SEPANG, Oct 3 — Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finally clicked into gear at Sepang today, topping final practice for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after struggling to make an impression yesterday.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver, only eighth fastest in second practice, produced a late lap of 1 minute 36.302 seconds on soft tyres to head Max Verstappen and lay down a marker before qualifying.
Four-time world champion Verstappen — the last man to win an F1 race at Sepang when Malaysia last hosted a Grand Prix in 2017 — finished second, with Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar third, just over half a second behind Antonelli.
Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell was fourth, more than six-tenths off the pace.
