Kimi Antonelli will start third on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid thanks to Isack Hadjar's five-place grid penalty, but after Mercedes introduced a seven-piece upgrade package at Sepang, the driver's expectations were much higher before he started driving. He now places his hopes on using the powerful undercut this circuit may have to offer.
Antonelli looked like the man to beat after what looked to be a strong FP3 session. But qualifying unravelled for both him and his team-mate after a straightline deficit and tyre troubles allowed Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Hadjar to slip up the time sheet.
