Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix to overtake Russell in race for title

· Yahoo Sports

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli celebrates back-to-back victories - Hiro Komae/AP

Teenager Kimi Antonelli claimed his second successive victory, as well as the lead of the drivers’ championship, after Mercedes team-mate George Russell suffered terrible luck midway through Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

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Russell had fought his way back to the front after another action-packed start at Suzuka under these new 2026 regulations.

The Briton was just behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after stopping on Lap 21 and within striking distance of the Australian on fresher tyres.

But a safety car which came out on Lap 22, as a result of a massive 50G shunt involving Britain’s Ollie Bearman, badly hurt Russell’s chances, while giving Antonelli a free stop. “Unbelievable,” a clearly frustrated Russell said over the radio. “Wow, ----, our luck in these last two races.”

Antonelli, who had dropped from first to sixth after getting wheelspin in a disastrous start, duly emerged in the lead of the race once the safety car was withdrawn. And the Italian was able to hang on for the win, with Piastri second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had passed Russell at the restart to add salt to the Briton’s wounds, holding on for the final podium spot.

There is now a big gap until Miami at the start of May, following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races because of the conflict in the Middle East.

Antonelli, the youngest leader in F1 championship history, will spend it knowing he is now properly in the title race, having backed up his maiden victory in Shanghai two weekends ago.

“Going into this race I would have said George was the one to beat,” said former champion Jenson Button on Sky Sports F1. “But now he has got a true challenger.”

More to follow...

Final positions after race (53 laps)

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1h 28m 03.403s
  2. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren at 13.722s
  3. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari at 15.270
  4. George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP at 15.754
  5. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren at 23.479
  6. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari at 25.037
  7. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine at 32.340
  8. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull at 32.677
  9. Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB at 50.180
  10. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 at 51.216
  11. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Audi at 52.280
  12. Isack Hadjar (Fra) Red Bull at 56.154
  13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Audi at 59.078
  14. Arvid Lindblad (Gbr) RB at 59.848
  15. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Williams at 1m 05.008s
  16. Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine at 1:05.773
  17. Sergio Perez (Mex) Cadillac at 1:32.453
  18. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin at 1 lap
  19. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Cadillac at 1 lap
  20. Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams at 2 laps

Not classified

  • Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1, 30 laps completed
  • Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin, 20 laps completed
08:27am

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff on Kimi Antonelli

“It seemed like years ago when he was a kid. He met [Mercedes technical director] James Allison who thought it was a kid who lost his parents and was looking for someone. It is incredible. Yesterday, he was 14 and today he was 19. He has won two races in a row in F1 and we are really happy about the development that he has taken. We need to protect him now from people talking about World Championships.

“A botched start but these kids learn in driving school with automatic! We need to teach them how to release a clutch slowly, steadily and not too quick. We are not giving them the easiest of tools. Our starts have been on the mediocre side and we need to improve that. But in that case, the driver had a massive influence of the car not going away. It looked good with the wheelspin but is not fast!

“But in the race, he made his way up and, at the moment it mattered, he was really fast and we were able to extend his stint by one lap and that caused George’s [Russell] race to go belly up and made the difference.”

08:24am

Huge Bearman crash

In case you missed it, Haas’ Oliver Bearman had a big crash at the Spoon curve, bringing out the Safety Car which had a big impact on the race.

Oliver Bearman seemed to be ok after his crash - Eugene Hoshiko/AP08:18am

Top five in the constructors’ standings

  1. Mercedes- 135 points
  2. Ferrari- 90 points
  3. McLaren- 46 points
  4. Haas- 18 points
  5. Alpine- 16 points
08:16am

Top five in the drivers’ standings through three rounds

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)- 72 points
  2. George Russell (Mercedes)- 63 points
  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)- 49 points
  4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)- 41 points
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren)- 25 points

With the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month cancelled, there is now a five-week break before we resume the season in Miami at the start of May. How will the teams upgrade their cars in that mini-break?

