Kimi Antonelli Beats Teammate Russell in Final Practice in Japan

Mercedes were quite a bit faster than the rest of the field, and it’s shaping up to be another Mercedes pole position. It was Kimi Antonelli who went quickest this time around, with George Russell almost three-tenths back. Charles Leclerc was the driver to slot into third, with Ferrari and McLaren seeming to be the closest to challenging Mercedes. The reigning World Champion continued to suffer problems, with Norris remaining in the garage due to an Energy Recovery System issue, and was only able to make it onto the track with 25 minutes left in the session. The McLaren driver was the only one to be heavily affected by technical issues in FP3, as the rest of the session was relatively without drama.

Mercedes might’ve dominated the timesheets once again, but this time it was Charles Leclerc to be third fastest, ahead of Oscar Piastri, who’s been quick all weekend. Lewis Hamilton slotted into fifth, while Lando Norris managed sixth after getting minimal track time. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh, and Verstappen, Bortoleto, and Gasly rounded out the top ten.

Below are the full results of the final practice session before Qualifying.