You may be interested in: Antonelli achieves pole position in Suzuka; Sainz and Alonso will start from the back in Japan
Antonelli wins in Suzuka and becomes the youngest leader in F1 history
SPORTS WRITING. — Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a Mercedes driver, became the new leader of the Formula One World Championship after winning the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday, held at the Suzuka Circuit circuit.
Antonelli, 19 years old, achieved his second victory of the season —after his triumph in China— and won in Suzuka ahead of the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who completed the podium.
With this result, the young Italian driver went on to lead the championship with 72 points, surpassing his teammate, the British George Russell, who finished in fourth position. The top six was completed by Lando Norris (McLaren), fifth, and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), sixth.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly finished seventh, followed by reigning world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who was eighth. New Zealander Liam Lawson and Frenchman Esteban Ocon completed the points-scoring positions.
Regarding the Spanish drivers, Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Williams) finished in fifteenth position, while his compatriot Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished eighteenth in his first completed race of the season.
Antonelli, who started from pole position, acknowledged that he had a bad start, but that the pace of the car with medium tires and the appearance of the safety car were key factors in achieving victory. With this triumph, the Italian became the youngest leader in the history of the Formula One World Championship, surpassing the record held by the German Sebastian Vettel.
The race was also marked by the accident of the British driver Oliver Bearman, which revived the debate about the new regulations and overtaking systems, a topic about which Carlos Sainz expressed concern for safety and asked for solutions from the championship authorities.
The Formula One season will now enter a brief pause before the next race on the calendar.
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