{
  "id": 11613595,
  "title": "F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Kimi Antonelli recovers from tough Friday to top FP3",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/f1-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-kimi-antonelli-recovers-from-tough-friday",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T05:40:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/f1-bahrain-gp-malaysia-kimi-054006919.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kimi Antonelli reclaimed top position at the final practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, overcoming a difficult Friday, to claim FP3. The Mercedes team, equipped with a noticeably upgraded W17, managed only second and fifth in FP1 and seventh and eighth in FP2, with competitors showing stronger performances. The Bahrain circuit, returning to F1 for the first time since 2017, presented mixed weather conditions, characteristic of its past 18-year tenure. However, Sepang is still testing its capabilities in 2026, as FP3, like FP1 and FP2, remained dry throughout the session. Despite the challenging conditions, Antonelli demonstrated impressive speed, finishing the practice 1.36.302s, two-tenths quicker than Max Verstappen, who led in the first practice. The dominance of Mercedes continued as Antonelli set the fastest time in the session, leaving a 0.129s gap to his team-mate George Russell. The Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who initially led in the early stages, was eventually surpassed by the younger driver, who had the fastest lap in FP3. The Red Bull team also secured two top-three finishes for the weekend, with George Russell taking fourth place for Mercedes. The remaining drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, occupied the sixth and seventh positions respectively.",
  "summary": "The F1 2026 points leader finished no higher than fifth on Friday, but he returned to the top for final practice at Sepang",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Bahrain GP in Malaysia: F1 fans complain of gridlocked traffic, over three-hour waits for shuttles",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-f1-fans-complain-of-gridlocked-traffic-over",
        "published": "2026-10-03T02:06:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Kimi Antonelli recovers from tough Friday to top FP3",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/f1-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-kimi-antonelli-recovers-from-tough-friday-11613833",
        "published": "2026-10-03T05:40:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechRadar",
        "title": "How to watch Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: Live stream F1 race from anywhere",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/how-to-watch-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia-2026-live-stream-f1-race",
        "published": "2026-10-03T06:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}