Williams newcomer Carlos Sainz sat on top of the timesheets at midday on the final day of Formula 1 action for 2024 in testing at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit.
Although this is Sainz’s public debut for Williams, having been given permission by Ferrari to get a head-start on his preparations for next season, he first sampled the Williams-Mercedes FW46 on a promotional event day at the circuit on Monday. That permits 200km to be covered, using Pirelli’s ‘Academy’ tyres.
All 10 teams are running two cars in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, one for running the 2025-specification Pirellis and the other for young drivers - meaning Sainz is in the tyre test car.
Sainz moved to the top of the timesheets during the first hour, setting a time of 1m24.620s. He was deposed by former Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc during the second hour, although quickly regained top spot with a lap of 1m24.345s. They were joined in the top three by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Three other 2025 race drivers are also having their first experience of their new teams in the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix running.
At Sauber, ex-Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and newly crowned Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoletto both hit the track when it opened. Bortoleto holds seventh place, with Hulkenberg down in 15th.
Esteban Ocon spent the first 15 minutes in the garage while final adjustments were made to the car. He ended the first three hours of running slowest, four tenths behind the other Haas of Ryo Hirakawa - with Haas replicating its pre-season testing policy of focusing on heavy-fuel running and thus both drivers were over three seconds off the pace.
Yuki Tsunoda holds 10th on the timesheets on his first test in a current-spec Red Bull. He was half a tenth faster than Isack Hadjar in the other Red Bull.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is absent for the first half of the day thanks to the after-effects of the illness that kept him out of last weekend’s F2 finale. Frederik Vesti took over his car, setting 17th-fastest time, but Antonelli is due to get in the car in the afternoon.
Paul Aron, recently confirmed as Alpine reserve driver for 2025, had his first run for the team and is currently ninth fastest, five places behind team-mate Jack Doohan.
Times
1. Carlos Sainz (Williams), 1m24.435s
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1m24.561s
3. Lando Norris (McLaren), 1m24.678s
4. Jack Doohan (Alpine), 1m24.804s
5. Pato O'Ward (McLaren), 1m25.201s
6. Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari), 1m25.238s
7. Gabriel Bortoleto (Ferrari), 1m25.306s
8. Luke Browning (Williams), 1m25.409s
9. Paul Aron (Alpine), 1m25.561s
10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), 1m25.568s
11. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), 1m25.605s
12. Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin), 1m25.819s
13. Liam Lawson (RB), 1m26.016s
14. Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), 1m26.066s
15. Ayumu Iwasa (RB), 1m26.251s
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), 1m26.351s
17. Fred Vesti (Mercedes), 1m26.680s
18. George Russell (Mercedes), 1m26.981s
19. Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), 1m27.526s
20. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 1m27.903s