Suzuka, Mie Prefecture ¨C Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli said he wants ?to keep raising the bar after making Formula One history with his win in Sunday¡¯s Japanese Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old¡¯s success at Suzuka made him the sport¡¯s youngest championship leader, taking the record away from ?Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time?world champion he replaced at Mercedes.

Hamilton ?led the ?standings as a 22-year-old in his 2007 rookie ?season.

Antonelli also became the first Italian to win back-to-back races in Formula One since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

¡°I¡¯m not thinking too ?much about the championship,¡± said Antonelli, who only recorded his maiden Formula One ?win in China two weeks ago and leaves Japan, the third round of the season, with a nine-point ?lead over teammate George Russell.

¡°Of ?course it¡¯s great, but it¡¯s still a long way to go.

¡°I think we need to keep ?our head down ?and keep raising the bar,¡± he added.

Antonelli, starting ?from pole, had dropped to sixth after a slow ?start.

An ?ideally timed safety car, deployed in response to a high-speed crash for Haas racer Oliver Bearman, allowed him to make his stop while his rivals, who had already pitted under full ?racing conditions, were running at reduced speed.

Antonelli acknowledged the safety car had smoothed his path to victory but pointed to his searing pace on the hard tires in the second part of the race.

Minor gremlins ?also ?put teammate Russell, winner of the season opener ?in Australia, on the back foot for the second race weekend ?in a row.

Had the Briton pitted a lap later, he would have come out in the lead. Instead he finished fourth.

¡°I feel he¡¯s obviously a super, super strong, very complete ?driver,¡± said Antonelli of his teammate.

¡°I think he showed many times last year, and that¡¯s why it¡¯s not going to be easy, and that¡¯s why I need to do everything as perfect as possible.¡±