SUZUKA, Japan — “Unbelievable!”
The frustration was clear in George Russell’s voice as he realized what had just happened. His hopes of winning the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix had just disappeared.
Russell had only pitted while leading the race one lap earlier, having clawed his way back up the order following another poor Mercedes start. But the timing of the safety car period following Ollie Bearman’s crash on Lap 22 of 53 totally transformed Sunday’s race.
“That is pure luck,” Russell said of the timing of his pit stop. “If that was one lap later, I’d have won.”
Russell’s frustration contrasted the joy of his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who did take the victory at Suzuka — his second in succession after his breakthrough win in China.
Antonelli had gone from starting first to running by the race’s opening corners, after spinning up his rear tires while trying to pull away from the line. Then he’d been in recovery mode. But because he was yet to pit when Bearman crashed, the safety car activation allowed him to come in from the lead and stay there as his rivals were forced to slow down.
It was a lucky break, but Antonelli grabbed the opportunity. He nailed the restart ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and then disappeared into the distance. He crossed the line to win by almost 14 seconds.
At 19, Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the world championship.
“Let’s go man!” Antonelli cheered on his team radio to engineer Pete Bonnington after the race, as he waved to the fans from his cockpit. “It was lucky with the safety car, but the pace was unbelievable at the end.”
Not just at the end. All race long, all weekend long, Antonelli had been rapid.
Even prior to Russell’s pit stop, Antonelli had been closing up on his teammate after spending the first portion of the race stuck in a train with Lando Norris’ McLaren and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc ahead. Antonelli was looking far more comfortable than Russell.
There were reasons behind that. Russell hadn’t been comfortable with the setup on his Mercedes car after a change before qualifying that stiffened his rear suspension. It left him second on the grid behind Antonelli as the Briton grappled with the added oversteer he was finding with the change. Oversteer is where the rear of the car turns faster than the front, which creates uncertainty for the driver.
Russell hadn’t been able to cut the gap to first-stint leader Piastri, after the McLaren had blasted to the lead from third on the grid. Russell was still struggling for comfort with the setup on his car.
Resuming the race in third place, Russell “hit his harvest limit prematurely,” according to a Mercedes statement, that meant he was passed by Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion had also gained places stopping under the safety car.
George Russell pits from the lead of the Japanese GP on Sunday. (Franck Robichon / AFP / Getty Images)
Later on, as Russell was closing on his former teammate, a software glitch caused his battery to recharge at the wrong point, dropping him into the clutches of Leclerc behind.
Leclerc and Russell got back past Hamilton, but fourth was all Russell could muster as Leclerc put in a firm defensive action to stay ahead to the finish. This included a thrilling repass at Turn 1.
The safety car not only cost Russell time but also Piastri, whose pace in the opening stint surprised both himself and McLaren. But Antonelli was always going to be a threat, even without the safety car period.
“Antonelli had faster pace than anybody else,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told reporters after the race. “At some stage (without the safety car), he would have been in contention for the victory.”
What was especially impressive about Antonelli’s second win was the consistency and quality of his performance when the race already looked won.
Russell — the preseason championship favorite and de facto ‘leader’ at Mercedes, given his many more years of experience — wasn’t able to catch Antonelli in China. There the Italian kept pushing to the end.
The same was true here, but this time Antonelli did not make any mistakes, like running briefly off track with a front tire lock up as he did in China, and built a healthy buffer lap after lap. This time, he never missed a beat.
To put in such a mature performance and win two of the first three races at the start of only his second season is proof of Antonelli’s quality. He’s special.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff saw that years ago. But Antonelli is still just a teenager. The ups and downs of his rookie season in 2025 were inevitable, albeit fused with the hope there’d be more success in his second year.
“Now, could we have predicted two wins out of three races at the beginning for Kimi? No,” Wolff said post-race. “But, today, he was quick when it mattered. The luck was on his side, and I think all of that contributed for him to have this second consecutive victory.”
Antonelli also feels he has made a big step, growing in experience and comfort. Having a rocket ship such as this Mercedes car underneath him naturally helps, but he too has grown.
“Experience does a lot,” said Antonelli. “Obviously, last year I’ve gone through a lot and it taught me massively, more than I anticipated, and for sure it’s helping so far this year. Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do, but I definitely feel much more in control of the situation.”
Antonelli added he wanted to “try and be ready for everything, because it’s one of those opportunities that don’t happen every day.” He knows the chance to fight for a world championship is one not all drivers are guaranteed in their careers.
Even rarer is the chance to do so this soon and so young.
But that narrative is already building, despite the caution Wolff has urged over the past couple of weeks on Antonelli’s championship chances. He heads into the unexpected five-week break before Miami — thanks to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races — with a nine-point lead atop the drivers’ standings.
Kimi Antonelli waves to F1 fans at Suzuka after winning the 2026 Japanese GP. (Clive Mason / Getty Images)
The fear for neutrals that Russell might run away and settle the season early is not happening. If anything, the momentum appears to be with his young teammate.
But Russell didn’t see much reason to worry about that now.
“It’s three races down out of 22,” he said. “One lap different today and the victory would have been on my side, and I’m confident of that. And in China, without the qualifying issue, I was three-tenths ahead in the sprint qualifying, so maybe I could have been on pole there and won that race.
“It’s just how it turns out. That’s racing. We’re now at a break, so there’s no momentum to be carried. We’re going to reset and go again for another race.”
Antonelli is also not getting ahead of himself, knowing the challenge he will face if he is to sustain a title fight. What matters to him is the process and progress he makes at each individual race, not the championship standings after three rounds.
“I’m not thinking too much about the championship,” Antonelli said. “Of course, it’s great, but there’s still a long way to go. I need to keep raising the bar because George is very quick and is going to be back at his usual level.”
Russell will surely bounce back from the disappointment of Suzuka. But Antonelli has already displayed just how much he has grown and improved compared to his rookie season.
The manner of his Suzuka performance, as much as luck played into it, is testament not only to his progress but also his status as a true title contender.
