Mercedes' Italian talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix - the third round of the Formula 1 season, after an impressive race at the “Suzuka“ track. Despite an unconvincing start in which he lost several positions, the 19-year-old driver recovered and finished first with a time of 1:28:03.403 hours, BTA reports. This is Antonelli's second consecutive victory after his success in China, and before that he finished second in the opening race in Australia. With his stable results, the Italian came out on top in the general classification with 72 points, becoming the youngest leader in the history of the championship.
McLaren's Oscar Piastre finished second, over 13 seconds behind the winner, recording his first participation of the season after missing the first two races. Third place went to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who was just over 15 seconds behind and recorded his second podium finish since the beginning of the year.
Antonelli started from first position, but dropped to sixth place early on, while Piastre led the pack. However, the Italian gradually regained positions and by the middle of the race was already in the lead. The decisive moment was the appearance of the safety car after an incident with Oliver Bearman, of which Antonelli took full advantage, maintaining his lead after the pit stop.
At the restart, the Mercedes driver demonstrated excellent control and pace, which allowed him to break away and reach the victory. “Luck was on my side with the safety car, but the finish was incredible“, he said on the radio after the finish.
His teammate George Russell remained fourth, followed by Lando Norris with McLaren. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) completed the places from sixth to eighth, while Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon also entered the top 10.
In the drivers' standings, Antonelli leads Russell by nine points, while Leclerc occupies third position. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes is in the lead with a convincing lead, followed by Ferrari and McLaren. The next round of the season will be held in Miami in early May.