Kimi Antonelli claimed the Formula 1 world championship lead for the first time in his career after taking advantage of a well-timed Safety Car to win the Japanese Grand Prix.

Having dropped from pole position to sixth on the opening lap as Mercedes' start woes continued, Antonelli was running fourth ahead of the sole round of pit stops at Suzuka before a huge moment of fortune turned the race in his favour.

With the trio who were running ahead of him - Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc - having already pitted, Antonelli was afforded a much quicker stop when Oliver Bearman's heavy crash triggered a Safety Car, giving the Italian the lead upon the restart.

He was faultless from there on, unleashing superb pace over the second half of the race to finish 13 seconds clear of Piastri, who lead a much-improved display from McLaren.

Russell, who expressed his frustration over the radio at his own misfortune, eventually had to settle for fourth behind Leclerc after battling the Ferraris in the closing stages.

Antonelli's nine-point advantage over Russell makes the 19-year-old the youngest driver to lead the world championship, with Lewis Hamilton having previously held the record when leading at the age of 22 in 2007.

The Italian will hold the lead until at least May, with F1 now embarking on a five-week break until the next race in Miami after the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

F1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime