Norris, Russell and Hamilton ‘outplayed’ by their teammates
The impression that F1 2026 was a season in which the car was decisive for the final race placement was somewhat downsized by the outcome of the Suzuka GP. Leaving aside Red Bull, which at this stage is experiencing a major technical crisis highlighted by the difficulties of a crystal-clear champion like Verstappen, all three other top teams, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, brought their cars to the finish line, all demonstrating a good level of performance. However, the performance between the six teammates was very different. Which is quite singular, especially because it happens simultaneously in the three garages and on a track like Suzuka, where driving counts.
Russell vs Antonelli: the old wolf beaten by the younger one
Let’s start with the most stinging comparison, the one between Russell and Antonelli who showed up at Suzuka with race suits featuring a “wolf” design. The Italian took pole position on Saturday, beating his English teammate, who still finished second, by a good three tenths. In the race, Russell started much better than Antonelli, who unfortunately once again spun his wheels and lost positions at the start. However, it is true that the safety car entering the track the lap after his pit stop penalized him significantly compared to Antonelli, who had the advantage of changing tires under the safety car. But in any case George, after struggling at the restart (while Kimi disappeared like a rocket), never had his teammate’s race pace on the hards and also had great difficulty in the fight against the Ferraris, finishing fourth behind a monumental Leclerc who even overtook him again by force on the outside of turn 1. With this unsatisfactory fourth place, Russell lost the lead of the world championship to Antonelli while driving a Mercedes that has been the title car so far. There is enough to lose one’s head even in a psychological sense, an area where Russell shows clear limits, verbalized by nervous team radio messages and statements to the media with a face that was anything but relaxed. Limits he will have to quickly overcome to stay in the hunt in the fight for the world championship.
Norris vs Piastri: first podium from and for Oscar
In the first race of the championship in which Oscar Piastri managed to start, the Australian driver immediately managed to put his teammate Norris behind him, who, it is worth remembering, is the reigning world champion. Already in qualifying, Oscar, who finished third, beat Lando by almost three tenths, with Lando only managing fifth on the grid. At the start, Piastri shot off like a rocket, taking the lead of the pack, and the doubt remains that, without the safety car which also penalized him, he could have won a race he was leading with a certain authority. Both McLaren drivers were penalized by the safety car coming out after their pit stops, but the final result after the restart is quite clear, with Norris fifth, ten seconds behind (in 25 laps) Piastri who, with second place, brought the first half-smile of the season to the McLaren camp. One could legitimately expect something more from a new world champion with more than 150 Grands Prix under his belt. McLaren, also but not only thanks to the Mercedes engine, could be a dark horse for the title fight, and if Norris wants to defend his, he will have to immediately find the speed shown last year.
Hamilton vs Leclerc: the Safety Car wildcard was not enough for Lewis
Lewis Hamilton had started his Suzuka weekend decently, despite complaining about a clear lack of feeling with the SF-26, keeping pace with Leclerc and qualifying sixth, less than two tenths behind Charles, fourth, who however complained about having done a terrible lap. Then in the race, unlike his compatriots Norris and Russell, Hamilton was dealt a winning hand in the same way as Antonelli thanks to his clever and lucky intuition to wait to replace his tires, which he was able to do under safety car conditions. Fourth at the restart, Hamilton thus rose to third place after three laps but then had to endure Leclerc’s comeback, with whom he engaged in what is now an almost traditional race battle. Charles, who was already getting impatient over the radio because of the time he was losing behind Lewis, overtook him by force on the outside of turn 1 on lap 42, going on to take a well-deserved podium while Lewis, with fresher tires than his teammate, finished only sixth, a full 10 seconds behind Charles (in 11 laps), also being overtaken by Russell and Norris. An overall disappointing performance from Lewis, who at the end of the race complained about the lack of power from his Ferrari engine compared to the Mercedes. The same engine that Leclerc had, however.
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