08:13am

Youngest championship leader

Kimi Antonelli takes top spot in the drivers’ standings - Mark Thompson/Getty Images08:10am

The three men on the podium

Kimi Antonelli takes the win ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc - Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images08:05am

Final finishing top ten

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  4. George Russell (Mercedes)
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
  7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
  8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
  10. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
08:02am

Charles Leclerc, who finished third

“It was a bit of a sweaty one! With the Safety Car we got a bit unlucky, so from that moment onwards, I knew I was a bit on the back foot, especially to Kimi [Antonelli] and Lewis [Hamilton]. Then I was like ‘OK, let’s keep pushing and let’s try to keep those tyres and bring them to the end’.

“But it was not as much of a disadvantage as I thought. The tyres were actually pretty good. The few laps I did were not so bad, it is just we lost a few positions. It was quite a fun race. Not quite enough to get Oscar [Piastri] but it was a cool race.”

Podium finish for Charles Leclerc - Hiro Komae/AP07:59am

The thoughts of Oscar Piastri, who finished second

“It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened without that [Safety Car]. I could keep George [Russell] behind and just before the stops we were actually pulling away a little bit again. A shame that we never got to see what would happened but I think for us at this point to be disappointed about finishing second is a pretty good place to be.”

Finally Oscar Piastri finishes a main race this season - Eugene Hoshiko/AP07:55am

Race winner Kimi Antonelli

“It feels pretty good! Of course, it is too early to think about the championship but we are on a good way. I had a terrible start. I need to check what happened. Then I was lucky with the Safety Car to be in the lead but then the pace was incredible. It was really nice. The second stint I felt very good with the car. I am very pleased with that.”

On the start:

“I can practice some clutch drops to get a better feel with it because, definitely, it has been a weak point so far this year. I need to improve that because you can easily win or lose races with that.

“On the medium we were strong once we had free air and on the hard, the pace was incredible. I do not know what the outcome would have been without the Safety Car but it made my life a lot easier.”

Kimi Antonelli now leads the drivers’ standings - Hiro Komae/AP07:51am

Kimi Antonelli on team radio after the race

“Woohoo! Let’s go man! I was lucky with the safety car but the race was unbelievable at the end. Thank you everyone, thank you all the boys and girls in Brackley. What a car, thank you so much.”

07:48am

Top five

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  4. George Russell (Mercedes)
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
07:42amKey moments • Video

Kimi Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix

The young Italian started on pole, lost five places at the start but has come through to win, with a huge help from the timing of the safety car. He took his maiden F1 victory in China two weeks ago and makes it back-to-back wins. He takes over as the championship leader from his teammate Russell and becomes the youngest man ever to lead the championship.

Piastri comes across the line in second, having failed to start either of the first two main races of the season. The Australian was very unlucky with the timing of the safety car as he looked strong out in front in the first stint.

It is a battle all the way to the line between Leclerc and Russell but the former holds on to take the final podium position.

07:41am

Lap 53 of 53

Antonelli starts the final lap, with more than 14 seconds back to Piastri.

Russell thought about a move up the inside of Leclerc at the chicane but opted against it. There will be one more chance for Russell to get the overtake done on Leclerc on the last lap.

07:40am

Lap 52 of 53

Norris has gone for the overtake again on Hamilton at the final chicane but this time can he keep fifth place? It is a nervy run down to turn one for Norris but he keeps the place.

07:39am

Lap 51 of 53

Piastri did have Leclerc and Russell closing in on him but has opened up a bit of a gap. There is though a change of positions as Russell gets the move done up the inside of Leclerc at the chicane but will have the energy left to keep that place. It is a run down to turn one and Leclerc sweeps around the outside to reclaim third place. That is replicated a few seconds behind as Norris overtakes Hamilton into the chicane but roles are reversed into the first corner.

07:35am

Lap 49 of 53

Antonelli is closing in on back-to-back wins, with a 13-second advantage, but is told to look after the car. Piastri has a second and a half back to Leclerc, who still has Russell right behind him.

07:34am

Lap 48 of 53

Norris gets the move done on Hamilton up the inside of the final chicane but then has clearly deployed too much energy as Hamilton gets him back before turn one. 

