Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished in the lead in the final free practice session before the Monaco Grand Prix, overtaking Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after setting the fastest lap.
He topped the timesheets in Saturday’s final free practice session after posting an impressive time of 1m 12.720s on soft tyres. The young Italian racing driver put in an impressive performance after the legendary duo of Charles Leclerc and the seven-time F1 champion dominated Friday’s practice session.
Antonelli’s streak has put Mercedes squarely in the fight for pole position with other teams. Qualifying is often considered more important than the race itself in Monaco because overtaking opportunities are extremely limited on the tight street circuit.
However, Mercedes is expected to face a significant challenge from Ferrari for pole position as both drivers finished second and third in the final practice session.
Monaco-born Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished second, while his teammate Hamilton finished third in the session.
Here is the final standings from the third and final practice session before the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.
With Antonelli, Leclerc and Hamilton separated by just a few tenths of a second, qualifying is shaping up to be one of the most competitive sessions of the season.
It is pertinent to note that practice sessions do not award any points to athletes; However, Antonelli’s performance sent a strong message that Mercedes cannot be overlooked in the battle for pole position.
