Kimi Antonelli delivered a statement of intent ahead of qualifying at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, topping the final practice session at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Mercedes driver set the pace with a 1:36.302, finishing 0.278 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, while Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the top three. George Russell and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five.
Kimi Antonelli — P1 — 1:36.302
Max Verstappen — P2 — +0.278s
Isack Hadjar — P3 — +0.558s
George Russell — P4 — +0.610s
Charles Leclerc — P5 — +0.714s
Antonelli strikes back for Mercedes
Mercedes arrived at Saturday's running looking to recover from what the team described as one of its toughest Fridays of the season. Antonelli provided exactly the response the team would have wanted.
The championship leader gradually built his pace throughout the session before producing a 1:36.302 lap on the soft tyre. That effort was enough to put him nearly three tenths clear of Verstappen.
The result also marked Antonelli's first session-topping performance of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia weekend.
Verstappen keeps Red Bull firmly in contention
Max Verstappen finished second, just 0.278 seconds behind Antonelli.
The Red Bull driver had initially encountered traffic during one of his faster runs, but found the performance needed in the closing stages to move into second position.
Verstappen's pace adds another dimension to the qualifying battle, particularly after Red Bull showed competitive speed during Friday's sessions.
Hadjar continues impressive form
Isack Hadjar completed the top three with a lap 0.558 seconds away from Antonelli's benchmark.
The Red Bull driver has continued to feature near the front throughout the Malaysian weekend, making his FP3 performance another encouraging sign ahead of qualifying.
Hadjar's presence at the sharp end also gives Red Bull two cars capable of influencing the fight for the front positions.
Russell fourth as Mercedes shows improved pace
George Russell finished fourth, 0.610 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate.
The result was a significant improvement from Mercedes' Friday running and suggests that the team found useful performance overnight.
With Antonelli leading the session and Russell fourth, both Mercedes cars enter qualifying with a strong reference point for the final set-up decisions.
Ferrari's Leclerc leads the red cars
Charles Leclerc was fifth fastest for Ferrari, 0.714 seconds off the benchmark.
Interestingly, Leclerc initially opted for the hard compound while several rivals were already running softer rubber. Ferrari's approach provided additional data before the field switched towards qualifying simulations later in the session.
Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, giving Ferrari both cars inside the top six.
McLaren unable to match its Friday pace
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ended FP3 seventh and eighth respectively.
The McLaren drivers initially ran the medium compound before moving onto the soft tyres during the latter stages. Norris could only reach seventh, while Piastri finished eighth.
That leaves McLaren with some work to do before qualifying, particularly with several rivals showing strong single-lap pace.
Bearman debris brings out the red flag
The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag shortly before the halfway point.
The stoppage was caused by debris on the circuit, with replays showing that the debris had come from Oliver Bearman's Haas.
The interruption temporarily disrupted the teams' running plans before the session resumed and the drivers returned to qualifying simulations.
FP3 Classification
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:36.302 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.278s |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.558s |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.610s |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.714s |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | — |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | — |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | — |
| 9 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | — |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | — |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | — |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | — |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | — |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | — |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | — |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | — |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | — |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | — |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | — |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | Williams | — |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | — |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | — |
Note: Formula1.com reported exact times/gaps for the leading five drivers in its FP3 report; the remaining positions above reflect the reported final classification.
Qualifying now becomes the focus
With FP3 complete, attention now turns to qualifying at Sepang.
Qualifying is scheduled for 1600 local time on Saturday, October 3. The final practice results suggest that Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari could all feature in the fight at the front, while McLaren will be looking to extract more from its soft-tyre runs.
The key question is whether Antonelli can convert his FP3 pace into pole position, or whether Verstappen, Hadjar, Russell or Ferrari can respond when the grid battles for its starting positions.
Kimi Antonelli has sent the clearest message of the weekend so far on Saturday morning. His 1:36.302 puts Mercedes at the top heading into qualifying, but Verstappen and Hadjar remain within striking distance. The real pace will be revealed when every driver gets a final opportunity on low-fuel qualifying runs.
What to watch in qualifying
- Antonelli: Can the Mercedes driver convert FP3's pace into pole?
- Verstappen: Red Bull remains close enough to challenge for the front row.
- Hadjar: Another strong session keeps the second Red Bull in the spotlight.
- Russell: Mercedes has both cars near the front.
- Ferrari: Leclerc and Hamilton will look to close the gap when qualifying begins.
- McLaren: Norris and Piastri need to find additional pace after ending FP3 seventh and eighth.
Next up: Qualifying
The final practice session is complete and the teams now have one final opportunity to analyse their data before qualifying.
FP3 has given Mercedes the momentum. Qualifying will decide who actually starts at the front.
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