Mercedes showed encouraging pace and Aston Martin's Honda engine drew attention during the third free practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit on Saturday, according to Car and Driver. The session shaped up as the final tune-up before qualifying.
Coverage of the session focused heavily on Kimi Antonelli, with Diario AS framing the session around a duel between Antonelli and Max Verstappen. MARCA reported that Antonelli led the way at a circuit that rewards driver skill, while describing Fernando Alonso as being on a different level of competitiveness. SoyMotor.com reported that Antonelli got the better of the Red Bull cars in the session, with Alonso finishing near the top 10.
The mixed picture across outlets reflects how tightly the field was bunched in the final practice hour. Mercedes' apparent step forward and the form of Aston Martin's Honda-powered car were the two threads drawing the most attention from the session, per Car and Driver.
Attention now turns to qualifying at Sepang, where the order from practice will be tested under full pressure and grid positions for Sunday's race will be settled.
