F1: Aston Martin's Crawford Tops Abu Dhabi Post-Season Test

F1 closed its 2025 season with a full-day post-season test at Yas Marina, giving teams one last chance to gather data before the shift to the 2026 rules. The session combined young-driver running with Pirelli’s development work for its upcoming tyre range. All ten teams took part, allowing rookies a full day behind the wheel while race drivers supported tyre evaluation. Conditions changed through the day, with warm early running giving way to cooler track temperatures, which affected lap times and provided teams with a wide spread of information. Jak Crawford finished the day at the top of the timesheets, heading a field of young talent and experienced names who helped teams wrap up the season and look ahead to the next chapter of the sport.

Also Read: Red Bull Racing: Helmut Marko Steps Down After a Defining 20-Year Legacy

Crawford set the fastest lap of 1m23.766s for Aston Martin in the later stages, moving ahead of Luke Browning in the Williams and Paul Aron, who drove for Sauber. Browning had held the early benchmark before the track evolved, while Aron split his work between shorter performance laps and longer stints. The changing conditions helped teams examine how their cars reacted to different temperatures and tyre behaviour, giving them a base as they begin work on their 2026 car concepts.

Frederik Vesti and Ayumu Iwasa completed the top five as several teams balanced running between their rookies and full-time drivers. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz also logged laps, focusing solely on tyre evaluation for Pirelli. Their input added to the tyre-development effort that will shape how the 2026 season begins. The test also welcomed mule cars built to assess early 2026-spec ideas, including reduced downforce and revised aero concepts.

Mercedes drew interest with a mule car running a front wing featuring active elements, with Kimi Antonelli setting the fastest time among the runners in that group. Antonelli completed 157 laps as the team collected data on the prototype wing and Pirelli’s test compounds, ending the day roughly one and a half seconds off Crawford’s benchmark. Oscar Piastri led the mule-car programme for McLaren, helping push the combined lap count past 2,600.

Also Read: F1: Lando Norris to Race with Number 1 in 2026

The day ran smoothly overall, although Ryo Hirakawa caused a brief red flag after a Turn 1 incident that damaged his rear wing. Esteban Ocon completed only four laps due to technical issues. With the test complete, teams now turn their attention to car development and tyre planning for 2026. The data gathered at Yas Marina offers a valuable foundation as Formula 1 prepares for a major rules change and the next step in its technical direction.