Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a difficult Friday at the Sepang International Circuit to top the final practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, outpacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ahead of qualifying.
The return of Formula 1 to Sepang for the first time since 2017 brought immediate tire preservation challenges across the hot, low-grip Malaysian layout. Friday sessions saw heavy tire degradation, prompting teams to run distinct run plans. While competitors explored different compounds during practice, the Silver Arrows worked to overcome balance issues after bringing a heavily upgraded W17 chassis package to the venue, managing only modest positions during Friday practice before finding speed on Saturday morning.
Antonelli Leads Mercedes Recovery in Final Practice
The championship leader topped final practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia with a lap time of 1m 36.302s. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spent considerable running on the less-favored hard tire compound early in the session, logging a 1m 37.772s benchmark to gather data on long-run degradation.
A brief interruption occurred when Oliver Bearman’s Haas shed a piece of carbon fiber from its front-right brake duct at Turn 10, bringing out a red flag with 35 minutes remaining. Once the track went green again, Antonelli vaulted to the top of the leaderboard on soft tires, while teammate George Russell slotted into the top four.
Verstappen Secures Pole Position as Qualifying Unfolds
Isack Hadjar secured a strong initial position for Red Bull.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli expressed frustration about the single set of tires used during qualifying, stating, It’s a shame because with only one set, big pressure. I did what I could but with another set we could have fought for front row. Not P1, because Max was too quick today.
Further down the grid, several drivers faced penalties or difficult sessions. Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad chose not to set times in Q2 due to grid penalties, with Colapinto carrying drops for a collision in Baku and a new engine swap. Esteban Ocon voiced frustration over his early exit, telling reporters his team sent him out too early.
Title Battle Resumes Following Azerbaijan
The weekend in Malaysia arrives directly on the heels of a dramatic race in Azerbaijan, where George Russell claimed victory from pole position while Antonelli struggled to fifth place. That result cut Antonelli’s championship lead down to 66 points with eight rounds remaining in the season. Reflecting on his difficult weekend in Baku, the young Italian admitted he lacked his usual confidence behind the wheel.
I will 're-establish the order' over George Russell,
Antonelli said, according to sources. I'm really looking forward to it.
Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord noted that Russell’s strong form in Baku does not create a psychological hurdle within the garage, emphasizing that both drivers share exceptionally high performance standards.
