Youngest Formula One title leader Kimi Antonelli to keep ‘raising bar’ after Japan win

SUZUKA – Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings.

The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China. It sent him top of the championship standings with 72 points after three races, nine ahead of teammate George Russell.

Mercedes are struggling to contain the excitement building around their young driver, even if Antonelli said he was “not thinking too much about the championship”.

“Of course it’s great, but it’s still a long way to go and I need to keep raising the bar because George is very quick,” he said.

“For sure he’s going to be back at his usual level and also competitors will eventually get closer.”

Antonelli led home Piastri by 13.722sec, with Leclerc a further 1.548sec back in third.

The 28-year-old Russell finished fourth to drop to second in the championship standings on 63 points. Leclerc is third on 49.

Russell battled Piastri for the lead over the first half of the race, but pitted just before the safety car which dropped him out of contention for the win.

Piastri, 24, secured second in his first grand prix start of the season, after crashing on his way to the grid in the opener in Australia and missing the race in China because of a technical problem.

The Australian led for the first half of the race before the safety car gave Antonelli his chance.

“A shame that we never got to see what would have happened (without the safety car), but I think for us to be disappointed at this point about finishing second is a pretty good place to be,” said Piastri.

McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris was fifth, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the winner in Japan for the past four years, was eighth after starting from 11th on the grid.

Antonelli had become the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in China and again was at the head of the grid.

But he suffered a shocking start and was down in sixth by the first corner.

Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton all sweeping past Antonelli.

“It’s an area where I need to work a lot because it’s definitely not good enough,” said Antonelli. “I’m just making my life a lot harder.”

The young Italian had made up some of the lost ground when a crash by Haas driver Oliver Bearman brought out the safety car during the pit-stop window.

Piastri had already pitted, but Antonelli was able to dive in for fresh tyres moments after the safety car was deployed. He emerged in front of the Australian, a stroke of luck that effectively won him the race.

Bearman got out of his car unaided but was limping badly as race marshals helped him off the track.

Haas later said he had “a right knee contusion” and initial X-rays showed no fractures after hitting the barrier at high speed.

Meanwhile, four-time world champion Max Verstappen suggested he could quit F1 at the end of the season after enduring another frustrating race.

He told the BBC that he was “not enjoying the whole formula behind” this season’s championship, which has brought in sweeping new regulations.

“You just think about, is it worth it?” he said. “Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”

Verstappen has repeatedly railed against the new regulations that see a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

He labelled his car “undriveable” after qualifying in a lowly 11th in Japan.

When asked if he could walk away from the sport, he replied that he was “thinking about everything inside this paddock”.

“It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do,” he said.

F1 now takes an extended break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. AFP, REUTERS