George Russell was left furious during the Japanese Grand Prix as he missed out on a spot on the podium. The Mercedes driver ended up in fourth place at Suzuka, while his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, clinched the race victory to take the lead in the Driver's Championship after three races.
Russell had begun in P2 on the grid, with Antonelli in pole position, but slipped back to fourth, adding 12 points to his tally for the Driver's Championship. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished second, earning his first points of the season after failing to finish the initial two races in Melbourne and Shanghai, while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari rounded off the podium in third place.
The race in Japan witnessed a horrific crash involving Haas driver Oliver Bearman, which resulted in the 20-year-old colliding with the barrier on lap 21. Bearman was seen limping as he signalled for assistance from two marshals at the side of the track. The Haas driver was subsequently taken to the medical centre for further treatment, and it was reported that X-rays revealed no fractures, only a bruise to his right knee.
The crash led to the deployment of the safety car on lap 21, with racing resuming on lap 28. Antonelli managed to seize the lead and capitalise on the timing of the safety car, having not yet entered the pit lane at the time of the crash. Russell had already made a pit stop to switch tyres, with the Mercedes driver falling to fourth position after being passed by Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari.
This prompted Russell to voice his annoyance over the Mercedes team radio during the race. 'Unbelievable. Wow, f***, our luck in these last two races,' Russell said over the team radio. Russell had secured a podium finish in each of the season's first two races, with a win in Australia followed by a runner-up spot to Antonelli in China earlier this month.
The outcome in Japan means that Antonelli now tops the Driver's Championship with 72 points after three races, and at just 19 years old, is the youngest driver ever to lead the standings in Formula 1 history. Following his fourth-place result, Russell is second with 63 points while Leclerc is third on 49 and Hamilton trails by eight points in fourth. There will now be a lengthy break until the next race of the F1 calendar, as the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix originally slated for next month have both been cancelled. The Miami Grand Prix is next up, set to take place in Florida on May 3.
