Overview
- Antonelli won at Suzuka on Sunday after a botched launch dropped him from pole to sixth.
- The lap-22 safety car, deployed when Oliver Bearman hit the wall at Spoon, neutralized Antonelli’s stop and he pulled clear on the restart; Bearman was shaken but not seriously hurt.
- Oscar Piastri finished second and Charles Leclerc took third after late fights, giving Piastri his first podium of the season following two non-starts.
- Updated standings list Antonelli on 72 points with George Russell on 63, and Mercedes leading the constructors’ table.
- Teams now have a month-long break before Miami, and Antonelli said he will use it to improve his race starts after calling the safety car “lucky.”