Jak Crawford set the fastest time of the day of the Pirelli tire test in Abu Dhabi, as Mercedes and Ferrari ran systems to help replicate the aerodynamic changes in 2026.
All teams were allowed to develop a system that would help them understand the likely balance and performance changes that would be induced by the active aerodynamics that come into effect next season, with lower drag modes on straights and high downforce in corners.
Of those, only Mercedes and Ferrari had visibly different front wings, with Mercedes running a hydraulic system that included two tubes protruding from the end of the nose and looping round to the front wing flaps. The Ferrari design was more subtle, but both allowed the flaps to move into a low drag setting.
Those changes meant the two teams were exempt from a 300kph (186mph) speed limit that was imposed by Pirelli to reduce downforce, ensuring the data collected was more representative to 2026. Ferrari and Mercedes could only use the ‘straight line mode’ (SLM) systems in certain sections enforced by the FIA.
The systems were the most eye-catching part of a day that had just one red flag – when Haas reserve Ryo Hirakawa spun backwards into the barrier at Turn 1 – and featured new world champion Lando Norris as one of 15 race drivers for 2026 taking part, using mule cars.
Norris was sporting a special gold version of his helmet design after winning his maiden title on Sunday, as well as touches of gold on his racing boots as well. He showed no ill-effects of his big celebrations on Sunday night, logging 71 laps through the morning session.
Piastri took over from Norris in the afternoon session, with Ferrari also splitting running between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Williams utilized both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Sauber giving track time to Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, and Haas attempting to do the same.
For Haas, a productive morning for Ollie Bearman was followed by a frustrating one for Esteban Ocon, who managed just four laps in total before an engine issue ended his afternoon.
Red Bull had Isack Hadjar in the car for the entire day as its tire tester ahead of his step up to the team in 2026, and that allowed Racing Bulls to be the only team to run its full driver lineup for next year across its two cars. Teams are permitted to run race drivers in the Pirelli tire test mule car, and one rookie in the other as part of the Young Driver Test, but with Hadjar’s replacement Arvid Lindblad also a rookie, he was able to prepare with a day’s running while Liam Lawson carried out Pirelli duties.
It was Aston Martin third driver Crawford who set the fastest time of the day in an unmodified car using 2025 tires, with the American posting a 1m23.766s in the afternoon session. That meant he finished just under a second clear of Paul Aron in the Sauber, while Williams driver Luke Browning was third on a 1m23.930s.
Kimi Antonelli drove all day for Mercedes and was the lead driver on 2026 tires, also logging the highest number of laps with 157 as he finished with the sixth-fastest time, just ahead of Pato O’Ward. The IndyCar star made another appearance for McLaren and added 127 laps to his F1 experience.
“This test day was an excellent opportunity for all the teams to try out the definitive 2026 tires, with the compounds set to be formally confirmed on Monday,” Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola said. “During the development tests organized by Pirelli throughout this season, the teams individually ran different versions of the prototypes, in various phases of development – from just the new construction to a range of options for the same compound.
“Today was the first time that they had the entire range at their disposal on track, which gave them the chance to more fully understand the characteristics of the new tires. By using the same mule cars as during the development tests, with the same speed limits, teams were easily able to compare the data captured in Yas Marina with that from the individual test days over the last few months.
“For our engineers, this test was fundamental to confirm the performance gaps between the compounds and the degradation levels, which has been the focus of our work throughout the year. Analyzing the new tires, which have a smaller footprint against the surface, has also allowed us to check their exposure to graining and overheating: two effects that can potentially increase due to the smaller surface area.
“Now we have to wait until the end of January to see these latest tires in action at the Barcelona test on the new generation of cars.”
