Kimi Antonelli takes F1 title control as Oliver Bearman walks away from monster crash

Kimi Antonelli has won the Japanese Grand Prix and leads the F1 drivers' championship for the first time in his career.

The Italian driver was able to capitalise on a safety car to reclaim the lead after losing the spot on the opening lap.

Having failed to start the opening two races of the year, Piastri got his season up and running around Suzuka as he crossed the line in second place.

Taking the final spot on the podium was Charles Leclerc, following an intense late-race battle with George Russell.

The opening lap saw a disastrous start for both Mercedes drivers as Russell and Antonelli dropped to fourth and sixth, respectively.

Capitalising on the poor start, Piastri sailed into the lead from third on the grid while Leclerc and Lando Norris followed in second and third.

However, Russell was quick to reassert himself as he carved his way through his rivals, finding himself back in the fight for the lead on lap eight.

Overtaking Piastri into the final chicane, Russell found himself back behind the McLaren driver at the end of the following straight as Piastri used his extra energy to re-take the lead.

Further behind, the other McLaren and Mercedes were engaged in a fight as Antonelli moved himself into fourth ahead of Norris.

He then engaged in a battle with Leclerc before the Monegasque pitted on lap 17, one lap after Norris.

Two laps after his team-mate, Piastri then peeled into the pit lane from the lead as McLaren sought to avoid being undercut by Russell.

It released the Mercedes duo into the lead of the race, albeit with both yet to make a stop.

On lap 21, Russell was first to come into the pits to change to a set of hard tyres and re-emerged ahead of Piastri.

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Safety car hands Antonelli advantage

Moments after Russell made his stop, a high-speed crash involving Oliver Bearman eliminated him from the race, causing the deployment of a safety car.

Bearman had a significant speed advantage over Franco Colapinto as they approached the spoon curve and took to the grass to avoid the Alpine driver.

Unable to scrub off speed, Bearman speared across the grass and into the barrier, suffering a major 50G impact with the barrier.

The resulting safety car gave Antonelli a cheap pit stop and allowed him to change his tyres and re-emerge in the lead of the grand prix.

On lap 28, the safety car came back into the pit lane to release the pack and resume the race.

Already frustrated by losing the lead due to the safety car, Russell struggled further at the restart as he dropped a place to Hamilton while Antonelli checked out in first place.

On lap 37, Russell dropped another place to Leclerc, who shortly after made his way ahead of team-mate Hamilton after another close battle. On the following lap, Hamilton found himself in fifth as Russell moved ahead of his former team-mate.

Up front however, Antonelli could not be challenged as he surged to a second career victory and grabbed hold of the championship lead, with Piastri following in second.

Leclerc held onto third following a late battle with Russell, while Hamilton lost fifth to Norris in the closing stages.

A solid defensive drive for Pierre Gasly saw the Alpine driver hold off four-time champion Max Verstappen for seventh place.

Liam Lawson was ninth, while Esteban Ocon took the final point on offer for Haas.

F1 now embarks on a four-week break, returning with the Miami Grand Prix, which will host round four of the campaign.