Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap during the final practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend held in Malaysia, leading the timesheets ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. The session took place under hot and humid conditions, with teams using the opportunity to fine-tune their setups before qualifying later the same day.
Antonelli recorded a best time of 1:36.302 in Free Practice 3, edging out Verstappen by just under three tenths of a second. Hadjar completed the top three, showing strong pace for Red Bull alongside Verstappen. George Russell followed in fourth place, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top six.
The session was interrupted by a red flag caused by debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas car, which briefly halted running on track. Teams experimented with different tyre compounds throughout the session, including soft, medium, and hard tyres, as they sought the best balance for the upcoming qualifying. Traffic on track affected some drivers’ flying laps, notably Verstappen and Hamilton, who faced challenges in finding clear space.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured seventh and eighth positions respectively, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll showed progress, finishing 11th and 14th. Other notable drivers included Sergio Perez in the Cadillac, Pierre Gasly for Alpine, and Valtteri Bottas also driving for Cadillac. The session offered a glimpse into the competitive order as teams prepared for the crucial qualifying session scheduled for later in the afternoon.
Mercedes described the Friday sessions as one of their toughest, highlighting the challenges faced in adapting to the conditions and optimising the car’s performance. The variety of tyre strategies and track conditions made FP3 a valuable session for gathering data ahead of qualifying.
With qualifying set to begin at 16:00 local time, teams and drivers will look to build on the insights gained during FP3. Antonelli’s pace in the final practice underlines his potential to be competitive in the upcoming sessions, while Verstappen and Hadjar remain close challengers. The session reflected the ongoing efforts by teams across the grid to find performance gains in a demanding environment.