George Russell was toppled as the world championship leader by his upstart Italian team-mate, the 19-year-old whose speed threatens the Briton’s assumed status as title favourite.
It was a miserable, unlucky afternoon for Russell at the Japanese Grand Prix – an untimely safety car after Ollie Bearman’s major 191mph shunt, wrecking any chance of victory. He finished fourth – a result that means he is now 13 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes suddenly have an internal battle to contend with.
Antonelli, who is supremely quick, has been prone to errors in the early part of his career.
But at the start of his second season he is showing a confidence and reliability that has transformed him from an able No 2 into a contender. At 19 years and 216 days he is the youngest championship leader in history, the only teenager to do so. This was not in George’s script.
It had not looked likely to be this way when Antonelli made a terrible start from pole. It was as though he was launching his Silver Arrow through glue. With wheelspin, he fell down to sixth.
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world championship leader in history as he won the Japanese Grand Prix, his second race in a row
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri came second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished in third place
George Russell endured a frustrating afternoon and Mercedes have an internal battle to contend with
Russell, starting second, made a brisker getaway but he was passed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Antonelli was running third by lap 22, the moment of Bearman’s shunt at Spoon Curve.
Russell, who was now behind only Piastri, had just pitted, moving him down the pack. Antonelli had not yet stopped and used the hiatus to take a free trip for new tyres. He was leading at this stage and returned in front.
His more senior team-mate Russell was fuming: ‘It’s unbelievable,’ he said. ‘Wow. F***, our luck these last two races.’
Team principal Toto Wolff responded: ‘See what you can do from here. Yeah, super unlucky.’
This was a reference to mechanical problems that hampered him in qualifying in Shanghai a fortnight ago, condemning him to finish second there behind Antonelli – just the result Russell did not want.
Russell fell back to fifth before passing Lewis Hamilton on lap 42. He then duelled with Charles Leclerc, passing the Ferrari man at the end of lap 50 and then being re-passed – a leitmotif of the whole race with these new half battery-powered cars contributing to yo-yo racing.
Piastri, also hampered by the safety car, clung on for second, 13.7sec back, representing a very decent revival by McLaren and the first race the Australian had started (having crashed on his way to the start in Melbourne and being undone by a technical gremlin in China).
Leclerc was third, defending champion Lando Norris a place behind Russell in fifth and Hamilton sixth.
As for Bearman, he limped away from the scene of his dramatic smash.
The incident occurred after the British driver hurtled towards Spoon like a 10-pin bowling ball. He was closing on Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at a great rate with a huge difference in pace between the two cars.
Antonelli’s win was helped by the fact a safety car was deployed after Ollie Bearman’s crash
His crash had a 50G impact but Bearman suffered no fractures and later returned to the garage
He shimmied to the left – a banzai move – and ran on to the grass. He then banged through at least two polystyrene distance marker boards, spun right around, and bashed sideways into the outside of the Spoon barrier, a 50G impact that sent up a spray of gravel.
Bearman, 20, managed to climb out of the car unaided but could only hop on his left leg as marshals helped him away. Unable to put weight on his right leg, he collapsed to the floor.
The medical car whisked him away for an x-ray at the track.
His Haas team confirmed the Essex-born star, a Ferrari academy protégé, was ‘alert and communicating’.
The spokesman added: ‘There was no fracture but he suffered a right-knee contusion.’
Bearman later returned to the Haas garage, able to watch another of the sport’s rising stars take his second successive victory.
Watch out, George!
