Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a difficult Friday to top the final practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The Championship leader set a 1:36.302 around Sepang, finishing 0.278 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar continued Red Bull’s strong weekend in third, while George Russell put the second Mercedes fourth.
With three different drivers topping the three practice sessions, the battle at the front remains open heading into Qualifying.
So Far This Weekend…
Formula 1 returned to Sepang for the first time since 2017 on Friday, with several drivers getting their first taste of the Malaysian circuit.
Max Verstappen was quickest out of the gates, topping FP1 ahead of George Russell and Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar. However, it was a difficult opening session for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris down in 11th and 12th.
Charles Leclerc then took over at the front in FP2, setting a 1:37.528 to lead Hadjar by just 0.099 seconds. Norris recovered to third, while Verstappen finished fourth despite setting his quickest time on the medium tyre.
Mercedes struggled to replicate its early pace, with Russell and Antonelli ending FP2 seventh and eighth after failing to maximise their soft tyre runs.
High tyre degradation also emerged as one of the biggest challenges around Sepang, leaving teams with plenty to learn heading into Saturday.
A Quiet Start
With track temperatures continuing to play a factor, there was little urgency from the front runners in the opening stages of FP3.
Leclerc was one of the early drivers on track, becoming the first to test the hard compound expected to play an important role in Sunday’s race.
Meanwhile, McLaren opted for the mediums, with Norris leading Piastri in a McLaren one-two around the halfway point of the session.
Several of the main contenders were yet to record a lap, with Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton all waiting before beginning their qualifying preparations.
Red Flag Interrupts Running
With around 25 minutes completed, the Red Flag was brought out after debris came off Ollie Bearman’s Haas at Turn 10.
The interruption came at an awkward time for Mercedes, with Russell preparing to join Leclerc in running the hard tyre before the session was stopped.
Running resumed around eight minutes later, leaving just over 25 minutes for teams to complete their final preparations ahead of Qualifying.
Mercedes Show its Hand
Antonelli wasted little time once the session restarted.
On his first push lap of the session, the Italian went straight to the top with a 1:36.924, edging teammate Russell by 0.129 seconds.
After Mercedes described Friday as one of its toughest of the season, the early pace suggested a significant step forward overnight.
Leclerc briefly split the two Mercedes drivers during the closing stages before Hadjar continued his impressive weekend, setting a 1:36.860 to move to the top.
However, his stay at the front did not last long.
Antonelli responded with a 1:36.302, putting more than half a second between himself and the Red Bull driver.
Red Bull Splits the Mercedes Duo
As the final laps came in, Verstappen moved into second with a 1:36.580, cutting Antonelli’s advantage to 0.278 seconds.
Hadjar remained third, completing another strong session for Red Bull, while Russell finished fourth and 0.610 seconds behind his teammate.
Leclerc and Hamilton followed in fifth and sixth for Ferrari.
McLaren ended the session seventh and eighth with Norris and Piastri respectively. However, Norris’ fastest lap came on the medium compound, unlike the soft-tyre runners around him.
Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten.
After Verstappen, Leclerc and now Antonelli each topped one of the three practice sessions, the fight for pole remains wide open as Formula 1 heads into Qualifying at Sepang.
Feature Image Credit: Formula 1