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Antonelli Tops Final Practice Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Championship leader Kimi Antonelli sent a strong warning to his rivals by setting the fastest time in the final practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Mercedes driver produced a late flying lap of 1:36.302 around the Sepang International Circuit to finish at the top of the timesheets. Antonelli’s performance was particularly impressive after Mercedes struggled for pace during Friday’s sessions. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, just 0.278 seconds behind Antonelli, while his team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the top three with a gap of 0.558 seconds. George Russell made it two Mercedes cars inside the top four, finishing 0.610 seconds behind his championship-leading team-mate. Mercedes showed a significant improvement after a difficult opening day. The team had introduced a heavily upgraded car for the Sepang weekend, but its performance during Friday’s running raised questions about whether the new package was delivering the expected gains. Antonelli’s FP3 performance provided a much more encouraging answer. His final lap was the fastest of the weekend at that stage and demonstrated that Mercedes had found additional pace ahead of qualifying. Ferrari occupied fifth and sixth, with Charles Leclerc finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc recorded a 1:37.016, while Hamilton was only 0.025 seconds slower than his team-mate. McLaren, meanwhile, had Lando Norris in seventh and Oscar Piastri in eighth. Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10, although both drivers were carrying grid penalties that could affect their starting positions for the race. The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag after debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas ended up on the circuit. Once the track was cleared, the drivers returned to action and the battle at the front intensified during the final runs. Antonelli ultimately had enough pace to keep Verstappen behind him, giving Mercedes valuable confidence heading into qualifying. The result also adds another layer of intrigue to the championship battle. With Antonelli leading the standings and Verstappen remaining one of his biggest threats, the fight for pole position promised to be closely contested. After topping the final practice session, Antonelli will now look to convert Mercedes’ improved pace into a strong qualifying performance and secure the best possible starting position for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The return to Sepang has already produced an intriguing weekend, and with Verstappen close behind Antonelli, the battle at the front is shaping up to be one of the major stories of the race.