07:32am

Lap 47 of 53

Russell gets a great exit out of the final corner and is eyeing up a move on Leclerc into turn one but the move is not on. This pair are within two seconds of Piastri, who will just be looking in his mirrors a little bit.

Norris is within a second of Hamilton and will be aiming to take that fifth place.

07:28am

Lap 45 of 53

Hamilton has had a big lock-up into the final chicane and now has Norris right behind him. That moment has been noted by the stewards, who will take a look at whether Hamilton gained an advantage. Norris behind certainly thought so as he spoke on his team radio.

Further down the top ten, Verstappen is stuck down in eighth behind Gasly, who is doing a fine job in that Alpine.

07:26amKey moments

Lap 43 of 53

Hamilton lost a place to his current teammate into turn one on the last lap and now loses a place to his former teammate into turn one on this lap as Russell swings around the outside as Leclerc did previously. In a few laps, Hamilton has dropped from a podium position to fifth.

07:24amKey moments

Lap 42 of 53

The two Ferraris nearly touch into the chicane but just avoid contact. Hamilton just about stays ahead but Leclerc has overtake mode down the main straight and swings around the outside of turn one to take third place from his teammate.

07:23am

Lap 41 of 53

Antonelli has checked out in front, with his gap to Piastri now up to eight seconds. The young Italian is well on course now for a second straight win.

Behind Piastri, Leclerc is right behind his teammate Hamilton and thinks about a move at the chicane but Hamilton protects the inside line. Leclerc then thinks about a move around the outside of turn one but again Hamilton protects the inside.

07:18amKey moments

Lap 38 of 53

Antonelli’s gap back to Piastri is now up to six seconds. Piastri has over a second back to Hamilton, who is under big pressure from Russell. But what happened to Russell there? He has suddenly lost a place to Leclerc but is still going so whatever the issue is was not terminal. It was probably a deployment issue as he suddenly lost a lot of speed heading towards Spoon, which allowed Leclerc to sweep past.

07:13am

Lap 35 of 53

Top five with gaps:

  1. Antonelli (Interval)
  2. Piastri +4.6
  3. Hamilton +0.8
  4. Russell +0.5
  5. Leclerc +1.0

Norris is a few seconds back from Leclerc; is he dropping back a touch in order to conserve his tyres?

07:10amVideo

Lap 33 of 53

Sky Sports are reporting that Oliver Bearman has been to the medical centre and he has a right knee contusion but no fractures. It was a heavy impact into the barriers and no real surprise to see him limp away.

07:08amAnalysis

Lap 32 of 53

Disastrous restart for Russell. Lost time at the final chicane before the main straight, and Hamilton took full advantage. Everything’s gone wrong for Russell since his pit-stop. He had asked Mercedes over the radio whether Antonelli would “go where we trained” on the restart” and was told “we’re not sure”. He’ll be fuming.

07:07am

Lap 31 of 53

Antonelli, in clean air, is showing great speed and is nearly three seconds ahead of Piastri.

Much further behind, Aston Martin have told Stroll to come in and retire the car due to an issue.

07:04am

Lap 29 of 53

After the first lap, Antonelli dropped from first to sixth. Then he benefitted big time from the safety car to take first place and now he is starting to build a lead out in front, nearly two seconds clear already of Piastri.

07:02am

Lap 28 of 53

How late will Antonelli leave it before putting his foot down? He goes before the final chicane and it is a great restart from the young Italian. Behind, Hamilton gets the better of his former Mercedes teammate and gets the move done before turn one to take third place.

07:00am

Lap 27 of 53

The safety car is coming in at the end of this lap.

06:58amAnalysis

Lap 26 of 53

This will still be a lengthy safety car period as there is plenty of debris to clear up from the track.

Ouch. That looked painful for Bearman. Be interested to hear his thoughts on what caused that crash. Commentator’s curse after we published that interview with him this week. He’d already had a tricky weekend, exiting in Q1 yesterday.

