Italian Kimi Antonelli, from Mercedes, won the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday (29) and achieved his second consecutive victory in Formula 1.
With the result, the 19-year-old driver became the youngest leader in the history of the championship.
Even starting in , Antonelli lost positions early on and fell to sixth. Still, he managed to recover throughout the race and crossed the finish line with a 13.7 second advantage over .
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari, completed the podium.
The British George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate, finished in fourth place. The current world champion, Lando Norris, came fifth with the other McLaren, ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, from Ferrari.
The victory at Suzuka came on the heels of and gave Antonelli a nine-point lead over Russell in the overall standings. The feat also marked the return of an Italian to the streak of two consecutive victories in the category, something that had not happened since Alberto Ascari, in 1953.
Antonelli took the lead of the race after his main competitors, including Russell, went to the pits to change tires shortly before a serious accident involving Briton Oliver Bearman, from Haas, caused the safety car to be deployed.
The neutralization allowed Antonelli to make his stop and return to the track in the lead. Russell, who had stopped a lap earlier, ended up hampered by his strategy and regretted his lack of luck.
“I benefited from the safety car, but the pace at the end was impressive,” said Antonelli over the team radio. In response, his engineer highlighted: “We definitely escaped a big problem today.”
Bearman left car limping after high-speed accidentwhich occurred when he was quickly approaching Argentine Franco Colapinto, from Alpine. The driver lost control while passing through the grass and collided hard into the barriers.
The Briton was taken to the circuit’s medical center, where he underwent X-ray tests. A bruise was found on the right knee, with no fractures, according to a Haas spokesperson.
During the safety car period, Norris also pitted and climbed to third position, but was unable to stay on the podium until the end.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly finished seventh for Alpine, while the four-time world champion, from Red Bull, was eighth. Liam Lawson, from Racing Bulls, was ninth, followed by Esteban Ocon, who closed the points zone with Haas.
Gabriel Bortoleto, from Audi, crossed the finish line in 13th place.
