After weeks of crashes, mechanical problems and “watching F1 from the sidelines”, Oscar Piastri has finally started and completed a 2026 race, finishing second at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Meanwhile, teenager Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead a world championship, winning the Suzuka race by more than 13 seconds after a dominant drive, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc nabbing third place.
Piastri drove brilliantly with a stunning opening lap, overtaking from third place on the grid to snatch the lead from Antonelli on pole and fellow Mercedes driver George Russell.
Russell snatched the lead back on the final chicane on lap eight however Piastri deployed his battery at the straight and retook the lead in lap 9. The Australian pitted early on lap 18 followed by Russell who pitted on lap 21. However, a monster crash from Oliver Bearman on lap 22 triggered a yellow flag and safety car, disrupting pitstop strategies and allowing Antonelli to retake the lead.
Bearman’s car smashed into the barriers and the young driver emerged and limped from the debris. Medical scans showed no broken bones, however the Haas driver suffered an impact of 50G’s
The biggest loser from the safety car debacle was undeniably George Russell (who had pitted one lap earlier) and immediately lost his advantage and forfeited crucial championship points to his teammate, Antonelli who went on to claim his second consecutive grand prix victory.
Despite the chaos, crashes and safety car, Piastri managed to hold on to second place, defending against a resurging Ferrari to nab a podium.
“Wow it turns out when we start these things, we’re pretty good,” Piastri joked over the radio. “Well done everybody, that was a great weekend…we deserve that so thank you, let’s find some more pace.”
Piastri spoke with media after the race and said McLaren needed to work on finding more pace, but admitted he was happy with Sunday’s results.
“Shame that we never got to see what could have happened [with the safety car] but for us at this point, to be disappointed about finishing second place is a pretty good place to be,” he said.
A fan-favourite track, the Suzuka Circuit is renowned for its high-speed technical corners and its unique layout, which typically encourages a one-stop strategy. The Japanese Grand Prix used to be towards the end of the season and has determined the championship winner several times in history. On Sunday, it was the location of a different kind of history.
Antonelli is now the first teenager to win two Formula 1 Grand Prix races and is the youngest driver to lead a world championship. However, the Italian said it was “too early” to think about the championship but admitted “we are in a good way”,
In a post-race interview Antonelli admitted he was “very lucky” to have the safety car, but was impressed with the Mercedes pace.
There is now a five-week gap between now and the next race in Miami, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
