Suzuka is the only race on the calendar where the promoter (Honda Mobilityland), the circuit owner (Honda), and a power-unit supplier (Honda, to Aston Martin from 2026) are the same company — so the Japanese GP's hosting fee is the smallest line in a carmaker's total F1 investment. On track, Kimi Antonelli won again and became the youngest championship leader in F1 history. But the weekend's most consequential event wasn't a pass: it was a crash that forced the FIA to rewrite the 2026 energy-deployment rules — evidence that in a reset year, the binding constraint is the rulebook, not the design.

Piastri took the lead at the start from P3 and held it through the opening stint (16 laps led); Mercedes had slow getaways (Russell to P4, Antonelli to P6), though Russell was back to P2 by lap 3. The race turned on the safety car on lap 22, triggered when Bearman crashed his Haas at Spoon Curve. Antonelli, still to stop, pitted under it and kept the lead; Hamilton, Gasly and Verstappen also gained by not having stopped, but Hamilton lost time in the pit lane held for an incoming Verstappen, dropping to P4. On the restart Antonelli pulled clear of Piastri; Leclerc passed Russell for P3 and later his teammate, while Norris took P5 from Hamilton in the closing laps. Antonelli won from Piastri and Leclerc — his second career win, and it made him the youngest Drivers' Championship leader in F1 history (19 years, 216 days).

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship on 72 (9 pts clear of George Russell). Top three: Antonelli 72, George Russell 63, Charles Leclerc 49. Big mover: Oscar Piastri 12→6. Constructors: Mercedes 135 ahead of Ferrari 90. Verified · source: Jolpica standings after Round 3.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship on 72 (9 pts clear of George Russell). Top three: Andrea Kimi Antonelli 72, George Russell 63, Charles Leclerc 49. Big mover: Oscar Piastri 12→6. Constructors: Mercedes 135 ahead of Ferrari 90. Verified · source: Jolpica standings after Round 3.