Kimi Antonelli has now secured two consecutive Grand Prix wins, and this time it means he is now leading the Championship ahead of George Russell. McLaren also showed some pace, with Oscar Piastri putting together an impressive showing to end the Grand Prix in second place, while Charles Leclerc managed to take third in what was a mediocre race for Ferrari. Now the teams have a full month to develop their cars before the Miami GP. Below are the full highlights from the Japanese Grand Prix.
- Ollie Bearman’s Crash
- Only two drivers had to retire from the Japanese Grand Prix, one of those being Lance Stroll with a technical issue. However, Bearman’s DNF was much more dramatic. After being stuck behind the Alpine of Colapinto, Ollie was about to overtake while Franco took action to defend. The two cars were traveling at a completely different speeds, with Bearman going faster behind as he deployed his battery. This was part of what caused the Haas driver to spin off into the grass before hitting the barriers in what was a 50G incident. Fortunately, the Briton escaped without any major injuries.
- McLaren Starting to Join the Fight
- The reigning World Champions had a tough start to the season, where Oscar Piastri failed to start the first two Grands Prix of 2026, and Norris failed to start one. However, they seem to be developing their car quickly, and this weekend showed off what they could bring to the fight. Piastri, who started third on the grid, took advantage of the Mercedes drivers’ poor starts and stole the lead in the opening stages. Though Antonelli eventually came back to secure the win, Piastri ended the race in what was a positive second for the team. Lando Norris could only end the race fifth, ahead of Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, after getting minimal running time in free practice earlier in the weekend. However, the team’s overall result shows that they are joining the fight with Ferrari, and perhaps Mercedes if they continue to develop.
- Antonelli Challenging Russell at Mercedes
- With Kim Antonelli’s second consecutive win, he now is leading the Championship, nine points ahead of his teammate Russell. The young Italian’s impressive form is bringing up the question of if he can truly challenge George in the title fight, and if so, how Russell will respond. It was initially thought that Russell would be the title favorite, however if Antonelli can continue racking up race wins, he will firmly plant himself in position for the Championship.
- Gasly’s Strong Showing for Alpine
- Alpine have repeatedly proven they have much more pace than last season, and Gasly once again earned some points for the midfield team. While Colapinto couldn’t make an impression this time around, his senior teammate managed to end the Grand Prix in seventh place after holding off Max Verstappen for the majority of the race. This result bumped Alpine up to be tied for fifth with Red Bull Racing, but the team is still 2 points behind their rivals Haas.
- Audi Just Missing Out on Points
- Audi was seeming like a solid midfield runner, however they are now sitting in eighth place with only two points to their name. Gabriel Bortoleto has been their sole points-scorer for this season so far, which is a shock considering the positive season his senior teammate Hulkenberg came off of, in which he scored is maiden podium finish. Hulkenberg just missed out on the top ten this time around in the Japanese Grand Prix, while Bortoleto was a little farther off in 13th. Hopefully the team can use the month before Miami to continue developing their car so they can fight with Alpine and Haas later in the season.
