who won the japanese grand prix 2026

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix was won by Andrea Kimi Antonelli , driving for Mercedes.

Who took the chequered flag

• Winner : Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes).

• He converted pole position into victory at Suzuka, taking a back‑to‑back win after also winning the previous race in China.

• Antonelli became the second teenager in F1 history to win a grand prix , and the first Italian since 2006 to stand on the top step of the podium.

Key runners‑up at Suzuka 2026

Public race‑result tables list the top finishers as:

Position| Driver| Team| Notes
---|---|---|---
1st| Andrea Kimi Antonelli| Mercedes| Wins from pole, back‑to‑back victories. 12
2nd| Oscar Piastri| McLaren| Strong finish after a disrupted early season. 13
3rd| Charles Leclerc| Ferrari| Completes podium behind Antonelli and Piastri. 1
4th| George Russell| Mercedes| Teammate to Antonelli, close but just off podium. 1

Why this race mattered

• The win propelled Antonelli into the championship lead after Suzuka, amplifying hype around the teenage prodigy as a title threat early in 2026.

• It also marked a break from recent dominance , as Max Verstappen and Red Bull had won the Japanese GP every year from 2022 to 2025.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.