Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap in final practice, clocking a 1:36.302‑second run that kept the Bahrain Grand Prix’s Sepang track in the elite club for this weekend.
Mercedes shakes off a slow start
The 2026 Silver Arrows returned with a heavily upgraded W17. After 2nd and 5th places in the first two session, Antonelli’s 1:36.924 lap on Saturday vaulted him to the front, leaving George Russell just 0.129 s behind.
Red Bull dominates the top‑three
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar set a 1:36.860, but Antonelli’s five‑tenths‑drifted lap kept him ahead. Max Verstappen rallied in the final runs, posting 1:36.580 and locking in second place alongside his teammate.
Leclerc falls short of the front line
On Friday, Charles Leclerc logged a 1:37.772‑second hard on the wet‑to‑dry circuit, placing third. He was eclipsed by the 0.611‑second gap to the medium‑converting McLaren duo and the 0.289‑second further stride by Max Verstappen.
Midfield contention loosens the grid gap
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reproved on mid‑stroke rubber, best times of 1:37.161 and 1:37.366, yearafter awarding them eighth and seventh places. Lewis Hamilton settled sixth in a 1:37.041 lap, while Mercedes’ Leclerc boxed in at fifth, trailing Antonelli by 0.714 s.
Supporting acts add depth to Saturday’s field
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten, trailing the leading lap by 1.618 and 1.782 seconds respectively. The session ended with the hard compound marking the first main‑race tyre run before the long‑awaited rally to Bahrain.
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