Kimi Antonelli Tops Final Practice Ahead of Verstappen at Sepang
- Kimi Antonelli set the pace during the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking a lap of 1m 36.302s at the Sepang International Circuit...
- The one-hour session began at 12:30 local time under hot and humid conditions, with Cadillac driver Sergio Perez being the first to take to the track.
- World championship leader Kimi Antonelli heads into the weekend looking to re-establish the order over Mercedes team-mate George Russell after being outperformed in Azerbaijan, where Russell claimed victory...
Kimi Antonelli set the pace during the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking a lap of 1m 36.302s at the Sepang International Circuit to finish nearly three tenths clear of his rivals, formula1.com reported. The Mercedes driver bounced back from what his team described as one of their toughest Fridays of the season to lead the timesheets ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Lando Norris Leads Sepang Session Despite Red Flag
The one-hour session began at 12:30 local time under hot and humid conditions, with Cadillac driver Sergio Perez being the first to take to the track. Charles Leclerc set an early benchmark of 1m 37.772s on hard tires before McLaren’s Lando Norris went six tenths faster on medium rubber. Track action faced a temporary halt just before the halfway point when a red flag was deployed to clear debris shed by Ollie Bearman’s Haas car. Once the session resumed, a busy pit lane emptied onto the circuit as drivers swapped compounds and chased faster lap times. Traffic hampered several drivers during their flying laps, with Lewis Hamilton waving his hand after getting stuck behind slower traffic, while Verstappen encountered similar congestion in the final sector. Further down the timesheets, Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10 for Alpine, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto just missed out in P11, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg. Ollie Bearman placed in 17th, followed by Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Title Rivals Contrast Form Ahead of Qualifying
World championship leader Kimi Antonelli heads into the weekend looking to re-establish the order over Mercedes team-mate George Russell after being outperformed in Azerbaijan, where Russell claimed victory from pole position while Antonelli could only manage fifth. Although Antonelli had finished ahead of Russell in five successive Grands Prix, the Baku result cut his championship lead to 66 points with eight rounds remaining, amidst a triple-header leg featuring Malaysia hosting the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Antonelli admitted his performance in Azerbaijan fell well short of his standard, stating he drove more like his grandma after crashing out of qualifying and struggling for confidence in the race. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord noted that Russell’s strong form does not create a psychological hurdle for the team, emphasizing that having two drivers capable of fighting at the front remains a key asset. Antonelli’s fastest lap in the Sepang session ultimately kept him 0.278 seconds ahead of Verstappen, with Hadjar half a second back in third and Russell slotting into fourth place, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in fifth and sixth, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took seventh and eighth.
Qualifying Schedule at Sepang International Circuit
Attention across the paddock now shifts directly to the qualifying session, which is scheduled to get underway at 16:00 local time. Teams have a tight turnaround to analyze telemetry from the final practice hour before setting the grid for the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix.
He’s always been my rival.
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