Kimi Antonelli Deliver a strong response in final practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, going fastest at Sepang to put Mercedes at the top of the timessheets ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar

Antonelli set the pace with a 1:36.302 during the closing stages of the session, finishing 0.278 seconds clear of Verstappen. Hadjar impressed once again to take third, while George Russell completed the top four for Mercedes.

The result represents a significant improvement for Antonelli and Mercedes after a difficult Friday. The team struggled to extract the maximum performance from its car during the opening two sessions, but overnight changes appeared to unlock more pace at Sepang.

Verstappen remained within striking distance of Antonelli throughout the session, with Red Bull continuing to show strong form at a circuit where tyre management and high temperatures are expected to play an important role.

Hadjar continued his impressive weekend by placing third, giving Red Bull two cars inside the top three. Russell also showed improved pace to finish fourth, although he was more than half a second behind his Mercedes teammate.

Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari, followed by Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris finished seventh, with Oscar Piastri eighth as McLaren continued to search for more performance ahead of qualifying.

Sepang once again proved demanding for the drivers, with high temperatures and humidity adding to the challenge of the fast and technical circuit. The return of Malaysia to the Formula 1 calendar has also given teams limited recent data to work with, making setup decisions particularly important.

Antonelli now heads into qualifying with renewed confidence after topping the final practice session. The championship leader will be hoping to convert that pace into pole position as Mercedes looks to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari at the front.

With Verstappen only 0.278 seconds away and Hadjar showing strong pace, the fight for pole at Sepang remains wide open.