Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli dominated the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday, setting a blistering pace of 1m 36.302s at Sepang to recover from a difficult start to the weekend.
Formula One’s return to the Sepang International Circuit for the first time since 2017 has brought unexpected challenges on a hot, abrasive track surface where high tyre degradation dominated the opening days of the weekend. Mercedes arrived in Malaysia with a heavily upgraded W17 package that yielded modest results during Friday practice, leaving championship leader Antonelli and teammate George Russell searching for rhythm.
Those setup struggles vanished on Saturday morning. Antonelli worked his way down to a 1m 36.302s lap on soft tyres during the final practice hour, putting him nearly three tenths clear of the field.
The 20-year-old Italian arrived at the track holding a 66-point advantage over Russell in the championship standings, seeking to rebound after what he described as his worst weekend of the season in Baku, where he salvaged fifth place after starting 16th following a qualifying crash. Describing his performance in Baku, Antonelli admitted he drove at 80% and lacked his usual confidence, remarking that he was driving more like his grandma and was not mentally prepared to push at 100%. The team engineered a complete turnaround ahead of qualifying as the young Italian chased his country’s first title since Alberto Ascari 73 years ago.
Red Bull Cars Finish Practice Inside Top Three
Red Bull kept the pressure on the pacesetting Mercedes, finishing practice with both cars inside the top three. Verstappen was the last driver to win a Formula 1 race at Sepang when the circuit last hosted a Grand Prix back in 2017.
Commenting on the championship battle and the lack of pressure on his side of the garage, Russell noted that Antonelli had enjoyed an incredible and largely flawless season.
Leclerc Splits Mercedes as Norris Runs Medium Tyres
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc used the hard tyres early on to set competitive times before switching to soft compounds, eventually splitting the Mercedes cars to finish fifth with a lap time of 1m 37.016s. Speaking about his machinery after the session, Hamilton acknowledged the limitations of his rubber over a long run, stating that it felt like a pretty decent lap considering the tyres were not great.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris placed seventh for McLaren as the only driver inside the top ten running on medium tyres during his primary pushes, while teammate Oscar Piastri slotted into eighth place. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten as attention across the paddock turned immediately toward the qualifying session scheduled for 1600 local time.
Worth a look
