Mercedes leaves the 2026 F1 Japanese GP with another victory for Kimi Antonelli, who becomes the youngest-ever Drivers’ Championship standings leader after overtaking teammate George Russell.
Sunday’s race began with the Mercedes drivers suffering from slow getaways, as Antonelli dropped from P1 to P6 and the Brit from P2 to P4. However, they both eventually made their way back up, with Russell taking the lead on lap 15 when Piastri boxed, before pitting on lap 21, promoting Antonelli to the lead.
Notably, on the next lap, the timing of the Safety Car, caused by Ollie Bearman, proved pivotal, as it effectively handed the Italian track position while compromising Russell’s strategy. The 19-year-old stormed off to his second F1 win, crossing the chequered flag with a 13.722-second advantage over Oscar Piastri in P2, while George Russell finished P4.
Wolff on Antonelli’s progress
Speaking after the F1 Japanese GP in a print media session, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff acknowledged Antonelli’s progression, having gone from several frustrating 2025 rookie mistakes to claiming back-to-back wins in 2026.
“I think when we decided to give him the seat one and a half years ago, we hoped for this trajectory, that with the ups and downs you expect from a young driver age 18 in the first year, eventually second year […] success would materialise and I think this is happening.”
He continued: “Now, could we have predicted two wins out of three races at the beginning for Kimi? No.
“But you know, today he was quick when it mattered. The luck was on his side also. I think all of that contributed for him to have this consecutive victory.”
Suzuka circuit challenges
While Mercedes suffered from their poor starts, McLaren’s Piastri was quick to take the race lead before Turn 1. Throughout the opening laps, Russell attempted a move for the lead, though Piastri reclaimed it with a switcback move seconds later down the main straight, before boxing on lap 15.
When asked whether he was surprised at how long Piastri was able to hold the lead at the 2026 F1 Japanese GP, Wolff said: “I mean, nobody can complain about the lack of good racing.
“Yeah, what you see is that everybody learns how to manage the energy systems, harvesting, deployment, the boost button, the overtake, and then track position becomes crucial, especially on a track like Suzuka.”
Suzuka Circuit is famous for its fast, relatively narrow layout with several high-speed corners, making overtaking difficult, especially now as teams try continue to get on top of all the new features of the 2026 F1 regulations.
With this in mind, Wolff concluded: “And there wasn’t lots of options for us to go around Piastri, and even with the Ferraris we struggled at times, so track position here in Suzuka definitely a major role.”
