Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest ever Formula 1 drivers' championship leader at the Japanese Grand Prix. Has he swung Mercedes' F1 backing his way?
Listen to or watch the GPblog.com video podcast. In the F1 Paddock Update, Jim Kimberley and Ben Hunt discuss the latest Formula 1 news. New episodes are available every Monday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. You can watch the latest episode at the top of this article as well!
The Italian prodigy now leads the drivers' championship by nine points ahead of George Russell, after the British driver crossed the finish line in fourth place at the Suzuka Circuit last Sunday.
| Drivers' Standings | Drivers | Points |
| P1 | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | 72 points |
| P2 | George Russell (Mercedes) | 63 points |
| P3 | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 49 points |
ADVERTISEMENT
Photo: Race Pictures
Antonelli on the battle for the title
After the race in Japan, Antonelli said about his championship chances: "No, I’m not worrying about that, to be fair. I’m just going to focus on myself, on what I need to do, trying to get everything right in terms of procedure, starts, driving.
"I know how strong George is and for sure it’s going to be very hard. Plus, I think Ferrari and McLaren, they will get closer, so it’s going to be important to stay on top of the game, as I said before, keep raising the bar.
"But I’m not focusing on or worrying about this at the moment. Just obviously happy with how things went today, and yeah, just going to try to make the best out of the break and trying to see how I can improve those areas in order to be back stronger."
ADVERTISEMENT
Follow GPblog on social media to stay updated on all Formula 1 news: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Make GPblog your preferred source on Google and see our content first in Google Discover and Google News.
Read more about:
latest news
Miami Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 01.05.26
Practice 1
04:30 PM
Sprint Qualification
08:30 PM
Saturday 02.05.26
Sprint Race
04:00 PM
Qualification
08:00 PM
Sunday 03.05.26
Race
08:00 PM
Friday 01.05.26
Practice 1
Fri 04:30 PM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 08:30 PM
Saturday 02.05.26
Sprint Race
Sat 04:00 PM
Qualification
Sat 08:00 PM
Sunday 03.05.26
Race
Sun 08:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Popular on GPBlog
1
Horror crash in COTA as pile-up causes Red Flag in Moto2
4083 times read
2
Verstappen proven right: F1 is broken and putting drivers at risk
1988 times read
3
Wolff waves off backlash over new F1 rules: 'It’s becoming pure racing'
1713 times read
4
Date of key F1 meeting announced: Verstappen wants change, but teams are hesitant
1494 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 72 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 63 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 49 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 41 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 25 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 21 | |
7 | HaasHAA | 17 | |
8 | AlpineALP | 15 | |
9 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 12 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 10 |
Loading