06:54am

Lap 25 of 53

Antonelli and Hamilton have benefitted big time from this safety car and McLaren have lost out the most. Before the stops, the top six was Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris and Hamilton. Here is the new top six:

  1. Antonelli
  2. Piastri
  3. Russell
  4. Hamilton
  5. Leclerc
  6. Norris
06:53am

Lap 24 of 53

It is a heavy impact for Bearman, who tried to go up the inside of Colapinto before the Spoon curve and got on the grass, which made him lose control of his Haas and flew into the barrier. Bearman was limping away from the accident and looked in some pain.

06:48amKey moments

Lap 22 of 53

With Antonelli closing on his teammate Russell, Mercedes bring in the latter. Russell comes back out in fifth, just ahead of his sparring partner Verstappen.

There is now drama out on track as Bearman is into the wall at Spoon. He has had a big crash and a safety car is called. This is a huge break for both Antonelli and Hamilton, who could retain their top-two spots because of this. They will massively gain whereas Piastri, Russell, Leclerc and Norris all miss out.

Russell bemoans his luck over team radio having pitted seconds before that safety car. Antonelli has re-emerged in the lead of this race and Piastri in particular will be furious. Piastri is second, Russell third and Hamilton has come back out in fourth, ahead of Leclerc and Norris now.

06:47am

Lap 21 of 53

Piastri perhaps loses just a little bit of time behind Verstappen but gets the move done on the Dutchman into turn one. A few seconds behind Norris is within a second of Leclerc.

06:45am

Lap 20 of 53

Antonelli, now he has some free air, is gaining time on his teammate Russell, who seemingly is suggesting to his team that he might want to come in. The top five are yet to pit, with Piastri, Leclerc and Norris all already pitting.

06:43am

Lap 19 of 53

McLaren have already brought Norris in and now the race leader Piastri comes into the pits. He comes back out in sixth, not far behind Verstappen, who is yet to stop. The two Mercedes drivers as well as Hamilton have remained out for the time being.

The pattern of previous races has been that Ferrari put up a decent fight in the initial part of grand prix, but once Mercedes get past they are gone. Today it is both the McLarens and the Ferraris. But I suspect the end result will be the same.

06:42am

Lap 18 of 53

Ferrari are worried about the undercut from Norris so bring Leclerc in. Norris has got past Ocon but Leclerc re-emerges just ahead of Norris. Ferrari made the right call to protect themselves from the undercut from Norris but one man who will be happy to have seen those stops will have been Antonelli, who for the first time in this race will have some free air.

06:41am

Lap 17 of 53

We have our first stop as McLaren bring Norris in. He was in that train with Leclerc, Antonelli and Hamilton. He comes back out in ninth, just behind Ocon. So long as he gets past Ocon, quickly he will then have some nice free air. It is tha hard tyre for Norris.

06:38am

Lap 15 of 53

Piastri is doing a great job out in front and will be able to look after his tyres in clean air. Over the team radio, Piastri seems pretty confident about holding onto these tyres. Russell has now in fact dropped more than a second behind Piastri.

Behind, Antonelli has already made one move into the final chicane and he does so again, this time taking third place from Leclerc. However, Antonelli has a big moment coming out of the final turn, which allows Leclerc to retake third.

06:35am

Lap 13 of 53

We are starting to approach the pit window. Interestingly, McLaren are the only team not to run a hard tyre at all this weekend. There is just one driver who is on the hard tyre at the moment and that is the Cadillac of Bottas, who is 22nd and last, not showing great pace at all. I know the Cadillac is not particularly representative for those at the front of the grid but still a read on those tyres.

06:33amKey moments

Lap 12 of 53

It has been very tight between Leclerc, Norris and Antonelli for third, fourth and fifth. Antonelli eyes up a move into the final chicane and he gets the move done up the inside of Norris. Russell was unable to fully complete that type of move on Piastri but this time the Mercedes driver gets it completely done over the McLaren with Antonelli moving into fourth ahead of Norrris.

