Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed a strong recovery by setting the fastest time in the final practice session (FP3) at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia. After a challenging Friday for Mercedes, the championship leader improved significantly to top the charts with a lap of 1m36.302s at the Sepang circuit.
Mercedes had introduced a heavily upgraded W17 car for the weekend, but the team struggled to find pace during Friday’s sessions, with their drivers finishing second and fifth in FP1 and seventh and eighth in FP2. Despite these difficulties, Antonelli’s performance in FP3 marked a notable turnaround, as he edged out Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen by 0.278 seconds. The session was run in dry conditions, featuring the hard tyre compound for the first time this weekend.
The hot and low-grip surface at Sepang made tyre degradation a significant challenge throughout the Friday sessions. Early in FP3, Charles Leclerc set a competitive time on hard tyres, placing third behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were running on medium tyres. The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag caused by debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas car.
Following the restart, Antonelli quickly reclaimed the top spot, followed by his Mercedes teammate George Russell and Leclerc. Isack Hadjar of Red Bull Racing briefly led the session before Antonelli returned to first place. Verstappen ended FP3 in third, with Russell fourth and Leclerc fifth. Lewis Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, finished sixth, while McLaren’s Norris and Piastri continued to face challenges, placing seventh and eighth respectively. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
Mercedes’ upgraded W17 car showed signs of improvement in FP3 after a difficult start to the weekend. Antonelli’s pace in the session highlighted his ability to adapt and extract performance despite earlier setbacks. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari remained competitive, with their drivers consistently appearing near the front of the timesheets.
The final practice session at Sepang provided valuable insights into the teams’ pace and tyre management ahead of qualifying and the race. The introduction of the hard tyre compound added a new variable for teams to consider on the demanding track surface. The session’s results underlined the ongoing challenge of balancing speed and tyre conservation in the hot Malaysian conditions.
Antonelli’s FP3 performance demonstrated a clear improvement from the previous day, reflecting his status as the points leader in the 2026 championship. The session also confirmed that Mercedes, while still facing some struggles, is working to optimize their upgraded car’s performance. The weekend’s programme continues with qualifying and the race, where teams will look to build on the data gathered during practice.