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George Russell has been unseated as the frontrunner in the world championship by his emerging Italian teammate, a 19-year-old whose swift pace is challenging the British driver’s presumed dominance in the title race.
Russell experienced a challenging and unfortunate day at the Japanese Grand Prix, where an ill-timed safety car, prompted by Ollie Bearman’s dramatic 191mph crash, dashed his hopes of clinching a victory. He ultimately secured a fourth-place finish, leaving him 13 points adrift of Kimi Antonelli in the standings.
Now, Mercedes must grapple with a burgeoning rivalry within their own ranks.
In just his second season, Antonelli is exhibiting a blend of confidence and consistency that has elevated him from a competent second driver to a genuine contender. At 19 years and 216 days old, he has made history as the youngest driver to ever lead the championship, an accolade no other teenager has achieved. This scenario was certainly not part of Russell’s plans.
Initially, it seemed unlikely that Antonelli would seize such a position when he stumbled at the start from pole position, as if his Silver Arrow were mired in glue. A burst of wheelspin saw him drop to sixth place.
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!