F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Kimi Antonelli bounces back from a challenging Friday to lead FP3.

This weekend marks the return of Sepang to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2017, which concluded an 18-year period characterized by unpredictable weather conditions.

Nonetheless, F1 has yet to see such conditions at the Malaysian circuit in 2026, as FP3, similar to FP1 and 2, remained dry throughout, but featured the initial usage of the anticipated main race tyre, the hard compound.

This is significant because tyre degradation proved crucial during Friday's practice on the warm, low-grip surface, with Charles Leclerc posting a time of 1m37.772s on the white-striped hard tyres early in the session.

Leclerc's performance saw him placed third, respectively 0.611s and 0.289s behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who utilized the medium tyres along with all three compounds displayed.

Lando Norris, McLaren

The soft tyres were employed by those in the midfield and lower positions, meaning Leclerc was the sole driver on the hards, though George Russell was expected to join him until a red flag was waved in the 25th minute.

This occurred after debris was shed from Oliver Bearman’s Haas at Turn 10, and when the session resumed eight minutes later, several drivers had yet to post a time, leading to more runs on the soft tyres.

Championship leader Antonelli surged to the top with his first flying lap, recording a time of 1m36.924s, giving him a 0.129s edge over his teammate Russell in second place.

Leclerc then interjected between the two with a time of 1m37.016s, igniting the final six-minute dash, with Isack Hadjar briefly claiming the top spot moments later with a 1m36.860s in his competitive Red Bull.

However, his lead was short-lived, as just after Russell improved to a 1m36.912s, Antonelli showcased his dominance again with a time of 1m36.302s.

This placed the 20-year-old five tenths ahead of Hadjar, with Verstappen, Hadjar’s teammate, soon splitting them after setting a 1m36.580s at the end of the qualifying runs.

Thus, Red Bull had both cars in the top three for the second time this weekend after FP1, while Russell secured fourth for Mercedes with Leclerc in fifth, 0.714s behind Antonelli.

Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton finished sixth with a time of 1m37.041s, ahead of seventh-placed Norris, whose best effort (1m37.161s) came on the mediums, with teammate Piastri in eighth.

The Australian recorded a time of 1m37.366s, placing him 1.064s behind Antonelli, continuing McLaren's challenges at Sepang after they finished 11th and 12th in the opening practice.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten in FP3, finishing 1.618s and 1.782s off the pace, respectively.