Davidson sees Red Bull as Mercedes’ biggest threat after Sepang practice

Red Bull took second and third in final practice at Sepang, prompting former F1 driver Anthony Davidson to describe the team as Mercedes’ biggest threat.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:52 · 1 min

Kimi Antonelli topped final practice at Sepang, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen second, 0.278 seconds behind, and team-mate Isack Hadjar third. George Russell was fourth in the other Mercedes, RacingNews365 reported.

Former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 commentary after the session that Red Bull was quickly becoming Mercedes’ biggest threat on any given weekend, according to RacingNews365. The view follows a close finish in Baku, where Verstappen came home 0.196 seconds behind race winner Russell and Hadjar finished third.

Red Bull was still fourth in the constructors’ standings and had yet to win a grand prix in 2026. Verstappen said before the Sepang weekend that, despite recent podium finishes, he wanted at least one victory this season.

Source context

RacingNews365 reported Davidson’s Sky Sports F1 comments and the Sepang practice results on 3 October 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

RacingNews365 reports that former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 commentary that Red Bull is becoming Mercedes’ biggest threat on a given weekend. The commentary was not directly available in the supplied material.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Davidson’s assessment, reported through RacingNews365 After final practice at Sepang, reported on 3 October 2026 This supports an accurately attributed opinion, not proof of the competitive ranking.

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RacingNews365 reports that Antonelli led final practice at Sepang, Verstappen was second, 0.278 seconds behind, Hadjar third and the other Mercedes driver, Russell, fourth.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Practice result providing context for the assessment Final practice at Sepang before the article’s publication on 3 October 2026 The result is reported by the sole supplied publication; a practice classification does not establish race pace or an enduring competitive order.

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The article reports that at Baku, Verstappen finished 0.196 seconds behind race winner Russell and Hadjar finished third.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Recent race result cited as context The Baku race preceding the Sepang practice session This is a result reported by RacingNews365, not an independent confirmation of Davidson’s broader assessment.

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RacingNews365 says Red Bull was fourth in the constructors’ standings and had not won a grand prix in the 2026 season at the time of the article. Those reported results qualify any suggestion that Davidson’s ‘biggest threat’ assessment was already an established race outcome.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Season standings and results that qualify the assessment The 2026 season through the article’s publication on 3 October 2026 The supplied material contains no independently read standings or race-results record.

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RacingNews365 quotes Verstappen saying before the Sepang weekend that he wanted at least one race win in 2026; that is an ambition, not a prediction of a win at Sepang.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen’s stated ambition Before the Sepang weekend, during the 2026 season The article does not specify the original setting of Verstappen’s remark.

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Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:52

De Nederlandse vertaling maakt de uitspraak over één raceweekend niet langer algemener; tijdsverschillen en een maandnaam zijn juist genoteerd.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.