Kimi Antonelli finally got Mercedes firing on all cylinders during Free Practice 3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, setting the fastest time of the session and giving the Silver Arrows a much-needed boost after what they'd described as one of their toughest Fridays all season. The German driver's 1m 36.302s put him nearly three tenths clear of the field, a solid statement ahead of qualifying later in the day.

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Max Verstappen and Red Bull had to settle for second place, with the Dutchman finishing 0.278 seconds adrift of Antonelli despite showing plenty of pace throughout the hour. Isack Hadjar rounded out the top three for third place, over half a second back, while George Russell couldn't quite match his teammate's performance and ended up fourth. The session saw plenty of action with a couple of red flags thrown for debris, including one that came loose from Ollie Bearman's Haas as the track got increasingly busy during the closing stages.

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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc managed fifth place with Lewis Hamilton in sixth, while the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri found themselves seventh and eighth respectively. The softer compound tyres seemed to be the way to go for pace, though traffic became an issue as more drivers joined the party late in the session. Hamilton was notably seen waving his hand after getting held up behind the Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad, a headache that affected several drivers trying to secure their final flying laps.

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With Antonelli going quickest for the first time during the weekend, Mercedes' turnaround from their difficult Friday was remarkable. The grid had returned to Malaysia's Sepang circuit for the first time since 2017, and with over ten drivers from that era still on the grid, there's been plenty of nostalgia mixed with the challenge of adapting to the hot and humid conditions. Qualifying was set to get underway at 1600 local time, and Mercedes would certainly fancy their chances of carrying this momentum forward.

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