After a delayed start to the race due to a crash in a supporting race, the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix still gave us all the excitement and action we were looking for this weekend.
Max Verstappen has been unstoppable at the Suzuka Circuit in recent years, but he just could not keep his streak against Kimi Antonelli on the track.
Lights Out
When the lights went out, Oscar Piastri made an amazing start to the race, pushing the McLaren Mastercard to the limit. He slipped into the lead, all the while the two Silver Arrowed Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS found themselves falling back. The McLaren of, Lando Norris took on Piastri’s P3 spot. Charles Leclerc took on the second-place position, and Lewis Hamilton was in fifth.
George Russell swiftly recovered after the start of the race and began moving up the field. Russell encountered no trouble overtaking the current Formula 1 World Champion, Lando Norris, as he made his way back through the pack.
Piastri’s time up front was slowly coming to an end with Russell breathing down his neck. The two swapped around once, and then again. Behind the fight for the best seat in the house, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli got themselves into their own fight over that final podium place.
With some laps under his belt and the tyres warmed up, the young Italian slipped past Lando Norris and put him into fifth place. He didn’t stay back for long; soon enough he overtook Charles Leclerc. Whilst Kimi’s climb continued, further down the field, Max Verstappen complained about the power steering in his Oracle Red Bull Racing car.
Safety Car
Once the pit window opened, the cars began filing in, and Oliver Bearman found himself not in the pit lane but behind a barrier. Therefore, a safety car was deployed, and the grid came closer together.
As a result, the order got a bit shaken up, with Kimi Antonelli taking the lead of the
As the safety car was called back in, Kimi Antonelli restarted the race. He held off any threat from behind, but his teammate George Russell wasn’t so lucky. Lewis Hamilton caught his former Mercedes teammate with little effort and secured third in the restart.
Further back in the field, TGR Haas’ Esteban Ocon caught Audi Revoluts’ Gabriel Bortoleto for 10th place, whilst Max Verstappen was trying to work out how to pass the BWT Alpine of Pierre Gasly for seventh.
Securing His Second Win
The gap only continued to get bigger between Antonelli and Piastri, with a lead of seven seconds. He continued his race without
Russell was starting to struggle even more even more, losing power and places. His fight with Hamilton seemed to have drained a lot of his battery. With Russell out of of the way, Leclerc and Hamilton now had their own fight. Leclerc was hungry for that podium place. The teammates had a good scrap at the Chinese Grand Prix, and round two was fast approaching.
Hamilton Under Pressure
Leclerc took his chance to pounce, and contact was almost made between the teammates. Leclerc secured himself the P3 spot, but this overtake did not give Hamilton any respite. Soon enough, George Russell took yet another place off of Hamilton.
Whilst the Scuderia Scuderia Ferrari HPs and Russell in the Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton suffered a lock-up whilst trying to catch back up to Russell, and Lando Norris immediately took to the radio, claiming he must
Lewis Hamilton began swapping positions with reigning champion Lando Norris. Hamilton was clinging to fifth place, but Norris was poised to make another attempt to pass him. As the final lap of the race began, Norris successfully executed the overtake and secured the position.
Kimi Antonelli Takes The Win
Kimi Antonelli crossed the finish line with a smile celebrating his second Formula One Victory and advancing to the top of the championship standings. He acknowledges that he benefited from the safety car during the race, but could this signal the emergence of a new champion?