Championship leader Kimi Antonelli found his rhythm at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, topping final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, according to SkySports.
Antonelli set a 1:36.302 to finish 0.278 seconds ahead of Verstappen, with Isack Hadjar third and Mercedes team-mate George Russell fourth.
The result marked a turnaround for Antonelli after he struggled for pace during Friday’s opening sessions. He now heads into qualifying at 9am with Mercedes and Red Bull emerging as the main contenders for pole.
Mercedes has brought its biggest upgrade package since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, although Red Bull remains within striking distance after showing strong pace at the previous round in Baku.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who topped FP2 on Friday, was fifth and 0.714 seconds off Antonelli’s pace. Lewis Hamilton was sixth, another 0.025 seconds behind his team-mate.
McLaren remained further adrift, with Lando Norris seventh and Oscar Piastri eighth. Norris’ best time came on the medium tyres, however, leaving the team with potential room to improve in qualifying.
Tyre management remains one of the major challenges at Sepang, with the circuit’s rough surface combining with high temperatures and humidity to put significant stress on the tyres.
The session was briefly red-flagged after debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas ended up on the track at Turn 10 and had to be removed by marshals.
Franco Colapinto was ninth despite carrying a combined 15-place grid penalty for his Baku collision and an engine change in Malaysia, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto was 11th and Fernando Alonso 12th, with four teams showing competitive pace around the final points-paying positions.
Antonelli currently leads the Drivers’ Championship by 66 points over Russell, setting up another important session when qualifying gets underway at Sepang.
