Oscar Piastri could be forgiven for feeling like he broke a mirror or walked under a ladder as the Australian’s unlucky start to the season continued at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli picked up a second straight victory after a 22nd lap safety car benefitted the 19-year-old immensely at Sazuka.

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Piastri earned driver of the day honours, but finished in second place, 13.7 seconds behind Antonelli, who fell to as low as sixth in the early stages after starting in pole.

The teenager is now the youngest ever driver to lead the world championship.

Antonelli and Piastri were joined on the podium by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the podium, while George Russell and Lando Norris rounded out the top five.

Piastri was undoubtedly hard done by, however, as he led the race when Haas’ Oliver Bearman slammed into the wall.

“Wow. Turns out when we start these things we’re pretty good!” he said on team radio post-race.

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Piastri grabbed the lead before the first corner in an epic start to the race after beginning in P3.

The Australian was the quickest off the line, using the momentum of the downhill start to immediately overtake George Russell on the outside and then getting in front of Antonelli.

Piastri had not started a race yet this year due to a crash in Melbourne and electrical issues in China but made up for lost time with an almighty opening statement against the Mercedes duo.

Oscar Piastri grabbed the lead on the first lap after starting from P3.Source: FOX SPORTS

Russell and Piastri engaged in a tense battle in the early stages of the races once the Brit found his pace after a sluggish start.

Russell overtook Piastri on the ninth lap, but the Australian grabbed the lead back almost immediately.

McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella were reportedly concerned that Piastri may have used too much of his boost button in that manoeuvre.

But Piastri was confident that he could claim his first race win since last year’s Dutch Grand Prix.

“If we hold track position, I think we can hang on to this,” he said on team radio on lap 15.

McLaren opted for a pit stop four laps later to prepare for a battle down the stretch with the Mercedes pair and initially it worked as Piastri popped out in clean space behind Max Verstappen.

But Bearman’s crash threw a spanner in the works.

Oliver Bearman was in a nasty crash after Oscar Piastri made an excellent start to the Japanese Grand Prix.Source: Fox Sports

Kimi takes Japan pole, Piastri third | 01:15

The Haas driver’s car ended up facing the wrong way after slamming into the wall following losing control of the car when he went off the track and into the grass.

The 20-year-old Brit was seen limping off and was taken to the medical centre for assessment where luckily no fractures were found in his leg.

The disruption forced a major shake-up in the pecking order too.

As well as Piastri’s bad luck, Russell was left furious.

The winner in Melbourne came into the pits a lap earlier and could be heard saying “unbelievable!” on his team radio.

“Wow. F***. Our luck in these last two races,” he added.

He looked like he may be stuck behind Lewis Hamilton by the Ferrari veteran fell back to fourth, behind Russell, once he pitted.

Making matters worse for McLaren, they lost power to the pit wall once racing resumed after the safety car.

It was still a much-improved showing after neither car started in China a fortnight ago.

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Verstappen once again had problems with his Red Bull.

After failing to reach Q3 on Saturday, the Dutch superstar at one stage told his team: “It feels like I’m driving without power steering.”

Verstappen finished eighth, one spot behind Pierre Gasly.

Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon were also in the points.

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