06:30am

Lap 11 of 53

Top five with gaps:

  1. Piastri (Interval)
  2. Russell +0.7
  3. Leclerc +2.5
  4. Norris +0.5
  5. Antonelli +0.5

Hamilton is a further second and a half back from Antonelli.

06:28amKey moments

Lap 9 of 53

Exhilarating racing between the front two. Russell had a great run through 130R and decided to go up the inside of the chicane. Russell therefore has the lead coming out the final corner but Piastri gets him back before turn one. A few seconds behind, Piastri’s teammate Norris thought about a move up the inside of Leclerc but thought better of it.

06:26am

Lap 8 of 53

Piastri is out in front and will be loving actually racing, having failed to start the first two main races. But he does have Russell right in his wing mirrors. The Australian will know that the championship leader is quick.

06:24am

Lap 7 of 53

Watching the replays of the race starts back, Antonelli had a good reaction time but had plenty of wheel spin. Piastri got to 100km/h nearly a second faster than Antonelli.

Leclerc, in third, has dropped a couple of seconds back from Russell. The Monegasque driver has Norris, Antonelli and Hamilton lining up behind him.

06:22am

Lap 6 of 53

Lindblad was the man to knock Verstappen out in Q2 yesterday but the Dutchman gets his revenge today, taking eighth place.

At the front, Russell has now closed within a second of our race leader Piastri.

06:20am

Lap 4 of 53

Russell got the move done on Norris on lap three and now moves into second place ahead of Leclerc. The Mercedes duo both got off to dreadful starts but their pace is clear.

Further back, the four-time world champion Verstappen has gained a couple of places from the start and is into ninth.

Feels as if F1 is trolling Max Verstappen by inviting the Mario Bros cast to the race this weekend.

06:18am

Lap 3 of 53

Mercedes have a lot of work to do to rebuild and Russell gets the better of his good friend Norris into turn one, moving into third. There is now a McLaren in between the two Mercedes drivers.

06:16am

Lap 2 of 53

Antonelli fell from first to sixth in the first 15 seconds of this race but has made a place back, getting past Hamilton before the entry into turn one on the second lap.

06:16amKey moments • Video

Lap 1 of 53

It is a stunning start from Piastri, who goes from third into first before even reaching the first corner. There are also great starts from Leclerc and Norris, who make fantastic progress from fourth and fifth respectively into second and third. Norris’ rise included a stunning move around the outside of Russell at turn two. Russell is down into fourth, the polesitter Antonelli is sixth!

06:14am

Go, go, go!

The lights go out and we are under way in Suzuka!

06:11amAnalysis

Focus on Russell

Particularly interested to see how George Russell goes today. Antonelli really wasn’t seen as a title contender until a couple of weeks ago. That win in China changed paddock perceptions and the young Italian has certainly looked confident so far this weekend. From Russell’s point of view, a commanding performance, putting the youngster in his place, would be timely.

06:10am

Formation lap

After the chaos in the build-up to the Chinese Grand Prix, which included neither McLaren being able to start, we are set to see all 22 drivers actually start this race from the grid.

Who will go different with their tyre choice at the start? Nearly everyone will start on the mediums, with just Valtteri Bottas going for the hard. It is a surprise that 21 of the 22 drivers have opted for the same tyre.

06:05am

Five-minute klaxon

We are just moments away from the formation lap in Suzuka. A reminder that we are starting 10 minutes later due to the repair of barriers from the support races earlier.

06:03am

Top ten on the grid

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  2. George Russell (Mercedes)
  3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
  7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
  8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull
  9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
  10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
06:01am

Pre-race thoughts of George Russell

“I need to hold the brake because it is downhill, which sounds simple, but it’s something you do not usually do at any other races. It is a strong headwind, so it gives you a bit more downforce off the line, but it is a fast entry to Turn 1, so I will see what I can do.” 

05:59am

Zak Brown talking to Sky Sports

“Their [Ferrari’s] starts are great. Our starts are very good. It will be a pretty exciting first couple of laps. I think we can have a good battle with Ferrari. Mercedes, all things being equal, will be out of reach for all of us. But let’s see, you never know what can happen. Lando [Norris] has done a great job given the challenges over the weekend. Oscar [Piastri] has been on his A-game, which is not unusual for him.”

