All the key moments from the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli made history at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, securing his second consecutive victory and becoming the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history. Despite a challenging start that saw him drop back, the Mercedes driver capitalized on a well-timed Safety Car period triggered by Ollie Bearman's crash to regain the lead and dominate the remainder of the race, finishing over 13 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. While Antonelli celebrated his historic win, the weekend was mixed for his rivals. Piastri displayed strong pace for McLaren to take second, with teammate Lando Norris also finishing in the top five. Charles Leclerc secured a hard-fought podium for Ferrari after a tense battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' George Russell. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Red Bull struggled significantly, with the four-time world champion unable to advance past eighth, highlighting a growing performance gap for the Milton Keynes team.