F1, Antonelli leads the championship after Suzuka: “Stratospheric pace, but I must improve my starts”
Kimi Antonelli made history at Suzuka. With his victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, the young Italian Mercedes driver officially became the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 World Championship standings. Speaking in the post-race press conference after celebrating on the podium, Antonelli delivered a composed and mature analysis of a race that was split between a difficult start and an untouchable race pace.
The milestone and the race: “A great feeling, but it’s too early for title thoughts”
“It feels quite special, it’s a great feeling,” Antonelli began, reflecting on his new position at the top of the standings. “Of course, it’s still too early to start thinking about the championship, but we are definitely on the right path. In the race, I had a really poor start, and we need to check the data to understand exactly what went wrong. Luckily, the Safety Car helped me take the lead of the race, but from that point onwards, our pace was simply incredible. I completed a very strong second stint, I felt really comfortable in the car, and I’m very happy with how it went.”
The issue at the start: “I will work on clutch release during the break”
When asked about the poor getaway that allowed Oscar Piastri’s McLaren to get ahead in the opening meters, Antonelli did not shy away from responsibility and revealed his plans for the upcoming break in the championship.
“Fortunately, I now have three weeks of time, so I will be able to practice clutch release and try to develop better feeling,” he explained. “So far, starts have clearly been one of my weak points at the beginning of this season. It’s something I absolutely need to improve, because at the start you can easily win or lose races.”
The Safety Car factor: “I don’t know how it would have ended without it”
Looking back at the race dynamics, the championship leader openly acknowledged the key moment that played in his favor during the Japanese Grand Prix.
“We were definitely quite lucky with the Safety Car,” Antonelli admitted. “However, on the Medium tyres we were already very strong as soon as I had some clean air in front of me. Then, once we switched to the Hard compound, the pace of the car became stratospheric. Honestly, I don’t know what the final outcome of the race would have been without that neutralization, but it certainly made things much easier for me.”
Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Suzuka cements his place as the man to beat in the 2026 season. Based on the content of his post-race analysis, while the Mercedes W17 currently holds a clear performance advantage, the young Italian is fully focused on refining his own technique to ensure he remains at the front of the grid when the season resumes in Miami.
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