On any reliability concerns:

“It is a concern. We have had quite a bit of reliability issues but we put the car together as well as possible. This new technology is very young and will develop. Hopefully we can have a clean race today.”

On being closer to Mercedes this weekend:

“We can catch them. If you look at the development all the men and women have done at McLaren over the last couple of years, they have done an unbelievable job. I have a lot of faith in our racing team that we will be fighting at the sharp end pretty soon.”

A slight worry for all McLaren fans to hear Zak Brown admit that reliability is a “concern”.

05:56am

Lando Norris speaking to Sky Sports

“The plan is to stay ahead of one Ferrari and get ahead of the other. I believe we are closer to the pace this weekend, so we want to give it a good shot. We will see how the race pace is. I have not done any high-fuel running, so I have no idea. I will be finding out today.”

Lando Norris starts from fifth today - Clive Mason/Getty Images05:51am

Can anyone stop Mercedes?

They have locked out the front row but they surely will be a little nervous about this race start. They have the two Ferraris and two McLarens right behind them, with the Ferraris particularly quick off the start. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been telling Sky Sports about his confidence in their race starts as well. Considering that this can be a trickier track to overtake on, if the Ferraris and/or McLarens can get ahead of the Mercedes, it may not be the simplest of tasks for Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to get back past.

05:46am

Pre-race thoughts of polesitter Kimi Antonelli

“Try to get a good start and then to lead into Turn One because it is not that easy to overtake in a track like this. So try to get into Turn One in P1 then trying to use the free air and trying to set the pace. The car is very quick, very strong in qualifying and in the race so hopefully today we will have really good pace and we can have a really nice race.”

05:40am

Hoping to start

McLaren will be praying that they do not experience similar pre-race issues here in Suzuka that they did in China last time out. Neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri were able to start the main race in China due to unrelated power issues so there be a few nerves over the next half an hour before lights out. Piastri is yet to start a main race this season having also crashed on the way to the grid at his home race in Australia. Piastri starts third whilst Norris goes off in fifth.

05:37am

Strategy talk

It feels like it is most likely a one-stop race in Suzuka, either starting on the medium or softs before moving onto the hards until the end of the race. Do you opt for the softs to get more grip off the start? Considering it is harder to overtake around this track, it may be worth the risk of starting on the softs. You could alternatively start on the hards and run long. If there is a safety car, that could open the door for a potential two-stop.

05:34am

Inside Williams’ ‘Mission Control’ as F1 race weekend unfolds

It is still dark when I pull into the Williams F1 team headquarters in Grove at 5.45am on Friday. But already the car park is full. Formula One famously never sleeps, but with the sport out in Japan this weekend it is even busier than usual at this time of day.

This is the third race weekend of the season in which the armies of support staff back in Europe are having to work to a different, nocturnal rhythm, supporting their trackside colleagues on the other side of the world. Many of these cars have been here all night.

Williams have endured a “painful” start to the new electric-hybrid era, to use the description of team principal James Vowles. Late to launch, overweight and, as a result, miles off the pace, they would probably rather be keeping their heads down as they battle to get back to the front. Fair play to them, then. When I ask whether I can come and see what goes on back at the factory during a typical race weekend, they graciously agree to open their doors.

05:29am

George Russell speaking to Sky Sports

On whether the team have solved his issues at the rear of the car:

“Solved, no, but I think we have got ways I will be able to drive around it. Last two races qualifying, which is usually my strength, has been a little bit annoying but it is a super long race.”

On the race start, where Ferrari have been formidable thus far:

“We need to try and hold or gain a position off the line whereas obviously every race start so far we have gone backwards. Then it is a long race ahead of us. It is just trying to maximise the things in our control. Getting the tyres as hot as possible on the formation lap. It should be slightly easier on this track because the corners are faster so it gives you more chance.

