Antonelli finds his rhythm to top final Sepang practice

Kimi Antonelli topped the final practice session for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday after finding his rhythm at Sepang International Circuit. The 20-year-old improved from eighth fastest in Friday’s FP2 to a lap of 1:36.302 on soft tyres. Max Verstappen, a four-times champion and the most recent winner at Sepang in 2017, was second fastest, while teammate Isack Hadjar finished third, just over half a second behind. Mercedes’ George Russell placed fourth, 66 points behind Antonelli’s teammate in the standings. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with a brief red flag to remove debris involving Oliver Bearman’s front-right tyre.