is slated for May 3 in Miami.