Antonelli leads final Sepang practice ahead of Verstappen
Kimi Antonelli led final practice at Sepang ahead of Max Verstappen, giving Mercedes an encouraging result before qualifying, though team-mate George Russell was fourth.
What has changed? · 05/10/2026, 21:29 UTC
Review information is loading.
Antonelli set a 1:36.302 in the final practice session at Sepang, putting him ahead of Verstappen’s 1:36.580. Isack Hadjar was third on 1:36.860, with George Russell fourth. Russell was about six tenths slower than his Mercedes team-mate, so Antonelli’s pace was not matched across the team. [1]
Lando Norris finished seventh after setting his best lap on medium tyres. His McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was eighth, about two tenths behind him. The session was briefly stopped after carbon debris came loose from Oliver Bearman’s front-right brake duct. A marshal cleared it from Turn 10, and running resumed after roughly five minutes. [1]
Antonelli’s fastest lap gives Mercedes a strong result heading into qualifying, but the gap to Russell leaves the team’s pace across both cars an open question. [1]
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
About this discussion and AI questions
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…