Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli wins 2026 Japanese GP for second straight victory, takes F1 drivers' lead
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Kimi Antonelli secured a dominant victory in the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, his second consecutive win after China, making him the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 drivers' championship. A safety car triggered by Oliver Bearman's heavy crash propelled the Mercedes driver from mid-pack to the front, finishing 13.722 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri. George Russell's race was hampered by a software glitch, dropping him to fourth and costing him the standings lead, with Antonelli now ahead by nine points after three races.
Kimi Antonelli topped the final practice session for Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of teammate George Russell. The pair dominated FP3 at Suzuka by a significant margin over Ferrari and McLaren rivals. Qualifying follows at 3pm local time.
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Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, outpacing teammate George Russell who will start second despite setup struggles. Antonelli's strong performance continues his impressive start to the 2026 season, where he sits just four points behind Russell in the standings. Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged a backfired adjustment left Russell facing challenges into Sunday's race.
2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg shared an emotional message congratulating Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli on his first F1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, drawing parallels to his own career and highlighting their long connection.
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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur believes the upcoming FIA engine tests closing Mercedes' compression ratio loophole from 1 June will not significantly alter the balance of power. He views the ADUO mechanism as a better opportunity to close the gap. Vasseur emphasised that performance involves more than just the internal combustion engine.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory from pole at the Chinese Grand Prix, fending off teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for a Mercedes 1-2-3? podium mix-up. Team principal Toto Wolff hailed the 19-year-old's fast-track promotion over radio, silencing critics, while Hamilton grabbed his first Ferrari podium. McLaren suffered double retirement from power unit woes.
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George Russell secured pole position for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, leading teammate Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes 1-2 during qualifying in Shanghai. The team outperformed rivals by over half a second, with Lando Norris in third for McLaren. Toto Wolff attributed the advantage to strong cornering performance from the team's 2026 car.
Piastri tops FP2 as McLaren challenges Mercedes at Japanese GP
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