Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli delivered an impressive performance to set the fastest time in the third practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix, underlining Mercedes’ strong form heading into qualifying, İdman.Biz reports.
Antonelli clocked a best lap of 1:29.362 to lead the field, with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell finishing second, 0.254 seconds behind. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured third place, trailing by 0.867 seconds.
The session confirmed Mercedes as the early benchmark at Suzuka, with both drivers showing consistent pace over a single lap. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five, just over a second off the leading time.
Further down the order, Lando Norris placed sixth, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen could only manage eighth, more than 1.5 seconds adrift of Antonelli.
With qualifying still to come, the competitive order remains fluid, but Mercedes’ pace in the final practice suggests they could be strong contenders for pole position at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits.
