Andrea Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes at the top of the timesheets in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, recovering from a difficult Friday for the championship-leading team. His best lap was 1 minute 36.302 seconds, 0.278 seconds faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and 0.558 seconds ahead of Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar.

The session marked Mercedes’ first fastest time of the weekend. Antonelli’s team-mate and closest championship rival, George Russell, finished fourth in 1:36.912, 0.610 seconds behind. Both Mercedes drivers were using the team’s extensive new upgrade package on the W17, which had yielded second and fifth in first practice, then seventh and eighth in second practice as other teams initially appeared stronger.

The result gave Red Bull both cars in the top three, as it had in first practice. Verstappen’s 1:36.580 placed him between Antonelli and Hadjar, who recorded 1:36.860. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth in 1:37.016, with Lewis Hamilton sixth in 1:37.041. The two Ferrari drivers were separated by 0.025 seconds, and Leclerc was 0.714 seconds off the leading time.

Sepang returned to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2017. That year’s race was the last of an 18-year run at the circuit, where mixed weather had been a familiar feature. The first three practice sessions of the 2026 weekend were dry, including final practice, despite expectations that changing weather could feature.

Final practice provided the first running on the hard tyre, the white-striped compound expected to be used in the main race. Tyre degradation had been a major factor in Friday’s sessions on the hot, low-grip track. The surface was also described as extremely abrasive and was starting to break up in places, with cars pulling stones from it. Drivers had to try to extract a single competitive lap from the soft tyre.

Leclerc was first to use the hard compound and set a 1:37.772 early in the session, initially putting him third. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were ahead on medium tyres, respectively 0.611 and 0.289 seconds faster than Leclerc at that point. Most of the midfield and lower-running teams used soft tyres. George Russell was due to try the hard compound as well, but the plan was interrupted by a red flag in the 25th minute.

The stoppage followed debris coming off Oliver Bearman’s Haas at Turn 10. The session resumed eight minutes later, with several drivers yet to set a time, and the field moved into further soft-tyre runs. Antonelli took the lead with his first push lap, a 1:36.924, putting him 0.129 seconds ahead of Russell. Leclerc then split the Mercedes pair with a 1:37.016 as the final six-minute push began.

Hadjar briefly moved to the top with a 1:36.860 in his competitive Red Bull. Russell improved to 1:36.912, but Antonelli then delivered the session’s fastest lap. Verstappen completed his qualifying-style run near the end and moved between the Mercedes leader and Hadjar. Autosport reported that Verstappen had set the pace in first practice and finished this session two tenths slower than Antonelli; the official listed interval was 0.278 seconds.

Hamilton said his lap was compromised by the condition of the tyres. “It felt like a pretty decent lap considering the tyres were not great,” he reported after setting a time fractionally slower than Leclerc. Norris was seventh in 1:37.161, his best lap set on medium tyres after he could not improve on the softs. Piastri was eighth in 1:37.366, 1.064 seconds behind Antonelli. McLaren’s practice struggles continued after the team placed 11th and 12th in opening practice.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top ten in ninth, 1.618 seconds off the pace, followed by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, 1.782 seconds back. RaceFans noted that both drivers carry grid penalties into the race. Fernando Alonso was 12th for Aston Martin, providing the team with some encouragement, while the results listed Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto 11th and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly 13th.

The remaining order was Esteban Ocon 14th for Haas, Liam Lawson 15th for Racing Bulls, Nico Hulkenberg 16th for Audi, Bearman 17th, Carlos Sainz 18th for Williams, Lance Stroll 19th for Aston Martin and Alex Albon 20th for Williams. Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez placed 21st and 22nd for Cadillac, which was almost a second slower than the next-slowest car. RaceFans said Cadillac had regularly seen both drivers eliminated in Q3 this year.

The practice report was written by Keith Collantine, a lifelong motor sport fan who founded RaceFans in 2005, when it was called F1 Fanatic. Collantine had worked as a motoring journalist and began running the site full-time in 2010 to focus on his passion for motor racing. RaceFans also listed related coverage of Ferrari’s €10,000 fine after Hamilton impeded Bortoleto in practice, Verstappen’s explanation for not using soft tyres in second practice, and practice pictures from Sepang.

Based on reporting by Autosport and RaceFans.