F1 Bahrain GP FP3 live: Ferrari prepares for crucial Sepang qualifying

2026 Malaysian GP FP3 live from Sepang

Good morning and welcome back, Formula 1 fans and ScuderiaFans readers! With a very large triple coffee at the ready, we are set to follow the third and final free practice session of the 2026 Bahrain GP weekend at Sepang, where the Bahrain Grand Prix is being recovered.

FP3 begins at 6:30am Italian time and finishes at 7:30am. This is the final practice session of the weekend, meaning the drivers and teams have just one more hour to refine their cars before qualifying later this morning and tomorrow’s race. The full timetable for the weekend is available in the 2026 Bahrain GP at Sepang schedule and circuit guide.

Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari into final Sepang practice

Charles Leclerc grabbed the headlines on Friday by setting the fastest time in FP2, finishing ahead of Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris. The result puts Ferrari at the top of the timing screens heading into Saturday, although the final practice session will provide another important opportunity to understand the competitive order before qualifying.

Friday’s running can also be examined in greater detail through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis, which provides additional context for practice pace and longer stints.

However, Max Verstappen arguably produced the most impressive overall performance on Friday, showing particularly solid pace both over a single lap and on the longer runs. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were still working to find the right setup compromise with the heavily updated W17.

Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes prepare for decisive FP3

The key question heading into the final hour of practice is whether Friday’s apparent competitive order will remain intact when the teams move closer to their qualifying configurations. Ferrari enters the session with Charles Leclerc at the top of the FP2 classification, while Max Verstappen’s consistency and the potential still to be extracted from Mercedes add further uncertainty.

With qualifying approaching rapidly, FP3 represents the last opportunity for Ferrari and its rivals to make meaningful setup evaluations on track before the cars enter parc fermé conditions. Follow all the action from the third free practice session of the 2026 Malaysian GP at Sepang as the final preparations for qualifying take shape.