Kimi Antonelli Tops Final Sepang Practice as Mercedes Recovers Before Qualifying

Mercedes found a sharp improvement at Sepang as Kimi Antonelli topped the third and final practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. After the team described Friday as one of its toughest opening days of the season, Antonelli’s Saturday pace placed him ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar before qualifying.

Antonelli puts Mercedes at the top

Antonelli worked his way down to a best time of 1 minute 36.302 seconds during the final practice hour, finishing nearly three tenths clear of Verstappen. The result represented the first time Mercedes had led a session during the Malaysian weekend and gave the team a much stronger reference after struggling the previous day.

That improvement is especially valuable at Sepang because the circuit combines long straights, fast direction changes and substantial heat. Small setup gains can transform tyre confidence and braking stability, making final practice an important opportunity to confirm changes before the car enters parc ferme conditions for qualifying.

Red Bull remains close

Verstappen finished second with Hadjar third, keeping both Red Bulls near the front of the timing screens. Their pace suggested the team remained competitive even though Antonelli had moved Mercedes ahead, creating a tightly grouped picture rather than a single dominant team before qualifying.

Hadjar’s presence near Verstappen also reinforced the speed he had shown earlier in the weekend. Although he carried a grid penalty into the event, his practice form gave Red Bull useful data from both cars and increased the strategic options available to the team.

Sepang continues to reward adaptation

Many current drivers have limited recent experience at Sepang because Formula 1 had not raced there since 2017. That makes each practice session more valuable than at circuits where teams possess years of current-generation data, particularly as track temperatures and grip levels evolve quickly in Malaysia.

Drivers also have to manage the physical demands of heat and humidity while learning how the latest cars behave through the circuit’s high-speed sections. The result is a weekend where confidence can build rapidly from one session to the next, as Mercedes demonstrated between Friday and Saturday.

Qualifying becomes the real test

Practice times always come with uncertainty because fuel loads, tyre plans and run programmes vary between teams. Antonelli’s result therefore did not guarantee Mercedes pole position, but it did show that the team had recovered enough performance to enter qualifying with a credible chance of fighting near the front.

With Verstappen and Hadjar immediately behind, the final session sharpened expectations for a close qualifying contest. The broader significance was Mercedes’ ability to respond quickly to a difficult first day, turning setup work into measurable pace before the competitive sessions began.

Official sources: www.formula1.com.