Antonelli fastest in final practice as F1 qualifies in Malaysia heat
Kimi Antonelli topped final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia with a 1:36.302 at Sepang on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The Mercedes driver beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.278 seconds, with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar third, 0.558 seconds back, and Mercedes team-mate George Russell fourth, 0.610 seconds back, according to the timing screens Formula 1.
It is a borrowed weekend. Formula 1 is back in Malaysia for the first time since 2017, but under the official title FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IN MALAYSIA 2026, held from 02-04 Oct at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur. The Bahrain race was postponed from its original April date because of war in the Middle East The Guardian.
The meeting was declared a heat-hazard race. That is the sport's extreme-heat protocol, which brings extra measures for drivers and teams in very high temperatures.
Antonelli's lap turned the earlier running on its head. Verstappen had topped practice on Friday with a 1m37.520s, 0.383 seconds clear of Russell, with Hadjar 0.783 seconds back in third and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth The Race. Final practice was more than a second quicker at the front.
The stakes are clear. Antonelli led the standings by 76 points ahead of qualifying on October 3 The Guardian. He has eight wins this season, including five in a row early in the year, ahead of Russell on three wins, Lando Norris on two, and Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on one each Reuters.
Russell arrives in form. He won in Baku the weekend before, taking pole in Azerbaijan with a 1:42.536 ahead of Leclerc on 1:43.363 and Oscar Piastri on 1:43.364.
Qualifying at Sepang was scheduled for 1600 local time, 9am BST and 6pm AEST, after final practice at 1230. Several drivers already knew they would lose places on the grid for the race. Arvid Lindblad, Hadjar and Franco Colapinto were each set to carry a penalty for exceeding the allowed number of internal combustion engines — the petrol engine part of the power unit, which is limited per season.
Colapinto had a further five-place penalty following the crash involving Pierre Gasly and Norris at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Norris had called for a one-race ban for Colapinto after Baku and said some drivers should not be in Formula 1. He later apologised for the comments.
For fans, this means a fast leader, a crowded chasing pack and a shuffled grid to come. Sepang is hot, quick and unfamiliar to much of the current field. Next year offers more twists, with sprint races — short Saturday races that set part of the weekend score — due to rise from six to 10, with Bahrain due to host a sprint and open the season.
