Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc headed the timesheets with the quickest time at the post-season in Abu Dhabi as the curtain came down on Formula 1 track running in 2024.
Leclerc, who completed 134 laps in the SF-24 he drove to third in last weekend’s race, posted a 1:23.510s during the final hour to end up top at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Monegasque wound up a tenth quicker than ex-Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, who continued his mileage in the Williams FW46 from his filming day on Monday.
Sainz, donning plain white overalls and using a sponsorless helmet, concluded the morning with the benchmark time but ended up a tenth down on Leclerc’s best run.
George Russell, running the updated suspension part that Mercedes introduced on his W15 at the weekend, propped up third on a 1:23.789s as he managed 134 laps.
Nico Hulkenberg divided the two Mercedes drivers on his return to Sauber as Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025, rounded out the top five.
Ayumu Iwasa was next up in sixth spot as the lead RB, edging out Pato O’Ward, the McLaren rookie slipping to seventh having topped the times earlier in proceedings.
Jack Doohan continued preparations towards his debut F1 campaign in 2025 as he pipped Alpine debutant Paul Aron, the two slotting into eighth and ninth positions.
Ocon makes F1 return with Haas
Esteban Ocon returned to the cockpit having skipped the season finale to run in the test with Haas and completed the top 10, almost eight-tenths behind Leclerc’s lap.
World Endurance Championship regular Ryo Hirakawa was in the other Haas that ran with Ocon and came in at 12th behind Luke Browning, Williams’ designed rookie.
Liam Lawson was behind that duo in the RB car sampling Pirelli’s 2025 compounds, with Arthur Leclerc, who split Ferrari running with Antonio Fuoco, in 14th position.
Isack Hadjar, second in Formula 2 this season, was 15th in the Red Bull, while Lando Norris (16th) and Oscar Piastri (19th) got more laps in the title-winning McLaren.
Yuki Tsunoda amassed 125 laps on his maiden Red Bull appearance in the side’s RB20, with Gabriel Bortoleto getting to grips with an F1 car on his debut with Sauber.
Jak Crawford and Felipe Drugovich in the Aston Martin AMR24 cars were line astern on the standings, with Mercedes’ Frederik Vesti and Fuoco completing the times.
READ MORE – F1 2024 Abu Dhabi Post-Season Test – Results
