The traditional post-season Formula 1 testing took place today at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Each team fielded two cars: one for young drivers with no more than two race starts and another for testing the 2025 tyres, typically handled by race drivers. Rookies, on the other hand, used this year’s tyres.

Carlos Sainz drove for Williams in plain overalls and a sponsorless helmet, building on his filming session from Monday. He topped the morning times before finishing just behind Charles Leclerc, who set the fastest lap of the day with a 1:23.510.

At Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli joined the afternoon session despite recovering from a recent illness, with Frederik Vesti stepping in during the morning. Though not fully fit, Antonelli delivered competitive lap times, staying close to George Russell's pace.

Nico Hulkenberg made his debut in Sauber (soon to become Audi) and split the two Mercedes drivers in the times. His new teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, coming to Formula 1 as this year’s F2 champion, finished further back.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda took the wheel for Red Bull, but it was Liam Lawson, testing with VCARB, who stood out. Lawson completed the most laps, reinforcing his bid for a Red Bull seat in 2025.

Young drivers also made their mark. Ayumu Iwasa secured sixth for VCARB, with McLaren rookie Pato O’Ward and Alpine’s Paul Aron gaining valuable experience.

Jack Doohan, who debuted for Alpine in the last race of the season, stepping in for Esteban Ocon, also showed promise and completed lots of laps.

Despite cooler conditions and slower lap times compared to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying, the teams ran smoothly, completing over 2,500 laps. The only but minimal disruption was a brief red flag late in the day caused by an unknown reason.