Mercedes teammates show performance gap in FP3 at Bahrain GP
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Oct 3, 2026, 6:30 AM
Last updated Oct 3, 2026
During the FP3 session of the Bahrain GP, Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes demonstrated a significant performance edge over teammate George Russell, finishing 0.610 seconds faster. In contrast, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton engaged in a tightly contested session, separated by just 0.025 seconds. McLaren's Lando Norris outpaced Oscar Piastri by 0.205 seconds, with differing setup strategies noted. Liam Lawson of Red Bull lost potential lap time, indicating areas for improvement ahead of qualifying. The session revealed critical data on car performance and tire degradation in preparation for the upcoming race.
- •Antonelli leads Russell by 0.610 seconds at FP3 in Bahrain.
- •Leclerc and Hamilton are closely matched, separated by 0.025 seconds.
- •Norris holds a 0.205-second edge over Piastri with different setups.
- •Lawson identifies a gap of 0.677 seconds due to unclaimed potential.
- •Tire degradation issues emerge, highlighted by Franco Colapinto's performance.
- 6:30 AMYahoo Sports — What we learned from FP3 telemetry breakdown: Mercedes teammate chasm, Lawson's untapped pace, and McLaren's setup split
"The timing screens never tell the full story on a grand prix weekend, but diving beneath the surface into telemetry and sector splits uncovers where performance was won, lost, and left behind. From an eye-opening intra-team gap at Mercedes to razor-thin margins at Ferrari and contrasting setup philosophies at McLaren, here is what the data showed in FP3 in the Bahrain GP in Malaysia.
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