Kimi Antonelli celebrated his second victory in a row at the Japanese Grand Prix and took the lead in the overall standings. He is the youngest world championship leader in Formula 1 history.
Two weeks after his debut victory in China, Antonelli prevailed in Suzuka ahead of Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). “It feels pretty good. But it’s still very early to think about the championship”Antonelli said: “I’m very happy.” Thanks to this success, Antonelli also takes over the championship lead from his teammate George Russell, who won the season opener in Australia. Russell came fourth this time.
At the age of 19 years and 216 days, Antonelli is now the youngest driver to date at the top of the overall standings; record world champion Lewis Hamilton had previously held this record since the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix (22 years, 126 days).
Antonelli benefits from Safety car phase
The third race of the season began with a ten-minute delay due to repair work on a guardrail that was damaged in an accident in the previous Porsche Carrera Cup Japan. The start of the race was unsatisfactory for Antonelli, who fell from pole position to sixth place. It was only a safety car phase in the middle of the race that got him on track.
“It made my life easier”said Antonelli. The start is “It’s a bit of a hassle. We have to go to driving school if you let go of the clutch regularly”said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. But Antonelli was “quick as an arrow” in the second half of the race. Antonelli was the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1953 to win two races in a row. And so the press at home also cheered. “Bravissimo”the Gazzetta dello Sport wrote: “It’s a magical moment for Kimi.”
This means that Antonelli goes into the first long break with a cushion of nine points over Russell. Because of the war-related cancellations of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the races in Miami will not continue until the beginning of May.
Russell is annoyed about fourth place
The race was less satisfactory for Antonelli’s teammates. The safety car phase, from which Antonelli benefited, was annoying for Russell. Because Haas driver Oliver Bearman crashed heavily into the barrier in the Spoon corner, the safety car came out and Antonelli was suddenly in the lead after his free pit stop. “Incredible”cursed Russell, who was only third.
When he restarted, his mood deteriorated further. While Antonelli raced up and away from the lead after the restart, Russell fought with his pursuers and ended up missing out on a podium place in fourth place.
George Russell during the race in Japan
Hülkenberg is still waiting for points
Lando Norris came fifth in a McLaren, Lewis Hamilton came sixth in a Ferrari. Further back in the field, world champion Max Verstappen tried to limit the damage. The Dutch Red Bull star improved from eleventh on the grid to eighth.
For Nico Hülkenberg, the wait for his first championship points with Audi continued. Hülkenberg once again took the ungrateful eleventh place.
A blessing in disguise: No serious injury to Bearman
Oliver Bearman, the Haas team driver whose accident made the safety car phase necessary, was examined in the track hospital after the race. He did not suffer any fractures or other serious injuries. The diagnosis: severe knee contusion.
Bearman lost control of his car on lap 22 and hit the side of the track at high speed. He then left the scene of the accident limping and with his face contorted in pain. Measurements showed that the 20-year-old Briton was exposed to extreme acceleration forces during the crash. “That was scary”said Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu about the accident. “Luckily everything went well”said Bearman.
Oliver Bearman’s damaged racing car after his crash at the Japanese GP
The event fueled the debates about the new technology regulations, in which the additional power due to the higher electric content of the engine plays a major role. So Bearman came close to Franco Colapinto in the Alpine, who was driving in front of him, with an enormous excess of speed. “It’s really strange. It’s a corner that we’re taking completely and he was more than 50 kilometers per hour faster than me”Colapinto explained.
World association reacts: Rule changes possible in April
A new discussion promptly broke out in the paddock about necessary rule adjustments in order to limit the risks of the new guidelines. The world association FIA reacted two hours after the race with a statement: “Any adjustments, especially in the area of energy management, require careful simulations and detailed analysis.”
Since the introduction of the rules, a series of meetings of all those involved in Formula 1 have been planned for April to evaluate possible changes.
