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Antonelli Finds His Rhythm to Top Final Sepang Practice

Antonelli’s upgraded Mercedes set the pace on new soft tyres as Verstappen and Hadjar kept Red Bull in the top three.

  • Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time during Saturday's FP3 at Sepang with a 1m36.302, topping the field ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who secured second and third for Red Bull.
  • Debris on the Turn 10 apex forced a red flag with 33 minutes remaining. Before the stoppage, the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto briefly led the field on soft tires.
  • Isack Hadjar reported struggling with an "unpredictable" Red Bull rear in Turns 1 and 9, while Lewis Hamilton slipped to ninth. Verstappen received a black and white flag for failing to follow race director instructions.
  • Lance Stroll joined the action late on soft tires for Aston Martin with 10 minutes remaining. Oscar Piastri improved his standing with McLaren after switching to softs, while Charles Leclerc continued Ferrari's hard tire program.
  • The Sepang track surface, unchanged since 2017, continues to challenge teams ahead of qualifying. Mercedes and Red Bull's competitive pace suggests a tight battle as drivers finalize setups for Sunday's race.
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Writing sports, 3 Oct (EFE).- The Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), leader of the Formula One World Championship, marked the best time this Saturday, ahead of the quad Dutch world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), in the third and last free training for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is contested in the Sepang circuit, [...] The entry Antonelli leads ahead of Verstappen the third free Sepang was first published in HolaNews.

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Mercedes found the way with the soft tires and Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in Bahrain's third free GP training, which is being played in Malaysia on the Sepang track this weekend.

·São Paulo, Brazil
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RACER broke the news on Friday, October 2, 2026.
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