A Safety Car on lap 22 of the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix in Formula 1 shifted the race order in favor of Kimi Antonelli, who had not yet pitted when Oliver Bearman's accident brought out the neutralization at Suzuka. Antonelli changed tires without losing track time, emerged first, and held that position for the remaining 31 laps to win by 13.722 seconds over Oscar Piastri, a margin large enough to also move him ahead of George Russell in the drivers' standings, becoming the championship leader with 72 points to Russell's 63.

Up until that point, Piastri had been leading the race. He had started third but passed both Mercedes cars at the start and led the first 16 laps. Russell pressured him from lap 7 and attempted a pass in the chicane one lap later, but Piastri defended the position down the following straight and stayed ahead until he pitted. The second-place finish is Piastri's first result of the season, as in Melbourne he crashed on the reconnaissance lap, in China the car wouldn't start, and in the Shanghai Sprint he also couldn't get going.

Photo By Mercedes F1

The free pit stop that put Antonelli in front

Lando Norris was the first among the leaders to pit, on lap 16, attempting an undercut on Charles Leclerc and Antonelli. Piastri pitted one lap before Russell, and just seconds after the Mercedes exited the pits, Bearman's crash at Spoon forced the neutralization. Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton were still running on their original tires, pitted under the Safety Car, and emerged first and fourth without losing the 20 to 25 seconds a normal pit stop costs. With all drivers on fresh tires and half the race remaining, the order was Antonelli, Piastri, Russell, Hamilton, and from the restart on lap 28 onward, Antonelli opened a five-second gap in eight laps, and Piastri could not close in on him.

Russell expressed frustration over the radio about the timing of the neutralization. In the laps leading up to his stop, he had been the second-fastest car and was pressuring Piastri for the lead.

The 50G impact that took Bearman out at Spoon

The accident that caused the neutralization occurred as Bearman was preparing an overtake on Franco Colapinto before arriving at the Spoon curve. Colapinto moved toward the center of the track, and Bearman, surprised by the speed difference, had to avoid him and ran onto the grass. The Haas went through the braking distance boards, crossed back across the track, and hit the barriers sideways with an impact measured at 50G. X-rays at the medical center ruled out fractures, and the diagnosis was a right knee contusion.

Leclerc took third place in a 15-lap battle with Russell and Hamilton

Hamilton had moved into third at the restart by passing Russell but began losing pace as the laps went on, and Leclerc passed him around the outside at turn 1 on lap 42, with Russell doing the same one lap later. Leclerc and Russell engaged in their own battle, which Leclerc ultimately won to take third place, 15.270 seconds behind Antonelli, while Hamilton continued to drop, falling to sixth when Norris passed him on lap 51.

Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine, holding off Max Verstappen for the entire second half, with the Red Bull more than 32 seconds behind the winner and Verstappen complaining over the radio that the steering wheel was so heavy it felt like driving without power steering.

Photo By Mercedes F1

Liam Lawson was ninth for Racing Bulls, and Esteban Ocon closed out the points-paying positions in tenth for Haas. The two Cadillacs again finished far back, with Sergio Pérez in 17th, more than 92 seconds behind, and Valtteri Bottas in 19th, one lap down. Lance Stroll was the other retirement, due to a water pressure issue, leaving Fernando Alonso in 18th as the first Aston Martin to see the checkered flag in the 2026 season.

The next Formula 1 race is the Miami Grand Prix, from May 1st to 3rd, following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix.

Pos.	No.	driver	team	time	status
1	#12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	-	Clasificado
2	#81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+13.722s	Clasificado
3	#16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+15.270s	Clasificado
4	#63	George Russell	Mercedes	+15.754s	Clasificado
5	#1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+23.479s	Clasificado
6	#44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+25.037s	Clasificado
7	#10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+32.340s	Clasificado
8	#3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+32.677s	Clasificado
9	#30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+50.180s	Clasificado
10	#31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+51.216s	Clasificado
11	#27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+52.280s	Clasificado
12	#6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	+56.154s	Clasificado
13	#5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+59.078s	Clasificado
14	#41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+59.848s	Clasificado
15	#55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+1:05.008	Clasificado
16	#43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1:05.773	Clasificado
17	#11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+1:32.453	Clasificado
18	#14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+1 LAP	Clasificado
19	#77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+1 LAP	Clasificado
20	#23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+2 LAPS	Clasificado
DNF	#18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	-	DNF
DNF	#87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	-	DNF