The traditional one-day post-season tests took place today in Abu Dhabi. Although they are held every year, this year was a little different.
As usual, the teams remained in Abu Dhabi, where the traditional tests took place on Tuesday. Teams fielded two cars – one with a rookie driving this year’s tires, the other with a regular race driver testing next year’s tires.
In 2026, both the cars and the tires will be completely different, so the teams have fielded modified cars – with a low (Monza) downforce package and modifications to allow the new tires to be fitted.
Tires 2026
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The diameter of the rim remains 18 inches.
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Tread width is approx 25 mm smaller in the front to the 30 mm smaller at the back.
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The overall diameter is also smaller, by approx 15 mm in front a 10 mm at the back.
According to The Race website, they also used more DRS (in four locations instead of two) to simulate active aerodynamics. Considering that not only the rear but also the front wing will open next year, the current DRS system puts a strain on the front axle and tire temperatures rise. The obtained data then differ even more from 2026, which is already so difficult to simulate on current cars. Riders therefore had to adhere to the speed limit of 300 km/h so that the difference in load was not so great.
But some teams have deployed a special front wing that allows them to simulate the opening front wing that we will see next year. We could see him at Ferrari and Mercedes. These teams did not have to obey the speed limit.
Isack Hadjar sat in this year’s Red Bull car for the first time during the test. Former F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne drove for Aston Martin. The other teams put this year’s race drivers in the car for the tire test.
Also worth mentioning is Racing Bulls, who put Lindblad in the rookie car, who will race for the team next year.
The tests were not without incidents Rjó Hirakawa crashed in the first corner – luckily for Haas it was a “rookie” test. Although the Japanese is over thirty and we probably won’t see him in F1, even an older driver can be used in the rookie test. The only condition is that he has a maximum of two grand prix to his credit.
Hirakawa later returned to the track. His teammate Esteban Ocon only completed four laps in the afternoon tire test due to technical problems. Bearman managed 80 of them in the morning.
The fastest time was set by Jak Crawford in an Aston Martin. Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in the tire test.
The results
N: novice test
P: tire test
| P | Rider | The team | Time / loss | Kola | N/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Crawford | Aston Martin | 1:23.766 | 119 | N |
| 2 | Paul Aaron | Sauber | 0.081 | 126 | N |
| 3 | Luke. Browning | Williams | 0.154 | 129 | N |
| 4 | Frederic Vesti | Mercedes | 0.802 | 145 | N |
| 5 | Ajumu Iwasa | Red Bull | 1.159 | 121 | N |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1.404 | 157 | P |
| 7 | Pato O’Ward | McLaren | 1.652 | 127 | N |
| 8 | Rjó Hirakawa | Haas | 1.697 | 121 | N |
| 9 | Dino Beganović | Ferrari | 1.954 | 122 | N |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 2.333 | 85 | P |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 2.372 | 73 | P |
| 12 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2.376 | 71 | P |
| 13 | Alex Albon | Williams | 2.523 | 92 | P |
| 14 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 2.651 | 75 | P |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 2.688 | 76 | P |
| 16 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 2.739 | 141 | P |
| 17 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 2.753 | 139 | N |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 3.001 | 78 | P |
| 19 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 3.238 | 76 | P |
| 20 | Piere Gasly | Alpine | 3.667 | 144 | P |
| 21 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 3.749 | 111 | P |
| 22 | Kush Maini | Alpine | 3.778 | 128 | N |
| 23 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Aston Martin | 3.977 | 108 | P |
| 24 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 4.061 | 80 | N |
| 25 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 7.641 | 4 | N |
