Crawford sets the pace as the F1 season concludes with the Pirelli tire test | RACER

Jak Crawford set the fastest time of the day of the Pirelli tire test in Abu Dhabi, while Mercedes and Ferrari used systems to help replicate the 2026 aerodynamic changes.

All teams were allowed to develop a system that would help them understand the likely balance and performance changes that would be caused by the active aerodynamics coming into effect next season, with lower drag on straights and high downforce in corners.

Of these, only Mercedes and Ferrari had visibly different front wings, with Mercedes having a hydraulic system consisting of two tubes extending from the end of the nose and running around to the front wing flaps. The Ferrari design was more subtle, but both allowed the flaps to move to a low drag setting.

Those changes meant the two teams were exempt from a 300 km/h speed limit imposed by Pirelli to reduce downforce, making the data collected more representative of 2026. Ferrari and Mercedes could only use the ‘straight line mode’ (SLM) systems in certain sections imposed by the FIA.

The systems were the most eye-catching part of a day that saw just one red flag – when Haas reserve Ryo Hirakawa spun backwards into the barrier at Turn 1 – and new world champion Lando Norris was featured as one of 15 drivers competing for 2026 using mule cars.

Norris wore a special gold version of his helmet design after winning his first title on Sunday, as well as gold accents on his racing boots. He showed no ill effects from his big celebrations on Sunday evening, completing 71 laps during the morning session.

Piastri took over from Norris in the afternoon session, with Ferrari also splitting the race between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Williams using both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Sauber giving track time to Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, and Haas trying to do the same.

For Haas, a productive morning for Ollie Bearman was followed by a frustrating morning for Esteban Ocon, who completed just four laps in total before an engine problem ended his afternoon.

Red Bull had Isack Hadjar in the car all day as a tire tester ahead of his move to the team in 2026, leaving Racing Bulls the only team to field its full driver line-up for its two cars next year. Teams are allowed to field 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 back-to-back day 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 with 2025 tyres, with the American recording a 1m23.766s in the afternoon session. That meant he finished just under a second ahead of Paul Aron in the Sauber, while Williams driver Luke Browning finished third with a 1.23.930.

Kimi Antonelli drove all day for Mercedes and was the lead driver on 2026 tyres, also recording the highest number of laps with 157, while finishing with the sixth fastest time, just ahead of Pato O’Ward. The IndyCar star made another appearance for McLaren, adding 127 laps to his F1 experience.

“This test day was an excellent opportunity for all teams to try out the final 2026 tyres, with the compounds set to be formally confirmed on Monday,” said Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola. “During the development tests organized by Pirelli this season, the teams individually ran different versions of the prototypes, at different stages 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 opportunity to better understand the characteristics of the new tires. By using the same mule cars as during the development tests, with the same speed limits, teams could easily compare the data recorded at Yas Marina with that of the individual test days of recent months.

“For our engineers, this test was fundamental to confirm the performance differences between the compounds and the degradation levels, which has been the focus of our work throughout the year. By analyzing the new tires, which have a smaller footprint on the surface, we have also been able to monitor their exposure to grain formation and overheating: two effects that could 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 during the test in Barcelona on the new generation of cars.”