Summary

  • Kimi Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix

  • Italian, 19, becomes youngest driver to lead championship

  • Piastri second, Leclerc third and Russell fourth

  • Norris fifth and Hamilton sixth

  • Oliver Bearman hurts knee in 50G crash

  • Antonelli dropped back after starting on pole but benefited from safety car

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Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Jennie Gow
    F1 pit-lane reporter at Suzuka

    I spoke to the team about George Russell and asked if he had any issues with his car and they said no, but he had an unexpected super-clip that cost him the position to Leclerc.

  2. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Lando Norris is next to try and attack Lewis Hamilton, seven tenths of a second is the gap between those two drivers. Does this mean George Russell can go on the attack on Charles Leclerc? Leclerc has closed the gap to Piastri. Seems like the battle for the order of the podium is not over yet.

  3. Lap 45/53

    While the Ferraris and George Russell jostle for position, Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri are running their races. Teeanger Antonelli is now 12 seconds clear of the Australian and heading for his second win of the 2026 season.

  4. Russell passes Hamilton

    Lap 43/53

    RussellGetty Images

    And now Lewis Hamilton is vulnerable after his contest with team-mate Charles Leclerc. George Russell has the extra boost of power as he watched that fight unfold and with the help of the overtake mode, the Mercedes driver is up to fourth place, dropping Hamilton down to P5.

  5. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    How close was that to contact? That was so close to Lewis Hamilton's front wing, just clipping the rear of Charles Leclerc which could have sent him spinning, given him a puncture.

  6. Leclerc overtakes Hamilton

    Lap 42/53

    We watch a good scrap in Shanghai between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and now we're ready for round two. Leclerc commits to the overtake on the outside at Turn One and slides through on his seven-time world champion team-mate to take P3, with the two almost making contact.

  7. Get Involved

    Select 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say

    Felipe: It's great to see Kimi Antonelli doing so well already this season. He's a real breath of fresh air. So refreshing to see his youth & enthusiasm shining through and what an amazing talent at such a young age.

  8. Lap 41/53

    LeclercGetty Images

    The Ferrari bout hasn't started just yet - Lewis Hamilton is keeping his younger team-mate Charles Leclerc at arm's length for another lap. The seven-time world champion secured his first podium for the Scuderia last time out in China but now Leclerc is creeping closer and closer.

  9. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Charles Leclerc is now all over the back of his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton. I wonder how this tactic is going to be played between the two Ferraris because it is clear Leclerc is the fastest of the two.

  10. Team radio - Leclerc to Ferrari

    Leclerc: "We are losing a bit of time for info."

    Engineer: "Copy that Charles."

  11. Lap 40/53

    With George Russell falling down the pecking order, that's put the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton up against each other for the final podium place. Hamilton has it, but Leclerc isn't too far behind.

  12. Lap 39/53

    Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    What is going on with Russell? He was all over the back of Hamilton. I don't know if he has made a mistake somewhere along the laps. He massively slows. The seemed a bit odd.

  13. Lap 38/53

    PiastriGetty Images

    The Mercedes is back up to speed after dropping power heading towards Spoon but George Russell is going to lose the lead of the drivers' championship to his team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who is now seven seconds clear of second-place Oscar Piastri.

  14. Russell drops to P5

    Lap 37/53

    George Russell suddenly slows down while running in P4, allowing the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to sweep by and take fourth place away from the Mercedes driver. Russell's day is going from bad to worse at Suzuka and now he has two Scuderias to pass before he can get on the podium today.

  15. Lap 36/53

    RussellGetty Images

    The opportunities to pass Lewis Hamilton aren't presenting themselves to George Russell just yet, so the Mercedes man has to sit tight and stay in fourth for another lap. His team-mate Kimi Antonelli is comfortably leading Oscar Piastri, the gap now at four seconds.

  16. Lap 34/53

    Jennie Gow
    F1 pit-lane reporter at Suzuka

    Ollie Bearman is now in the medical centre. The impact was 50G so a really big impact, he's had an X-ray in the medical centre and there's no fracture. A right knee contusion. He's alert and communicating which is good news. I'm sure he'll stay in the medical centre for the time being.

  17. Alice Powell
    British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Simulators will be running pretty much daily, I would expect during the break. This gap [of five weeks], teams will continue to work just as hard back in the factory, particularly for the likes of Aston Martin who are having a shocking start to the season.

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    Richard: Does Antonelli's lack of experience in previous Formula 1 cars mean that he doesn't have so many ingrained old habits and it's easier for him to learn to drive the new ones?

  19. Lap 33/53

    RussellGetty Images

    The advantage for Kimi Antonelli now is three seconds to Oscar Piastri in second, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell in fourth having to use a lot energy in order to take the fight for a podium place to ex-team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

  20. Team radio - Hamilton to Ferrari

    "The car ahead keeps going off Turn 9 and 14."