January 23, 2026
Local
Local
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Two foreign nationals have become the first individuals in Malaysia to be charged in court for littering under the newly enforced anti-littering law, according to a report by The Star.
SUZUKA, March 28 — Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli secured a second consecutive pole position in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying today, edging out teammate George Russell to give Mercedes a third straight front-row lockout.
The 19-year-old delivered a best lap of 1:28.778 around the 5.8km Suzuka Circuit, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Russell.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren qualified third, 0.354 seconds off the pace, while Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari.
Reigning champion Lando Norris struggled with car issues during practice and qualified fifth, placing him on the third row alongside Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
“I’m super happy with the session, it was a good one, a clean one,” said Antonelli. “I felt very good in the car and I was improving every run.”
Antonelli goes into Sunday’s race after converting his first career pole into a victory in China. Another win in Japan would see him overtake Russell in the championship standings; the Briton currently leads by four points.
Russell, winner of the season opener in Australia and the China sprint race, said he struggled with rear grip throughout qualifying.
“We made some adjustments after final practice and then at the start of qualifying we were nowhere,” he said. “Very lucky to be in second again.
“The last two weekends have gone wrong in qualifying, but the race is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to play for,” added Russell, who also faced technical issues in China.
Mercedes have begun the new Formula One regulations era in dominant form and are on track for their first season-opening hat-trick of one-two finishes since 2019.
Meanwhile, four-time champion Max Verstappen failed to reach the top 10 after calling his car “undriveable” and will start 11th. — Reuters
