Abu Dhabi post-season tests: Charles Leclerc finishes the year in style, Hadjar ahead of Tsunoda

This post-season testing day is not really dedicated to performance. Indeed, the teams will put their single-seater back in the garage to develop and present a brand new version in the coming months for the 2025 season. This day allowed transferred drivers to get their bearings in their new team, young drivers to test an F1 car for the first time for some, and Pirelli to test different tire compounds for the next season.

Charles Leclerc in the lead but far from the best time

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of his tests in 1:23.510, which is one second slower than the best qualifying time last Saturday. Indeed, as explained earlier, this testing day has very different goals from pure performance. Ferrari used it to have a rookie, Arthur Leclerc, the brother of Charles Leclerc, drive but also to test some very well-hidden settings and novelties.

Williams took advantage of this day to welcome its new driver, coming from Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spanish driver, who had already been testing privately with Williams on Monday, completed another day behind the wheel of the Williams and quickly settled in as he set the 2nd fastest time of the day with 146 laps completed. He was one of the most enduring on track, only behind Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls who completed 159 laps.

Red Bull, on the other hand, has notably tested new pontoon inlet elements compared to the race and probably also took the opportunity to compare the performances of two drivers with a possible replacement for Sergio Perez next year: Isack Hadjar (this year’s F2 vice champion) and Yuki Tsunoda (current Racing Bulls driver).

Kimi Antonelli shines at Mercedes and leads the rookies.

Lewis Hamilton signed his last race in F1 with Mercedes and will be replaced by Kimi Antonelli in 2025. The young “prodigy” Italian, who skipped F3, spent only one season in F2, before being called to replace Hamilton, was able to take the wheel of his Mercedes in the afternoon. He finished a fine 5th position less than a tenth behind George Russell, who finished 3rd today. It’s a very good time set by the Italian.

On the rookies side, there were many names unknown to F1 fans. Ayumu Iwasa, a Red Bull junior driver, has not been racing in F2 for a season already but was still able to take part in the tests, notably supported by Honda which still powers Red Bull Power Trains. The Japanese driver had already had the opportunity to drive an F1 car, notably with AlphaTauri (Racing Bulls). He set the 6th fastest time ahead of another “rookie” in F1, but very well-known across the Atlantic, Pato O’Ward. A driver at McLaren in Indycar, he was driving with Norris today and Piastri on the side of the constructors’ world champions.

Jack Doohan, who will replace Esteban Ocon at Alpine, sets the 8th fastest time. He is ahead of Paul Aron, also at Alpine, who will be the new reserve driver for the team, replacing Victor Martins. The Estonian driver sets a time just 7 thousandths behind Doohan for his first outing in a Formula 1 single-seater.

Luke Browning was accompanying Sainz at Williams but has no clear starting role in F1 next year. He is ahead of Ryō Hirakawa, a 25-year-old driver supported by Toyota who has just signed a technical partnership with Haas.

The beautiful surprise Hadjar

Isack Hadjar was driving the Red Bull today, with Yuki Tsunoda by his side. The French driver edged out Tsunoda in the Red Bull, a surprising fact considering the Japanese has been in F1 for several seasons. However, the settings are unknown as well as the tires, but this test could potentially help the French driver secure a seat in F1 next year. Answer in the coming weeks.

Gabriel Bortoleto, future Sauber driver alongside Hülkenberg, signs the 18th fastest time, quite far from his teammate of the day and from 2025, by almost a second.

Among the other rookies, we find Jak Crawford behind the wheel of the Aston Martin, who finishes 20th ahead of the other Aston Martin, driven by Felipe Drugovitch. Frederik Vesti and Antonio Fuoco finish the day at the bottom of the timesheet.

Antonio Fuoco was driving with Arthur Leclerc in the second Ferrari. He therefore sets the slowest time of the day.

Post-season 2024 private testing rankings in Abu Dhabi:

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