Kimi Antonelli strikes back in FP3 as Mercedes overcome major concerns

Kimi Antonelli was fastest in the final free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, besting Max Verstappen by almost three tenths of a second.

Isack Hadjar rounded out the top three at the Sepang International Circuit, as Red Bull continued to impress, ahead of George Russell and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

McLaren appeared to struggle, but with the rest of the top four teams finally showing their hands, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain an outside threat heading into qualifying.

The former went seventh-quickest, but curiously set his best effort on the medium compound. The latter was just two-tenths behind in eighth.

It was a relatively event-free FP3, with Oliver Bearman bringing out a red flag after 25 minutes being the rare exception to the rule.

Check out the full report from Free Practice 3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia below!

Typically slow start

It was a typically slow start to FP3, despite the F1 having spent nine years away from Sepang. Franco Colapinto and Sergio Perez were the only two drivers to clock some early running, whilst Liam Lawson completed an install lap and promptly returned to the pits.

Arvid Lindblad and Pierre Gasly soon joined the action, but the track remained quiet for the first 15 minutes of the final free practice session.

Leclerc was the first big hitter to emerge from the pit lane, coming out on hard tyres. An unusual move, with the Ferrari driver deciding he does not need two fresh sets of the white-walled Pirellis for the 56-lap race.

In doing so, he became just the second driver to use the compound so far across the weekend, after Max Verstappen.

He immediately went top, putting in a 1:37.772, almost half a second quicker than Gasly's previous benchmark time.

Only the McLarens of Norris and Piastri would strap on the mediums to start their session, with the rest of the field all opting for softs. The two MCL40s soon went fastest, with the former six tenths up on Leclerc's best effort to point.

Fernando Alonso would join the Red Bulls, Hamilton and the two Mercedes as the only cars not to venture out on track during the opening 20 minutes.

Bearman triggered a red flag with 35 minutes to go, after a thin strip of carbon broke free from the brake duct of his front-right brake.

A marshal soon retrieved the discarded material from the inside of Turn 10, allowing the session to resume after a five-minute stoppage.

Final 30

The Mercedes duo entered the proceedings once the delay ended and soon went first and second quickest, with Antonelli leading Russell by a tenth of a second on soft tyres.

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, had slotted in around the McLarens, in fourth and sixth, respectively.

Norris had, by this stage, joined the majority of the field on softs, but his best effort remained a medium-tyre lap, just shy of two-and-a-half tenths adrift.

The track remained relatively quiet for much of the final half an hour. With 10 minutes remaining, Lance Stroll was the only driver yet to submit a representative time.

The Aston Martin driver would eventually get on the timing board after five reconnaissance laps, going P14, half a second slower than Alonso in P11.

As focus shifted towards the final qualifying simulations, the circuit became busier, and the timing board changed considerably despite the efforts being put in on used soft tyres.