Japanese Grand Prix 2026 at Suzuka: Antonelli takes the points lead as rankings shift

Round 3 of the 2026 season at Suzuka Circuit reshaped the early title picture, with Mercedes still setting the pace. Measure’s weekend overview pulls together the updated championship top three and the sharpest ranking swings.

By Nadia Okafor

What happened at the Japanese Grand Prix?

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix weekend at Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka, Japan) delivered a clear theme across Measure’s rankings: momentum is building at the front, and several tables saw dramatic reshuffles. The headline on points is that Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s early-season run has moved him to the top of the championship ranking after three rounds.

Away from the points table, the biggest single-weekend leaps came in the head-to-head and top-10-focused metrics. Oscar Piastri produced two of the weekend’s most eye-catching moves across Measure’s rankings, while both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton featured among the notable downward swings in specific performance-tracking tables.

Who leads the F1 2026 championship after the Japanese Grand Prix?

After Suzuka, Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 championship on 72 points for Mercedes. George Russell is second on 63 points, also for Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc third on 49 points for Ferrari.

The updated top three underlines an early split: Mercedes holds first and second in the standings, while Ferrari’s leading points scorer remains within reach in third as the opening phase of the season takes shape.

Who were the biggest movers?

Oscar Piastri was the weekend’s standout riser across multiple Measure rankings. He jumped 14 places to P4 in Teammate head-to-head (race) (value: 2–1), and climbed 11 places to P9 in Most top-10 finishes (value: 1).

There were also notable moves elsewhere: Sergio Pérez rose eight places to P11 in Teammate head-to-head (race) (value: 2–1). On the negative side, George Russell dropped eight places to P12 in Teammate head-to-head (race) (value: 1–2), while Charles Leclerc fell eight places to P11 in Most positions lost (value: +2) and Lewis Hamilton fell eight places to P15 in Most positions lost (value: +3).

Before & after positions

In this article

• Championship ranking
• F1 drivers
• Best average positions gained
• Best qualifying average
• Best average race finish
• Biggest improvement vs qualifying

Every ranking from this round

• Hamilton stays atop positions-gained average after Suzuka — but Ferrari’s gap is tightening
• Antonelli’s Suzuka pole keeps him on top of qualifying average as Mercedes locks out 1-2
• Antonelli’s 1.33 average finish sets the early 2026 consistency standard
• Hamilton holds Suzuka benchmark as Ferrari locks out the top two
• Antonelli takes 2026 F1 points lead from Russell after Suzuka win
• Antonelli’s Suzuka win keeps him clear atop consistency ranking
• Hülkenberg takes over F1 2026 ‘Most overtakes’ lead at Suzuka as Verstappen is edged out
• Hadjar’s Suzuka slide blows up his positions-gained ranking
• Alonso’s +16 lap-one surge still sets the pace after Suzuka
• Lindblad takes over 2026 ‘most positions lost’ lead after Suzuka slide
• Piastri’s Suzuka P2 sparks 11-place surge in top-10 finishes table
• Ocon’s 12th-to-10th Suzuka climb lifts him four places in ‘outside top 10’ points
• Leclerc stays on top with a 69.0 Power ranking as the top three reshuffles at Suzuka
• Gasly takes the head-to-head lead at 3–0 as Piastri surges to P4
• Piastri takes the qualifying head-to-head lead as Bearman tumbles to seventh

Why it matters

With three rounds counted, the championship picture is already being defined by tight gaps at the front and sharp week-to-week swings in the supporting rankings. Antonelli’s move to the points lead gives Mercedes the early advantage, but the biggest-mover tables suggest several drivers’ underlying trends are shifting quickly—making the next round a key test of whether Suzuka’s ranking jumps (and drops) become lasting patterns.