“There is nothing major that we can change short term that we think will have a major improvement but we are making incremental gains week in, week out and understanding how to optimise everything. So that is going to help but we have seen from the practice starts, they [the Ferraris] look very racy.”

05:22amKey moments

Delay

We have news from Suzuka and there will be a 10-minute delay to the start of the race as there are still some repairs being done to some barriers after the support races earlier. So we will get under way at 6.10am GMT.

05:19am

Celebrities in town

With the new Super Mario movie set to be released, the cast of that film are in attendance, including Chris Pratt (below) and Jack Black.

Actor Chris Pratt in Suzuka - Jakub Porzycki/Reuters05:15am

‘Beyond frustrated’ Verstappen

The Dutchman, having claimed the previous four pole positions at this circuit before yesterday, will start down in 11th today having missed out on Q3. It is safe to say that Verstappen has been quite vocal on these new cars and has had a tough start to the year.

“I am not even frustrated anymore,” the Red Bull driver said. “I am beyond that. I don’t know the right word in English for it. I don’t know what it is in Dutch either. I don’t know what to make of it to be honest. There are probably no words. I don’t get upset about it, and I don’t get frustrated by it anymore with what is going on.

“You know how I think about a lot of the stuff, and I don’t need to mention it again. So, there is a lot of stuff also, for me personally, to figure out.”

What can Max Verstappen do from 11th today? - Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters05:11am

Get your fix now

Due to the war in the Middle East, the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month have been cancelled. Therefore, after today, there is a five-week break before we get back racing again in Miami at the start of May so enjoy the race today ahead of a mini-break.

05:08am

Bottom 12 on the starting grid

11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
12. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
17. Alex Albon (Williams)
18. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

05:06amKey moments

Starting grid (top ten)

  1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
  2. George Russell (Mercedes)
  3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
  7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
  8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull
  9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
  10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
05:02amKey moments

Will Antonelli make it back-to-back wins and claim championship lead?

Kimi Antonelli will start today’s Japanese Grand Prix on pole position after an impressive showing in qualifying yesterday. Following his maiden F1 victory in China last time out, the teenage Italian backed that up by taking pole ahead of his teammate George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Antonelli was quick throughout qualifying and ended up nearly three tenths ahead of Russell, despite not actually improving on his final run in Q3.

“I am super happy with the session,” Antonelli said. “It was a good one, it was a clean one. I felt very good in the car and every run I was improving and improving. A shame for the last lap because of a lock up at Turn 11 but it was a good one. I am really happy with the session. The fans here in Japan are pretty incredible, there is so much passion and racing on such a historic track is an incredible feeling. The track is unbelievable to drive with these kind of cars and the fans give us a little bit of a boost.”

Kimi Antonelli won from pole in China so wil he do the same in Japan today? - Eugene Hoshiko/AP

If Antonelli were to win today, he would overtake Russell and go top of the drivers’ standings after three rounds. Russell never looked to be quite on Antonelli’s pace throughout qualifying, with a setup change to the rear of his car just before the session proving unsuccessful.

“He [Kimi Antonelli] did a great job again,” Russell said. “It was a really strange session for us. We were both very fast all weekend. We made some adjustments after FP3, and then at the beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere. So, we need to kind of understand. Very lucky again to be in P2. The last two weekends it has kind of both gone wrong come qualifying, but the race is tomorrow and there is still a lot to play for.”

Piastri, who is actually yet to start a race so far this season, will start on the second row for McLaren.

“Qualifying has been ok this year,” Piastri said. “Nice to get into the top three. This weekend we have looked good and we have executed well. We clearly do not have the pace or the grip to match Mercedes but we are getting closer.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start on the second row of the grid alongside Piastri whilst the third row will be filled by defending champion Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad round out the top ten. Max Verstappen’s miserable season continued as he was dumped out in Q2 yesterday. The Dutchman had claimed the last four pole positions at Suzuka but will only start 11th today.

With this being the last race for five weeks due to the cancellation of the two Middle East races next month, who will taste that winning feeling going into this mini break? The race gets under way from Suzuka at 6am GMT.

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