Antonelli leads final Sepang practice ahead of Verstappen

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.

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.

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.