Antonelli finds his rhythm to top final Sepang practice
Antonelli topped the final practice session for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday at the Sepang International Circuit, according to Free Malaysia Today. The 20‑year‑old Mercedes driver, who…
Source: Free Malaysia Today · October 4, 2026 at 10:02 AM · AI-assisted report
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SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —
Antonelli topped the final practice session for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday at the Sepang International Circuit, according to Free Malaysia Today. The 20‑year‑old Mercedes driver, who entered the weekend as the championship leader, recorded the fastest lap after finding his rhythm on the track.
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His performance marked a clear turnaround from Friday’s second practice, where he had been only the eighth quickest. In the final practice he clocked a time of one minute 36.302 seconds on soft tyres, a figure cited by the source as his best effort of the session.
Red Bull’s four‑times world champion Max Verstappen, noted by the source as the last driver to win at Sepang in 2017, was second fastest. His teammate Isack Hadjar followed in third, a little over half a second slower than Antonelli’s lap time, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
Mercedes driver George Russell, who trails his teammate Antonelli by 66 points in the standings, was fourth fastest, over six‑tenths of a second slower than the Italian’s time, but still ahead of the two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton’s reaction was captured on the team radio, where he said, “It felt like a pretty decent lap considering the tyres were not great,” a direct quote supplied by the source.
McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris, identified as the only driver in the top ten running on medium tyres, was seventh fastest, with his teammate Oscar Piastri taking eighth place. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten, according to the same report.
The session was briefly red‑flagged midway through to remove debris from the circuit after it became tangled in Haas driver Oliver Bearman’s front‑right tyre, with Bearman asking his team on the radio whether they knew what the object was, a detail provided by Free Malaysia Today. Malaysia is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix due to the conflict in the Middle East, the source concludes.
Related: Mercedes · Antonelli · Sepang International Circuit